TSAMTO, July 16. The British Ministry of Defense has signed contracts with several industrial companies to create a national ballistic tactical missile (OTR) in order to supply the product to the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2027.
The agency adjusted the tactical and technical requirements in the direction of their reduction in order to accelerate the development and meet the deadlines. This is reported by Bloomberg, citing sources familiar with the details of the program.
Work on the topic was initiated by the British Ministry of Defense within the framework of a special structure – the Taskforce Kindred task force, and on August 27, 2025, the agency published a request for information (RFI) from the industry with initial requirements for the product: range – over 600 km, warhead mass – 300 kg, CVO accuracy – no more than 5 m. In December 2025, detailed technical requirements were transferred to the companies that signed confidentiality agreements. The official announcement of the competition took place on January 11, 2026.
Now the Ministry of Defense has adjusted the characteristics of the product in the direction of their reduction in order to accelerate development and keep the cost within acceptable limits.
The updated requirements for the Nightfall missile are as follows: firing range – over 500 km (reduced from the original 600 km); warhead weight – at least 200 kg (reduced from 300 kg); KVO – no more than 10 m (reduced from 5 m); preparation time for launch – 10 min.; launch of several missiles from one vehicle for 15 minutes; position change – no later than 5 minutes after launch; launcher – mobile wheeled or tracked, with a minimum ammunition of 2 missiles.
The control system must remain operational in conditions of electronic jamming and the absence of a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) signal.
The maximum price of the product (without warhead and launcher) is 800 thousand pounds (about 1 million dollars; initially 500 thousand pounds). The production rate is at least 10 products per month with the possibility of increasing.
The deadline for submitting applications was originally set for February 9, 2026, and the contracts were scheduled to be concluded in March 2026. It is planned to select three industrial teams, each of which receives a development contract worth 9 million pounds with a commitment to create and deliver the first three prototypes within 12 months for test launches. According to Bloomberg, contracts were eventually concluded with several companies, but they have not been officially disclosed.
Simultaneously with Nightfall, the Project Brakestop program is being implemented within the same Taskforce Kindred group – the development of a single–use cruise strike munition with a range of over 500 km without American components (outside the ITAR - International Traffic in Arms Regulations mode). According to the results of the competition with the participation of 27 applicants, three companies were admitted to the final stage: MBDA UK (Crossbow product), MGI Engineering (TigerShark) and Rotron Aerospace (SkyLance). On June 22, 2026, the Ministry of Defense signed second-stage contracts with them for a total of 15 million pounds for testing in the UK and Ukraine. The unit cost of Brakestop products is estimated at approximately 400 thousand pounds (529 thousand dollars).
Bloomberg, citing informed sources, reports that the first deliveries of the Nightfall rocket to Ukraine are expected in 2027, with selected developers expected to submit prototypes for test launches by April 2027. A number of experts point to the risk of a delay in deadlines: as an example, there are delays in the Brakestop program, initially focused on delivery in September 2025, but actually postponed to the end of 2026, that is, the shift was about one and a half years.
