The Ministry of Defence has launched a new competition to develop a low-cost interceptor intended to counter drones, loitering munitions and missiles at close range.
The requirement, designated Project GOSHAWK, was published in a tender notice on 26 January and invites industry to take part in a competitive procurement process covering development and live trials. According to the notice, the MOD is seeking a system “optimised for drones, loitering munitions and missiles at close ranges and low altitudes,” with the core requirement being “cost-effective, multi-threat interception capability.”
The department states that the interceptor must achieve a favourable “cost-exchange ratio” while being able to “reliably counter diverse targets at varying speeds, altitudes, and trajectories.”
The initial phase of Project GOSHAWK will see one or two funded development contracts awarded, each expected to run for approximately 12 months. During this period, suppliers will be required to mature their proposed designs and conduct trials. The MOD says that, subject to successful testing, it “currently intends to place one or more follow on contracts for the production of low-cost interceptors in the future.”
Indicative demand for any production phase is estimated at “approximately 3,000 to 7,000 units per year,” although the department notes that it “reserves the right to not place any follow on contract(s).”
Companies wishing to participate must be capable of handling information classified up to SECRET from the outset of the programme and must provide detailed information on performance, guidance, seeker capability, production costs, timelines, testing plans and integration requirements. The tender also highlights the importance of scalability, requiring suppliers to demonstrate “future scalability of production for a potential follow on contract.”
On export controls, the MOD states that “ideally no export controls” would apply, though “European export control will be acceptable if required.” While not mandatory, the notice adds that a “high proportion of spend under this and any future related contracts will be UK based,” potentially covering missile development and production.
The competition closes on 9 February 2026, after which shortlisted suppliers will be invited to submit full tenders.
“It reserves the right to not place any follow on contracts”.
If any are placed at all !!!
I must stop being so negative, maybe when the DIP is finally published, we can all just smile and act all normal again. 🤔
Let’s face it, evert time we see a new project name we all think the same. More time and money to be wasted with no output. Heres hoping this will be the exception, as this does seem to be a pretty major capability need.
Well Yes, exactly and It’s not helped by the lack of any orders for the 18 months of promises.
Not a whole lot before that either. Most of the week orders started their lives under the last labour government.
Blah,blah,blah etc etc etc….
I’m assuming this is what the Babcock and Frankenburg partnership will be for? I know there’s no information, but for anti-drone, I would go for Tridon or just buy Terrahawk.
Obviously, depending on the drone they want to counter, it could be a missile job.
Of course they could save lots of time and probably money by approaching the worlds leading country in drone technology!
Am I missing something I thought they had and are mass producing their design with uk input.
Again why the negativity? We have several companies in the UK with domestically developed products that already suit this requirement, it seems designed to lead to production orders rather than money on new designs.
Octopus, CA Skyhammer etc.
Probably because us old timers on here have seen the gradual dismembering of our armed forces since 1991, others will say longer, but I always take the modern era from that date.
And no government is any different from the last, or even worse.
Also, how many articles for things just like this, from Drones to missiles, has UKDJ had an article about since June 24? Probably dozens. Where are the orders?
In the end, mud sticks. I myself try to be positive as I still think our armed forces are excellent, but it’s hard to be positive.
You’re new to all this if you’re only 18!
As an “Oldtimer” who has not been on here that long, I can Indeed say that the “Peace Dividend” was the real start of all this but I also recall all the cuts that went before (but only from my teens).
But looking on the positives, we do have erm, erm, erm, hang on, I’ll be back sometine In the 2030’s !!!!
Except in this case this is the MoD looking to buy something we weren’t already doing, rather than promising a replacement for something nearly out of service a decade down the line which is the usual issue. It’s the same with Vanquish, Cabot and Nightfall; both of them get a huge amount of stick despite there being nothing to lose and a whole lot to gain through the tiny amounts of cash the MoD has committ(i)ed so far.
We are in a terrible place at the moment but the messaging is sensible rather than pie in the sky and the long term outlook is good for the first time in my life (17, DM). A good time to be entering the engineering world, I think.
That’s the other issue, posters would appreciate kit bought for us rather than Ukraine. Just once in a while.
For me, until there are real orders and real plans released for the infrastructure and orbat to use things ( like CUAS from AA to interceptor drones ) they all amount to the same thing.
We never hear, because the cynical would say, there’s no plan to actually buy them beyond giving to Ukraine, who do indeed need them.
Off topic, but I’m just going to C/V the latest MoD social media post of HMS Anson leaving Gibraltar.
‘Spotted: An armed UK Hunter Killer submarine leaving Gibraltar.
The Royal Navy ensures their presence at sea at all times to deter potential adversaries and protect the nation and NATO allies.’
What in God’s name do they mean ‘at all times’???? Are they genuinely dense over there?
There’s an article on this now Leh.
Ace, I’ll repost there.