Britain said on Tuesday it would strengthen the Army's long-range capabilities by spending £190 million ($254.22 million) on the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) programme, buying a weapon which can neutralise targets up to 500 kilometres away.
The country's outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer is at the NATO summit in Ankara on Tuesday, where he wants to convince U.S. President Donald Trump and other countries in the western military alliance that UK defence spending is heading in the right direction.
The PrSM procurement will strengthen Britain's contribution to NATO deterrence, Britain's Ministry of Defence said in a statement, adding that the first deliveries could be received in 2027.
The acquisition was funded by Britain's Defence Investment Plan which has been criticised for not plotting a route to spending 3.5% of GDP on core defence, a NATO target set last year after Trump said Europe should spend more on defending themselves.
The next-generation supersonic ballistic missiles are built by Lockheed Martin (LMT.N) and the programme is a collaboration between the U.S. and Australia. Britain said it could join work to further develop the missile in future.
Britain remains committed to other weapons projects with European partners such as Deep Precision Strike and European Long Range Strike Approach, the statement said.
($1 = 0.7474 pounds)
