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The UK is looking to develop new short-range ballistic missile capabilities under 'Project Nightfall'. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) wants the "rapid" ground-launched tactical ballistic missiles to be capable of striking targets within 10 minutes of being fired.

Defence procurement chiefs say the missiles must be launched from a mobile platform, and speed appears to be a key aspect of the requirement. In a contract notice published on Wednesday, the MoD states the ground vehicle/launcher and crew must be able to leave an area "ideally" in five minutes after firing. 'Shoot and scoot' tactics, the concept of firing and quickly moving to a new location to avoid enemy counter-fire, have been regularly used by Ukrainian artillery in the war against Russia.

The MoD added the launch time must also be fast, saying: "We envision all Nightfall effectors being fired from the same launcher within 15 minutes of stopping at a launch location."

The department said it requires the ability to fire "multiple" (more than two) missiles from a single ground vehicle.

It wants the weapons to have a payload of around 300kg and travel on a ballistic trajectory "with some basic manoeuvrability".

Powered by a rocket, or a series of rockets, ballistic missiles shoot upwards and then follow an arching unpowered trajectory before steeply descending to reach its intended target.

Some longer-range ballistic missiles even leave the Earth's atmosphere and enter space.

However, the range the MoD is looking for is about 372 miles, which would classify it as a short-range ballistic missile, also known as a tactical ballistic missile.

Setting a price goal, the MoD said: "The target effector cost is £500,000 all-up per unit, excluding the warhead, launcher and any development costs.

"We are looking for technologies that can be packaged within 9-12 months to provide at least five all-up units for trials."

The contract notice is in what is known as the "open early engagement stage".

This means a procurement idea is currently active and in the "early stage of development and judging interest from potential suppliers", with a closing date set for mid-September.

The MoD wants the technology to be resistant to electronic warfare attacks and said there must be potential for upgrades.