President Zelenski announces successful test of first ballistic missile. Without much fanfare, the country has been working on developing its own weapons.
(DW) Since the start of the war, Russia has repeatedly used long-range missiles against Ukraine. Kiev is not yet in a position to respond with weapons of its own manufacture, and the missiles it receives from its partners also have limitations – both in terms of range and use on Russian territory.
To change this situation and reduce dependence on missiles from abroad, Ukraine has been working on its own missile program. What is known about it?
Palyanytsya drone with jet propulsion
“The Russians will find it difficult even to pronounce the name. It will be equally difficult for them to defend themselves against this drone. But understanding what they did to deserve it won’t be a problem,” Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski teased, talking about the new Palyanytsya combat drone.
Palyanytsya is the Ukrainian word for bread. It is often used humorously, as most Russians have difficulty pronouncing it.
According to Zelenski, the weapon has already had its “first successful” test on the battlefield.
Before resigning on Tuesday (03/09), Strategic Industries Minister Oleksandr Kamyshin claimed that the object hit by the Palyanytsya was located on Ukrainian territory under Russian occupation. Kamyshin told DW that the missile was developed and manufactured entirely in Ukraine, with “some components coming from abroad”.
According to the Ukrainian government platform United24, which published a video of the Palyanytsya, the weapon was developed by Ukrainian specialists over the course of a year and a half. Equipped with a turbojet engine and various guidance systems, it reaches a much higher speed than drones with combustion engines.
The Paljanytsja’s main target will be the 20 or so Russian military airfields used in airstrikes against Ukraine – some of them 600 or 700 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
The weapon would cost “much less than similar missiles”, with production expected to be further reduced and expanded.
The Ukrainian government won’t divulge any more than that: the information is classified. The data on the drone is not yet complete, so it is not yet possible to accurately assess the effectiveness of the Palyanytsya, said Serhiy Shurez, director of the Defence information and consulting company. “Range is the only parameter that currently helps us evaluate the weapon. But range is not the most important thing for me, but rather the weight of the warhead and the accuracy of the impact,” he told DW.
Neptune land- and sea-based missile
“Ukraine has achieved some successes in its missile program in recent years,” emphasizes Shurez. “For example, the series of anti-tank weapons, such as the Stugna and Corsair, which are being mass-produced. Or the R-360 Neptune anti-ship missile.”
The Neptune, a product of the Kiev company Lutsch, has been in use by the Ukrainian Armed Forces since 2020, as has the RK-360MC coastal missile system, which is designed to detect and destroy enemy ships of various classes.
A Neptune missile has a 150-kilogram warhead and a range of up to 300 kilometers. Its first combat mission was at the beginning of April 2022, against the Russian frigate Admiral Essen. On April 13, 2022, one of the most significant events of the war took place: two Neptune missiles sank the flagship of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea, the Moskva.
In 2023, it became known that Ukrainian designers had modified the Neptune anti-ship missile. Now it can hit not only ships, but also land targets.
A representative of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry told the American media portal The War Zone that the new weapon has received a new guidance system, but is launched from the same launcher as the anti-ship missile.
The modified Neptune missile has a range of around 400 kilometers and a warhead weighing 350 kilograms, more than double that of the anti-ship version, according to the official. It is also known that the Ukrainian military has used the modified Neptune missile on several occasions.
What’s new in the missile program?
To penetrate deep into Russian territory, Ukraine last year used, according to media reports, missiles from the S-200 air defense system, which had been officially decommissioned in 2013.
These missiles have now been modified to be able to hit ground targets. Kiev has not officially confirmed this, but a government official told the BBC that work is underway. “In the current circumstances, we have to find a way out. We found the solution with the S-200, and it seems to be working well so far.”
Ukraine has also used modernized Soviet reconnaissance drones of the Tu-141 Stryzh type. The drone has a turbo engine and can reach speeds of around 1,000 kilometers per hour. According to the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Service, in 2023 these drones damaged Russian Tu-95 long-range bombers in the Russian city of Engels.
Ukraine’s first ballistic missile
At the end of August, Zelenski announced the successful test of the first national ballistic missile, without however detailing the type of missile. “Ukraine must finally achieve maximum independence in defense,” he had already emphasized in July.
Claiming secrecy, the Defense Ministry declined to comment on the missile program.
What is known is that the Ukrainian defense industry has been developing a ballistic missile since 2006: the Sapsan short-range missile, which has a fuselage diameter of 0.9 meters and a range of 500 kilometers.
The missile is known by the export name Hrim-2. Ukraine is said to have produced it with a diameter of 0.6 meters and a range of 280 kilometers for Saudi Arabia.
Since the beginning of the war, the development of the Sapsan has not been commented on publicly, although Russia has repeatedly claimed to have shot down Ukrainian Hrim-2 missiles.
“Ukraine is now capable of producing enough missiles to sustain a war with Russia,” says Frank Ledwidge, a former British intelligence officer and military expert at the University of Portsmouth.
“When it comes to technology, we shouldn’t underestimate the Ukrainians. Before the war, they were among the top ten space powers in the world – also because they have sufficient expertise in rocketry. Just to clarify: Elon Musk’s favorite rocket, apart from his own, is the Zenit launcher. It is manufactured in Ukraine.”