Ukraine has begun serial production of its new ballistic missile “Sapsan”. It has already proven effective in combat by striking a Russian military target nearly 300 km from launch, says Andrii Yermak, head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, according to The Times.
Named after the peregrine falcon, the fastest bird of prey, the Sapsan reflects its namesake’s core traits: speed, precision, and striking power. During recent tests, the missile reached a velocity of 5.2 Mach (approx. 6,370 km/h), significantly faster than the American ATACMS (Mach 3) and nearly on par with Russia’s Iskander-M (Mach 6).
“We will surprise our enemies more than once,” claims Yermak.
The cutting-edge Sapsan carries up to 480 kg of explosives and reaches speeds five times the speed of sound. While its official range is classified, analysts estimate it could reach 500 km or more.
Military expert Andrii Kramarov claims Russian air defense is powerless against Sapsan.
“There’s no way they can intercept it,” he says.
He identifies Russian tactical aviation airfields and Iskander-M missile launchers as top priority targets for Ukraine’s ballistic arsenal, according to the Kyiv 24 channel.
Simultaneously, Russian ruler Vladimir Putin has announced scaling up production for the Russian intercontinental ballistic missile “Oreshnik,” a derivative of the RS-26 Rubezh, which has yet to prove its battlefield effectiveness, Censor.net reports.
Russia first deployed Oreshnik on 21 November, targeting Dnipro, a Ukrainian city. Putin claimed it was retaliation for Ukrainian strikes using US ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles on Russian military infrastructure in Kursk and Bryansk oblasts.