The UK is developing low-cost, long-range weapons that could be deployed in Ukraine and won’t depend on the US for components and data, defense officials said.
Three British-designed systems — from MBDA, MGI Engineering and Rotron Aerospace — are going to be tested over the coming months in the UK and Ukraine, with the aim of being delivered to the front line within a year, they said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Launched in late 2024, Project Brakestop has been fast-tracked in order to support Kyiv.
While the weapons are expected to be less accurate and deadly than MBDA-produced Storm Shadow missiles, they will cost around half the price of their Anglo-French equivalent, the officials said.
And unlike Storm Shadow, the new missiles won’t contain any US components or rely on US data, making them operationally sovereign, the officials said. That was the key requirement from the UK government, which like other European states has become concerned about over-reliance on the US defense industry as President Donald Trump retreats from the continent.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth this week said the US will conduct a six-month review of its military presence in Europe. Leaders on the continent are bracing for a plan outlining deep cuts to American support, including a reduction in military assets the Pentagon would send to defend Europe in case of an attack.
Ukraine has become dependent on Storm Shadows in striking back against Russia. These precision-guided, air-launched cruise missiles have a range of more than 250 kilometers (155 miles) and fly close to the terrain at high speeds thanks to a combination of so-called inertial navigation, Global Positioning System and terrain-reference navigation. They cost around $1 million each.
The new UK systems won’t be capable of destroying bunkers, but armed with a warhead of at least 225 kilograms (496 pounds) they could still cause considerable damage. They also must be ground-based and hit targets more than 500 kilometers away. Each weapon needs to cost around £400,000 ($529,320), excluding the warhead, according to the requirements laid out by the UK government.
All three companies in the final round of the competition to win the contract say they will be able to produce at least 40 weapons a month, within three to four months of a production order, the people said. They will look to sell directly to Ukraine or other European nations even if they don’t win the contract.
This report is auto generated from the Bloomberg news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.