France and Germany Consider New Land-Based Ballistic Missile System

European Defence Initiatives

By Cassell Bryan-Low

Geopolitical Context

Feb 12 (Reuters) - France and Germany are among European countries that have shown interest in a new land-based ballistic missile proposed by aerospace firm ArianeGroup, the latest sign of Europe's push to close its deep-strike weapons gap.

Current Defence Spending

The French defence ministry is in talks with ArianeGroup about the system, according to the company, which says the missile could hit targets more than 1,000 kilometres (621 miles) away within minutes. It said it is also in contact with the German government and providing information on the capability.

ArianeGroup's Proposal

"People are trying to understand what is at stake with ballistic systems," Vincent Pery, ArianeGroup's director of defence programmes, told journalists on Thursday on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. 

He said the company is holding "preliminary discussions with several countries" about how the weapon would fit into the geopolitical context, citing Russia's ballistic missile strikes on Ukraine, and the use of such weapons in the Middle East.

Germany's defence ministry had no immediate comment. France's defence ministry did not immediately respond. 

KEEPING UP WITH RUSSIA

Germany and France are among countries that have raised defence spending since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine and as U.S. President Donald Trump made clear Europeans should expect less support from NATO's leading military power. 

Russia's growing missile use has prompted some European nations to explore their own options to strike deep into enemy territory. 

Last month, Russia used its intermediate-range Oreshnik ballistic missile for the second time in Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin has said it is impossible to intercept due to its reported speed of more than 10 times the speed of sound.

"We are within range of these missiles," French President Emmanuel Macron said last month, arguing Europe must develop comparable weapons to deter Russia and secure the continent. France's budget proposed up to one billion euros for a ground-based ballistic-missile programme.

Still, Europe is years away from fielding such a weapon, said Zuzanna Gwadera, a research analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. She said the region's various deep-strike initiatives, which could also include cruise missiles, remain largely at the conceptual stage.

France is currently the only European NATO member with a domestically developed ballistic-missile programme: the M51 submarine-launched ballistic missile built by ArianeGroup, Europe's biggest maker of space launchers. 

The company, co-owned by Airbus and Safran, said it could leverage its expertise to deliver a land-based conventional ballistic missile within years.

(Reporting by Cassell Bryan-Low. Editing by Mark Potter)