JUSTIN TALLIS/ Getty Images
- The UK and Germany signed a new defense agreement on Wednesday.
- The agreement includes a commitment to develop new deep-strike weapons.
- The new weapons will have a greater range than the current Storm Shadow or Taurus, the UK said.
The UK and Germany signed a “first-of-its-kind” defense agreement on Wednesday as the two countries committed to “deepen” their defense cooperation.
The agreement includes a pledge to work together on developing new deep-strike weapons and new drones, among other things, according to a press release from the UK government.
UK Defense Secretary John Healey said in a statement that the deal marked “a milestone moment in our relationship with Germany and a major strengthening of Europe’s security.”
“It secures unprecedented levels of new cooperation with the German Armed Forces and industry, bringing benefits to our shared security and prosperity, protecting our shared values and boosting our defence industrial bases,” he said.
As part of the agreement, the UK and Germany will aim to develop a new weapon system with a greater range and accuracy than current missiles, such as the UK’s Storm Shadow and the German-made Taurus, which have ranges of around 155 miles and 310 miles respectively.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has long asked Western allies to allow the use of such long-range systems on targets deep inside Russia.
But the UK has continued to refuse Ukraine such permission, while Germany has repeatedly ruled out sending the Taurus missile to Kyiv.
Wednesday’s agreement will also see the UK and Germany begin working to equip German Sea King helicopters with modern missile systems and allow German P8 aircraft to “periodically operate” from Scotland to defend the North Atlantic.
“The UK-German ‘Trinity House Agreement’ is not only an important element of the UK Government’s ‘reset’ with Europe – it is an elevation of the UK-German defense and security relationship that is far more ambitious than its predecessors,” Ed Arnold, a senior research fellow for European Security at the Royal United Services Institute think tank, said in a press statement.
It comes as the UK announced a new £2.26 billion (roughly $2.9 billion) loan to Ukraine.
Business Insider has contacted the UK Ministry of Defence for comment.