What's New
Ukraine has developed a cost-effective cruise missile called "Trembita," a version of which could eventually reach Moscow, it has been reported.
The Economist said the weapon's ability to fly at low altitude could see it evade missile defenses. Newsweek has emailed the Russian and Ukrainian Defense Ministries for comment.
Why It Matters
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that Kyiv is ramping up its domestically produced missiles to enhance Ukraine's strike capabilities.
This is part of a broader strategy to achieve self-reliance in defense technologies, faced by limited access to certain Western-supplied long-range weapons.
This will be important if President-elect Donald Trump curtails American military support for Kyiv when he enters the White House in January 2025 as Vladimir Putin has the momentum on the battlefield.
HOME MADE, LONG RANGE: Ukraine's indigenously produced Trembita UCAV uses a pulse jet engine (like a V-1 ‘Buzz Bomb’) and can be adapted for long range ground attack or as an air defense decoy. pic.twitter.com/fZo4s9sLom
— Chuck Pfarrer | Indications & Warnings | (@ChuckPfarrer) December 23, 2024What To Know
While Ukraine's government tightly guards its missile program, The Economist gave details about some of its specifications of the Trembita, which is named after a Ukrainian alpine horn.
It is just one of half-a-dozen new missile and missile-drone crossovers that are flight-ready. Its engine is a $200 remake of the pulsejet first used on the German V-1 bomb in World War II, the outlet said.
The engine tube was described as "rough-and-ready," and the missile can fly at 250 mph with a range of 125 miles. A "larger and more powerful model is being developed to reach Moscow," said The Economist.
It added that there would be serial production after final testing of the missile, whose development took only a year and a half, instead of the many years a weapon might normally take.
At a price tag of just $3,000 for the decoy version and $15,000 for a fully equipped model, it can run on regular gasoline and is much cheaper than most Western alternatives.
United 24 Media was among Ukrainian outlets that reported the missile's warhead was 45 pounds. While visible to Russian air defenses, these could be overcome by a salvo of 20 missiles.
What People Are Saying
Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's vice prime minister, told The Economist: "Everything that is given freedom in Ukraine flies," adding "2025 will be the year of the Ukrainian cruise missile."
Missile developer Serhiy Biryukov said: "We might miss our target, but we'll fly the thing so low above Russian trenches they will s*** themselves."
Economist journalist Oliver Carroll posted on X: "Cheap and cheerful, the Trembita uses tech from German V-1 bomb, and has an unmistakable roar."
Chuck Pfarrer, military expert, posted on X: "Ukraine's indigenously produced Trembita UCAV uses a pulse jet engine (like a V-1 'Buzz Bomb') and can be adapted for long range ground attack or as an air defense decoy."
What Happens Next
The new missile is unlikely to make an immediate impact on the war, with an unnamed security official telling The Economist that it would be at least one year before the weapons could be produced in the quantities that threaten Russia.
In the interim, the incoming Trump administration could push for a ceasefire, and any negotiations might see Russia demand Kyiv limit domestic missile production.
However, Biryukov told the news outlet that any ceasefire would be "between governments" and insisted that "our rockets will keep flying."
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