Twelve countries, including the United Kingdom, are set to invest more than £37 billion ($50 billion) over the next decade to develop a new long-range missile system aimed at strengthening Europe’s defence capabilities.
The Deep Precision Strike project was unveiled by the UK government and is expected to be discussed at the upcoming NATO Summit in Ankara, Türkiye. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is attending his final NATO summit as prime minister.
The advanced missile programme is designed to strike targets nearly 300 kilometres away with high accuracy, with future capabilities potentially extending its range up to 2,000 kilometres.
Starmer said the UK-led initiative would help unite European allies and “keep NATO safe for years to come”, while Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper described the project as a response to a “more dangerous world”.
The initiative comes amid growing pressure on NATO members to increase defence spending. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly urged European allies to contribute more towards defence, while NATO members agreed last year to raise defence and security spending targets by 2035.
However, like many major defence programmes, the Deep Precision Strike system is not expected to become operational until the 2030s.
The UK has already pledged around £300 billion by 2030 through its Defence Investment Plan as part of efforts to strengthen national and allied military capabilities.
