British Air Force will retire Storm Shadow cruise missiles. This decision is enshrined in Defense Investment Plan approved by British government, defining £298 billion (approximately $395 billion) financing over four years.
Having studied Ukraine's experience, we are now moving to next generation of affordable cruise missiles, which means we will get significantly more missiles at lower overall cost, document states.
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Specific such transition timelines are not named, but overall plan in most programs covers period through 2030. Also no specific cheap missile names are cited that should replace Storm Shadow.
Besides that, £300 million (approximately $398 million) announced will go toward using Ukrainian lessons and technological developments for creating new, cheaper cruise missiles, initially air-based but with further ground and naval variants explored.
Against this backdrop, question arises regarding Stratus projectfate from MBDA, providing for Stratus LO cruise missile creation as Storm Shadow successor and supersonic Stratus RS missile. Document states these missiles will become future of British complex weapons program ensuring long-range strikes against complex targets.
Overall £1.4 billion ($1.86 billion) through 2030 is planned for this project, which should enable arming Typhoon fighters and new frigates. Also review of this project should start in near future, during which all program variants will be considered.
Based on this, assumption possible that London in Storm Shadow successor question considers combination of assets from cheap mass missiles enabling salvo mass creation, to which high-effectiveness but expensive Stratus additions will be added.
Also worth noting announced £210 million ($278 million) investment in creating and supplying to army, air force and navy long-range drones. All this together generally is precisely direct processing of Ukraine's experience in long-range strike question against russia.
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