Britain to Unlock Classified SCALP Missile Technology for Ukraine to Build Them at Home

Britain will allow missile manufacturer MBDA to release classified information on British-made components used in SCALP long-range cruise missiles, clearing a major obstacle to establishing local missile assembly in Ukraine, Reuters reported on August 24.

The decision gives the Franco-British defense company permission to transfer technical documentation covering UK-origin components incorporated into the missile.

The move is expected to be formally announced during British Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s visit to Ukraine on August 24, his first overseas trip since taking office.

Britain’s approval will allow France and Ukraine to advance plans for Ukrainian assembly of the SCALP, a weapon built around technology jointly developed by the two European countries.

France has already authorized licensed production of SCALP missiles in Ukraine, with plans to begin as soon as possible and before the end of 2026.

The British decision addresses an important technical and legal hurdle. Because SCALP incorporates components and technologies originating in both France and the UK, Paris alone could not provide all of the information required to reproduce or assemble the missile domestically in Ukraine.

SCALP EG emerged from a Franco-British cruise missile program developed during the 1990s. The weapon traces its design lineage to the Apache missile and was developed by French and British defense companies that later became part of MBDA.

France operates the weapon under the designation SCALP EG, short for Système de Croisière Autonome à Longue Portée–Emploi Général, while Britain fields its closely related version as Storm Shadow.

Although the French and British variants use different software and aircraft integration interfaces, they share the same basic airframe and much of the underlying technology.

The missile measures roughly 5.1 meters in length, has a wingspan of about three meters and weighs approximately 1,300 kilograms at launch.

Export versions have an officially stated range exceeding 250 kilometers, while versions operated by the French and British armed forces are generally credited with significantly greater reach, potentially extending to around 550 kilometers.

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Ukraine has already used both SCALP EG and Storm Shadow missiles extensively against high-value Russian military targets, including command facilities, ammunition storage sites, airfields and other infrastructure far behind the front line.

Establishing production or assembly inside Ukraine would mark a major step toward reducing Kyiv’s dependence on limited deliveries of Western long-range weapons while expanding its domestic ability to sustain deep-strike operations during Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.

Previously, Ukraine’s Luch Design Bureau partnered with European missile manufacturer MBDA, the maker of Storm Shadow cruise missiles, to develop the next-generation Neptune-2 cruise missile under a newly signed memorandum of understanding.

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