Ukraine is developing a long-range cruise missile capable of hitting Moscow in case President-elect Donald Trump decides to reduce or cut military aid to the country for its fight against Russia, according to a report.
The basic Trembita missile, which has been under development since 2023, has the capability of carrying a 40-pound warhead about 40 miles, but the Ukrainian firm that builds the rocket is working on a model that could target Moscow, about 400 miles away from the border, the Telegraph reported in an opinion piece written by David Axe.
“The Ukrainian government isn’t taking any chances. It’s hurrying to develop weapons it can build, pay for and use all on its own – with or without the unreliable, unpredictable Americans,” Axe, an American military correspondent and blogger, wrote.
The Trembita, seven feet long and weighing 200 pounds, also has a much smaller price tag than the American-made Army Tactical Missile System ballistic missiles that have a 190-mile range and cost more than $1 million.
The Trembita comes in at around $10,000, and even though a souped-up version would likely cost more than that, it will still come under the of producing the ATACMS.
Another key feature of the Trembita is that it can be mass produced.
“There’s no reason Ukraine can’t acquire thousands of Trembitas, even without foreign budgetary assistance,” the piece said.
Ukraine needs to “massively scale up” its bombing of Russian cities, bases, factories and refiners to match Moscow’s attacks deep inside Ukraine on cities, power plants and factories that have killed tens of thousands of citizens.
The small number of missiles provided by the U.S., France and the United Kingdom are insufficient for conducting an “intensive deep-strike campaign.”
And the arsenal of ATACMS provided by President Joe Biden may be the last Ukraine receives once Trump takes office on Jan. 20.
The Trembitas would be effective in striking Russian factories but they would likely fall short in attacks against underground bunkers.
“Relying more on their own weapons, the Ukrainians might have to resort to striking a different set of targets. But at least they could keep striking,” Axe wrote.
