UK, European allies to develop low-cost air defense for NATO

LONDON, Feb 20 (KUNA) -- Britain and European allies are planning to develop a low-cost air defense weapons to protect NATO members form threats, announced the Minister for Defense Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard, on Friday.
This announcement came at the European Group of Five (E5) meeting held in Krakow, Poland, with the participation of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Poland.
In a statement, Pollard said, "The UK and our E5 partners are stepping up, investing together in the next generation of air defence and autonomous systems to strengthen NATO's shield and keep our people safe." He added, "From innovation in our defence industries to our ironclad commitment to Ukraine, we're showing that European nations are ready to deter, defend and if necessary, fight, together," affirming, "I'm proud of UK leadership on European security, building partnerships, developing capability and standing with Ukraine to protect our shared security." The initiative is dubbed the Low-Cost Effectors and Autonomous Platforms (LEAP) comes as the UK is increasing cooperation with European allies to develop long-range precision and hypersonic weapons, with spending on projects exceeding GBP 400 million this fiscal year. (end) gta.hb