UK Media: Britain to Lead European Long-Range Missile Development Project

Reference News Network reported on July 9 According to a report from the British Daily Telegraph website on July 6, the UK will lead a European project to develop a new type of long-range missile and end NATO's reliance on American weapons.

Diplomats and officials told the Daily Telegraph that the upcoming "Deep Precision Strike Alliance" is one of the first initiatives to establish a European pillar of NATO.

The project will be announced during a meeting of Western military alliance leaders this week in Ankara, Turkey, as NATO's European member states work to fill the gap left by Donald Trump's withdrawal of troops from Europe.

At the summit, UK Prime Minister Starmer will commit to creating a "more European NATO than ever before, ready to support Ukraine and confront the long-term threat posed by an increasingly reckless and dangerous Russia."

In recent weeks, the plan has gained support, partly due to Trump's decision to cancel a Biden-era plan to deploy a battalion in Germany equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles, enabling Europe to strike targets within Russia.

It is reported that, in addition to the UK, Germany, Ukraine, France, and the Netherlands are also involved in this pan-European alliance.

The detailed technical specifications of the missiles that this new group may produce will be finalized later.

However, deep precision strike weapons cover a wide range, capable of accurately striking targets within a range of 1,000 to 3,000 kilometers.

Such systems are envisioned to be used to destroy foreign enemy bombers preparing for takeoff or to strike their military production facilities.

The UK and Germany may play leading roles in the alliance, as both countries are working on an existing plan to produce ground-launched missiles with ranges exceeding 2,000 kilometers.

These two countries are also involved in a European long-range strike program. This is a similar initiative aimed at producing various missiles with different ranges in collaboration with Italy, France, Poland, and Sweden.

As the military situation of the US in continental Europe is assessed, this alliance is one of three planned to end Europe's dependence on American military systems.

Several other plans are also in the works, aimed at giving Europe an independent air defense system and intelligence and reconnaissance satellites.

It was reported that when US permanent NATO representative Matthew Whitaker stated that countries lagging in defense spending should "immediately" increase their expenditures, the UK government was eager to avoid the impression that it was shirking its responsibility to fund NATO's collective defense.

US officials told the Daily Telegraph that the Trump administration had communicated with senior officials in London, expecting UK defense spending to continue to increase—regardless of who is Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street.

In response to US concerns about spending, Starmer's spokesperson stated that the government "rejects such claims," adding that the UK "has always fulfilled its defense spending commitments and remains one of the largest spending countries."

Sources familiar with the discussions warned that any European missile could take decades to become a reality.

The now-abandoned deployment of Tomahawk missiles was originally intended as a stopgap measure in the process of developing Europe's own deep strike capabilities.

NATO leaders will hold a two-day summit in Ankara, Turkey, starting on the 7th. (Translation/yang xinpeng)