UK to Develop New Ballistic Missile, Ready to Supply to Ukraine

The United Kingdom will develop a new ballistic missile and supply it to Ukraine in 2027, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing statements from sources familiar with the matter. The report stated that the UK has signed contracts with several companies to develop their first ballistic missile in more than five decades. The project is targeted for completion by the end of next year. According to Bloomberg sources, the UK Ministry of Defence has adjusted the technical specifications of the new missile to accelerate the development process, so that the weapon can be delivered to Ukraine by 2027. The weapons development programme has been given the codename Nightfall. Bloomberg reported that missile testing will begin within the next 12 months, with deliveries scheduled for the end of 2027. Following negotiations with defence industry representatives, the ministry adjusted the missile’s parameters to a range of 500 kilometres, a warhead weight of 200 kilogrammes, and a target cost of no more than £800,000 per missile. The Nightfall is also designed to be launched from various types of vehicles, capable of firing multiple missiles in succession, and to remain effective in electronic jamming conditions. Meanwhile, Russia has repeatedly stated that the supply of weapons to Ukraine hinders conflict resolution efforts and directly involves NATO allies. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed that any shipment containing weapons for Ukraine would be a legitimate target for the Russian military.