Ukraine Begins Mass Production of Its Own Ballistic Missile, the “Sapsan”

Valentyn Badrak, Director of the Center for Army Conversion and Disarmament Research, confirmed that the Ukrainian ballistic missile “Sapsan” has passed combat testing and will enter mass production shortly.

This was reported by the publication LIGA.net.

As noted, in May 2025, the Ukrainian military used a Sapsan missile to strike a Russian military facility located 300 kilometers away.

“Frankly speaking, this success was preceded by effective management of the missile program. Since July 2024, a specialized Deputy Minister of Defense, Anatoly Klochko, has taken on the role of program coordinator. The center of gravity shifted from the Ministry of Strategic Industry to the Ministry of Defense, which is logical since the Ministry of Defense is the customer of the missile and oversees all specialized military-technical cooperation programs,” explained Valentyn Badrak.

According to him, the missile program was separated from other developments. The Ministry of Defense established a main department to support the missile program and a department responsible for combat missile policy for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The missile is now entering mass production. The Defense Ministry emphasized that this process achieved synchronization between the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Strategic Industry.

At the same time, the expert assured that the Sapsan is a “large, powerful weapon,” with a warhead weighing 480 kg.

“So, we can assume that it will have a significant impact on the battlefield and strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities,” he concluded.

As a reminder, the Ukrainian military-industrial complex has developed new modifications of the missile based on the RK-360MC “Neptune”, which now has a range of up to 1,000 kilometers.

Earlier, Valentyn Badrak reported that in mid-May 2025, a ballistic missile for the Armed Forces of Ukraine was successfully tested – it traveled almost 300 kilometers and destroyed a Russian command post. After successful use, the missile is planned to be launched into series production.

The day before, it was reported that in the Kherson region, the Defense Forces of Ukraine destroyed an enemy stronghold using a new type of weapon from a participant in the cluster for the development of military technologies in Ukraine, Brave1.

As is known, the number of hits on Russian command posts increased in May, which may indicate that Ukraine is testing its ballistic missiles.

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