Britain Tests Long-Range Weapons for Delivery to Ukraine

SadaNews - Britain has tested new long-range offensive weapons that the government hopes to deliver to Ukraine within months as part of efforts to produce ammunition faster and cheaper than alternatives like Storm Shadow missiles.

New systems capable of striking targets at least 500 kilometers away and carrying a warhead weighing at least 225 kilograms have been launched at a testing field in the Hebrides Islands, with more tests scheduled in the UK in the coming months.

The Ministry of Defence has urged British companies to develop long-range offensive weapons with speeds exceeding 600 kilometers per hour, at a cost of around £400,000 (approximately $529,360) per unit, with a production capacity of at least 20 weapons per month within months of placing the production order.

About 27 companies from the defense industry submitted bids through presentation sessions similar to the "Dragons' Den" program that took place in February of last year, before six companies were awarded contracts valued at around £5 million each to design the weapons in preparation for testing within just seven months, according to the UK news agency (PA Media).