Syria has strongly dismissed a joint statement by the United States, France, and Britain that declares they will not be participating in the war-torn Arab country’s reconstruction as long as it is led by President Bashar al-Assad.

The new missile is expected to be an upgraded version of the Japanese supersonic cruise missile ASM3 which was developed in 2017 and has a range of 200 kilometres.

The drones might serve as protection for carrier strike groups or as offensive vessels in their own right, Navy officials say. The US Navy wants to procure a number of unmanned drone warships that will operate on the open seas without any sailors, Popular Mechanics reports.