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Almost 100 of Ukraine's new Peklo missile-drone hybrids have been produced as the weapon entered serial production, Ukrainska Pravda reported on Dec. 16.
The news comes amid Ukraine's efforts to ramp up production of long-range drones and missiles as part of the country's resilience plan. President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine aims to produce at least 30,000 long-range drones next year.
While some details of Peklo's capabilities remain undisclosed for security reasons, Zelensky highlighted the weapon as a "fundamentally new type." The Peklo has a range of 700 kilometers (430 miles) and a speed of 700 km/h (430 mph). Officials reportedly said that the system has already been successfully deployed.
The weapon represents a mix of drone and missile capabilities, functioning as a long-range drone equipped with a jet engine and more advanced guidance system, Ukrainska Pravda wrote.
According to the outlet, 70% of Peklo's components are produced in Ukraine, but importing the rest into the country represents a serious bottleneck. The interchangeability of elements bridges estimated gaps in supply; for example, Peklo can reportedly run on different engines, depending on their availability on the market.
Long-range domestic weapons are critical to Ukraine’s defense strategy. They provide the country's military with an alternative to Western arms, whose use is often restricted. They also compensate for the lack of artillery ammunition on the battlefield.
Achieving the target number of missile production next year also means that Ukrainian rockets will be smaller than usual, contradicting Russia’s bet on bigger missiles such as the recently developed Oreshnik.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
