Published date: 27 August 2025

Open early engagement - This means that a procurement idea is currently active, it is in the early stage of development and judging interest from potential suppliers.


Closing date: 18 September 2025

Contract summary

Industry

  • Air/ground/sea launched cruise missiles - 35623100

  • Military research and technology - 73410000

Location of contract

W127RZ

Procurement reference

20250827-NIGHTFALL

Published date

27 August 2025

Closing date

18 September 2025

Contract is suitable for SMEs?

Yes

Contract is suitable for VCSEs?

No

Description

The User requires a cost-effective, tactical (>600km) ballistic missile, capable of being safely ground launched from a mobile platform in a high threat tactical environment, navigating to and accurately striking a user-programmed co-ordinate. It shall be: operable in harsh physical environments, day and night, of low multispectral signature, resilient in a complex Electromagnetic environment (EME), including within a GNSS denied & degraded environment, and resistant against targeted EW attack and spoofing.

Subject to potential future contract, manufacturing shall be scalable to meet operational requirements at a minimum of 10 units per month, with the ability to further increase."
Overview:

MOD requires the ability to deliver multiple (>2) effectors from a single ground vehicle. Each effector must carry a circa 300kg (high explosive) payload over 600km on a ballistic trajectory, with some basic manoeuvrability. Such solutions are commonly referred to as tactical ballistic missiles. The effector must be able to navigate in a GPS denied environment and strike within 5m of a provided GPS co-ordinate 50% of the time i.e. have a CEP50 of 5m.

Flight time must be rapid - able to strike targets within 10 minutes of an effector launch. Similarly, launch time must be rapid - we envision all NIGHTFALL effectors being fired from the same launcher within 15 minutes of stopping at a launch location. Post launch, the ground vehicle/launcher and crew must be able to rapidly leave the area, ideally in 5 minutes.

The target effector cost is