UK leads European Deep Precision Strike initiative to deploy long-range missile

The UK has unveiled a Deep Precision Strike missile programme to protect Europe, announced by Number 10 at the Nato summit in Ankara on Wednesday, with the project expected to cost participating countries more than £37bn over the next decade and to strengthen alliance deterrence.

The initiative, led by the UK and involving about a dozen allied states including the UK, aims to field a long-range weapon capable of striking targets roughly 300km away with pinpoint accuracy and with potential reach up to 1,250 miles; officials say the system will not be ready until the 2030s.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, attending his final Nato summit, convened leaders to discuss the programme while facing pressure over defence spending commitments; US President Donald Trump has urged Nato members to increase contributions toward agreed targets.

Number 10 said Deep Precision Strike would help bring European allies together and keep Nato safe, and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper added that the capability would enable strikes on high-value military targets and logistics hubs, deterring aggression and bolstering mutual security.

The announcement sits alongside broader UK defence commitments, including the Defence Investment Plan which pledges £300bn by 2030, and comes after a US six-month review of forces in Europe announced in June by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.

At the summit, leaders also discussed the threat posed by Russia; the UK government noted Nato had scrambled jets to intercept Russian aircraft more than 700 times and reported a 30% increase in Russian military activity around UK waters.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged allies to deliver air defence systems at the Ankara summit, while Number 10 highlighted Ukraine’s own long-range strikes on Russian logistics hubs and infrastructure as influencing battlefield dynamics.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would closely monitor the summit and warned that external weapons supplies would not prevent Russia from continuing its military operation in Ukraine, calling for political and diplomatic settlement instead of confrontation.