Great Britain is developing an inexpensive long-range weapon that can be deployed in Ukraine and will not depend on American components and data. Ukrinform reports, Bloomberg reports this with reference to representatives of the British Ministry of Defense. Informs the PromPolitInform portal.
The Brakestop project, launched at the end of 2024, was implemented in an accelerated mode in order to provide support to Kyiv.
According to the interlocutors, the companies MBDA, MGI Engineering and Rotron Aerospace are developing three weapons systems that they plan to test in the coming months in Britain and Ukraine. It is expected that new weapons may arrive at the front during the year.
The new ammunition will be less accurate and deadly than the Storm Shadow missiles produced by MBDA, but will cost about half the cost of the Anglo-French missile, officials say.
In addition, as noted, the new missiles will not have any American components and will not use American data, which will ensure their operational independence. This was a key demand of the British government, which expressed concern about excessive dependence on the US defense industry.
The new British systems will carry a warhead weighing at least 225 kilograms and will be able to hit targets at a distance of more than 500 kilometers.
The cost of each weapon unit, excluding the warhead, should be about 400,000 pounds sterling (529,320 US dollars).
According to the publication’s sources, all three companies – participants in the competition declared their readiness to produce at least 40 units of weapons per month already 3-4 months after receiving the order. They plan to sell their products directly to Ukraine or other European countries if they do not receive a contract.
As reported, Great Britain will transfer 150 thousand UAVs to Ukraine for 1 billion dollars by the end of the year.
