The Ukrainians tried to compensate for the lag behind the Russians in powerful and long-range weapons by creating a kamikaze drone of a new level. At some point, everything did not go according to plan, and on the way out, Ukraine received a full-fledged missile.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyi commissioned to produce three thousand cruise missiles in 2025. Although last year supertask from the head of state – production of one million FPV drones – defense industry performed well ahead of schedule, but the story with cruise missiles, at first glance, looks completely unrealistic.
Even in Soviet times, domestic enterprises were not famous for the production of large cruise missiles, with the exception of the Kharkiv Aviation Plant, which lost these technologies a long time ago. In Ukraine, there is a development of the Neptune cruise missile, with which the Luch design bureau works, but at the moment there is definitely no talk of large volumes of its production.
In fact, it is possible to make three thousand rockets in a year. There is only one nuance – they will be small.
While the Russians are increasing the size of missiles, building the notorious “Hazelnuts“, Ukraine continues to develop the technology of long-range drones, making them faster, more accurate and more powerful.
It was from the idea of improving kamikaze drones that Ukrainian engineers gave birth to something between drones and missiles. The new weapon will occupy the niche of long-range drones, but the presence of a jet engine and a more advanced guidance system gives it the right to be called a missile.
Ukrainian enterprises are already mass-producing them and are preparing to significantly scale up production.
A drone or a missile
What exactly to call small cruise missiles is disputed not only in Ukraine. “But is it a missile or a drone?” – begins article in the American magazine The Warzone, which describes the concept of small, cheap missiles capable of hitting hundreds of miles.
In Ukraine, the name “missile drones” has been attached to such products, because that’s what the president does introduced the rocket “Palyanytsia” on Independence Day this year.
It is known from open sources that the “Palyanytsia” has a warhead weighing about 100 kg – four times less than on the Russian “Kalibras”. At the same time, this is 2-4 times more than Ukrainian long-range drones usually carry.
At the beginning of December presented another rocket – “Hell”. It has a much smaller warhead than the “Palyanytsia”, which makes it very similar to a kamikaze drone. However, it is capable of flying at a speed of up to 700 km/h, while ordinary drones – 150-200 km/h. According to one of the developers of “Hell”, purely technically, the drone becomes a cruise missile due to the presence of a jet engine.
Screenshot from the video of President Volodymyr Zelenskyi
In some sense, the name “missile drones” can be considered fair. When it comes to cruise missiles, Ukrainians usually think of Russian ones, which carry a warhead of 400 kg or more, move at a speed of about 1000 km/h, and also have several targeting systems.
At the same time, kamikaze drones move slowly, have a ten times smaller combat unit and less developed navigation. And small cruise missiles are something in between.
Why Ukraine has small missiles
Small cruise missiles are a new chapter in the drone war. Since the end of 2022, Ukraine and Russia have exchanged thousands of strikes with long-range drones and have been constantly improving their technologies since then.
The invaders are trying to make kamikaze drones more massive and cheap, using their own “Shahedi” and “Gerberi” to exhaust the Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense, and then strike with large missiles. Ukraine has a limited number of large missiles, so drones remain our main means of destroying objects behind enemy lines.
The destruction of Russian objects by drones several hundred kilometers from the border at one point became commonplace, but the Russians are learning quickly and are increasingly shooting down Ukrainian drones. Engineers began to think about how to improve the design of UAVs in order to continue destroying warehouses and oil depots in the Russian Federation.
Factories faced several challenges at once.
First – to increase the probability of the drone overcoming several lines of defense along the front, where the enemy’s air defense systems are most concentrated. Ukrainian kamikaze drones with electric motors and internal combustion engines move slowly, so the Russians have learned to shoot them down with small arms or anti-aircraft guns.
Second – increase accuracy. Without the ability to hit something heavy, drone operators are forced to look for weak points in Russian facilities: transformers, component warehouses, primary oil processing facilities, etc. Hitting them accurately is a difficult task.
Third – increase the force of the blow. A standard warhead of 20-50 kilograms is often not enough to penetrate the defense of objects and cause serious losses to the enemy.
To accomplish all these tasks, Ukrainian engineers need to put jet engines on the drones, add alternative guidance systems and increase the warhead.
The improvement of drones continues, but the drone platform is gradually reaching the ceiling of its capabilities. So, in parallel with this, Ukrainian designers began to develop new products – small cruise missiles, thanks to which domestic long-range weapons can reach a qualitatively new technological level.
The birth of the Hell rocket
EP spoke with the developers of the “Peklo” rocket. The name of the company will remain secret for security reasons.
The idea to develop a rocket appeared after consultation with the military. UAV operators asked to make “something” relatively cheap, with a small warhead and the ability to launch several hundreds of kilometers behind enemy lines.
The military did not ask for a jet engine, its installation was the initiative of the designers themselves. In August 2023, the company developed its terms of reference and drew the first sketches. From that moment, a complex process of development and testing began.
The development program lasted one year, was funded by the manufacturer itself and cost him several million dollars.
Herman Smetanin, Minister of Strategic Industries
One of the designers said that the first task that had to be solved was the launch of the missile: before flying at the enemy, it must receive the first impulse. Ukrainian drones are usually launched from a catapult or from an airstrip, but with cruise missiles this will not work due to their technical features. Typically, cruise missiles are launched from aircraft, ships, or specialized ground-based launchers.
The method of launching the “Peklo” rocket is currently not disclosed for security reasons. But in the course of further development, the company plans to make it possible to launch from different platforms.
Next, the designers had to make the rocket hit the target, and before that, teach it to navigate in space. “Hell” has at least two methods of guidance – inertial system and GPS.
The inertial system is when the computer independently calculates, with the help of installed sensors and sensors, where the missile is and how it needs to adjust its movement in order to hit the target. This method does not guarantee high accuracy of hitting, especially at long distances. Therefore, it is supplemented with other methods of navigation.
GPS is receiving data about the location of the missile from satellites. The weak point of this system is the possibility of falling under the influence of Russian EW, which can change the signal from the satellite. The only way to protect yourself is to install CRPA antennas capable of blocking third-party interference. Such antennas are produced in Ukraine and imported.
The developer does not disclose information about other installed or promising guidance systems, but notes that the development of various versions of the missile is currently ongoing. “The Russians need to make surprises,” said one of the project managers.
Having picked up the engine, electronics and other components, the rocket went for testing. Since the weapon is long-range, it was often necessary to start at one Ukrainian training ground and end at another.
Screenshot from the video of President Volodymyr Zelenskyi
In order to save money on the production of prototypes, the company temporarily established the possibility of landing the rocket on a parachute. Nevertheless, up to seven pieces were lost during the tests, which cost the developer a considerable amount.
When the product was almost ready, it was demonstrated to the military at the training ground. President Zelensky was also invited to one of the demonstrations. According to the EP, it was he who invented the name “Hell”, because the rocket evoked the appropriate associations in him.
The size of the warhead is relatively small: it can be compared to a regular long-range kamikaze drone. But, according to the developer, the rocket fulfills its task.
Herman Smetanin, Minister of Strategic Industries
As the EP learned, since the beginning of the development, there have been at least five combat applications of “Pekla”, one of which, previously, ended with the defeat of an expensive Russian military target.
“Hell” in the series
After the completion of development and codification, the “Peklo” rocket immediately went into serial production. There were plenty of people willing to buy it. Contracts with the company are concluded by the same divisions that operate long-range drones.
Over the past three months, the developer has produced about 100 missiles and is currently expanding production capacity. The EP cannot disclose the exact price of one serial missile, but it will be less than the cost of the Ukrainian kamikaze drone “Lyuty”.
Herman Smetanin, Minister of Strategic Industries
According to the developer, 70% of the rocket consists of Ukrainian components produced by state and private companies. There are enough bottlenecks in serial production, so they are trying to be leveled due to the interchangeability of elements. For example, the rocket will be able to work on different engines, depending on their availability on the market.
The further fate of the rocket in serial production will be determined by its use against the occupiers. Then it will be known to what extent the technology meets the challenges of war and in what direction it will need to be improved.
“Palyanytsia”, “Ruta” and others
In total, during 2024, three Ukrainian cruise missiles were presented – “Palyanytsia”, “Peklo” and “Ruta”. The first two are serial, the third is undergoing testing. In fact, there are more models of missile drones, just not all of them are publicly discussed by the authorities.
“Palyanytsia” and “Ruta” differ from “Hell” by a higher explosive charge, so they will probably all be used against different targets.
Rocket “Ruta”
Mikhail Kokorich
The number of rockets produced in 2025 will depend not only on the capacity of factories, but also on financing. But since the task of manufacturing 3,000 missiles was publicly set by the president personally, the participants of the missile program will definitely not be left without contracts.
In addition, a tool for attracting money for the production of weapons from Western partners has been operating in Ukraine for several months. Lithuania agreed allocate 10 million euros for the production of the rocket “Palyanytsia” for the needs of the Defense Forces. This can be a signal for other countries as well.
Now we can already talk about the formation of a certain market for small cruise missiles, just as the market for long-range drones was formed at one time.
There will be big rockets
Jet missile drones will remain a niche weapon and will not be able to fully replace large cruise missiles. However, the experience of developing small missiles in the future may become an impetus for cooperation between defense companies and the production of long-range weapons of larger sizes.
The development of large cruise missiles is a much more difficult task and will require much more time, money and experience. All the problems that the developers faced when working with small rockets will be felt many times more acutely.
A project of such complexity requires support from the state and the military, which will be able to encourage companies to cooperate, develop a precise technical task, find financing and components, and facilitate the introduction of this technology into the army.
In Ukraine, only one such development is known – the anti-ship missile “Neptune”, which is mass-produced, constantly improved and since recently impresses Russian objects on the ground. Work is also underway on a ballistic missile (probably “Sapsan”), which successfully tested this year
The missile program is the most closed area of the defense industry, so not all projects are publicly known. Perhaps in 2025, Russians will see above their heads the Ukrainian “Sapsan”, the long-range “Neptun” or something else as unexpected as they saw “Palyanitsa” and “Peklo” this year.
