The UK is developing a low-cost long-range weapon that will not depend on American components and can be transferred to Ukraine. This is reported by Bloomberg, citing defense officials.
According to the agency, in the coming months, technologies from three British companies — MBDA, MGI Engineering, and Rotron Aerospace — are to be tested in the UK and Ukraine. If the tests are successful, the new systems are planned to be supplied to the Armed Forces of Ukraine within a year.
The development is being carried out as part of the Brakestop project, which was launched in late 2024 to create low-cost weapons for Ukraine. Its goal is to quickly establish production of long-range systems that can be produced in larger batches than more expensive missiles.
The new British weapons are expected to be less accurate and less powerful than the Storm Shadow missiles, but will cost about half as much. Unlike Storm Shadow, these systems will not contain American components and will not depend on US data.
According to Bloomberg sources, the new missiles will have a warhead weighing at least 225 kilograms and will be able to hit targets at a distance of more than 500 kilometers. The estimated cost of one missile will be about $ 530,000.
Companies participating in the development competition say that they will be able to produce at least 40 missiles per month. For the UK, this project is an attempt to strengthen long-term support for Ukraine and reduce dependence on restrictions associated with the use of American technology.
