UK to Share Missile Tech With Ukraine for Local Production

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced on Monday that the UK will assist Ukraine in producing its own long-range missiles by sharing classified technical information on British-made components. The announcement came during Burnham's visit to Kyiv for Ukraine's Independence Day, where he joined other international leaders.

Defense firm MBDA will release details on UK-manufactured parts for the SCALP missile, enabling Ukraine to assemble the weapons domestically. The SCALP is the French-produced variant of the UK's Storm Shadow, an air-launched precision missile with a range exceeding 250 kilometers. Both missiles share Franco-British technology and are designed to strike fixed targets such as bunkers and critical infrastructure with high accuracy.

Ukraine is already in discussions with France about establishing assembly lines for these missiles on its soil. However, the timeline for such production remains unclear, and analysts caution that the impact will depend on how quickly Ukrainian-assembled missiles can be introduced into service.

While the move is significant, it will not address Ukraine's immediate needs, particularly its shortage of Patriot interceptor missiles. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted on Sunday that Ukraine is receiving far fewer Patriots even as Russian attacks intensify, a gap that Western allies are struggling to close.

Russia reacted sharply to the announcement, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accusing the UK of "fanning the flame" of the conflict. Burnham dismissed the remark, asking, "Who started the fire?"

The UK was the first country to supply longer-range strike weapons to Ukraine in 2023, donating Storm Shadow missiles that allowed Kyiv to hit targets deep behind front lines, including in Russian-occupied Crimea. Britain is also supporting Ukraine's development of low-cost strike systems, including a ground-launched weapon capable of carrying a 225-kilogram warhead over distances beyond 500 kilometers.