Representative image.
In a bid to take advantage of its conflict with Russia, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, it was announced on August 28 that the country had successfully developed its first locally-made ballistic missile.
The president said at a press conference at the Ukraine 2024 Independence Forum in Kyiv that the country has also successfully launched its first domestically produced ballistic missile test.
“I congratulate our defense industry on this. I can’t share any more details about this missile,” Zelensky said.
Deploying a locally made ballistic missile would provide Ukraine with a low-cost, new stand-off strike option unlike any other in its inventory.
Zelensky did not name the new missile system. Still, discussions have already turned to the possibility of him referring to an improved missile based on its existing Hrim-2 short-range ballistic missile (SRBM).
On November 3, 2023, Brigadier General Serhiy Baranov, Head of the Main Directorate of Missile Forces, Artillery, and Unmanned Systems at the Ukrainian General Staff, confirmed that the Hrim-2 short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) is operational and undergoing improvements.
The missile’s original version, the Sapsan system, allows Ukraine to have a maximum firing range of 500 kilometers.
The lat for Ukraine’s useer Hrim-2 version, developed for export, would have a range limited to 280 kilometers, falling within the 300-kilometer limit set by the Missile Technology Control Regime, which seeks to limit the proliferation of missiles and missile technology.
The Sapsan system, also known as Hrim-2 or Grom, was developed in the 1990s by the Ukrainian design firm Yuzhnoye.
The project was officially introduced in 2013. Referred to by various names such as Sapsan, Grom, Grim, Grim-2, and Hrim-2, this operational-tactical missile system ranges between 50 and 500 kilometers, depending on the variant.
Over the years, various modifications have been made to the missile and its associated weapon system for domestic and export purposes.
The Sapsan system comprises a 10-wheeled Transporter-Erector-Launcher (TEL) capable of carrying two containerized missiles simultaneously.
Work on the Sapsan system began in 2014, and reports surfaced in 2016 that Saudi Arabia had allocated $40 million to the program.
By 2017, Ukraine had acquired the chassis for the mobile launcher. In 2018, the Sapsan system, although still incomplete, appeared at a military parade in Kyiv.
In 2019, two prototypes were reported to have been created, with one intended for testing in Saudi Arabia and the other in Ukraine.
However, due to insufficient funding, testing and development of the system were subsequently halted. It was reported that an additional $300 million would be necessary to complete the Sapsan system.
Funding was approved by Ukraine’s Defense Ministry in 2021 to build at least one testing battery.
In June 2023, the then Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Oleksii Reznikov, announced that the necessary funds for the program had been approved and allocated.
The missile program aims to increase the missile range to 700 km and carry a warhead of 480 kg.
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Kapil Kajal Kapil Kajal is an award-winning journalist with a diverse portfolio spanning defense, politics, technology, crime, environment, human rights, and foreign policy. His work has been featured in publications such as Janes, National Geographic, Al Jazeera, Rest of World, Mongabay, and Nikkei. Kapil holds a dual bachelor's degree in Electrical, Electronics, and Communication Engineering and a master’s diploma in journalism from the Institute of Journalism and New Media in Bangalore.
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