UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the further development of defence cooperation with Ukraine during a meeting in London, with the production of long-range missiles at the centre of the agenda. According to RBC-Ukraine, citing a statement by the UK government, one of the key items on the agenda was the establishment of assembly lines for long-range SCALP/Storm Shadow missiles on Ukrainian territory. The leaders also confirmed their intention to continue working together to safeguard the common interests of both countries.
SCALP and Storm Shadow: a shared technological base
It is important to stress that this is not simply about delivering finished munitions, but about transferring elements of the production cycle directly to Ukraine. SCALP is the French version of the British Storm Shadow missile, and both systems rely on shared French and British technology. It is precisely this technological compatibility that makes it logical to discuss unified assembly lines on Ukrainian territory, rather than piecemeal deliveries.
Context: from a pledge in Kyiv to joint production
The question of producing missiles in Ukraine was not raised by chance. It flows directly from a statement made by Burnham during his visit to Kyiv on 24 August, when the British prime minister announced that London had decided to share the technology for producing Storm Shadow missiles with Ukraine. Thus, the London meeting with Macron became the next, more concrete step — moving from a political pledge to working out the practical organisation of assembly.
The “coalition of the willing” and the outcomes of the Kyiv session
Beyond the missile issue, Burnham and Macron reviewed the outcomes of the “coalition of the willing” session, which took place in Kyiv last week. This indicates that the discussion of SCALP/Storm Shadow is being embedded in a broader format of coordinated support for Ukraine by several states, rather than within a bilateral framework.
Contradictory data
There is a discrepancy in the wording of different sources regarding the stage at which the process stands. The basic message from the government and RBC-Ukraine speaks of “further steps” and “the creation of assembly lines,” i.e. of planning and preparation. At the same time, the headline of pravda.com.ua characterises the discussion as the “start of production,” while pnp.ru describes it as “plans for assembly.” In other words, one version describes the planning and preparation stage, while the other describes an actual start. The exact stage (preparation, launch, or already operational lines) is not unambiguously fixed in the provided materials, and both interpretations should be taken into account.
Expert view: feasibility and timelines
RBC-Ukraine also polled representatives of the defence industry on how long it might take to launch such production and whether Ukraine’s defence industry is ready for it. Aviation expert and development director of a defence enterprise Anatoly Khrapchinsky commented on how realistic it is to assemble Storm Shadow and SCALP missiles in Ukraine. These assessments are important for understanding the gap between the political decision and the engineering and production practice, although specific figures and timelines are not provided in the available materials.
