Britain launches Project ‘NIGHTFALL’ for ballistic missile

The Ministry of Defence has formally revealed its intention to pursue a new ground-launched tactical ballistic missile under Project NIGHTFALL.

The requirement is at an “open early engagement” stage. Industry has until 18 September to respond before a follow-on competition is launched.

The MOD described the Single Statement of User Need (SSUN) in direct terms: “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 document emphasises that the missile must be operable in harsh conditions: “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.”

The published specifications set out a demanding baseline:

Range: more than 500km on a ballistic trajectory

Payload: around 200kg of high explosive per effector

Accuracy: CEP50 of 5m, including in GPS-denied environments

Responsiveness: strike targets within 10 minutes of launch

Volume of fire: more than two missiles per vehicle, all launched within 15 minutes

Scalability: minimum output of 10 missiles per month, with capacity to expand

The MOD also stipulated a target price: “The target effector cost is £500,000 all-up per unit, excluding the warhead, launcher and any development costs.”

The aim is not just to field a new missile but to do so at speed. “The aim is to deliver this product at pace, which means there is 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 requirement states that multiple missiles must be delivered from a single mobile launcher. “MOD requires the ability to deliver multiple (>2) effectors from a single ground vehicle,” the notice explains. The vehicle must be able to halt, fire all effectors within 15 minutes, and then leave within five minutes of the final launch to avoid counter-fire.

Flight profiles must be fast, with a time-to-target of less than 10 minutes. Each effector should also demonstrate “some basic manoeuvrability” while retaining the cost ceiling and accuracy standards.

The MOD has clarified what will and will not be considered. Acceptable solutions include complete missiles or contributions in specific categories such as propulsion, airframe, navigation, scalable manufacturing, mobile launcher systems, or systems integration. Prototype systems are permitted if they can be developed to test-ready status within nine to twelve months.

By contrast, the notice warns that proposals will not be accepted if they involve “solutions exceeding target prices, drones or other effectors that do not fly in a ballistic trajectory, literature reviews, warheads, [or] products that cannot be scaled at pace/meet the timelines.”

The MOD also stated that “the project will be prioritising scalability over exquisite solutions,” making clear that mass production and rapid delivery are valued more than highly complex or expensive designs.

Some components may be provided as government furnished equipment. This includes “payload, fuzes, testing ranges/facilities, support for scaling, [and] government SME (DSTL, DE&S) advice.” The MOD further noted that designs should “minimise and ideally be free from foreign government trade and usage restrictions, such as export control,” ensuring independence from non-UK suppliers and avoiding political limitations.

Upgrade potential is also required, with the notice stating that systems must be adaptable for “increasing the range, accuracy, in-flight manoeuvrability, fitted telemetry and other elements as required.”

To support the launch of Project NIGHTFALL, an industry day will be held in London on 24 September 2025. Attendance will be limited to two representatives per company, with one permitted if capacity is exceeded. Responses must be submitted by 18 September.

The MOD is encouraging collaboration: “MOD encourages companies to work together in a consortium to help address the full NIGHTFALL requirements.” Following this engagement, the department intends to run a competition through the Defence Sourcing Portal, narrowing down to an anticipated three proposals. These will be funded to demonstrate compliance with requirements in 2026.

With a planned 600km-plus range, 300kg payload, rapid launch and strike cycles, and mass production of ten units per month, the requirement outlines an ambitious, scalable capability. If industry feedback is positive, a competition will be launched in late 2025, leading to demonstration firings in 2026.