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By Deborah Haynes, Security and Defense Editor

German warplanes capable of tracking Russian submarines will begin operating off the coast of Scotland as early as next year as part of a “landmark” defense pact between London and Berlin.

The new deal – which will be signed tomorrow by Defense Secretary John Healey and his German counterpart – will also pave the way for a German defense company to open a factory in Britain that will manufacture artillery gun barrels.

It will be the first time in a decade that such weapons have been built in the UK, although the urgent need to expand this type of production capacity was exposed almost three years ago by Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine.

In a further deepening of military cooperation, the UK and Germany will work together to build new long-range missiles with the ability to hit targets with greater precision and distance than the UK-France Storm Shadow cruise missiles.

Healey described what is being called the Trinity House Agreement as a “landmark” moment in the UK’s relationship with Germany and said it will help strengthen Europe’s security.

“It ensures unprecedented levels of new cooperation with the German Armed Forces and industry, bringing benefits to our shared security and prosperity, protecting our shared values ​​and boosting our defense industrial foundations,” he said in a statement.

The Ministry of Defense said the UK and Germany – which increased defense spending in response to Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine – are “Europe’s two biggest defense spenders”.

But Britain also has close defense ties – forged around specific defense treaties – with France.

Boris Pistorius, the German defense minister, who is in the UK to sign the new deal, said Berlin and London are getting closer.

“With projects in the air, land, maritime and cyber domains, we will jointly increase our defense capabilities, thus strengthening the European pillar within NATO,” he stated.

“We must not take security in Europe for granted. Russia is waging war against Ukraine, is vastly increasing its weapons production and has repeatedly launched hybrid attacks against our partners in Eastern Europe.”

This includes routing underwater cables, gas pipelines and other critical submerged infrastructure.

The UK and Germany commit to working together to protect these cables in the North Sea.