Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of a Russian strike on a residential building in Kyiv, Ukraine, on January 9, 2026. On Sunday, Britain announced it was developing new tactical missiles for Ukraine. Photo by Maxym Marusenko/EPA
Jan. 12 (UPI) — Britain on Sunday announced it was developing a new ground-launched tactical missile with a range of more than 300 miles to bolster Ukraine‘s defense against Russia’s invasion.
Under Project Nightfall, London seeks to provide Ukraine with what London is describing as “a powerful, cost-effective long-range strike option, with minimal foreign export controls.”
According to Britain’s Ministry of Defense, the missiles will be capable of being launched from a range of vehicles in rapid succession in high-threat battlefields with heavy electromagnetic interference.
The missiles will give Ukraine the ability to rapidly hit key military targets and withdraw within minutes before Russia can retaliate, it said.
“A secure Europe needs a strong Ukraine,” MP Luke Pollard, the minister for Defense Readiness and Industry, said in a statement.
“These new long-range British missiles will keep Ukraine in the fight and give [Russian President Vladimir] Putin another thing to worry about.”
Defense Secretary John Healey announced Project Nightfall after visiting Ukraine on Thursday, when overnight Russia launched large-scale strikes against Kyiv and across Ukraine, including with the reported use of a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile, one of the few reported uses of such a weapon.
At least four people were killed and 16 injured.
On Sunday, Healey said the attack was proof Putin thinks he can act with impunity.
“We were close enough to hear the air raid sires around Livi on our journey to Kyiv. It was a serious moment and a stark reminder of the barrage of drones and missiles hitting Ukrainians in sub-zero conditions,” he said.
“We won’t stand for this, which is why we are determined to put leading-edge weapons into the hands of Ukrainians as they fight back.”
Ukraine has long called on allies to supply it with long-range missiles in order to strike Russia within its borders.
During Healey’s visit to Kyiv last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he briefed Britain’s defense minister on Moscow’s attempt to “use cold weather as a tool of terror, which is why work on additional air defense capabilities for Ukraine is now an urgent priority.”
“We know which partners have the relevant missiles and equipment, and I am sincerely grateful to the United Kingdom for its readiness to help,” Zelensky said in a statement.
London on Sunday said the new missiles will be able to carry a 440-pound conventional warhead. It will have a high-precision production rate of 10 systems a month and at a maximum cost of about $1 million per missile.
Three companies will each be awarded about $12 million to design, develop and deliver their first three missiles for test firings in 12 months.
