The British Team Helping Strengthen UK Defence
From Harlow to Glasgow, experts across Britain are working together on a new weapon designed to rapidly scale critical stockpiles while supporting skilled jobs and advanced manufacturing nationwide.
As global threats grow more complex, air forces face a dual challenge: maintaining high-impact precision capabilities while balancing affordability and scale. That’s where Red Kite comes in.
Red Kite is the first sovereign precision weapon to be fully designed and digitally engineered by Raytheon UK. Built for affordability, adaptability and rapid production, it provides a path to strengthening Royal Air Force stockpiles while supporting a resilient UK defence industrial base.
A sovereign UK powerhouse
Red Kite is about more than technology. Behind the programme is a team of engineers, manufacturers, programme managers and defence specialists working together across England, Scotland and Wales to deliver a capability designed, built and controlled in Britain.
“Red Kite represents a major UK industrial collaboration, bringing together expertise from across the country,” said Sophie, senior programme manager at Raytheon UK.
As lead systems integrator and design authority, Sophie works closely with British suppliers and partners to ensure the weapon is designed, manufactured and supported through a sovereign UK supply chain.
“Partnerships are integral to everything we do,” she added. “They allow us to generate capability quickly while ensuring the UK retains control and assurance. We work with incredibly talented suppliers across the country who consistently demonstrate innovation and expertise to help us develop, test and validate this capability at speed.”
A pipeline of innovation through digital engineering
One of the factors helping the Red Kite team move quickly is the use of advanced digital engineering techniques to augment and improve the weapons qualification process. Engineers can test concepts, model performance and refine designs virtually before components are manufactured. For the people working on the programme, it means being able to solve problems faster.
“By leveraging model-based design and qualification techniques, we can work smarter, reduce risk and ensure Red Kite can adapt quickly to changing requirements,” said Hannah, weapons programme manager at Raytheon UK. “It’s about creating better outcomes, faster delivery, and greater certainty throughout Red Kite’s lifecycle. This ensures the weapon remains relevant and effective in dynamic environments.”
Integration for the modern battlespace
Weapon integration is often costly and time-intensive. Red Kite stands apart by leveraging the existing StormBreaker® airframe, enabling integration across a wide range of air platforms. This approach reduces development costs, increases adaptability and supports efficient, scalable production.
For the team behind Red Kite, however, success is measured not only by the performance of the weapon, but by what it represents for the UK's future.
By bringing together British expertise, modern engineering approaches and proven technology, the programme demonstrates how capabilities can be developed more quickly, more efficiently and with greater national control.
"Red Kite is about getting capability to the frontline faster, reducing cost, increasing availability and meeting customers' needs when it matters most," said James Gray, managing director and chief executive of Raytheon UK. "It represents a clear step towards a more resilient, sovereign UK defence industrial base.”
