Ukraine unveils Grom-2 missile, rivaling Russia's Iskander-M

Ukrainians have showcased their testing of the Grom-2 ballistic missile, equivalent to the Russian Iskanders-M, against which defence is very difficult. These new missiles will allow Ukraine to attack Russian territory without needing Western approval. This has been the focus of Ukrainian efforts for nearly two decades.

Ukrainians completed the work on a successor to the Soviet-era Tochka-U systems, which had been conducted intermittently since 2003. These efforts gained momentum after Russia annexed Crimea and parts of Donbas in 2014. The first test launch of the Grom/Grom-2 missile was scheduled for 2018, and a year later, an operational readiness battery consisting of two launchers and command vehicles was expected.

It is possible that Ukrainians used this battery to strike the Russian airbase Saki in Crimea in 2022, long before they received the American MGM-140 ATACMS ballistic missiles. It is also worth noting that in 2023, Ukrainians secured stable financing for the program, as mentioned by then-Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov in June 2023.

Details about the Grom or Grom-2 missiles are unknown. Still, previous reports about an export version for Saudi Arabia suggested the development of a ballistic missile with a warhead weighing 1058 pounds and a range of 186 miles, which is the maximum allowed by the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR).

Meanwhile, for their own use, Ukrainians were likely aiming for a missile with a range of approximately 310 miles, similar to the Russian Iskanders-M. Guidance is most likely based on a combination of inertial and satellite navigation, as is the case with competing systems.

This is not an ideal solution due to the possibility of GPS signal jamming. However, the massive warhead, which will likely exist in both fragmentation and cluster variants, will ensure sufficient destructive capabilities even if it misses by several dozen feet.

Grom-2 missiles will be an ideal means to target Russian airfields located about 310 miles from the front lines, as ballistic missiles travelling around Mach 7 (5367 mph) can cover 310 miles in a few minutes. Currently, using drone swarms moving at just over 75 mph for strikes on airfields in Russia leaves a lot of time (usually over an hour) for the evacuation of all aircraft from the threatened airfield.

This feat will not be possible with ballistic missiles, which can only be intercepted by medium-range air defence systems. It is worth noting, however, that Russian air defence has already lost battles against ATACMS, which are not next-generation systems (from the 1990s).

Unfortunately, Ukrainians cannot use these ballistic missiles to attack targets on Russian territory due to American restrictions. This won't be an issue with their locally built missiles, deployed by eight or ten-wheeled launchers.