UK to share missile secrets so Ukraine can build SCALP weapons

Britain will give Ukraine classified technical data on UK-made missile components so Kyiv can assemble SCALP/Storm Shadow cruise missiles at home, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said during a visit to Kyiv for Ukraine's Independence Day. The move supports Ukrainian and French plans to set up assembly lines in Ukraine by the end of this year with backing from defense company MBDA. SCALP, the French version of Storm Shadow, is a long-range precision missile used against bunkers and other fixed military targets. Analysts told NPR the plan will not ease Ukraine's immediate air defense shortages this winter, as any domestically assembled missiles are not expected to enter service until next year at the earliest. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov condemned the step as Britain deepening its role in the war.