The MOD has issued a contract overview inviting interested parties to pitch for the development of a “cost-effective, tactical (>600km) ballistic missile, capable of being safely ground launched from a mobile platform in a high threat tactical environment, navigating to and accurately striking a user-programmed co-ordinate.”
UPDATE January 2026:
The Nightfall project has grabbed the headlines after the UK Government pledges to supply the missile to Ukraine
The lessons of the Ukraine conflict continue to percolate through strategic and tactical planning, the need for relatively cheap missiles, drones and ammunition in huge quantities being the headline everyone is paying attention to. Russia’s huge arsenal of ballistic missiles has allowed them to wage a relentless campaign, albeit one of questionable efficacy, yet it marks a change in their traditional tactics.
So the MOD has issued this document to stir and gauge interest to help their decision making process before procurement. It’s quite a challenge too as the missile and delivery system requires:
“The ability to deliver multiple (>2) effectors from a single ground vehicle. Each effector must carry a circa 300kg (high explosive) payload over 600km on a ballistic trajectory, with some basic manoeuvrability. Such solutions are commonly referred to as tactical ballistic missiles. The effector must be able to navigate in a GPS denied environment and strike within 5m of a provided GPS co-ordinate 50% of the time i.e. have a CEP50 of 5m.”
“Flight time must be rapid – able to strike targets within 10 minutes of an effector launch. Similarly, launch time must be rapid – we envision all NIGHTFALL effectors being fired from the same launcher within 15 minutes of stopping at a launch location. Post launch, the ground vehicle/launcher and crew must be able to rapidly leave the area, ideally in 5 minutes.”
That’s a speedy deployment and departure turnaround.
“The target effector cost is £500,000 all-up per unit, excluding the warhead, launcher and any development costs. We are looking for technologies that can be packaged within 9-12 months to provide at least five all-up units for trials. The design should minimise and ideally be free from foreign government trade and usage restrictions, such as export control. The design must have the ability to be upgraded in the future, such as increasing the range, accuracy, in-flight manoeuvrability, fitted telemetry and other elements as required.”
So it’s a short range ballistic missile with a payload weight that puts it between the ATACMS (160 to 560 kg) and Iskander-M (up to 700kg), it needs to be on a highly mobile launch vehicle and be
operable in harsh physical environments, day and night, of low multispectral signature, resilient in a complex Electromagnetic environment (EME), including within a GNSS denied & degraded environment, and resistant against targeted EW attack and spoofing.
As a spec it’s exactly what’s needed on the modern battlefield, a quick to deploy battlefield missile that is maouverable and a launch platform that is resilient hard to target. As a project it will be a serious challenge to develop and deliver within the timescale, however this is the kind of speed that is needed to be effective on the modern battlefield.
Read the notice at UK Gov Contracts Finder
