MBDA partners with Luch for Neptune-2 missile

European defense conglomerate MBDA has signed a memorandum with Ukraine's Luch Design Bureau to jointly develop a new Neptune-2 cruise missile and modify existing Neptune variants. MBDA, which produces Storm Shadow/SCALP and Taurus missiles across the UK, France, Italy, and Germany, aims to ramp up production from Ukraine's current 50 missiles per year (only 10 of the extended-range MD variant) to thousands annually. The Neptune missile, originally an anti-ship design that struggled before 2022, was improved with foreign engineering to achieve a 1,000 km range MD variant. The deal signals Western integration of battle-proven Ukrainian systems, with MBDA likely to mass-produce both the current Neptune and the new Neptune-2.