Britain is developing long-range weapons for Ukraine that will not depend on American components or data, Bloomberg reports.
According to the agency, British authorities are working to create inexpensive long-range systems that can be supplied to Ukraine without being tied to U.S. defense technologies.
Three British companies—MBDA, MGI Engineering and Rotron Aerospace—have reached the final stage of the Brakestop project. Their designs are expected to be tested in Britain and Ukraine in the coming months.
The new systems are expected to enter service within a year. They will be ground-based, able to hit targets at a distance of more than 500 kilometers and carry a warhead weighing at least 225 kilograms.
One unit of such a weapon will cost about £400,000, excluding the warhead. That is roughly half the price of Anglo-French Storm Shadow cruise missiles.
Bloomberg’s sources note that the rejection of American components became one of the British government’s key requirements. London fears excessive dependence on the U.S. defense industry amid the possible reduction of the American military presence in Europe.
The Brakestop project was launched at the end of 2024 to support Ukraine. All three companies said they were ready to produce at least 40 weapons a month within three to four months of receiving an order.
Britain’s Storm Shadow missiles remain one of the main long-range strike weapons Ukraine uses to hit Russian targets. Their range exceeds 250 kilometers, and their cost is estimated at about $1 million per unit.
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