Project Nightfall: UK says it will develop new ballistic missile for Ukraine’s defence against Russia
Britain announced that it would develop new tactical ballistic missiles for Kiev and “put state-of-the-art weapons into the hands of Ukrainians” for their fight against Russia.
The missiles, codenamed “Project Night Night,” will help boost Ukraine’s firepower and could hit targets deep inside Russia, the Defense Ministry said late Sunday.
The Nightfall missiles will carry a 200kg conventional high-explosive warhead and cost a maximum of £800,000 per unit, the Ministry of Defense said, adding that it planned to produce 10 systems a month.
The announcement came just days after Russia attacked Ukraine with its new hypersonic Oreshnik missile, hitting a city about 60 miles from the border with NATO member Poland, and European leaders condemned the incident as “a clear case of tension” and an attempt to “instill fear.”
“Under Project Nightfall, the UK has launched a competition to rapidly develop ground-launched ballistic missiles with a range of more than 500 kilometers and designed to operate in high-threat battlefields with heavy electromagnetic interference,” the Ministry of Defense said.
The Nightfall missiles will enable Ukrainian forces to hit military targets before Russia can respond because the new weapons can be “launched from a number of vehicles, fire multiple missiles in rapid succession, and be withdrawn within minutes.”
Defense Secretary John Healey said Britain was determined to arm the Ukrainians with advanced weapons “as we fight back”.
“Thursday night’s attacks show how Putin thinks he can act with impunity and target civilian areas with advanced weapons,” Mr Healey said, referring to the Oreshnik attack.
“Instead of seriously negotiating peace, he is seriously escalating his illegal war,” he added.
While traveling to Kiev last week, Mr. Healey said he was close enough to hear air raid sirens around Lviv.
“This was a sobering moment and a stark reminder of the barrage of drones and missiles hitting Ukrainians in sub-zero conditions,” he said.
Defense Preparedness and Industry Minister Luke Pollard said the new long-range British missiles would “keep Ukraine in the war” and give Russia “something else to worry about”.
“We will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine in 2026,” the minister said. “We provide equipment to keep them in battle today, and work to secure peace tomorrow.”
The Nightfall project builds on the UK’s commitment to strengthening Kiev’s long-range strike capabilities and informs future projects for Britain’s own armed forces, according to the Ministry of Defence.
The project will be awarded to three industry teams, each of which will receive “a development contract worth £9 million to design, develop and deliver the first three missiles for test firing within 12 months”.
