Europe has long been constrained by a lack of political will and a defense industrial base ill-equipped to support a missile ramp-up. Recent developments suggest this may be changing.
Three cruise missile-related developments in rapid succession offer grounds for cautious optimism about the future of European long-range strike.
First, European missile manufacturer Destinus continues to advance its cruise missile program, presenting the Ruta Block 3 — a 2,000-km (about 1,250-mile) range air-launched cruise missile with a 250-kg (550 lb.) payload.
Since at least 2024, Netherlands-based Destinus has been delivering the Ruta Block 1 to Ukraine, a low-cost cruise missile with a range exceeding 300 km and a 150 kg payload that has been extensively battle-tested and continues to be supplied in substantial numbers. Earlier this year, Destinus presented the Ruta Block 2, extending the missile’s range to over 800 km while increasing payload capacity to 250 kg.
Block 3, which is expected to enter flight testing in 2027, turns the Ruta into a true deep strike capability. (Crucially, Destinus makes its own turbojet engines and does not rely on the US for this key part). The company is also actively expanding production capacity, including through a joint venture with Rheinmetall that will draw on the latter’s facilities in Germany. Founded by the Russian exile Mikhail Kokorich, Destinus represents a welcome new entrant in the European missile industry — agile, competitive, and bringing a dynamism to the sector that has long been absent.
While its products are not high-end, its systems offer European states a credible means of addressing both long-range and deep-strike gaps at an affordable cost, with no US arms restrictions and short delivery timelines. That is precisely what Europe needs.
Second, Europe’s missile prime, MBDA, has confirmed that its Land Cruise Missile — the continent’s closest equivalent to the US Tomahawk — should be ready for order in 2029. The missile is a ground-launched adaptation of the combat-proven Missile de Croisière Navale (MdCN) with a range of around 1,300 km and a payload capacity of 300 kg, and is already in service with the French Navy on frigates and attack submarines.
France ordered 200 MdCN between 2006 and 2009, and recent announcements indicate that MBDA is preparing to restart production, potentially in support of the Land Cruise Missile program. The 2029 timeline appears achievable precisely because of the missile’s high degree of commonality with the existing MdCN, allowing the manufacturer to focus development effort on the launcher.
That said, the program has been under discussion since at least 2024, and the level of interest from European customers remains somewhat uncertain. If European states decide to procure it and MBDA scales production capacity sufficiently, it could offer a higher-end ground-launched missile capability with a range exceeding 1,000 km, and entirely independent of the United States.
Third, on 18 March, Germany signed a follow-on contract worth approximately $378m for additional Joint Strike Missiles from the Norwegian manufacturer Kongsberg, roughly 10 months after its initial $702m order. The JSM is a high-end subsonic cruise missile featuring advanced stealth and a range of up to 500 km or more, depending on flight trajectory. It is certified for internal carriage on the F-35A, allowing each aircraft to carry up to two missiles without compromising the fighter’s stealth profile.
In total, the German Air Force is expected to receive an estimated 250 to 350 JSMs in the coming years, with first deliveries likely coinciding with the arrival of Germany’s first F-35A in 2027. One aspect worth noting regarding the JSM is its reliance on the Williams International F-415 turbofan, a critical American-supplied component. As long as that dependency persists, Kongsberg’s ability to export the missile to European customers remains subject to American export approval, which represents a liability in the current environment.
Taken together, these three developments point to a European cruise missile landscape accelerating on multiple fronts simultaneously. That was only underlined by news on May 22 that France wants to join the Anglo-German project to make a family of ground-launched 2,000 km-range missiles. Talks between the three countries are scheduled for early June, the FT reported.
The three existing projects highlighted above suggest that near-term inventory gaps can be addressed through procurement of market-available systems, including from established players like Kongsberg and new entrants like Destinus.
In the medium term, new systems will come online covering both lower- and higher-end capabilities – among them the Ruta Block 3 and the Land Cruise Missile – that can complement European arsenals and close critical capability gaps.
European governments should embrace these developments, accelerating domestic procurement and substituting American components as quickly as possible to eliminate remaining industrial dependencies. It goes without saying that Europe, in finally coming to terms with the industrial realities of long-range strike warfare, should engage extensively with Ukraine where feasible, and draw on its hard-won experience.
Fabian Hoffmann is a Senior Research Fellow at the Ukraine and Full Spectrum Threats Program at the Norwegian Defense University College and a Non-Resident Fellow with CEPA’s Transatlantic Defense and Security program. His research focuses on missile technology, nuclear strategy, and European deterrence. His research and commentary have been published in the Journal of Strategic Studies, European Security, War on the Rocks, and The Washington Post, among others.
Europe’s Edge is CEPA’s online journal covering critical topics on the foreign policy docket across Europe and North America. All opinions expressed on Europe’s Edge are those of the author alone and may not represent those of the institutions they represent or the Center for European Policy Analysis. CEPA maintains a strict intellectual independence policy across all its projects and publications.
