Britain and European allies, including France, Germany, Italy and Poland, will work together to develop new low-cost air defence weapons to protect the continent’s skies, a statement from the UK’s Ministry of Defence said on Friday.

“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,” Britain’s minister for defence readiness and industry, Luke Pollard, said in a statement.