Russia is increasingly striking Ukraine with RM-48U missiles, which were once designed as air defense training targets. In July and early August, RM-48Us already accounted for more than half of all ballistic and hypersonic missiles launched at Ukraine.
Russia is increasingly striking Ukraine with RM-48U missiles, which were once designed as air defense training targets. In July and early August, RM-48Us already accounted for more than half of all ballistic and hypersonic missiles launched at Ukraine.
This was reported by Reuters, citing data from Ukrainian military analysts at the Prosecutor General's Office.
In total, in July and the first eight days of August, Russia launched 228 ballistic and hypersonic missiles, more than half of which were RM-48U. In July, 158 such strikes were recorded, 87 of which were RM-48U. In the first eight days of August, another 70 missiles were launched, including 36 RM-48U. And the number of Iskanders launched in July decreased to 38 - a month earlier there were more than 100 of them.
So Russia has found a way to increase the number of ballistic targets during attacks and spend less on the more expensive and accurate Iskanders. In addition, the large number of such targets may force Ukraine to waste scarce interceptor missiles.
The RM-48U was originally designed as a target missile for training air defense calculations. But Russia has begun converting such missiles for ground strikes. On September 10, the Defense Ministry released a 3D model of the RM-48U and data on its components. According to Ukrainian intelligence, Russia is restoring decommissioned missiles and upgrading them to a strike version.
This variant of the RM-48U can fly up to 400 km, accelerate to Mach 4–6, and carry a 199-kilogram high-explosive fragmentation warhead. However, the RM-48U is significantly less accurate than the Iskander. According to Ukrainian experts, the missile deviates from its target by about 300 meters on average.
The RM-48U is actually assembled from parts of other missiles. GUR even calls it a “ballistic Frankenstein.” The engine was taken from one S-400 missile, the tail section from another, and the electronics and other components from several other types of missiles.
A lot of imported electronics were also found inside the RM-48U. Of the 117 components identified by the GUR, 95 belong to brands from the United States. There are also components from Taiwan, Switzerland, Germany, Japan, and other countries.
According to the GUR, this year the country plans to produce about 480 RM-48Us — up from 200 last year. The Institute for the Study of War in August estimated Russian stocks at about 400 RM-48Us. The same estimate put the number of Iskanders at about 100.
Previously, dev.ua wrote that Russia uses S-400 anti-aircraft systems not only for air defense, but also for strikes on ground targets.
