Britain has tested new long-range strike weapons that the Government hopes can be delivered to Ukraine within months as part of efforts to produce munitions quicker and cheaper than others like Storm Shadow missiles.
New systems capable of hitting targets at least 500 kilometers away, carrying at least a 225-kilogram warhead, have been fired at a range in the Hebrides, with further trials taking place in the UK over the coming months.
The Ministry of Defense challenged UK firms to develop long-range strike weapons with a speed of more than 600 kilometers per hour, a cost per unit of around £400,000 ($529,360) and the ability to produce at least 20 weapons a month within months of production order.
Some 27 bids from industry were made with “Dragon's Den” style pitches held last February before six companies were awarded contracts worth around £5 million each to design the weapons for testing in just seven months, according to dpa.
By last December, only three suppliers remained – MBDA UK, which makes Storm Shadow; MGI Engineering, a UK SME with a background in Formula 1 technology; and Rotron Aerospace, another UK SME with a history of working with the Ministry of Defense.
