Four European nations agree to jointly develop long-range cruise missiles

France, Germany, Italy, and Poland have signed a letter of intent to jointly develop ground-launched cruise missiles with a range exceeding 500 km (310 miles).

This initiative aims to address perceived gaps in European arsenals highlighted by Russia’s actions in Ukraine, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

Speaking at the NATO summit in Washington, French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu emphasized that these new missiles are intended to serve as a deterrent. He suggested that the United Kingdom’s new Labour government could potentially join the effort, citing the budgetary benefits of sharing development costs.

Lecornu indicated that an initial draft of the missile could be outlined by the end of the year, with specific details such as range to be refined later. This announcement follows the recent decision by the United States and Germany to deploy U.S. long-range missiles in Germany by 2026, including SM-6, Tomahawks, and hypersonic weapons, which has been criticized by Moscow as a threat to Russian national security.

The renewed focus on cruise missiles with ranges over several hundred kilometres stems from Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which saw both Russian strikes across borders and Ukrainian retaliatory actions.

Currently, Europe’s arsenal includes fighter-launched missiles like Britain’s Storm Shadow, France’s Scalp, and Germany’s Taurus, each with a range of approximately 500 km.