Raytheon UK has unveiled Red Kite, its first sovereign precision weapon fully designed and digitally engineered in the United Kingdom, with the company pitching the effector as an affordable, high-volume complement to the RAF’s existing arsenal that will strengthen stockpile resilience, the company announced at the Farnborough International Airshow.
Developed with a consortium of British defence partners, Red Kite is described by the company as an affordable, highly deployable precision weapon that advances the UK’s ability to rapidly scale critical stockpiles, with advanced digital modelling technologies moving the effector quickly from concept to prototype.
“Red Kite was designed with affordability and adaptability in mind, and marks a significant step forward for UK defence,” said James Gray, Managing Director and Chief Executive of Raytheon UK, as quoted in the press release. “Working closely with our partners over the past five years, we’ve combined innovative design, digital engineering and proven technologies to develop a sovereign capability for the RAF faster and more efficiently than ever.”
The weapon uses the existing StormBreaker airframe and can be integrated across a wide range of air platforms, according to the company, drawing on Raytheon’s American glide bomb, whose tri-mode seeker allows moving targets to be engaged through weather and battlefield obscurants, while the British weapon builds on Raytheon UK’s experience delivering precision weapons including Paveway IV, the standard guided bomb of the RAF’s Typhoon and F-35 fleets, which is assembled at the company’s Glenrothes site. The company says Red Kite adds a cost-effective, high-volume capability that enhances RAF operational flexibility, positioning it as a complement to rather than a replacement for the heavier weapons in service.
“Red Kite is about getting capability to the frontline faster – reducing cost, increasing availability and meeting our customers’ needs when it matters most,” Gray added, as quoted in the release. “It represents a clear step toward a more resilient, sovereign UK defence industrial base.”
Delivery will run through a nationwide UK supply chain bringing together specialist design, engineering and manufacturing expertise, from systems electronics and software in Harlow to control actuation systems in Glenrothes, sustaining high-skilled jobs, advanced manufacturing and sovereign defence capabilities across England, Scotland and Wales, with Raytheon UK estimating that approximately 140 highly skilled jobs will directly support the programme.
Did Raytheon ask LM about integration? Really hard to see what use this weapon could be given the decade long process for integration on F35. I can’t imagine any British government paying to integrate a US weapon on F35 when MBDA have weapons waiting.
It’s a development of the SDB, which UK has ordered and is fully integrated on F35. It is not a missile but a glide bomb with a range of @ 40 miles. Raytheon UK say it is firstly intended to be carried by Typhoon but could also be used on F35 and Protector.
It’s not the bomb but the targeting system that needs integration so it will still be waiting for LM. It doesn’t seem like a good fit for a non stealthy platform like Typhoon that the RAF has decided not to integrate SPEAR 3 on to due to short range. Again why go to all the cost of integration of a US weapon when you have a UK weapon from MBDA that’s ITAR free.
I am a little confused here, it’s using the Stormbreaker body which is presently being integrated onto F-35, but the article wasn’t clear is it also using the tri-mode seeker from that platform? ‘Drawing on’ is hardly clear is it. If it does then integration on F-35 is in progress now so I can see the selling point, but also if so this starts to look like a wolf in sheep’s clothing as it starts to look like a Stormbreaker dolled up as an independent effort in little more than name only, getting onto F-35 earlier and thus compromising Spear efforts.How very American of this GDUK ‘product’ paraded as a sovereign uk effort when in reality it rather potentially hinders a true Uk effort if anything. What parts would be uk sourced?
If the seeker isn’t the SB one then as stated how does that get it swiftly integrated onto F-35 and why would there be any desire to get it onto Typhoon where it would have limited utility. Sounds like a bit of an opportunist effort to me, fuelled by the greater GD parts bin and dressed up with a very British name attached that just happens to be a very highly publicised uk success story.
Even if it’s entirely UK designed and sourced it’s still an ITAR product because it’s Raytheon doing it. We have the exact same problem with Paveway IV. We were stupid enough to pay for a US company to design and build a UK only weapon which is made in the UK and not operated by the USA but we can’t use it or sell it to anyone with out congress and Donald Trump approving it.
How can this be a UK sovereign capability if it uses the US Stormbreaker airframe?
And other Paveway IV components…..so its not ITAR free, and will still take an age to get integrated.
And….’Affordable’????
It costs more than Paveway IV…..
Might as well stick with SpearGlide which is ITAR free and fully sovereign…
Red Kites only useful purpose is to keep MBDA honest…
Well to be fair to a degree it can, as Brimstone originally used the Hellfire body as the name even hints at, but the internals changed. But as this effort isn’t clear (is that down to the article or the company) what other parts of the Stormbreaker are actually still integral to this. Is all the uk content that they don’t seem to define, just screws, bolts wiring and build? What about the seeker? All sounds smoke and mirrors to me, like Dell boy chancing his arm based on exploiting a gap due to Lockheed Martin’s delays in incorporating Spear on F-35. Geez it even sniffs of the scene of him bringing a sawn off shotgun (acquired from some Chicago gangster in this case) paraded as a British Purdey to a Home Counties grouse shoot and expecting no one to notice. Hope they don’t expect to shoot Red Kites by the way.
Major difference with Brimestone is it’s made by MBDA. The initial body design is based on hellfire but that’s it. The Uk was able to redesign and resource the missile to become ITAR Free. Raytheon will never be able to do this same. Legally it will always be under ITAR.
The reality is of course that this weapon will be integrated to F35 immediately. It is an attempt to block SPEAR 3 and give F35 customers a US weapon choice. Integration of SPEAR will be further pushed back. Probably looking at 2035/6 now – Is this ITAR and restrictions (Congressional) free – No of course it’s not. What exactly does digitally engineered mean in this context? Can Raytheon confirm that it is 100% manufactured in the UK?
It won’t be added any quicker that SPEAR, neither Raytheon or the US government control integration, it’s 100% at the whim of Lockheed Martin. The USA has multiple weapons waiting same as everyone else. The US does have better access to the joint program office doing the testing than anyone else but it’s putting up more of the cash that everyone else which is fair.
Raytheon UK state that the seeker, fuze, warhead and guidance system will all be manufactured in the UK. The tri mode Stormbreaker guidance system seems to have been replaced. By what isn’t clear.
No thank you.
Raytheon aren’t exactly known for a quality mass produced product.
Our problem is giving it all away to Ukraine and it never working in the first place
Best way to keep stockpiles is to stay out of meddling in other countries
A lot of moronic comments on this thread from our favorite trolls.
Truth is:
1. Already integrated on F-35 due to its StormBreaker heritage.
2. Not clear if it is ITAR free or not. Being made by a UK subsidiary of an American company does not make it ITAR.
3. It’s a shit load cheaper than Spear 3 so could be bought in much larger quantities.
4. Provides a low cost F-35B standoff capability that’s manufactured in the UK with totally UK internals.
No brainer to buy a ton of them.