The United Kingdom has successfully tested new long-range missiles intended for Ukraine, according to the Financial Times.
The newspaper says the weapons are being developed without American components. This approach is meant to spare London from having to seek Washington’s approval for using the missiles in strikes deep inside Russian territory.
“We do not want permission to use the weapon to depend on how negotiations are going,” an unnamed British official told the Financial Times.
According to The Telegraph, the new missile carries a warhead weighing 250 kilograms and is capable of hitting targets at a distance of nearly 500 kilometers.
Additional tests are scheduled for later this year. Once they are completed, the missile is expected to enter mass production.
Reports say the weapons could be delivered to the Ukrainian armed forces by the end of 2026.
Britain began developing its own missile to support Ukraine in 2024. That came amid a US ban, driven by fears of escalation, on using Storm Shadow and ATACMS missiles for strikes deep inside Russian territory.