{"url":"https://www.ft.com/content/c4238437-b064-451a-9900-4c56cf1977d7","title":"France seeks to join UK-German long-range missile plan","domain":"ft.com","imageUrl":"https://images.pexels.com/photos/188037/pexels-photo-188037.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&h=650&w=940","pexelsSearchTerm":"defense","category":"World","language":"en","slug":"8c889cab","id":"8c889cab-9a5e-4173-9737-3850dc2508ef","description":"*","summary":"**## TL;DR**\n- **France Seeks Join:** France is seeking to join a UK-German programme to develop new long-range ground-launched missiles.[[1]](https://en.ilsole24ore.com/art/france-wants-to-join-british-german-long-range-missile-project-AIQRa3DD)\n- **Over 2000 km Range:** The project targets a family of missiles with ranges exceeding 2,000 km for deep precision strikes.[[2]](https://caliber.az/en/post/france-eyes-entry-into-uk-germany-long-range-missile-program)\n- **Early June Talks:** The three countries plan trilateral discussions in early June amid efforts to reduce reliance on US capabilities.[[1]](https://en.ilsole24ore.com/art/france-wants-to-join-british-german-long-range-missile-project-AIQRa3DD)\n\n## The story at a glance\nFrance wants to join an existing UK-German defence project to build advanced long-range missiles. The UK and Germany launched the initiative in 2024 under their Trinity House agreement. It forms part of broader European efforts to strengthen independent deep-strike capabilities. Reporting on France’s interest emerged on 22 May 2026 as Europe responds to shifting US policy signals.\n\n## Key points\n- Paris has expressed interest in participating, according to five people familiar with the discussions.[[2]](https://caliber.az/en/post/france-eyes-entry-into-uk-germany-long-range-missile-program)\n- The missiles would be ground-launched systems with ranges over 2,000 km, aimed at striking targets deep inside Russia.[[2]](https://caliber.az/en/post/france-eyes-entry-into-uk-germany-long-range-missile-program)\n- The programme remains at the conceptual stage and includes plans for stealth cruise missiles and hypersonic weapons.[[1]](https://en.ilsole24ore.com/art/france-wants-to-join-british-german-long-range-missile-project-AIQRa3DD)\n- French officials see participation as a way to narrow the gap between conventional and nuclear deterrence.[[1]](https://en.ilsole24ore.com/art/france-wants-to-join-british-german-long-range-missile-project-AIQRa3DD)\n- Germany’s defence minister Boris Pistorius has publicly welcomed French involvement and said they want to join “as soon as possible.”[[1]](https://en.ilsole24ore.com/art/france-wants-to-join-british-german-long-range-missile-project-AIQRa3DD)\n- Some UK officials have reservations about adding a new partner with its own industrial interests and weapon concepts.[[1]](https://en.ilsole24ore.com/art/france-wants-to-join-british-german-long-range-missile-project-AIQRa3DD)\n- France had been involved in early talks but later stepped back due to debates over nuclear doctrine.[[1]](https://en.ilsole24ore.com/art/france-wants-to-join-british-german-long-range-missile-project-AIQRa3DD)\n\n## Details and context\nThe UK-German project is the spearhead of their 2024 defence agreement and sits within the wider six-country European Long-range Strike Approach (ELSA) framework, which has remained open to others. It focuses initially on ground-launched systems because most existing European conventional missiles with 300 km+ range are air- or sea-launched, requiring platforms to enter contested airspace or waters. Russia’s use of land-launched missiles in Ukraine and deployments in Kaliningrad have highlighted this European shortfall.[[1]](https://en.ilsole24ore.com/art/france-wants-to-join-british-german-long-range-missile-project-AIQRa3DD)\n\nFrench interest aligns with President Emmanuel Macron’s emphasis on conventional deep-strike options to complement France’s nuclear deterrent. In a March 2025 speech he stressed managing escalation “before the nuclear threshold is crossed.” Paris proposes involving ArianeGroup (Airbus-Safran) for rocket-booster technology suitable for hypersonic weapons. Companies already linked to the UK-German side include MBDA and the UK-German start-up Hypersonics.[[1]](https://en.ilsole24ore.com/art/france-wants-to-join-british-german-long-range-missile-project-AIQRa3DD)\n\nThe initiative gained urgency after US plans (from the Biden era) to station a Tomahawk missile battalion and other long-range weapons in western Germany were cancelled. Trilateral talks among France, Germany and the UK are expected in early June. Past Franco-German defence projects have faced industrial and political tensions, though the three countries have cooperated successfully on the Storm Shadow/SCALP missile.[[1]](https://en.ilsole24ore.com/art/france-wants-to-join-british-german-long-range-missile-project-AIQRa3DD)\n\n## Key quotes\n- German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius: “Now the French want to join us, and do it as soon as possible.”[[1]](https://en.ilsole24ore.com/art/france-wants-to-join-british-german-long-range-missile-project-AIQRa3DD)\n\n## Why it matters\nEurope is accelerating efforts to build independent long-range strike capacity as reliance on US systems faces uncertainty. Concrete participation by France could speed development of systems expected in service in the early 2030s and expand industrial involvement. Watch whether trilateral talks in early June produce agreement on governance, industrial roles, and missile concepts, or whether reservations in London slow progress.\n\n## FAQ\nQ: Why is France interested in the UK-German missile programme now?\nA: French officials believe joining would help narrow the gap between conventional and nuclear deterrence and provide new options for conventional escalation before crossing the nuclear threshold, in line with President Macron’s March 2025 statements.[[1]](https://en.ilsole24ore.com/art/france-wants-to-join-british-german-long-range-missile-project-AIQRa3DD)\n\nQ: What specific capabilities is the project aiming to develop?\nA: It aims to produce a family of ground-launched missiles with ranges exceeding 2,000 km, including stealth cruise missiles and hypersonic weapons that travel at very high speeds on unpredictable trajectories.[[1]](https://en.ilsole24ore.com/art/france-wants-to-join-british-german-long-range-missile-project-AIQRa3DD)\n\nQ: When are the missiles expected to enter service?\nA: According to the UK and Germany, the new long-range missiles are expected to enter service in the early 2030s.[[1]](https://en.ilsole24ore.com/art/france-wants-to-join-british-german-long-range-missile-project-AIQRa3DD)\n\nQ: What companies are involved or proposed?\nA: MBDA and Hypersonics are already linked to the UK-German discussions; France proposes ArianeGroup could contribute carrier rockets or booster technology.[[1]](https://en.ilsole24ore.com/art/france-wants-to-join-british-german-long-range-missile-project-AIQRa3DD)","hashtags":["#defense","#europe","#missiles","#france","#germany","#uk"],"sources":[{"url":"https://www.ft.com/content/c4238437-b064-451a-9900-4c56cf1977d7","title":"Original article"},{"url":"https://en.ilsole24ore.com/art/france-wants-to-join-british-german-long-range-missile-project-AIQRa3DD","title":""},{"url":"https://caliber.az/en/post/france-eyes-entry-into-uk-germany-long-range-missile-program","title":""}],"viewCount":6,"publishedAt":"2026-05-23T10:03:49.278Z","createdAt":"2026-05-23T10:03:49.278Z","articlePublishedAt":null}