“Ukraine is producing a missile that will reach Moscow: The Economist told the details of the secret program December 23, 23:20 Share: Launch of the Neptune missile (Photo: ArmiyaInform) Currently, Ukraine is forced to “catch up with Russia” in terms of arms production. Apart from a limited number of American ATACMS missiles (range up to 300 km) and British/French Storm Shadow/Scalps (over 250 km), Ukraine mostly attacks targets close to the front line. He writes about it”, — write on: ua.news
Neptune rocket launch (Photo: ArmiyaInform)
Currently, Ukraine is forced “to catch up with Russia” regarding the production of weapons. In addition to the limited number of US ATACMS missiles (range up to 300 km) and British/French Storm Shadow/Scalps (more than 250 km), Ukraine mostly attacks targets close to the front line. The Economist writes about it.
It is noted that this gives Russia the opportunity to operate with relative safety at a distance of 30 km from the front, while all of Ukraine suffers from the attacks of the Russian Federation, whose missile industry is inferior in power only to the American and, possibly, Chinese.
According to the publication, long-range drones once helped Ukraine restore balance, but now they are allegedly shot down in nine out of ten cases. At the end of November, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi announced a transition to missiles that are more difficult to intercept, and set a goal of producing 3,000 such missiles by the end of 2025.
As the publication writes, it is not known how long Ukraine can count on large-scale foreign military aid. Therefore, the Trembit missile, which flies at a speed of 400 km/h with a range of 200 km, is one of several missile projects that Ukraine hopes will contribute to the revival of domestic industry.
The Trembit rocket engine is a modern version of the impulse jet engine, which costs $200. This engine was originally used in the German V-1 bomb in 1944. The engine tube is a simplified version, and under it is an elegant gray rectangular housing that hides the missile’s guidance system and warhead, the publication reports.
However, a new, larger and more powerful model is currently being developed that will be able to fly to Moscow. Its serial production will begin after the final field tests are completed. Specialists managed to achieve such progress in just one and a half years, which is a great achievement in the field, notes The Economist.
About five new missile and unmanned systems, as well as a dozen smaller projects, are already ready for flight. The most famous of them are the Neptune missile, which was adapted from an anti-ship weapon and sank the Russian flagship Moscow in 2022, and the Grim-2 tactical ballistic missile (or Peregrine falcon). Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov said that 2025 will be the year “the year of the Ukrainian cruise missile”.
The production of rockets during the war took rocket building to a new level – underground. Some production has been moved to secure bunkers, and components are manufactured at hundreds of hidden facilities.
Ukraine still needs time, which “may not be enough,” the publication writes. A senior security official said Ukraine needs at least a year to develop missiles that can seriously threaten Russia in terms of range and capabilities.