The MoD has issued a fresh request for information for its Medium Range Precision Strike loitering munition programme, with a tender notice expected by July 2026 and a contract award targeted for 2027, though an estimated contract start date of June 2028 indicates the original 2027 delivery target has slipped.
Defence Equipment and Support published the new RFI on 18 May 2026, describing it as “part of the Medium Range Precision Strike (MRPS) Preliminary Market Engagement” with the aim of giving “potential suppliers the opportunity to comment on the proposed requirement and the various strategies which will inform this.” The response deadline has been extended to 5 June 2026 to account for bank and school holidays, with a formal tender notice expected by 31 July 2026.
The estimated contract runs from June 2028 to June 2031.
The notice makes clear that the MoD is not yet committed to a formal procurement. “In issuing this RFI, the MOD is not committing to launch any procurement in relation to the requirement, and it reserves the right to alter its approach to this project prior to commencing any formal procurement process,” it states. Information submitted by suppliers “will be considered only for the purposes of building an understanding of the market’s ability to undertake the MRPS project” and will not be carried forward into any formal evaluation.
The new RFI follows a first request for information issued in early 2025, itself preceded by a Prior Information Notice in October 2024 and an industry day in December of that year. Defence Procurement Minister Maria Eagle confirmed in March 2025 that project approvals were progressing as scheduled, while signalling an ambition to move faster than the baseline timeline. Eagle stated that stakeholders across Defence were working to accelerate the timeline, though she emphasised the need to balance speed with ensuring the system is safe and highly effective, noting that “the imperative to provide this essential capability at pace must be balanced against ensuring we provide a safe and highly effective system ready for the challenges of both today and tomorrow.”
The core requirements set out across the programme’s development have remained consistent. The munition must be portable and transportable by land, air and sea platforms, capable of launching from both land and maritime surfaces, and resilient in contested, degraded and GPS-denied environments.
A minimum range of 60km is required alongside a loiter time of at least 40 minutes, real-time video transmission for target identification, and the ability to engage a diverse range of targets including armoured vehicles and fast inshore attack craft. The MoD plans to procure a minimum of 200 munitions at an estimated programme value of £120 million.
The procurement notice lists the contract as falling under a defence and security special regime and notes suitability for small and medium-sized enterprises. Any supplier wishing to participate in a future formal procurement will need to notify the MoD through the Defence Sourcing Portal once a tender notice is published on the Find a Tender Service.
