The United Kingdom will develop a new deep-strike ballistic missile for Ukraine that can operate in high-threat battlefields with heavy electromagnetic interference.
British military officials said Project Nightfall will be a competition to rapidly develop ground-launched ballistic missiles capable of striking targets more than 310 miles away.
Project Nightfall is intended to provide Kyiv with a “powerful, cost-effective, long-range strike option with minimal foreign export controls,” the British Ministry of Defense said Sunday.
“Nightfall missiles will be capable of being launched from a range of vehicles, firing multiple missiles in quick succession and withdrawing within minutes, allowing Ukrainian forces to hit key military targets before Russian forces can respond,” U.K. officials said in a statement.
British Defense Secretary John Healey was in Ukraine when the announcement of the new missile project was released.
“We were close enough to hear the air raid sirens around Lviv on our journey to Kyiv. It was a serious moment and a stark reminder of the barrage of drones and missiles hitting Ukrainians in sub-zero conditions,” Mr. Healey said. “We won’t stand for this, which is why we are determined to put leading-edge weapons into the hands of Ukrainians as they fight back.”
Under Project Nightfall, three industry teams will be awarded about $12 million in a development contract to design and deliver their first three missiles within 12 months for test firings.
“A secure Europe needs a strong Ukraine. These new long-range British missiles will keep Ukraine in the fight and give [Russian President Vladimir] Putin another thing to worry about,” said Luke Pollard, the British minister for defense readiness and industry.
