The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that the competition for Project NIGHTFALL is expected to open in December, following the close of its initial industry engagement period.
The update came in a written question from James Cartlidge, Conservative MP for South Suffolk, who asked when the competition would begin. Responding on behalf of the department, Defence Minister Luke Pollard stated that officials are still assessing the industry submissions received last month.
In Pollard’s words, “The Department is currently reviewing feedback from industry on the NIGHTFALL Request for Information, which closed on 24 November 2025. We expect to launch the NIGHTFALL competition in December 2025.”
The confirmation follows the detailed requirement published earlier this year, which set out one of the most ambitious tactical ballistic missile programmes the MoD has attempted in decades.
The Single Statement of User Need describes a ground-launched missile capable of striking beyond 500 kilometres, surviving contested electromagnetic conditions, and delivering a 200-kilogram payload with a CEP50 of five metres. The specification pushes mass production and rapid deployment timelines, with a target effector price of £500,000 excluding warhead and launcher.
As the requirement document makes clear, “The User requires a cost-effective, tactical (>500km) 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.”
The MoD also stressed survivability and environmental resilience. According to the notice, “It shall 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.”
Speed of delivery is central to the programme. The requirement sets “an aggressive timeline of a demonstration firing in circa 9 months from any contract award and serial production approximately 3–6 months later, producing a minimum of 10 units per month.”
The project demands that a single mobile launcher be able to fire multiple missiles within 15 minutes and redeploy within five minutes to avoid counter-fire. Systems must operate without reliance on foreign export-restricted components and offer a growth path for range, manoeuvrability and precision.
Acceptable submissions include complete missile concepts or contributions in propulsion, airframes, navigation, scalable manufacturing, mobile launchers, and integration. Proposed solutions that cannot scale rapidly or that do not follow a ballistic trajectory will not be considered.
Industry responses to the RFI closed on 24 November. The forthcoming competition will formalise the down-selection process, with the MoD aiming to reduce candidates to a small number of funded demonstrator designs in 2026.
Lots of things happening in December. Hopefully that means the DIP is due very soon, and has a decent shopping list.
🤞
A growth path for range… well that pretty much shows this not really just about just building a tactical ballistic missile, which is nice to have but hardly a core requirement of the UK… it’s useful definitely especially as a NATO contribution, but using it as a step to a medium range ballistic missile, that puts the UK back on a strategic weapons path it foolishly left in 1960.. simply put if it was to ever go to war with Russia and therefore as a deterrent to Russian aggression to the UK we need cruise and ballistic missiles that can be launched with complete sovereign control ( from UK sovereign territory).
This can only be a UK purchase of PrSM, I agree better to develop a cruise missile and just buy this ballistic missile off the shelf.
The 500 km range is a match but PrSM has a payload of less than 100 kg.
I believe PrSM is very different a cheap an cheerful overwhelming numbers munition..a key part of project nightfall is delivering a 200km government supplied payload.. essentially that is leaving this open for a nuclear tipped ballistic option.. that requirement for extension of range options says they are potentially thinking strategic range conventional deterrence or even sub strategic nuclear option..
To me the focus on long range strike capabilities say the government risk assessments are showing a possibility that the UK may just not be able to depend on NATO in the future…
Good news, but we should also be looking at acquiring some GBAD
We are under the Land Ground Based Air Defence program. It is looking to integrate SHORAD, MRAD, and counter drone systems. Elements of it exist, like Sky Sabre, other parts are being developed. From what I have read we may see movement on the MRAD (medium range) part next summer, which is the current target for IOC. It is certainly a long-term development plan, but with (hopefully) big improvements on where we are in the not too distant future. Maybe the equipment plan with shed more light on this.
I was thinking something long-range to take out Ballistic and cruise missiles,
as these would be the greatest threat should things kick off with Russia.
We need to be looking at everything.
Yes, its next to bugger all at the moment except they’re very busy with doing drones of allsorts. Thats important and one can only hope that must be lots going on the sheds somewhere!? Look at what’s happening to Ukraine if you don’t think greater GBAD is not necessary! Said this before, you don’t need to wait to be hit!
So in another twenty years we might discuss buying something we don’t need. Excellent.
Lots of projects = lots of day rate contractors. We need stuff now! Not jam tomorrow. The focus has to be on the next 2 years not 10/20 that means quadrupling FJ pilot training, acquiring a further 100 FJ for CAS, maintaining/ achieving a minimum crewed escort fleet of 20. The threat is today
Yes, now to 2030 should be in focus. As if our likely adversaries will wait until we’re totally ready for any fight and even announce their intentions!
Conventional deterrence means the enemy (Russia) sees the response as not worth paying. ELSA with Germany is a 2000km cruise missiles, Sweden has announced plans for a 2000km weapon. These need to be able to be deployed in huge numbers to the forests and mountain ranges of Norway, Sweden and Finland.
A 500km ballistic missiles would need to be pushed doubt to Russia’s borders but would take our the SAM sites to allow the Cruise missiles ( and Tempest to roam in deep strike).
The UK and NATO needs the ability to hammer the RU navy and it’s submarine fleet before they can pose a threat and hitting industry and energy sites all the way to Moscow.
That should be UK priority rather than basing armour in the Baltics in my view.
Tomorrow, that mythical land of plenty that only exists in the MOD. I bet they are all doing online learning of Russian to hedge their bets.