UK begins live firing trials of rapid-production Brakestop cruise missile

The UK Ministry of Defence has confirmed that Project Brakestop, a new cruise missile programme designed for rapid production and scalability, has entered live firing trials, marking a shift toward faster and more flexible weapons procurement.

Giving evidence to the Defence Committee, Lieutenant General Anna-Lee Reilly said the first Brakestop firing took place this week, just 12 months after the programme was launched. She described Brakestop as a deliberate move away from slow, bespoke acquisition cycles toward a model prioritising speed, simplicity and industrial scale.

Reilly told MPs that Brakestop is built around a small set of core requirements: range, cost, payload, production quantity and scalability, and the ability to be transported in an ISO container. She contrasted the approach with long-established high-end weapons such as Storm Shadow, noting that “exquisite capabilities” inevitably take many years to procure.

Brakestop is being delivered through the Ministry of Defence’s Kindred procurement framework, which Reilly said enables a rapid “buy, test and scale” cycle. Under this model, the UK can trial systems domestically and then deploy them operationally, including to Ukraine. She said 27 companies are involved in the programme and confirmed that the first live firing took place the previous day.

The missile is intended to complement, rather than replace, existing high-end weapons. Reilly told the committee that the Army’s future force structure would rely on a mix of sophisticated capabilities and more disposable systems, with Brakestop firmly in the latter category.

Addressing concerns about sustaining losses in a peer-to-peer conflict similar to Ukraine, Reilly framed Brakestop as part of a broader effort to strengthen defence supply chains. She said lessons from the war in Ukraine were already shaping the UK’s munitions strategy, strategic defence review and forthcoming defence investment plan, all aimed at ensuring readiness and rapid response.

National Armaments Director Rupert Pearce echoed that view, telling MPs the UK must both improve immediate readiness and deliver transformation within a short timeframe.

In written parliamentary answers, Defence Minister Luke Pollard said no final decision has yet been taken on how many Brakestop one-way effectors will be purchased. He said numbers would depend on the outcome of flight trials, industrial capacity and final costs, while confirming that multiple prototype contracts are already in place and builds are at an advanced stage.

Earlier UK reports indicated plans to produce at least 20 Brakestop units per month. The missile is believed to carry a payload of 200–300 kilograms and to be capable of speeds of around 600 kilometres per hour.

By Tamilla Hasanova