Expert discusses potential mission for Ukrainian ballistics
Illustrative photo: Ukraine has designed a ballistic missile (wikipedia.org)
A new Ukrainian ballistic missile is expected to have a range that could reach the Volga. This would put electricity supplies in Russia at risk, according to Valerii Romanenko, a leading researcher at the National Aviation University and aviation expert.
He explained that the foundation for creating a Ukrainian ballistic missile already exists—Ukraine has developed projects like Sapsan for the Ukrainian Armed Forces and Grom-2 for export. The primary difference between these missiles is their range: Sapsan has a range of 500 kilometers, while Grom-2 has a range of up to 270 kilometers.
Currently, a major issue for Ukraine in developing its own ballistic missile could be the engine.
According to Romanenko, the Yuzhnoye Design Office in Dnipro developed liquid-fuel engines for strategic ballistic missiles that are launched from underground silos. In this situation, there must be time to fuel.
"But missiles for ground forces during combat are solid-fuel and can be prepared for launch in just minutes. We don't have such engines developed," the expert clarified.
If this problem can be solved, Ukraine will be able to establish its own ballistic missile production.
"Our goal is to reach the Volga. It has a cascade of power stations, and then it will be a matter of who can drive whom into a corner. Striking a few power stations could leave 40% of Russian territory without electricity," the expert concluded.
Background
A few days ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine has begun manufacturing its own ballistic missile, though he did not reveal its specifications.
Military and political analyst Oleksandr Kovalenko, speaking to the RBC-Ukraine, suggested that Ukraine may have utilized the experience from the Grom-2 project in developing this new missile.
For more details on the new secret Ukrainian weapon, see the material by RBC-Ukraine.
