Roke Manor Research, a subsidiary of Chemring Group, has been awarded a £251 million contract by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to lead a major multi-year missile defence research effort, known as the Science & Technology Oriented Research & Development in Missile Defence (STORM) framework.
The six-year programme, which commences immediately, positions Roke as the UK’s lead contractor in an expansive, sovereign effort to advance integrated air and missile defence capabilities.
Working closely with the UK Missile Defence Centre (MDC), Roke will both self-deliver key elements and coordinate a broad coalition of industry partners responsible for the majority of the programme’s delivery.
The STORM framework encompasses the full spectrum of missile defence activities—from counter-proliferation and deterrence to interception and recovery—and targets a wide range of advanced threats, including ballistic missiles, hypersonic glide vehicles (HGVs), hypersonic cruise missiles (HCMs), and hybrid threats.
In a statement, Chemring said the award recognises Roke’s role as “a trusted partner to the UK MDC at the heart of the UK missile defence ecosystem at what is a pivotal moment for national defence and security.”
Michael Ord, Chief Executive of Chemring, welcomed the announcement: “We are delighted that Roke has been trusted to deliver STORM for the UK MDC. In today’s complex and changing security environment, effective missile defence is crucial to protecting the UK’s interests. This contract recognises Roke’s heritage in helping customers solve complex problems, and places Roke at the heart of the UK’s missile defence research and development activities.”
According to the MoD, STORM is designed to “sustain, exploit, and develop UK industrial and academic expertise to continue to develop next-generation and generation-after-next technologies applicable to Integrated Air and Missile Defence.” The framework consolidates previously separate R&D efforts into a single, coordinated programme intended to improve research outcomes and supply chain efficiency.
Roke’s responsibilities will include managing large, multi-year technology maturation projects, multinational and multi-supplier trials, as well as rapid analysis tasks to support UK Government decision-makers. The coordination function is expected to be based at the UK MDC in Farnborough.
Project ‘STORM’
Back in July last year, the Ministry of Defence has announced a comprehensive framework for missile defence research and development, titled Science and Technology Oriented Research and Development in Missile Defence (STORM).
The contract will manage the delivery of research covering all activities to counter ballistic missiles and advanced threats, including but not limited to simple non-separating threats, complex separating threats, Manoeuvring Re-Entry Vehicles (MaRVs), Multiple Independently Targetable Re-Entry Vehicles (MIRVs), Hypersonic Glide Vehicles (HGVs), Hypersonic Cruise Missiles (HCM), and hybrid threats.
The research required will cover analysis, experimentation, trials, and technology/system development across all pillars of missile defence:
- Counter-proliferation: Measures to minimise the spread of missile technology.
- Deterrence: Measures to discourage the use of missile threats.
- Counterforce: Actions to reduce the quantity of missiles and supporting equipment available to an aggressor during a conflict.
- Active defence: Strategies to detect, track, intercept, and disable or destroy missiles in flight.
- Passive defence: Measures to mitigate and recover from the effects of missile impacts.
The STORM framework, with an estimated budget of £110 million to £251 million, addresses a broad spectrum of missile defence activities.
According to the MoD, the contract will “manage delivery of research covering all activities to counter ballistic missiles and advanced threats including but not limited to simple non-separating threats, complex separating threats, Manoeuvring Re-Entry Vehicles (MaRVs) and Multiple Independently Targetable Re-Entry Vehicles (MIRVs), Hypersonic Glide Vehicles (HGVs), Hypersonic Cruise Missiles (HCM) and hybrid threats which share characteristics with BM, HGV and/or HCM.”
The MoD outlined the historical and ongoing challenges posed by ballistic missiles:
“Since the first V2 attack on London in 1944, ballistic missiles have posed a near constant threat to the UK, its overseas interests, and forces. Adversaries continue to invest in and proliferate increasingly advanced ballistic and manoeuvrable threat systems to challenge our freedom of action.”
The MoD specifies the pillars of missile defence research under the STORM framework as follows:
- “Counter-Proliferation: Measures to minimise the spread of missile technology.”
- “Deterrence: Measures to discourage the use of missile threats.”
- “Counterforce: Actions to reduce the quantity of missiles and supporting equipment available to an aggressor during a conflict.”
- “Active Defence: Strategies to detect, track, intercept, and disable or destroy missiles in flight.”
- “Passive Defence: Measures to mitigate and recover from the effects of missile impacts.”
The UK Missile Defence Centre (MDC), a unique government-industry partnership within the MoD Head Office, will spearhead the STORM framework, according to the previous notice. The MDC is responsible for all UK missile defence Research & Development (R&D) and provides support to decision-makers on all aspects of missile defence. The MDC was established to “provide a pipeline of funding to sustain SQEP (Suitably Qualified and Experienced Personnel) in relevant UK industry sectors.”
The MoD highlights the strategic importance of the STORM framework: “The Missile Defence R&D Category Strategy, approved in May 2023, recommended creation of a new route to market bringing together core research and technology maturation projects into a single contract, enhancing research outcomes and supply chain efficiency.”
The selected contractor will work closely with the MDC to “design and manage a contract pipeline to deliver the Missile Defence R&D category’s research requirements.” This includes large, multi-year research technology maturation projects, multinational and multi-supplier trials, and short-term rapid analysis. The coordination function is envisaged to be co-located with the Missile Defence Centre in Farnborough.
The notice further details that “the research required will cover analysis, experimentation, trials and technology/system development across all pillars of missile defence.”
The STORM framework is part of the 2020 MOD Science & Technology (S&T) Strategy, which aims to “sustain, exploit, and develop UK industrial and academic expertise to continue to develop next-generation and generation-after-next technologies applicable to Integrated Air and Missile Defence.”
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So we’re spending £251m on consultants?!
Welcome to the world of government spending………… throw lots of money at something for ‘advice’ and have nothing to show at the end. Hence one of many reasons why the country has no money.
Nonsense. The Government are simply putting £251M into R&D. They need to fund R&D because companies aren’t going to put their own money in whilst there is only one possible customer and they can’t be sure there will be any demand for the end product. The objective will be push maybe a dozen serious companies into this market with prototypes in the pipeline. That way the services can buy and try the most promising looking kit from a range of suppliers at competative prices. This framework will probably supply kit in the fastest possible timescales for a range of specs at prices and in quantities not currently possible. Sure the company will need to successfully identify companies with plausable ideas but you are not telling me that a civil servant in whitehall is going to be better placed to do that are you?
@Mark
The Ukraine have done really well defeating numerous Russian AD systems. Their much vaunted S-400 – the Russian equivalent of Patriot – has repeatedly failed and at least 7 have been destroyed by Ukraine drones, HIMARS, GLB etc. Oryx has recorded 310 surface to air missile systems destroyed as of 01April2025. Also 96 radars, 88 ECM jammers and ECCM systems and 27 self-propelled anti-aircraft guns
We need to be buying air defence systems on the open market for the UK now, not spending this sort of money with no hardware to show at the end of it. The Ukraine military knows what works against Russian kit. Lets buy that
Or Israeli kit.
Are they not going to need all the kit they build?
UK companies I’m sure will look for all the insights they can get for what works in real life however the UK military will surely want systems which are world beating. Ultimately we never quite know who the next enery might be.
I hear what you are sating about buying on the international market but none of this prevents the UK from doing that. From the British Government perspective though they will want to create British jobs and an export market.
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It’s not consultants, it’s essentially a programme management team and money for them to do research, the MDC doesn’t have a huge budget in and of it’s self so this is essentially an indirect way of giving them new money specifically for R&D (and not basic pay and office maintenance etc.)
Yep. I have some questions.
What will be the quantifiable outcome of this expenditure Vs say purchasing another type 31 frigate or some land Ceptor battery’s?
What hardware will be produced as a direct result of this programme?
If we can’t answer that then why the fudge are we spending £250 million at a time when real hard power, personnel, weapons and platforms are desperately needed
1. With this money we will be able to do new research to develop new platforms IE upcoming Type 83, improve current capabilities, IE Sea Viper Evolution, improve Land Ceptor battery with new networking capabilities so it can shoot over the horizon as an example.
2. this is an R&D programme under DST not an equipment programme under DES.
3. There are plenty of other programmes with similar amounts of money already running that are going to be procuring equipment.
just because this is today’s article that doesn’t mean that procurement isn’t also happening with similar or often much bigger budgets.
Great informative comments. 👍🏻
So much better than the “we need a Land Ceptor battery positioned every mile along the coast” rants.
Do we want the best people or save money and get what we deserve?
Not fair really, it clearly says in the article its for 1.) large tech maturation peojects – i.e.R&D for new weapons and systems 2.) multi-national and multi-supplier trials – i.e. testing options for UK use, and 3.) short-term rapid analysis – i.e. consultancy advice for MOD.
Yes, I often wonder how the Russians and Chinese get by without £251 million pound missile defence consultants.
They probably just go and buy some missiles.
I might take a look at who is on the board of Roke later.
And look how well the Russian’s vaunted S400 system has performed. It’s been unable to defend itself at times 😆
Better spending peanuts, which £250 million is compared to the rest of the defence budget, to get something effective than just splashing lots of money on chocolate fireguards.
Chain Home?
This is useful to do, but only in conjunction with actual orders for equipment. Purchase some more Sky Sabre sites, accelerate development on the CAMM-MR and begin development on/purchase an anti-ballistic system for terminal phase defence (Could be SAMP/T-NG, could be CAMM-MR Block II, could be Patriot – anything works).
However, I’d rather see this air defence implemented on RN warships to operate on the coast. If the Type 32 could have a potent AAW capability, then they could provide defence if stationed in the North Sea, and being deployed wherever they are needed.
Needs to be on land too. Ports, air bases, sun bases, radar stations, in fact nearly the whole country has next to nothing to fire! Shared inventories Aster, CAMM, Martlet, it’s basically all there already, just need greater quantities and more launch platforms and if with SAMP/T the control/radar sysyem too. France and Italy already doing it and its in Ukraine. Can even add 30/40mm, Terrahawk and Tridon, for Shorad. Bonkers lack of urgency on this.
If you’re defending our shores with 30/40mm canons then we’re already seriously f@cked. The UK’s doctrine has always been to defend/fight as far from our own shores as possible. This applies even more in the age of ballistic and cruise missiles.
How may missiles can a ship carry ? How quickly can they be resupplied ?
How quickly can they be deployed?
Mmm, an immediate order for a Patriot or SAMP/T NG battery would have been my preference over a 6 year research project. But clearly this contract must be based on a direct recommendation from the draft SDR. We are now starting to see the SDR conclusions emerging – NATO first (no more talk of an Indo-Pacific tilt!), de-prioritisation of kit for expeditionary and out of area operations (carriers, strategic airlift, amphibious forces, forward deployed warships …), more emphasis on the defence of UK (air, underwater infrastructure, ASW), modernisation of the army (and a nominal increase in size by a few thousand?) for high-end rather than low intensity warfare, and no doubts lots of pages talking about drones, autonomous systems, AI, cybersecurity and sovereign UK space capabilities. In many ways a reversal of the well regarded but never implemented 1998 SDR.
Keep dreaming! Not giving to happen!
Even in the Cold War we had expeditionary! And if the mainlanders don’t want to share a rearmament fund, let them defend mainland Europe! We should just defend our island, seas, and trade routes, that should be our priority as an island nation!
Words, so many words.
We will pick what ever is cheapest, hardest to keep in service, never up date it and not buy enough laucher’s or rounds for it. That way we stick to what we know. Nearly £250 million on a study, we are world best at studies/think tanks but not that good about buying kit we just like talking about it and putting in wish lists.
Gotta keep those retiring big wigs in the manner to which they have long been accustomed don’t cha know. To be honest no idea if this will be productive just live in hope it will be.
British based, British staffed, and British owned. The Holy Trinity of UK defence firms.
Will it actually lead to missiles that can shoot down threats and factories churning them out in high numbers?
And, will it lead to export opportunities!
Well if you want domestic self-sufficiently, then yes you do need export orders to maintain the domestic manufacturing capacity.
Gotta keep those retiring big wigs in the manner to which they have long been accustomed don’t cha know. To be honest no idea if this will be productive just live in hope it will be.
Of course it won’t.
We needed this capability years ago. Might be better to go for what our European etc allies have been developing than start our own project so late in the day. Can’t rely on buying American under Trumpski.
From their web site they look like a technology company, didn’t see defense related information (might have missed it), anyway they got a lot of money, some European countries used budget of this size to fund a large portion of their new missile defense system… hope it will worth it
look at the parent:
“Chemring is the world leader in the design, development and manufacture of advanced expendable countermeasures for protecting air and sea platforms against the growing threat of guided missiles.
We combine a deep understanding of platform signatures, missile seekers and chemical formulations to develop new countermeasures against evolving threats.”
While this is good news, it’s going to be what, 10 years before we have deployable systems? The way things are, we need a stop-gap surely?
Six years.
With nothing guaranteed deployable at the end of it.
Why are we sleepwalking to annihilation ?
Why can we just buy the ABM version of Aster 30 and deploy them ground and sea-based ?
Great, more frameworks, theory and research. That’ll protect us 🙄
From their web site they look like a technology company, didn’t see defense related information (might have missed it), anyway they got a lot of money, some European countries used budget of this size to fund a large portion of their new missile defense system… hope it will worth it
Here’s a thought… spend the money on prototypes for the Ukrainians to use / test and theb manufacture the best kit… then keep developing the tech and keep rolling the older versions off to the Ukrainians as newer ones are handed over to our brave boys and girls.. pile money used to fund weapon donations to Ukraine and the cash used for our own R&D into a pot to pay for my suggestion.
Build, test on Orcs, update, go again..
Six years! I hope the Government are going to improve missile defence before then…..
Yes, maybe it should be just six months!
Make it 6 weeks!
Roke Research Manor, the guys who came up with Haweye ball tracker for tennis
obviously experts in missile defense
this sounds like money well spent LOL
Surely the tennis ball is an international standard target for assessing radar performance?
😉
https://www.theengineer.co.uk/content/news/qe-carrier-radar-detects-tennis-ball-sized-objects-more-than-25km-away/
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At some point looking into doing something has to translate into actually doing something.
My worry about this current generation of vapid politicians is that they’d much rather “perform” doing something than actually be left with the responsibility of delivering anything.
They come across to me as Week 1 candidates of the Apprentice and not at all as “Steely-eyed visionaries” of the Country’s future.