Russia launches RM48U missiles en masse at Ukraine: characteristics and danger

Russia has begun mass-deploying converted RM48U missiles to strike Ukraine, launching them from S-400 systems. Despite their lower accuracy compared to Iskanders, they are capable of flying at speeds of up to Mach 6 and pose an additional burden on Ukrainian missile defenses.

This is reported by Reuters .

The RM48U was originally developed as a target missile for air defense training. After modernization, it is used to strike ground targets. According to the GUR, the missile has a solid-fuel engine, a ballistic flight trajectory, a speed of Mach 4-6 and a range of up to 400 km.

The missile is equipped with a high-explosive fragmentation warhead weighing 199 kg . At the same time, it is much less accurate than the Iskander: according to Ukrainian analysts, the deviation from the target can be about 300 meters. That is why the use of the RM48U poses a particular danger to populated areas, since the missile can hit objects near the designated target.

According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, in July and the first 8 days of August, Russia launched 123 RM48U missiles into Ukraine out of 228 recorded ballistic and hypersonic missiles. During the same period, the number of Iskander launches in July decreased to 38 compared to over 100 in June.

One case of the RM48U being used was an August 5 strike on a railway platform in the Brovary district of Kyiv region. The attack killed eight people. Reuters notes that it was unable to independently verify the conclusions of Ukrainian investigators regarding the type of missile.

RUSI Senior Research Fellow Siddharth Kaushal believes that Russia could use the RM48U to deplete Ukrainian air defenses and preserve more expensive missiles.

“Their use allows the Russians to save more powerful missiles – Iskanders, as well as KN-23s and Zircons – for the winter,” Kaushal said.

According to preliminary estimates, Russia may have about 400 RM48Us . Ukrainian intelligence reported on Russian plans to increase production of such missiles to 480 in 2026, up from 200 in 2025.

Thus, the main danger of the RM48U lies in the combination of high speed, ballistic trajectory and a significant warhead with the possibility of mass use. Less accuracy does not make the missile safe, but on the contrary increases the risk of hitting civilian objects in the target area.

Earlier, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine published detailed information about the Russian RM-48U strike missile , created on the basis of missiles for the S-400 complex. The GUR called it the new Russian ballistic “Frankenstein” and revealed the structure, characteristics and component base of the missile.

Recall that Russia is increasing the production of missiles and drones . According to Ukrainian intelligence, among the weapons whose production is being increased is the RM-48U, and its stockpile at the beginning of August was estimated at approximately 400 units.

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