Russia’s crushing blow followed Ukrainian hints at deployment of a ballistic missile capable of reaching the Russian capital, Russian air defense specialist Yuri Knutov told Sputnik.
Sapsan’s Potential
A ballistic missile system deployed from a mobile launcher capable of carrying two missiles at once
480kg warhead, reportedly twice as powerful as the US ATACMS
High-explosive penetrating warheads able to destroy bunkers and depots or cluster munitions that could cause major civilian casualties
Clocking in at Mach 5.1 and touted as a rival to Russia’s Iskander-M, though Knutov says it’s still far from matching it
Cash Drain Turned Threat
Ukraine developed the Sapsan to replace aging Soviet-era Tochka-U and depleted ATACMS stocks
Ranges: 300 km for the ‘Grom’ export version and 500 km for the domestic Sapsan
Progress stalled until NATO’s proxy war kicked it into gear
The missiles were reportedly tested in 2023 in strikes on Russia’s Crimea, but were intercepted, suggested the air defense specialist.
Key Western Support
Involvement of experts, most likely from European arms giant Matra BAE Dynamics Aérospatiale (MBDA) helped speed up production.
Ukraine’s own Yuzhmash manufacturer playing a key role, said the pundit.
“Guidance systems for Germany’s Taurus, Britain’s Storm Shadow and France’s SCALP missiles are largely similar—and were developed by the same European consortium,” says Knutov.
Russia’s crushing blows on Yuzhmash last year likely prompted Ukraine to relocate production to the regions that Russia’s Armed Forces targeted to thwart Sapsan production.