LONDON - Minister for Defence Procurement Harriett Baldwin has today announced a £146 million ($182.7 million) contract with MBDA to regenerate an air-launched missile, alongside her French counterpart Laurent Collet-Billon.
The shared deal with MDBA will see the U.K.'s Storm Shadow and France's SCALP missiles updated so they remain fit for purpose and ready for operational use.
During an inward visit by Laurent Collet-Billon, the Minister confirmed the strong partnership with France in a series of meetings at Lancaster House. The collaboration is providing a £50 million saving for both sides.
The contract will keep the missile in service for the next decade and beyond and help to sustain around 60 U.K. jobs. Storm Shadow is a combat-proven, long-range, precision cruise missile, already in service with RAF Tornados, deployed recently against Daesh in Iraq.
The midlife refurbishment program has been developed in co-operation with the French Government who will be updating their own similar missile known as SCALP.
By taking advantage of the similarities, this collaboration not only reaffirms the strong defense relationship as outlined under the Lancaster House Agreement, but has also resulted in a £50 million saving for both the U.K. and France.
The regeneration will consist of a midlife refurbishment of current missile parts such as the turbo-jet engine, an upgrade of the navigational system, and a like for like replacement of items such as the cabling, seals and gaskets.
The work will sustain around 60 jobs at MBDA in Stevenage and Bolton, in a variety of roles including software and systems engineering. Over 40 jobs will also be sustained through the supply chain.
Storm Shadow is designed to target substantial buildings and structures, such as military facilities, control centers, bunkers, missile sites, airfields and bridges, which might otherwise require the use of several aircraft over the course of numerous missions.
France is the U.K.'s most important European Ally, with both countries' defense budgets together account for almost half of all European defense spending. This deal is the most recent example of collaboration in a long history of cooperation on defense and security. The £146 million investment in Storm Shadow will sustain the missile until its planned out of service date in 2032.
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