The United Kingdom is taking another significant step in strengthening Ukraine’s domestic defence industry, authorising the transfer of classified technical information that could help pave the way for the production and assembly of long-range missiles inside Ukraine.
The announcement was made by British Prime Minister Andy Burnham during his visit to Kyiv, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Ukraine’s Independence Day.
Under the new arrangement, defence company MBDA will be permitted to share classified information concerning British-made components used in the SCALP cruise missile. The move is intended to support Ukrainian and French efforts to establish missile assembly capabilities on Ukrainian territory.
SCALP is the French counterpart of Britain’s Storm Shadow, with both systems incorporating British and French technology. The air-launched missile has a range of more than 250 kilometres.
The agreement does not mean that missile production in Ukraine will begin immediately. Establishing the necessary industrial infrastructure and supply chains is expected to take time, and no date has yet been announced for the first Ukrainian-assembled missiles.
London is also advancing Project Brakestop, aimed at developing more affordable advanced long-range weapons for Ukraine.
The announcement comes as European governments seek to strengthen Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against increasingly intense Russian missile and drone attacks. French President Emmanuel Macron has emphasised the urgent need to reinforce Ukraine’s air-defence capabilities, while Zelenskyy has called for additional interceptor missiles, including 300 Patriot missiles before winter.
The growing role of European defence industries in Ukraine’s military production marks a deeper shift from simply supplying weapons to helping Ukraine develop the capacity to manufacture and maintain advanced systems on its own territory.
For Moscow, the move is likely to be viewed as another escalation in Western military support for Kyiv. Russia has repeatedly accused Britain of contributing to the escalation of the war.
London, however, maintains that strengthening Ukraine’s military capabilities is necessary to enable the country to defend itself against Russia’s invasion.
