NATO summit 2026: UK leads deep precision strike initiative
By joining the PrSM programme alongside Australia and the US, the UK will triple the British Army's range to 500 km. (US Army )
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with NATO allies at the NATO summit in Ankara on 8 July 2026 to discuss a European initiative led by his country to increase spending on deep precision strike capabilities.
Under the initiative, NATO European countries plan to spend USD50 billion on precision weapons with a range of 300-2,000 km over the next decade to reinforce allied defence and deterrence. They also plan to share expertise and technology developments as well as increase industrial cooperation.
The UK Defence Investment Plan (DIP) envisages spending GBP3 billion (USD4 billion) on deep precision strike capabilities by 2030. This includes UK programmes with Germany and the trilateral Stratus project with France and Italy.
Under the October 2024 Trinity House agreement, the UK is working with Germany on a deep precision strike programme to accelerate both stealth and hypersonic weapons with a range over 2,000 km expected to enter service in the 2030s.
The programme is initially focused on ground-launched capabilities but will also explore air and naval capabilities, delivering additional long-range deterrence and operational flexibility. The DIP foresees investing GBP770 million in the joint capability over the next four years, in line with the UK's 2025 Strategic Defence Review.
The trilateral Stratus project with France and Italy will develop stealth and high-speed missile variants as a next generation successor to destroy high-value targets, including enemy warships, and to suppress enemy air defences. The missiles will replace Storm Shadow. The UK is investing GBP1.4 billion in the project over the next four years, with work conducted by MBDA in Stevenage and Bolton.
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