The British government is inviting arms manufacturers with the aim of rapidly developing new long-range ballistic missiles for Ukraine capable of striking targets inside Russia.

The United Kingdom has launched Project Nightfall, a competition for the rapid development of new long-range ballistic missiles for Ukraine that can hit targets far behind enemy lines, according to a document from the UK Ministry of Defence provided to the Kyiv Independent newspaper on Sunday.

10 missiles per month

The Nightfall missiles will carry a 200 kg warhead and have a range of over 500 kilometers, as announced by the British Ministry of Defence.

Ground-launched missiles are designed to be fired in rapid succession and then quickly withdrawn, giving Ukraine the ability to hit high-value targets before Russian forces can react.

The production level is set at 10 missiles per month, with a maximum cost of 1.07 million dollars.

Project Nightfall aims to award a 12 million dollar development contract to three industry teams to produce the first three missiles ready for testing within a year.

Proposals will be accepted until early February, with the aim of awarding contracts in March 2026.

Oreșnik Strike Convinced London

The announcement follows the recent visit to Ukraine by British Defense Secretary John Healey, which coincided with a massive rocket and drone attack by Russia on Kyiv and other cities on January 8-9.

During the attack, Russia launched an Oreșnik ballistic missile towards western Ukraine, just 60 kilometers from the border with Poland. The Oreșnik strike on the Lviv region occurred while Healey was traveling through the area on his way to Kyiv.

“We were close enough to hear the air raid sirens around Lviv on our journey to Kyiv; it was a serious moment and a harsh reminder of the wave of drones and rockets hitting Ukrainians in sub-zero temperatures,” Healey said.

“We will not tolerate this, which is why we are determined to put state-of-the-art weapons in the hands of Ukrainians as they fight back,” he added.

“A safe Europe needs a strong Ukraine. These new British long-range missiles will keep Ukraine in the fight and give Putin yet another reason to worry,” said British Minister for Defence Procurement Luke Pollard.