RAF's Long-Range Missile Set For £146m Upgrade
The Ministry of Defence has signed a £146 million contract to update the Royal Air Force's long-range cruise missiles.
The deal with MDBA will see the RAF's Storm Shadow and France's SCALP missiles regenerated to keep them operational and fit for purpose.
The contract is expected to keep the missile in service for at least another 10 years. The MoD says it will sustain 60 jobs in the UK.
Minister for Defence Procurement, Harriett Baldwin, said:
"Storm Shadow is a proven and vital missile for the RAF, and this £146 million upgrade will ensure it is always ready for whenever our Armed Forces might need it to defend our way of life."
The Storm Shadow has a range of more than 250km (155mi), and can reach Mach 0.8.
It is carried by RAF Tornados and is used in Operation Shader against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.
The contract will come as welcome news to the Armed Forces after reports late last year that Royal Navy warships are to be left without anti-ship cruise missiles and forced to rely on naval guns, following the planned retirement of the Harpoon in 2018.
New anti-ship missiles aren't planned to be brought into service until 2020 and these will be helicopter-borne.
Harriett Baldwin, Under Secretary of State for Defence Procurement, did say in December that options for replacing the Harpoon were "being considered".
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