Letter of Intent signed on Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon programme
United Kingdom/Italy – Signing of a Letter of Intent between France, the United Kingdom and Italy on the Future Cruise and Anti-Ship Weapon programme – Press communiqué issued by the Ministry for the Armed Forces
Paris, 24 June 2023
Currently at the risk-removal phase, the Franco-British Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon programme (FC/ASW) aims to develop a new generation of missiles to update the two nations’ long-range anti-ship and deep-strike capabilities.
By jointly signing a Letter of Intent on the FC/ASW programme on Tuesday 20 June 2023, the United Kingdom, Italy and France confirmed their desire to extend Franco-British cooperation to include their Italian partner.
The dialogue phase that can now begin between the three countries will lay the foundations of the future development phase. The goal for each of the three countries is to have an operational deep-strike capability by 2030. This new phase of the FC/ASW programme will strengthen the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base centring on the manufacturer MBDA, a European leader in missiles.
The Franco-British FC/ASW programme aims to replace the SCALP/Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles, in service in the French and British air forces, as well as the heavy airborne and surface anti-ship missiles Exocet in France and Harpoon in the UK.
It arose from France and the UK’s shared need for a long-range anti-ship capability for use on the high seas, and an ability to engage hard targets deep in the enemy’s defence system.
The programme has been entrusted to the manufacturer MBDA, which is developing technologies and systems aimed at improving the survivability, range and lethality of anti-ship and cruise missiles fired from fighter planes and warships.
The concept phase, costing in the order of €100 million, is funded in equal shares by France and the UK; it is also equally shared in terms of workload between MBDA France and MBDA UK./.