UK commits £1.4 billion to Stratus missile as part of European deep strike push

The United Kingdom will invest £1.4 billion ($1.9 billion) over the next four years in Stratus, the Franco-British-Italian successor to the Storm Shadow cruise missile, the UK government announced on July 8, 2026. 

The funding was confirmed as Prime Minister Keir Starmer launched a UK-led European deep precision strike initiative at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, under which around a dozen European countries are expected to commit more than $50 billion (£37 billion) over the next ten years to long-range strike capabilities. 

According to the announcement, the trilateral Stratus program covers both stealth and high-speed missile variants and already sustains more than 1,300 jobs at MBDA sites in Stevenage and Bolton. 

Stratus is the UK’s trilateral programme with France and Italy to develop the successor of Storm Shadow — one of our most battle-proven missiles.The UK will put £1.4 billion into Stratus over the next four years. The project sustains more than 1,300 UK jobs at @MBDA_UK. pic.twitter.com/sSZrDl04I9— Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) July 8, 2026

From assessment to development 

Stratus emerged from the Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon (FC/ASW) program launched by the UK and France in 2017 and led by MBDA.  

Unveiled under its current name at DSEI London in September 2025, the family is intended to replace the SCALP-EG/Storm Shadow cruise missile as well as the Exocet and Harpoon anti-ship missiles. 

The family comprises two designs. Stratus LO, formerly known as TP15, is a low-observable subsonic cruise missile optimized for penetrating dense air defenses. Stratus RS, previously designated RJ10, is a high-supersonic weapon designed to fly between Mach 3 and Mach 5 with high maneuverability, covering deep strike, anti-ship, and suppression of enemy air defense missions. 

More than 750 MBDA engineers are working on the program, which completed its assessment phase in 2025. MBDA CEO Eric Beranger indicated in late March 2026 that the transition to the full development phase was imminent, and the new UK funding commitment suggests that milestone is now being resourced. 

Part of a wider strike agenda 

The Stratus commitment sits within £3 billion ($4 billion) that the UK has allocated to deep precision strike by 2030 under its Defence Investment Plan. Alongside the trilateral missile, the UK is developing a hypersonic and stealth strike system with Germany under the Trinity House agreement, with a range beyond 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles), and is joining the US-Australian Precision Strike Missile program to give the British Army a 500-kilometer (310-mile) ballistic missile. 

The push comes as France and the UK have restarted Storm Shadow/SCALP production to replenish stockpiles drawn down by deliveries to Ukraine, where the missile has been used against hardened, high-value targets since the summer of 2023. Ukraine has also held discussions with France and MBDA over the possible licensed production of the SCALP cruise missile.  The post UK commits £1.4 billion to Stratus missile as part of European deep strike push appeared first on AeroTime.

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