Image: UK MoD Crown Copyright
Three British-designed strike weapons have completed flight testing under Project Brakestop. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) programme aims to develop low-cost, ground-launched precision systems for Ukraine.
Launched by Taskforce Kindred in November 2024, Brakestop set demanding requirements for competitors. These include a minimum range of 500km, a 225kg warhead capacity, speeds above 600km/h, and a target unit cost of around £400,000.
Twenty-seven companies submitted bids when the competition opened. Following technical assessments and competitive pitches in February 2025, six firms won contracts worth approximately £5 million each. They had seven months to design, build and test prototype weapons. By December 2025, three had progressed to trials at the MOD Hebrides Range, managed by QinetiQ.
The three companies are MBDA UK, a strategic defence partner behind systems including Storm Shadow; MGI Engineering, a UK small-to-medium enterprise (SME) with 25 years in Formula 1 securing Brakestop as its first defence contract; and Rotron Aerospace, an SME with prior MOD experience including the Dismounted Soldier Close Combat and Defence Programme (DSCDP).
Minister for the Armed Forces Louise Sandher-Jones MP commented: “In less than a year, UK companies have taken an ambitious concept from the drawing board to flight testing, delivering a new generation of capability at remarkable speed.”
As per a recent press statement, the MOD has awarded Phase 2 contracts worth around £15 million each to all three suppliers. Each will now produce 15 improved effectors alongside launchers and support vehicles. Further testing will follow in the UK, with additional overseas trials planned, including in Ukraine.
Read more on the UK MoD website
