Five missiles soared across the horizon towards the territories under the control of the enemy. One scored a hit, while four were intercepted. This fleeting engagement was a lesson in itself that Ukraine’s missile developments are progressing at a rate that few had projected. When President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the press on December 24, there was far more information conveyed beyond the meaning of military data.
Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the country has moved away from relying on missiles that were developed during the Soviet era and is now embracing the development of long-range missiles. From missiles that can target up to thousands of kilometers away to ballistic missiles that do not require democracy restrictions, the engineers at Ukraine are now creating a new playing ground. This essay seeks to discuss the nine most attractive issues changing the missiles of Ukraine.
1. Flamingo Cruise Missile’s Increasing Combat Role
The Flamingo, also known as FP-5, has become Ukraine’s flagship remote cruise missile weapon system. With a range of 3,000 km, similar to a US Tomahawk cruise missile weapon system, it is capable of conducting deep strikes against strategic targets. Zelenskyy reported in a recent operational mission that one out of five missiles launched destroyed its target, and four more were intercepted. However, in spite of its rate of interceptions, Zelenskyy said its performance improves every month. The production process is shrouded in complete secrecy, with production units spread over Ukraine to protect them from Russian attacks. The Fire Point engineers, under their CTO, Iryna Terekh, have made it a point to source their components from their own countries in order to remain independent from the fluctuating foreign market. The missile is painted in black, contrary to its original pink color in the prototype form. The missile’s appearance takes cues from WWII’s V1 missile but comes with an updated propulsion system.
2. Engine Bottleneck in Ruta Missile
The Ruta is a hybrid of a drone and a missile and has been successfully used on the battlefield with the help of foreign collaboration as a manufacturing partner. Its range of over 250 km brings a flexiblestrike capability for Ukraine. Despite this, as President Zelenskyy said, there are not very many because of certain technical issues related to engines. Ruta’s propulsion system uses foreign parts, making it susceptible to any geopolitical changes. According to sources in the defense sectors, the problem with the engine is a challenge faced by Europe in general, as there are no locally manufactured turbofans for cruise missiles in the continent. The use of Williams International in the US and Destinus in the Netherlands has slowed down the scaling-up process.
3. Neptune’s Transformation into Long Neptune
The Neptune missile was additionally designed to serve as an anti-ship missile; it has now been developed to perform its functions in a land attack mission range that has been extended. “Long Neptune” has now been developed to strike targets at a range of 1,000 km, which is well beyond the borders. This was apparent in the use of “Neptune” by Ukraine to strike the Novorossiysk export terminal of Russia’s Black Sea, its biggest export point that delivers oil. Zelenskyy extolled the virtues of Neptune’s enhanced accuracy, hailing it as “very strong.” Such a makeover is in line with Ukraine’s strategy of re-engineering existing platforms and adapting to new operational needs, thus sidestepping limitations imposed by other countries.
4. Sapsan Ballistic Missile Joins Battle
The Sapsan, or peregrine falcon, a Ukrainian-developed domestic model, symbolizes Ukraine’s inaugural operational short-range ballistic missile, independent from any foreign use limitations. This project is a variant within the same class as the export model Hrim-2, and it may carry ranges within 280 to 500 kilometers, although ranges up to 1,000 kilometers have also been projected. Although confirmation of its military employment is awaited, President Zelenskyy confirmed deployment without specifying the target or number of missiles launched. The rapid terminal speed of Sapsan enhances interception difficulty; hence, penetrating hardened infrastructure is an added advantage. Its mass production might force Russia to move their advanced air defense systems like S-500.
5. Fire Point’s Drone Arsenal
But aside from ballistic missiles, Fire Point also manufactures FP-1 and FP-2 striker drones which have a striking distance of over 1,000 km. These drones account for 60% of Ukraine’s long-range attacks that targeted oil refineries, ammunition depots, and industrial facilities deep in Russia. Being priced at 50,000 units, which is one third the price of a Russian Shahed, these UAVs serve as an effective tool of pressure on enemy territory. Their employment with other missiles like Flamingo, Sapsan, etc., would allow an increased chance of breach of adversary defenses.
6. Palianytsia’s High-Speed Strikes
Named after Ukrainian bread, the Palianytsia is a jet-propelled missile-cum-drone hybrid with 650 km range capabilities and jet speeds reaching 900 km/h. First ever used in August 2024, already dozens of Russian ammo warehouses were destroyed by PALIANYCIA projectiles. Speed and hybrid system make the boundary between cruise missile and UAV difficult to distinguish, making interception more difficult. Diversifying attack platforms makes the predictive patterns of the strikes less predictable for Russian defenses.
7. Peklo and Bars: Extending the Drone Missile
Line Peklo (“hell”) and Bars (“leopard”) are relatively new entrants in the Ukrainian drone-missile arsenal. Peklo has an approximated firing range of 700 km. Bars was unveiled in April of 2025 and has already seen active use in combat. Peklo and Bars offer a mid-range attack capability that can be manufactured more quickly compared to the long-range ones. Their employment is testimony to Ukraine’s mindset of layered long-range capabilities to have varied capabilities to tackle varied target sets based on differing operational cycles.
8. European Engine Dependency
The One of the most important weaknesses in Ukraine’s missile production is in engines. Europe has no indigenous production capability for turbofans in cruise missiles, and this is entirely dependent on US suppliers like Williams International. For Ruta or Flamingo, this can be a problem. Turbofan engines play a critical role in heavier cruise missiles that transport large loads over a distance with stealthy missions. Without any options in Europe, scaling up is still linked to US priorities.
9. Multifunctional Missile Platform Under Development
Colonel Andrii Zhuravlov has also reported that they are creating a universal launch platform that would be able to launch GMLRS rockets for HIMARS launchers and other missiles. Integrating different munitions within a single system would enable the Ukrainian military to respond to their targets much faster than their adversaries. New developments in missile warfare point towards an upcoming revolution in the realm of modularity.
The process of Ukraine’s missile development is not an isolated innovation but an integration of multiple innovations, such as cruise missiles with long ranges, ballistic missiles, hybrid drones, and modular launchers, all rooted in the spirit of self-sufficiency. Although the supply chain of the engine is still a bottle Neck for Ukraine, the direction is clear with each passing month, manifesting higher levels of accuracy, increasing ranges, and differing missions for strikes. As defense strategists, these developments signal a major shift in Ukraine’s influence on firing at distant targets into the territory of its enemies.
