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Video shows cruise missile hitting Kyiv – video

Video footage shows a cruise missile hitting a building in western Kyiv as smoke rises from a first blast.

Russia attacked the central Shevchenko district as the UN secretary general, António Guterres, visited the Ukrainian capital.

Two loud explosions were heard on Thursday evening and one of the missiles struck the lower floors of a residential building

• Russia-Ukraine war: latest updates
• Volodymyr Zelenskiy

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US Air Force blows up a target with a cruise missile from a cargo plane

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force on Thursday destroyed a target in the Gulf of Mexico with a cruise missile launched from the back of a cargo aircraft, marking the first live-fire test of its Rapid Dragon program .

The final flight test of Rapid Dragon, which took place at the overwater test range at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, marks a step forward in the Air Force Strategic Development Planning and Experimentation office’s “bomb bay in a box” effort to develop a palletized munition system.

The Air Force Research Laboratory said in a Thursday release the program could lead to the U.S. and allies being able to turn cargo aircraft into heavily armed bomb trucks, as well as give combatant commanders more firepower to turn on enemy targets from a safe distance.

Last month, the Air Force carried out a similar test with an unarmed long-range cruise missile separation test vehicle, which had no warhead or engine.

This time, the cruise missile carried by an Air Force Special Operations Command MC-130J Commando II aircraft was armed, AFRL said in the release. The battle management system on the MC-130 received new targeting data in-flight, and then that data was routed to the cruise missile flight test vehicle. This was the first time new targeting data was received and uploaded to a live cruise missile during a flight.

When the MC-130 had reached the drop zone over the Gulf of Mexico, its crew airdropped the palletized munition system containing a single cruise missile, and three weights simulating the mass and shape of cruise missiles.

A parachute deployed to stabilize the falling Rapid Dragon system, and the missile and three dummy weights began to release sequentially to avoid collisions. The way in which the cruise missile separated from the deployment box this time was “unconventional,” AFRL said — it deployed vertically, with its nose down.

The cruise missile immediately sprung its wings and tail, got aerodynamic control of itself, fired up its engine and pulled up under the engine’s power. It then headed toward its target, which it destroyed upon impact, AFRL said.

Now that AFRL proved it can deploy a cruise missile in this way, it hopes to show the palletized weapon system can work with other aircraft. The next Rapid Dragon experiment is scheduled for spring 2022 in a live-fire test with a cruise missile from a C-17 Globemaster.

AFRL said the retargeting methods developed for Rapid Dragon are meant to be adaptable to other strike and mobility platforms. Airmen would be able to roll Rapid Dragon on or off a mobility aircraft without modifying the plane, AFRL said last month.

The Air Force hopes to further broaden Rapid Dragon’s capabilities so the carriage can house additional weapons systems and multiple types of weapons. Two years from now, the Air Force wants to bring this program from a developmental prototype to an operational prototype.

AFRL pointed to the quick development of Rapid Dragon as an example of how government and industry can quickly produce results when collaborating. This live-fire test came five months after the Rapid Dragon team conducted a system-level flight test, which itself came 10 months after the Air Force and its industry partners designed it.

Rapid Dragon has held five flight tests on three different aircraft — the MC-130J, the EC-130SJ and the C-17A — over the last five months.

“This type of experimentation campaign, that address[es] capability gaps and demonstrates transformative efforts, helps us shape future requirements and reduces timeline to fielding,” AFRL Commander Maj. Gen. Heather Pringle said in the release. “This approach ultimately enables a rapid fielding alternative to traditional lengthy acquisition timelines.”

Other contributors to the recent test include the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren, the Standoff Munitions Application Center, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Systima Technologies, R4 Integration, and the Safran Electronics and Defense subsidiary Parachutes USA.

Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.

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• International

March 22, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

By Travis Caldwell , Seán Federico O'Murchú, Sana Noor Haq, Lauren Said-Moorhouse , Kathryn Snowdon and Adrienne Vogt , CNN

Video shows cruise missiles launched off Crimean coast headed toward Ukraine

From CNN's Sharif Paget

Video has emerged showing the launch of cruise missiles from a vessel located off the coast of Crimea, just west of the city of Sevastopol. 

The video, which has been geolocated by CNN, shows the missiles heading toward Ukraine.  

"It’s clear there’s a ship standing out there in the distance," says a man's voice, speaking in Russian. "It's firing something, but where, you can't see."

Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby  said  in a briefing Monday that the US has "seen increased naval activity in the northern Black Sea."

"We have indications that some of the bombardment around Odesa is coming from the sea from surface combatants. I couldn't tell you exactly what munitions and how many and what they're hitting," he said.

Zelensky thanks Pope Francis for his clear and strong position against the war 

From CNN's Hande Atay Alam 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has appealed to the Pope to visit Ukraine as it defends itself against Russian forces, thanking the Pontiff for his "clear and strong position against the war."

Speaking during an address Tuesday that was posted on the Ukrainian government's Facebook page, Zelensky said, "I thank His Holiness for his clear and strong position against the war and for his prayers for Ukraine. I invited him to visit our country at this most crucial time."

"I believe we can arrange this uppermost visit which surely will suppose each one of us, every Ukrainian," he continued.

Russian forces stole buses driving to rescue people from Mariupol, Ukraine says

From CNN's Andrew Carey, Yulia Presniakova and Hande Atay Alam

A convoy of 11 empty buses — driving towards Mariupol to rescue fleeing Ukrainians — has been commandeered by Russian forces, according to the Ukrainian government.

The Russians have driven the buses, along with the original bus drivers and several emergency services workers, to an undisclosed location the government says.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said the buses were taken over at a Russian checkpoint outside Mangush, about 15 kilometers (about 9 miles) west of Mariupol.

Mariupol has been under devastating bombardment for several weeks and 100,000 people in the city are without water and access to medicines, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday. A local Ukrainian officer in the city told CNN that bombs have been falling on the city every ten minutes.

Recent days have seen several thousand people make the dangerous journey out of the city in private vehicles, en route to Zaporizhzhia, a city more than 200 kilometers (about 124 miles) away which is still in Ukrainian hands.

However, attempts to get empty buses into besieged Mariupol to collect people and bring them out have so far failed.

Ukrainian President Zelensky says "difficult negotiations" continue with Russia

From CNN's From Hande Atay Alam and Olena Mankovska

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky provided an update on talks with Russia during an address that was posted on his government’s Facebook page on Tuesday. 

"We continue working on different levels to make sure that Russia is convinced that this atrocious war has to be stopped. We continue our difficult negotiations. This is challenging. Sometimes scandalous," he said.

Zelensky also said, "I am grateful to all of the international intermediators who work with us and bring the true picture to Russia and convince them to see the reality of combat actions. And that the world is not going to stop the truth, our truth."  

"We will fight until the end bravely and openly," he added

Zelensky asks Italy to strengthen sanctions against Russia

From CNN’s Hande Atay Alam

Ukrainian President Zelensky said he has asked Italy "to strengthen sanctions against Russia and regime" during an address that was posted on the Ukrainian government’s Facebook page on Tuesday.

Zelensky said he has asked "to hit all the Russians that are responsible for this war, the war against us. To hit them on their property, real estate, yacht, and banks accounts ... Their habit to make money on war and then continue to live in Europe where there is peace and safety."

"I am sure there will be new sanctions and I am grateful to Italy for support," Zelensky added.

CNN reports from the Ukraine-Poland border as women and children try to flee

From CNN's Jason Kurtz

As midnight approached in Ukraine, refugees continued to seek safety in neighboring countries.

CNN’s Melissa Bell reported live from Medyka on Ukraine's border with Poland, noting that the refugees — primarily women and children — come carrying very little, aside from hope.

“The couple of suitcases that they can carry, often also a pet. Whatever they've been able to grab as they leave,” said Bell, of the arriving refugees.

Meanwhile, at the border crossing, Poland is doing its best to welcome those seeking safety.

“There's an area for their pets to be fed as they arrive. Tents have been set up all along this walkway where they arrive to try to give them comfort, to try to give the children a bit of candy, a bit of stuffed toy, something to say welcome to Poland. Extraordinary scenes,” described Bell.

Bell reported that more than 2.1 million people have crossed the border where she is stationed, nearly 60% of all total Ukrainian refugees.

“It is on this country that that tremendous strain of welcoming an extraordinarily vulnerable group of people, since, by definition, we're talking about women with their small children that are arriving with absolutely nothing," she said.

Key things to know about hypersonic missiles fired by Russia at Ukraine

From CNN's Brad Lendon

Russia has used  hypersonic missiles  in its invasion of Ukraine, US President Joe Biden  confirmed  Monday.

"And if you'll notice, (Russia has) just launched the hypersonic missile, because it's the only thing that they can get through with absolute certainty," Biden said. "It's a consequential weapon ... it's almost impossible to stop it. There's a reason they're using it."

Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said during a news briefing on Tuesday that Russian forces used hypersonic missiles “at least in one instance,” that the US is aware of. Russian forces used the hypersonic missile “against a fixed building,” at a “relatively close range,” Kirby said.

Despite the Biden's comments, British intelligence and even the US President's own defense secretary have downplayed Russia's use of its air-launched Kinzhal missiles.

"I would not see it as a game changer," Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin told CBS' "Face the Nation."

And the UK Defense Ministry said the Kinzhal missile is really just an air-launched version of the Iskander short-range ballistic missile (SRBM), which Russia has used repeatedly in its invasion of Ukraine.

Why the fear and hype about hypersonic missiles? First, it's important to understand the term.

Essentially, all missiles are hypersonic — which means they travel at least five times the speed of sound. Almost any warhead released from a rocket miles in the atmosphere will reach this speed heading to its target. It is not a new technology.

What military powers — including Russia, China, the United States and North Korea -- are working on now is a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV). An HGV is a highly maneuverable payload that can theoretically fly at hypersonic speed while adjusting course and altitude to fly under radar detection and around missile defenses.

An HGV is the weapon that's almost impossible to stop. And Russia is thought to have an HGV in its arsenal, the Avangard system, which Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2018 called "practically invulnerable" to Western air defenses.

But the Kinzhal, as a variant of the Iskander SRBM, is not an HGV. While it does have limited maneuverability like the Iskander, its main advantage is that it can be launched from MiG-31 fighter jets, giving it a longer range and the ability to attack from multiple directions, according to  a report last year from the Center for Strategic and International Studies .

"The MiG-31K can strike from unpredictable directions and could avoid interception attempts altogether. The flying carrier vehicle might also be more survivable than the road-mobile Iskander system," the report said.

The same report also noted that the ground-launched Iskander proved vulnerable to missile defense systems during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, during which Azeri forces intercepted an Armenian Iskander.

"This suggests that claims of the Kinzhal's invulnerability to missile defense systems may also be somewhat exaggerated," the report said.

Read more here.

US aware of Russia using hypersonic missiles "at least in one instance," Pentagon says

From CNN's Ellie Kaufman

Russian forces used hypersonic missiles “at least in one instance,” that the US is aware of, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said during a news briefing on Tuesday.

Russian forces used the hypersonic missile “against a fixed building,” at a “relatively close range,” Kirby said.

“It’s hard to know what exactly the justification was for that, but it could very well be tied to inventory problems and performance problems that they’re having with respect to precision guided munitions, so we’ll just have to see where that goes,” Kirby said.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Sunday that he does not view “the use of this type of weapon as some sort of game changer here,” Kirby added.

“It is not exactly clear what their intentions were,” Kirby said.

CNN previously reported that Russia had used a hypersonic missile in the conflict in Ukraine.

Read more about hypersonic missile's here.

Pentagon: Ukraine's airspace remains "contested," partially because "the Ukrainians are making it that way"

The airspace over Ukraine remains “contested,” as the Russian invasion of the country is in its fourth week of conflict, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said during a briefing at the Pentagon on Monday.

The airspace is contested partially because “the Ukrainians are making it that way.”

Ukrainians still have fixed and rotary-wing aircraft, Kirby said.

Russian forces are dominant in some areas of the airspace, he added.

“It's contested because the Ukrainians are making it that way, and they’re being, they’re being very smart about how they’re marshaling and using their air defense resources which includes fixed and rotary-wing aircraft, which they continue to fly,” Kirby said.

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Everything To Know About Tomahawk Missiles: Speed, Cost, And Destructive Power

Tomahawk missiles have been world famous since the first Gulf War in 1991 when the United States used the missile against Saddam Hussein's forces in Iraq and Kuwait. Since then, the missile system has been used in nearly every conflict the United States has been involved in, including recent strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen. Given the weapon's ubiquity, it's worth exploring what exactly a Tomahawk missile is. The United States Navy reports that over 2,300 Tomahawks have been deployed in combat, with that number increasing by the day.

According to the Missile Defense Project from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Tomahawk (full name Tomahawk Land Attack Missile) has been in service since 1983 and were first developed for the United States Navy starting in 1972. It was designed to be launched from ships or submarines and was, from the outset, made with nuclear payloads in mind. However, nuclear-armed Tomahawks have not been used in combat and are currently deactivated.

Slow and steady

The Tomahawk missile itself is a 20.3 foot long craft with a wingspan of eight and a half feet, and it weighs 3,330 pounds with all of its components. It's powered by both a rocket booster and turbofan jet engine made by Williams International. According to PBS, the rocket booster engine launches the Tomahawk in the air (hence all the smoke you may see in news broadcasts or photos you see of the missile) and then its jet engine takes the missile the rest of the way to its target.

Despite being powered by rockets and a jet engine, the Tomahawk missile itself isn't that fast, at least comparatively. It reportedly travels at a speed of around 550 miles per hour. An F-16 fighter jet tops out at 1,500 miles per hour and the much larger Minuteman III ballistic missile can reach speeds of up to 15,000 miles per hour. Supposedly, the Tomahawk's relatively low speed helps it avoid radar systems more efficiently. Additionally, it flies at an altitude of between 100 and 300 feet, much lower than conventional fighter aircraft.

Range and power

The actual payload of the Tomahawk can consist of a number of different munitions. But the primary warhead of the Tomahawk is a 1,000-pound high explosive charge. It can also carry cluster munitions consisting of small bomblets, similar to the ATACMS currently used in Ukraine . For explosive force, Tomahawks were more than enough to disable runways or sink ships.

The exact guidance system and navigational dynamics of the Tomahawk missile are classified. However, it is known that it can use GPS or inertial guidance systems to hit the target. Additionally, the U.S. Navy states that up to 15 targets can be pre-programmed for missile salvos. The Tomahawk is capable of "loitering," meaning that, provided the missile has enough fuel, it can fly around in circles to relay information or wait for the right target. It has a range of around 1,500 miles, meaning that the ship or submarine launching the missile is well out of harm's way. It is accurate to within 10 meters.

The Tomahawk's combat history

The Tomahawk is primarily made by Raytheon Missile Systems. According to budget data from the United States Marine Corps from 2022, each Tomahawk costs around $2 million. As of now, the United States and the United Kingdom are the only countries to deploy Tomahawk missiles, although Australia and Japan have put out bids to purchase Tomahawks.

The U.S. Navy states that 140 total craft are capable of launching Tomahawks. That number consists of Ohio-class submarines, Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, and more. The United States Army has also tested launching Tomahawks from ground-based platforms. The USS Missouri, a World War II-era battleship and the very last of its kind, was fitted to fire Tomahawks during the opening salvos of the First Gulf War. It fired a total of 28 cruise missiles, in addition to its 16-inch deck guns.

The submarines USS Louisville and USS Pittsburgh launched Tomahawks in 1991 at targets in Iraq and became the first submarines to fire Tomahawks while submerged.

Several decades of service

Outside of the Gulf War, Tomahawks were used to attack Iraq several more times in the 1990s, against Bosnian targets in 1995, during NATO actions against Yugoslavia, and during the engagements against Afghanistan after 9/11. More recently, Tomahawks saw use in Libya as part of Operation Odyssey Dawn, ISIS in Syria experienced the effects of Tomahawks, and Syrian chemical weapons facilities used by despot Bashar Al-Assad were struck by Tomahawks in 2017. In 2024, both American and British forces launched Tomahawks against Houthi rebels after the rebel group attacked shipping lanes and US-flagged vessels in the Red Sea.

Raytheon reports that the Tomahawk missile could stay in service until at least 2035. By that time, the cruise missile will have eclipsed 50 years of service. With its long range, ability to be launched practically anywhere in the world from above or below the waves, and its accuracy, the Tomahawk has proved literally thousands of times that it is a vital part of the arsenals of the U.S. Navy and the Royal Navy.

Switch language:

Tomahawk Long-Range Cruise Missile

Tomahawk is a long-range, all-weather, subsonic cruise missile in service with the surface ships and submarines of the US and the UK’s Royal Navy.

Long-range subsonic cruise missile

Manufacturer

US Navy and Royal Navy

Williams International F415 cruise turbo-fan

Tomahawk is a long-range, all-weather, subsonic cruise missile in service with the surface ships and submarines of the US and the UK’s Royal Navy. Originally produced by General Dynamics, Tomahawk is currently manufactured by Raytheon.

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The Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) can strike high-value or heavily defended land targets. The Block II TLAM-A missile achieved initial operating capability in 1984. The missile was first deployed in combat during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

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The Tomahawk family of missiles includes a number of variants, carrying different warheads. The UGM-109A Tomahawk (Block II TLAM-A) carries a W80 nuclear warhead.

RGM / UGM-109C (Block III TLAM-C) is a conventional unitary variant, carrying a 1,000lb-class warhead. RGM / UGM-109D (Block III TLAM-D) is a submunitions dispenser variant armed with 166 combined-effects bomblets.

RGM / UGM-109E Tomahawk (Block IV TLAM-E) is the latest member in the Tomahawk missile family. It carries a 1,000lb-class unitary warhead for a maximum range of 900nmi.

The Tomahawk Block IV missiles were converted and upgraded to Block V in 2017. The upgraded Tomahawk includes extended range, enhanced navigation and communication systems and modernised data-link radio.

The upgrades were performed at Raytheon’s Tucson, Arizona facility. The US Navy will use the upgraded Tomahawk cruise missiles beyond 2040. Raytheon was contracted to integrate the upgraded navigation and communication systems into the Block IV Tactical Tomahawk (TACTOM) missile in March 2020. The upgraded version is known as the Block V TACTOM.

The Block Va variants will be named Maritime Strike and have the capability of hitting a moving target. The Block Vb will feature the Joint Multi-Effects Warhead System.

Tomahawk design features

The Tomahawk is designed to operate at very low altitudes while maintaining high-subsonic speeds. Its modular design enables the integration of numerous types of warheads, guidance and control systems.

The missile carries a nuclear or conventional payload. It can be armed with a nuclear or unitary warhead or a conventional submunitions dispenser with combined-effect bomblets. The missile has a 5.56m length, 51.8cm diameter and a 2.67m wingspan. The weight of the missile is 1,315kg. It has a life span of 30 years.

The Tomahawk weapon system includes the Tomahawk missile, Theatre Mission Planning Centre (TMPC) / Afloat Planning System and the Tomahawk weapon control system (TWCS) for surface vessels or combat control system (CCS) for submarines.

Guidance and control

The Tomahawk Block IV uses GPS navigation and a satellite data-link to continue through a pre-set course. The missile can be reprogrammed in-flight to a new target.

The two-way satellite communications are used to perform post-launch mission changes throughout the flight. The on-board camera provides imagery of the target to the commanders before the strike.

The guidance system is assisted by Terrain Contour Matching (TERCOM). The Digital Scene Matching Area Correlation (DSMAC) system or GPS provide terminal guidance.

The Tactical Tomahawk Weapons Control System (TTWCS) integrated within the ship’s systems computes the path to engage targets. The system enables the planning of new missions on board the launch vessel. TTWCS is also used to communicate with multiple missiles for reassigning the targets and redirecting the missiles in flight.

The Block IV Tomahawk missile is outfitted with advanced electronic support measure (ESM) seeker in Block IV Tomahawk missile. Its joint multi-effects warhead enables the commander to control the blast.

The Tomahawk Block IV missile is powered by a Williams International F415 cruise turbo-fan engine and ARC MK 135 rocket motor. The propulsion provides a subsonic speed of 880km/h.

Tomahawk launch platforms

The missile can be launched from over 140 US Navy ships and submarines and Astute and Trafalgar class submarines of the Royal Navy. All cruisers, destroyers, guided missile and attack submarines in the US Navy are equipped with a Tomahawk weapons system.

US Navy launch platforms were modified to accommodate upgraded Tomahawk missile variants. Four Ohio class nuclear ballistic missile submarines were converted into cruise missile submarines for firing Tomahawk missiles. The Virginia class submarines and the Royal Navy Astute class submarines were also fitted with new vertical launch modules for Tomahawk missile.

Tomahawk orders and deliveries

The US signed a foreign military sales (FMS) agreement with the UK in 1995 to supply 65 Tomahawks for use with the Royal Navy nuclear submarines. The first batch of missiles was delivered in 1998.

The US Government approved an agreement in 2003 to deliver 65 Tomahawk Block IV missiles for the UK. In August 2004, the US Navy placed a $1.6bn multi-year procurement contract with Raytheon for 2,200 Tomahawk Block IV missiles.

Raytheon was awarded a $346m production contract for 473 Tomahawk Block IV cruise missiles in March 2006. The contract includes 65 submarine torpedo tube-launched missiles for the Royal Navy. The Block IV entered service with the Royal Navy in March 2008.

Raytheon was awarded a $207m-worth firm-fixed-price contract in March 2009 for 207 Tomahawk Block IV All-Up-Round (AUR) missiles.

The 2,000th Tomahawk Block IV missile was delivered to the US Navy in February 2010.

The US Navy placed a $338m contract with Raytheon in June 2012 for the delivery of 361 Tomahawk Block IV tactical cruise missiles. Another contract worth $254.6m was awarded for Tomahawk Block IV in the same year.

Raytheon delivered the 3,000th Tomahawk Block IV to the US Navy in January 2014 as part of the ninth Block IV production contract.

The US Navy awarded a $251m contract to Raytheon for the production and delivery of Tomahawk Block IV missiles for both the US Navy and Royal Navy in September 2014.

A $25.9m contract for Tomahawk missile composite capsule launching systems (C/CLS) was awarded in December 2014. The C/CLS is integrated with the nuclear-powered fast-attack submarines and nuclear-powered guided-missile submarines, allowing the missile to be launched from submarines.

Tomahawk Block IV missile demonstrated its moving target capability in tests conducted in February 2015.

Raytheon received a $122m contract from the US Navy in March 2015 for the production of 114 Tomahawk Block IV all-up round missiles. Raytheon conducted an active seeker test flight for the Tomahawk Block IV cruise missile in January 2016.

The 4,000th Tomahawk Block IV missile was delivered to the US Navy in August 2017. The US Navy warships and submarines launched 66 GPS-enabled Tomahawk missiles at Syrian chemical weapon facilities in 2018.

Raytheon planned to undertake recertification and modernisation programmes for Tomahawk Block IV missile in 2019 to add maritime strike capability and multiple-effects warhead upgrades to the missiles.

Raytheon received a $349m contract for phase two of the Maritime Strike Tomahawk Rapid Deployment Capability to improve the Tomahawk cruise missile system in August 2019. Work will be executed in various locations across the US until February 2023.

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Why it’s so hard to defend against cruise missiles

By Kelsey D. Atherton

Posted on Jul 25, 2022 7:00 AM EDT

4 minute read

This Upgraded Early Warning Radar system is in California. DOD courtesy / Cameron Hunt

On July 14, the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC held a one-day conference premised on a specific threat: What if, in the future, war comes to the United States via cruise missile? Pointing to new developments in cruise missile technology, and the limitations of existing early warning systems that are focused on the high arcing trajectories of ballistic missiles, the CSIS conference and accompanying report suggests that to defend the continental United States from such a threat, the military should adapt and deploy the kind of cruise missile defenses presently used as regional weapons.

Unlike ballistic missiles, which arc up into space before traveling back down towards earth, cruise missiles fly close to the ground, making it hard for radar on the ground that’s pointed up at space to see them.

The perceived threat from new cruise missiles is driven by tech developments occurring across the globe, as new materials, better aerodynamics, and sophisticated sensors and guidance systems make possible the fielding of weapons, like hypersonic missiles , that had mostly been just theoretical decades ago.

For the United States, the development of long-range bombers in the 1940s, followed by the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles, shattered the notion that the enormous distances of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans were enough to protect the continental US from direct attack. (During World War II, US territories in the Pacific came under direct attack, but the only long-range assault on the 48 states came in the form of incendiary-carrying balloons launched by Japan into the jet stream and carried over to the US.)

With atomic and then thermonuclear payloads, bombers and long-range missiles threatened devastation on an unprecedented scale, and the United States built an elaborate system of early warning sensors focused on detecting early signs of launch, and expanded its first-in-the-world nuclear arsenal to deter attack. North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is run by both Canada and the United States, and maintains a series of radars and other sensors designed to detect early attacks across the Arctic or elsewhere. (Every December, NORAD highlights its existence by tracking Santa Claus, turning a system designed to detect oblivion into a kid-friendly Christmas tradition .)

At the conference held by CSIS, the threat from cruise missiles was discussed as a way that other countries could attack the United States that is hard to detect by employing existing, ICBM-focused measures. It is also considered hard to deter through threat of nuclear retaliation, operating on the assumption that if a cruise missile with a conventional warhead destroyed a building or killed people in the United States, the President would not immediately respond with a nuclear strike.

“You know, our adversaries are building diverse, expansive ranges of modern offensive missile systems, and we see them – we see them in the news every day,” Stan Stafira, Chief Architect of the Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency, told the panel. “They’re capable of maneuvering in the midcourse and the terminal phases of their flight, like maneuvering reentry vehicles, multiple independent reentry vehicles, hypersonic glide vehicles, and cruise missiles.”

Part of the broader appeal of hypersonic weapons to nations like Russia, China, and the United States is that the speed and trajectories of the missiles make them harder to detect than ICBMs. The ballistic arc of ICBMs means the launch is visible to radar while it is still ascending, once it clears the horizon line. Meanwhile, both hypersonic glide vehicles and hypersonic cruise missiles, which travel at Mach 5 or above, are designed to fly below that radar horizon, with the cruise missile keeping a close trajectory to earth and the glide vehicle flying in the high atmosphere.

“I want to state that we absolutely believe that nuclear deterrence is the foundation of homeland defense,” said Lieutenant General AC Roper, deputy commander of Northern Command, the part of the US military responsible for North America. “However, we also must have credible deterrence options below the nuclear thresholds, options which allow for a balanced approach of deterrence by denial and deterrence by punishment or cost imposition.”

Deterrence, at its most straightforward, is a strategy of making a big threat on a condition: One country publicly declares it will launch nukes at another if it launches nukes at it, with the intended effect that neither country launches nukes. But because the payload of a cruise missile—it could be nuclear or conventional, unlike ICBMs, which are always nuclear—is unlikely to be known until impact, generals like Roper would prefer to have a range of weapons with which to respond.

Missile defense is one of those options, and the US already employs a few forms. Part of any missile defense system is the sensors, like specially focused radar, that can detect incoming attacks, and then track those weapons as they travel. These radars then send that tracking information to interceptors, which are missiles launched to fly and destroy the incoming attacking missile. Shooting missiles at other missiles is a hard problem because an incoming threat arrives at great speed, and because the cost calculus can favor an attacker. Interceptors, like shorter-ranged Patriot missiles or longer-ranged ballistic interceptors , are often more expensive than the missiles they are intercepting. And unlike interceptors, which have to hit precisely to work, missiles launched in attack can deploy decoys or countermeasures to redirect interceptors away, or can instead be fired in a greater volume, overwhelming interceptors through sheer numerical advantage.

“The resulting 20-year cost to provide even a light defense of a vast area ranged from $77 billion to $466 billion,” reads the CSIS report , citing an analysis from the Congressional Budget Office studying a range of cruise missile defense options. “The considerable cost variation is due to alternative combinations of sensors and interceptors and varying desired warning times of 5 or 15 minutes.”

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The Impact of Russian Missile Strikes on Ukraine’s Power Grid

By Joshua Yaffa

Photography by Sasha Maslov

One day last fall, a Kh-101 cruise missile, launched from a Russian strategic-bomber plane, slammed into an electrical substation on the outskirts of Kharkiv , a Ukrainian city of more than a million people twenty-five miles from the Russian border. The strike blew apart the station’s control room, sending bricks and steel flying. The roof collapsed; equipment was incinerated in a wall of fire. Two workers for Ukrenergo, the state electricity company, were on duty in the control room and were killed instantly. Kharkiv was plunged into darkness. “They know where they are aiming,” a repairman named Vadim said. (Like a number of power-grid employees I spoke with, he asked not to use his full name.) “They hit the most critical places.”

Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion, its attacks had periodically damaged energy infrastructure near the front lines. “That we were used to,” Dmytro Sakharuk, the executive director of DTEK, Ukraine ’s largest private energy company, said. “But then they changed strategy.” Starting last fall, the Russian military began targeting coal-fuelled power plants, substations, and transformers across the whole of Ukraine. Russian officials wagered that by depriving Ukrainians of electricity—and, as a result, heat and water—during wintertime, they would sap the country’s resolve. “They wanted to initiate a long-term blackout and to freeze our big cities,” Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, the C.E.O. of Ukrenergo, told me. “The idea was to force us to negotiate not through emerging victorious on the battlefield but by terrorizing the population.”

After successive waves of Russian strikes, Ukraine has faced a stark electricity deficit and rolling blackouts. At any given moment, millions of Ukrainian households are without power, as part of a centrally managed schedule that splits each day into three color-coded periods: green (guaranteed electricity), orange (no electricity), and white (cuts are possible). The guttural purr of diesel generators has become the background noise to life in just about every major Ukrainian city, as shops and restaurants have struggled to keep their lights on.

“We want to at least make these cuts predictable,” Kudrytskyi said. “It’s not just about making sure people survive the winter but also making sure they can work, and that businesses can operate, so that there is a domestic economy that, in turn, can fund the army.”

Not long ago, Ukraine and Russia, along with Belarus, shared the same electricity grid, an arrangement that independent Ukraine inherited from the Soviet period. Last year, on the eve of the war, Ukraine finalized a long-awaited plan to disconnect from the Russian grid and reorient its electrical network toward Europe. But the physical legacy of its shared past with Russia remains: much of the crucial equipment in the energy sector, from power-generating turbines to transformers and control-panel switches, are of Soviet vintage. The layouts of Ukraine’s plants and substations hardly vary from those in Russia; many were constructed from blueprints still readily available in Moscow.

“Our station was built from a Mosenergo project that dates to the nineteen-sixties,” Roman, the head of a substation in the Lviv region, said, referring to the Russian state power company that serves Moscow. “I imagine them sitting holding these plans in their hands, pointing out exactly what should be hit.”

The Russian campaign has a certain logic. Initial strikes focussed largely on transformers and substations—the pumps and arteries of an electrical grid, which convert electricity from one voltage to another and move it across the system, eventually delivering it to a person’s home. That equipment tends to be exposed, placed in the open, whereas the vast turbine halls of power plants, sheathed by a casing of concrete and steel, present a harder target.

A substation in central Ukraine hosts a number of seven-hundred-and-fifty-kilowatt transformers, each one the size of a moving van and capable of transporting large quantities of electricity over long distances. Not only are these transformers crucial for Ukraine’s energy grid—they are the only model of transformer capable of accepting high-voltage electricity produced by a nuclear power plant, for example—but they are also relatively rare. Similar models are found in the United States and China, but nowhere else in Europe; ordering and producing a new one can take up to a year. Ukraine has one factory that makes seven-hundred-and-fifty-kilowatt transformers, but it is situated in Zaporizhzhia, a city in the south that has come under regular bombardment.

The first strikes at the substation damaged a number of transformers. Repair crews managed to receive spare parts from across Ukraine, and spent weeks trying to bring whatever they could back online. The hope was that the station could function with limited capacity. But then, on New Year’s Eve, the station was hit again, this time by a number of Iranian-made kamikaze drones. The repaired transformers were destroyed completely.

“That’s when, you might say, we ran out of hardware and patience all at once,” Taras, the head of the facility, told me. “At the current moment, the station doesn’t carry out its function whatsoever.” Workers found a wing of one of the drones in the snow. “Happy New Year” was written on the underside, in Russian. “They must have been proud, and thought this was funny,” Taras said.

Later waves of Russian strikes targeted power generation itself. At one power plant in western Ukraine, a missile hit the turbine hall, destroying one power unit and damaging others. One of the units is still smoldering, weeks after it was hit, letting out a hiss of dark smoke. According to Maksym, the facility’s chief engineer, the plant is functioning at only a third of its previous capacity. Even that output makes it a target.

“You go to work every day with a certain fear,” Makysm said. Although most personnel head to the bomb shelter during air-raid alerts, Maksym remains at his post in the central control room. He pointed to a rack of helmets and flak jackets. “We tell our guys we are also at war,” he said. “This is our front—to keep the electricity flowing.”

Russia’s strategy of plunging the country into darkness and cold has, if not outright failed, certainly not succeeded, either. Public opinion has not shifted as a result of the blackouts—polls in recent months have shown that more than eighty per cent of respondents in Ukraine want to continue the fight, the same number as before the attacks on the energy grid began. Over time, Ukraine’s air defenses have improved, and its technicians have got faster at repairing the electrical grid. Russia’s stock of long-range missiles, meanwhile, has dwindled, leading to less frequent attacks.

The onset of spring will bring lower electricity consumption, and Kudrytskyi, the head of Ukrenergo, expects that the Ukrainian grid will soon stabilize. “Russia did not achieve its ultimate goal,” he said. “Yes, they managed to create problems for nearly every Ukrainian family.” But that is only half the story: “Instead of making us scared and unhappy, it made us angry, more resolved to win. They did not lower the morale of the nation; they mobilized the nation.”

More on the War in Ukraine

How Ukrainians saved their capital .

A historian envisions a settlement among Russia, Ukraine, and the West .

How Russia’s latest commander in Ukraine could change the war .

The profound defiance of daily life in Kyiv .

The Ukraine crackup in the G.O.P.

A filmmaker’s journey to the heart of the war .

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The death toll in Kharkiv attack rises to 14 as Zelenskyy warns of Russian troop movements

At least two people were killed on Saturday in an attack on the city of Kharkiv, which is the region’s capital, according to local officials. The governor said an aerial bomb hit a large construction supplies store in the city, causing a huge fire to break out.

Firefighters put out a fire after Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Saturday, May, 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrii Marienko)

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The city center is covered with debris after the Russian missile attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Saturday, May, 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrii Marienko)

A man cleans his car in the city center after the Russian missile attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Saturday, May, 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrii Marienko)

Military medics give first aid to a wounded Ukrainian soldier at a medical stabilisation point near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Friday, May 24, 2024. (Iryna Rybakova via AP)

Police officers cover a dead body after two guided bombs hit a large construction supplies store in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrii Marienko)

A police officer registers a dead body after two Russian guided bombs hit a large construction supplies store in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrii Marienko)

A firefighter puts out a fire after two guided bombs hit a large construction supplies store in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrii Marienko)

Firefighters put out a fire after two guided bombs hit a large construction supplies store in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Saturday, May 25, 2024. Writing reads “Garden Center”. (AP Photo/Andrii Marienko)

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Sunday that Russia is preparing to intensify its offensive along Ukraine’s northern border, as the death toll rose to 14 in an aerial bomb attack on a large construction supplies store in the city of Kharkiv.

The bombing of Kharkiv on Saturday afternoon also left 43 injured and 16 missing, Kharkiv Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said initially after the attack.

In a video statement from Kharkiv, Zelenskyy said that Russia is preparing offensive actions 90 kilometers (55 miles) northwest of Ukraine’s second largest city. He said that Russians “gather another group of troops near our border.”

He did not specify where the troops are being assembled, but Ukrainian officials have expressed strong concern about the Sumy region. Both Kharkiv city and Sumy with about 250,000 people are within about 25 kilometers (15 miles) of the Russian border.

Moscow’s troops have in recent weeks captured villages in the Kharkiv area as part of a broad push, and analysts say they may be trying to get within artillery range of the city. Ukrainian authorities have evacuated more than 11,000 people from the region since the start of the offensive on May 10.

Russian forces are carrying out offensive attacks across the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, with pitched battles in the Chasiv Yar direction of the Donetsk region, where “the intensity of the hostilities is quite high” according to a statement from Ukraine’s General Staff. “The defense forces are taking measures to prevent the advance of the enemy,” the statement said..

Russia launched wide missile and drone attacks on much of Ukraine during the night. Ukrainian officials said air defense units intercepted 31 Shahed drones and 12 cruise missiles launched by Russia in the Mykolaiv, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, Zaporizhzhia, Khmelnytskyi, Kirovohrad, Vinnytsia and Chernihiv regions.

In total Russia launched 14 missiles and more than three dozen drones, according to a statement from Ukraine’s air force. It was not clear what damage may have been caused by missiles and drones that were not shot down.

The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, which lies across the border from Ukraine, said four people were injured in Ukrainian attacks during the night. The Russian Defense Ministry said seven drones were shot down over the Kursk region and three over Oryol, both of which are to the north of Belgorod.

Associated Press writer Jim Heintz in Tallinn, Estonia contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Ukraine says it may have destroyed Russia's last cruise missile carrier based out of Crimea

• Ukraine's navy is trying to verify whether it destroyed the Tsiklon, a Russian missile carrier.
• If confirmed, it would mean Russia has no more missile carriers in Crimea, a naval spokesperson said.
• Details of the claimed strike and its exact casualties are still emerging.

Ukraine's navy claims it has likely destroyed the last of Russia's cruise missile carriers operating out of the crucial Black Sea peninsula of Crimea.

In remarks made to Radio Free Europe , Ukraine's navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk said the navy was currently trying to verify whether or not it had destroyed the small missile carrier "Tsiklon" on Saturday.

If confirmed, it would mean there is no longer a Russian missile carrier based out of the key peninsula, he told the outlet.

Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, and it is home to Russia's Black Sea Fleet headquarters at Sevastopol.

According to KCHF.ru , a Russian site that closely follows news of the Black Sea Fleet, the Tsiklon only entered into service in July.

The vessel's launcher enables cruise missile strikes against ground targets at a distance of up to 1,500 miles, it said.

Pletenchuk, in his interview with Radio Free Europe, said that the Tsiklon may have been hit in addition to the Russian minesweeper "Kovrovets."

Related stories

The Ukrainian navy earlier claimed to have destroyed the minesweeper in Saturday's attack, hailing it as "another bad day for Russia's Black Sea Fleet."

Ukraine has not provided further details of the attack, such as where it took place or what weaponry was used. However, subsequent reports have noted the ships were based out of Sevastopol.

Russia has not commented on any damage to its ships, saying on Saturday only that it shot down nine ATACMS missiles and one drone over Crimea.

Business Insider was unable to independently confirm the claims.

Crimean Wind, a pro-Ukrainian group that monitors information in Crimea, noted on Telegram that on the night of the claimed attack a ship of similar length to the Tsiklon disappeared from satellite imagery at Sevastopol.

Pro-Russian Telegram channel Spy Dossier, citing its own sources, also said the Tsiklon had been struck.

Separate analyses of open-sourced social media posts by Radio Svoboda, published on Monday, raised the possibility that the Tsiklon, and not the Kovrovets, was hit.

The Ukrainian navy did not immediately respond to BI's request for comment.

If the Tsiklon was destroyed, it would be a blow to Russia, with the rest of its missile carriers now based at Novorossiysk, Pletenchuk said.

Last year, Russia relocated much of its Black Sea Fleet from Sevastopol, its home port, to Novorossiysk, hundreds of miles away on the Russian coast.

The move came amid Ukraine's ongoing campaign against Russian Black Sea ports and warships, using cruise missiles and drones.

In April, Ukraine claimed to have destroyed or damaged a third of the Russian fleet.

Watch: Video of Russian naval ship explosion shows a much-needed win for Ukraine

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Taking the Fight to Russia: The West Weighs Ukraine’s Use of Its Weapons

More NATO allies are backing Kyiv’s pleas to allow its forces to conduct strikes in Russian territory with Western weapons.

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By Lara Jakes

Lara Jakes writes about weapons and military aid for Ukraine.

With Ukraine’s second-largest city bracing for a new Russian offensive , a growing number of NATO allies are backing Kyiv’s pleas to allow its forces to conduct strikes in Russian territory with Western weapons.

President Biden has decided to let Ukraine use American weapons against military targets in Russia to blunt the Kharkiv offensive, days after Canada decided to allow the use arms it has supplied. More than a dozen have given similar permission to Ukraine.

The United States, the most important supplier of weaponry to Ukraine, had been reluctant to take the step, worried about provoking Russia into an escalation that could drag in NATO and set off a wider war. Without sign-off from Washington, the American-made Army Tactical Missile Systems , or ATACMS, can strike Russian targets only inside Ukraine.

Yet many Western leaders and military analysts say that with Russia massing thousands of troops on its side of the border — less than 20 miles from the northeastern city of Kharkiv — Ukraine badly needs the authority to strike inside Russia with Western weapons. The permission from President Biden is intended solely for Ukraine to attack military sites in Russia being used for the Kharkiv offensive, U.S. officials said.

“Russian commanders are well aware of Ukraine’s inability to strike back,” Peter Dickinson, a Ukraine analyst at the Atlantic Council in Washington, wrote in an analysis published before Mr. Biden’s policy change.

Officials and experts say that launching missiles into Russia, striking its troops, bases, airfields and supply lines, could pay immediate dividends. Indeed, the Ukrainian military already appears to be preparing to launch some initial strikes, “to test out the Russian response,” Rafael Loss, a weapons expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said in an interview on Thursday.

Ukraine and the NATO allies have been reluctant to shoulder the risk of changing tactics without U.S. approval, Mr. Loss said. “The United States ultimately would carry a lot of the burden of responding if there was a significant escalation by Russia, for example, against NATO territory.”

Following is a rundown of those countries that have already given permission for Ukraine to use their weapons in Russian territory and those that have not, and the likely impact of Ukraine being granted the freedom to take the fight to Russia.

Those backing strikes on Russian soil

Every country giving weapons to Ukraine has the right to prescribe how they are used, and so far Britain , Canada, the Czech Republic , Estonia , Finland , France , Germany, Latvia , Lithuania , the Netherlands , Sweden and Poland have stated their support for Ukraine hitting military targets on Russian soil.

Some nations are more cautious than others. Germany and Sweden, for example, conditioned their approval solely “within the framework of international law,” as Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany put it on Tuesday. He was spelling out a requirement that other countries have also maintained over the last two years of arming Ukraine, even if not voiced as prominently.

Britain was one of the first to argue for loosening the restraints. “Ukraine has that right,” Foreign Minister David Cameron said during a May 3 visit to Kyiv. “Just as Russia is striking inside Ukraine, you can quite understand why Ukraine feels the need to make sure it’s defending itself.”

The movement picked up steam when vigorous support by President Emmanuel Macron of France helped persuade a more reluctant Germany to reconsider its position this week. “It’s as if we were telling them: ‘We’re giving you arms but you cannot use them to defend yourself’,” Mr. Macron said in Berlin this week, with Mr. Scholz by his side.

Those calling for a ‘prudent’ approach

Several countries — Belgium, Italy and, until now, the United States — have said they were not ready to let Ukraine use their weapons to hit targets inside Russia, citing the risks, which can be hard to anticipate. For example, recent Ukrainian attacks with its own drones on Russia’s nuclear early-warning radar systems, a potentially destabilizing step, have raised deep concerns in Washington.

On Monday, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy said NATO allies “must be very prudent” before Western weapons are used in Russian territory. A day later, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo of Belgium announced the donation of 30 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine — but only “for utilization by the Ukraine Defense Forces on Ukraine territory.”

In Washington, a White House spokesman maintained on Tuesday that the Biden administration would not “encourage or enable” the use of American weapons on Russian soil. But that resistance softened in the face of mounting pressure from its allies, as Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken suggested the next day that the U.S. might “adapt and adjust” its stance based on battlefield conditions.

The Biden administration has a long history of resisting Ukrainian requests for more powerful weapons, only to give in under pressure and when Ukraine’s prospects seemed to be dimming. This happened with the ATACM missile systems, Abrams tanks and F-16 fighter jets, among other weapons.

But, in a small number of cases, the United States has let Ukrainian troops use Patriot air-defense missiles to shoot down Russian combat aircraft operating in Russian air space, a senior Biden administration official said.

The likely impact

With permission already granted, Ukraine can strike into Russia with Storm Shadow missiles supplied by Britain and the closely related SCALP missiles from France. The missiles have a range of about 150 miles and are fired from Ukraine’s aging fleet of Soviet-designed fighter jets.

Several countries — Britain, Germany, Norway and the United States — have given Ukraine ground-based launchers that can fire longer-range missiles. Those systems are known as HIMARS and MLRS launchers, and they can also shoot the United States’ ATACMS, missiles that have a range of up to 190 miles.

“If they green-light the use of ATACMS, that could degrade Russia’s ability to use its territory as a sanctuary for ground operations,” Mr. Loss said.

(Germany has so far refused to donate its Taurus missile, with a range of 310 miles, in part out of concern that it would be fired deep into Russia and escalate the war. It is now even less likely to do so, Mr. Loss said.)

Additionally, Britain, Canada and the United States have supplied Ukraine with medium-range missiles or ground-based small diameter bombs that can reach into Russia from 50 to 90 miles away.

But the new authorizations may have their greatest impact in the war for air superiority — especially if the allies allow their donated jets and drones to attack within Russia’s air space.

It is not clear if Denmark or the Netherlands would allow the F-16s they are sending Ukraine to fly over Russian territory, where they could be shot down. In comments this week, the Dutch defense minister, Kajsa Ollongren, appeared to place no specific limits on the weapons given by the Netherlands. “Ukrainian attacks on Russian soil are something I have never ruled out,” she said.

At least four other countries — Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and North Macedonia — have provided Soviet-era fighter jets. Britain and Turkey have sent long-range attack drones that also could directly fly into Russia.

At the least, Mr. Loss said, the soon-to-arrive F-16 fleet will come equipped with long-range missiles that could target Russian jets “from behind their border,” with implications for Ukraine’s future air power.

“We’re not there yet,” he said, noting that Ukrainian pilots have yet to master the warplane with enough skill to counter Russia’s edge. “But there’s some potential for Ukraine’s future F-16 fleet to strike into Russian territory.”

Eric Schmitt contributed reporting from Washington, and Edward Wong from Prague, Czech Republic.

Lara Jakes , based in Rome, reports on diplomatic and military efforts by the West to support Ukraine in its war with Russia. She has been a journalist for nearly 30 years. More about Lara Jakes

Our Coverage of the War in Ukraine

News and Analysis

President Biden, under pressure from his top national security aides and European allies, has authorized Ukraine to conduct limited strikes inside Russia with U.S.-made weapons .

In recent days, Ukraine has conducted a series of drone attacks inside Russia  that target radar stations used as early nuclear warning systems by Moscow.

Top Ukrainian military officials have warned that Russia is building up troops near northeastern Ukraine , raising fears that a new offensive push could be imminent.

Zelensky Interview: In an interview with the New York Times, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine challenged the West  over its reluctance to take bolder action.

Russia’s RT Network : RT, which the U.S. State Department describes as a key player in the Kremlin’s propaganda apparatus, has been blocked in Europe since Russia invaded Ukraine. Its content is still spreading .

Striking a Chord: A play based on a classic 19th-century novel, “The Witch of Konotop,” is a smash hit among Ukrainians who see cultural and historical echoes  in the story of what they face after two years of war.

How We Verify Our Reporting

Our team of visual journalists analyzes satellite images, photographs , videos and radio transmissions  to independently confirm troop movements and other details.

We monitor and authenticate reports on social media, corroborating these with eyewitness accounts and interviews. Read more about our reporting efforts .

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Ukraine Fires AIM-9X Sidewinder Missiles from NASAMS

Recently released footage shows an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile being fired from Ukrainian NASAMS fire unit.

Ukraine has begun using the AIM-9X Sidewinder AAM (Air-to-Air Missile) as a ground-launched AD (Air Defense) missile from the NASAMS (National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System), going by a promotional feature released by Ukraine recenlty.

In a clip, the missile goes on to destroy the target in a WVR (Within Visual Range) engagement, consistent with its orientation as a short-range anti-aircraft air-launched missile.

The missile’s operation is shown as a part of an eight-and-a-half minute long news feature about United24, about Ukraine’s air defense efforts before Russia’s missile barrages. The feature begins with the missile leaving the six-canister launcher and quickly turning direction to end in a fireball. This indicates an aerial target has been intercepted.

Militarnyi reported that the NASAMS 3 system was used in the firing. Only this version of the system can fire the ‘X’ variant of the AIM-9 (AIM-9X).

“We have (shot down) 252 confirmed targets, including 114 drones and 137 cruise missiles,” said “Baron,” an officer interviewed as a part of the news feature.

The high interception rates however also come with a downside of expending those many missiles. As will be explained subsequently and stated by the subjects themselves in the feature, the missile’s service essentially represents an industrial issue, where replenishing it is difficult, while Russia’s military factories are churning out arms unabated.

⚡🇺🇦💪🚀💥Ukraine has received the AIM-9X Sidewinder RVV for use with their NASAMS SAMs. The AIM-9X is the latest version of the AIM-9 and confirms that Ukraine has received the most advanced NASAMS 3 SAMs. pic.twitter.com/TwblEF9qGl — 🇺🇦 UkraineNewsLive🇺🇦 (@UkraineNewsLive) May 28, 2024

AIM-9X – AAM-Turned-SAM

The AIM-9X is a short-range air-to-air missile with an infrared homing warhead, suited for intercepting high-pressure aerial targets. When launched from the ground, this missile’s range is however limited to 12-km. Ukraine also uses the original NASAMS, that fires the AIM-120 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile). It was developed jointly by Norway’s Kongsberg and Raytheon (now RTX).

The ‘X’ is the most advanced version of the AIM series of short-range AAMs in the US inventory. A product of RTX, it has a solid-state infrared homing system. It also features a high off-boresight focal-plane array seeker mounted on a highly maneuverable airframe with a greatly improved infrared counter-countermeasures feature. It has an advanced ‘Block II’ subvariant that entered full-rate production in September 2015. A ‘Block III’ iteration too is under development.

“The AIM-9X incorporates many AIM-9M legacy components (rocket motor, warhead and active optical target detector), but its performance far exceeds the legacy Sidewinder. Unlike previous AIM-9 models, the AIM-9X can even be used against targets on the ground,” according to NAVAIR (Naval Air Systems Command).

The missile and the launcher have also been fused before, when in May 2019 , the Royal Norwegian Air Force tested an AIM-9X Block II from a NASAMS at the country’s Andoya Test Range.

War of Mass Manufacturing

The video has Ukrainian military personnel speaking in the background – as the AIM-9X hits the target – about that being the third target being shot down. The identity of the target is not known. But Russia usually uses a combination of coordinated long-range stand-off missile fires.

These include the Kh-101 ALCM (Air-Launched Cruise Missile) fired from the Tu-95 and the Tu-160 strategic bombers; the Iskandker and Iskander-M battlefield tactical missiles; the Kinzhal aeroballistic hypersonic missile and the Geran-2 (or Geranium-2) derived from the Iranian Shahed-136 . These projectiles are fired in coordination across the nearly 965-km frontline into Ukrainian rear military targets or power-generation and civilian-military targets into its cities.

A previous analysis, based on Western reports , showed how even rising shoot downs of Russian drones and cruise missiles, while being celebrated by the Ukrainian Air Force, was also exhausting its stock of Western SAMs. This was then concluded to be a Russian strategy of allowing the tactical losses of its missiles for the larger strategic goal of depleting Ukraine’s Western missiles.

Three aspects put this phenomenon in perspective. One, the missiles were neither manufactured nor assembled in Ukraine. Its defense industry too is unable to undertake any large-scale production of capital weapons, as most of it has been destroyed by Russia in its officially stated “demilitarization” goal. Secondly, these missiles come from US and European NATO militaries’ own armories, which is effectively weakening them further. Moreover, the current defense industrial problems in the US and Europe, that currently cannot undertake large-scale mass arms production for conventional wars, are only beginning to be addressed.

It will be a while until their private arms industries’ new factories and manufacturing lines approved over the last year will be up and running. Even then, it is possible that the factories might be flooded with orders to replenish their militaries’ original inventories that were emptied after donating to Ukraine.

‘Russia Overwhelms AD Systems’

“Baron” himself touched upon this state of affairs. While highly rating the Russian and Soviet SAMs and revealing he commanded the “seriously” effective S-300 once, he said he would still prefer Western systems like the Patriot, NASAMS, or the IRIS-T. But he added that Russians are now “selecting one, two or three targets and carrying out a combined strike exclusively at them, rather than attacking everything at once.”

“They simply overload the air defense system,” he added. The narrator then touched upon the “lack of air defense systems and the missiles for them in Ukraine.” “Over the last six months” there were instances where Baron’s unit “saw targets but had nothing to shoot them down with.” Baron said earlier in the interview that sometimes they “loaded the launcher twice” during an enemy strike.

Their “record” is “16 launches in one battle,” of which they “destroyed 12 targets.” The “juiciest target” is the “Kh-101.” The heavy-hitting ALCM that has been recorded to have variants releasing decoys and sporting dual warheads – possibly developed and fielded during the war.

“There were times when nine cruise missiles were flying towards me and I only had three shots left,” Baron added. But the “Russians have a trump card,” which is the “missile stock.” “They can even afford shooting at (Ukrainian) artillery with anti-aircraft missiles.” Think tanks like CSIS (Center for Strategic and International Studies) and Atlantic Council have noted that Russia’s defense production remains largely unaffected, as the Western sanctions have had limited impact.

• air defense
• Cruise Missiles

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South Korea says North Korea has fired barrage of missiles toward its eastern waters

North Korea has fired a barrage of ballistic missiles toward its eastern sea, according to South Korea’s military, days after its failed spy satellite launch drew condemnation

SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea on Thursday fired a barrage of suspected ballistic missiles toward its eastern sea, according to South Korea’s military, days after its attempt to launch a military reconnaissance satellite ended in failure but still drew strong condemnation from its rivals.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected the North firing around 10 projectiles that appeared to be short-range ballistic missiles from an area near its capital, Pyongyang. It said the suspected missiles flew around 350 kilometers (217 miles) before landing in waters off the North’s eastern coast. It said the South Korean military has increased surveillance and vigilance and is closely sharing information with the United States and Japan .

Japan’s coast guard issued a maritime safety advisory over the North Korean launches and urged ships to exercise caution if they find any fallen objects. Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters that the suspected missiles were believed to have landed in waters outside of Japan's exclusive economic zone and there were no immediate reports of damages. He said Tokyo “strongly condemns” the launches, which are in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions against the North.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have increased in recent months as the pace of both North Korea’s weapons testing and South Korea’s combined military exercises with the United States and Japan have intensified in a cycle of tit-for-tat.

Thursday’s launches came after North Korea flew hundreds of trash-carrying balloons toward the South since Tuesday night in retaliation against South Korean activists flying anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets across the border. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had warned of unspecified “overwhelming actions” against South Korea after it staged an aerial exercise involving 20 fighter jets near the inter-Korean border hours before North Korea attempted to launch its second military reconnaissance satellite.

The rocket exploded shortly after liftoff, but Kim has urged his military scientists to overcome the failure and continue developing space-based reconnaissance capabilities, which he described as crucial for monitoring U.S. and South Korean military activities and enhancing the threat of his nuclear-capable missiles. Also on Thursday, North Korea hit back at international condemnation of its failed satellite launch, which drew strong rebukes from the United Nations and other countries as it involves technologies used for developing intercontinental range ballistic missiles. The North had successfully launched its first military spy satellite in November, but Monday’s failure posed a possible setback to Kim’s plans to launch three more military spy satellites in 2024. “We will never tolerate any moves of the hostile forces to violate the inviolable sphere under the exercise of sovereignty nor step back from having access to the space reconnaissance capability which should be done surely no matter what others may say,” North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son Gyong said in a statement published on state media.

Kim Son Gyong’s statement came as response to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ condemnation of Monday’s launch, which he called a violation of Security Council resolutions that prohibit the North from conducting any launches involving ballistic missile technology.

Thursday’s launches were the latest in a series of weapons tests by North Korea.

On May 17, South Korea’s military said that North Korea fired suspected short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast. North Korea later said it tested a tactical ballistic missile with a new autonomous navigation system.

The North this year tested various cruise missiles and artillery systems and flight-tested what it described as a solid-fuel intermediate range missile with hypersonic warhead capabilities. Experts say it is designed to reach remote U.S. targets in the Pacific, including the military hub of Guam.

AP journalist Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.

Follow AP's Asia-Pacific coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific

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Congressman Lamborn’s Contributions To The Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Doug Lamborn, Chairman of the House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee, participated in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) markup. After 12 hours of debate and negotiation, Chairman Lamborn and his colleagues in the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) reviewed over 700 amendments, and it passed out of HASC in a 57-1 vote.

H.R. 8070 will authorize $883.7 billion for America's national defense, including 16 amendments that Congressman Lamborn led.

"As Chairman of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee, I applaud the advancement of the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for FY25 out of the House Armed Service Committee."

"For the past seventeen years, I have had the privilege of serving on the House Armed Services Committee, where we have consistently championed the National Defense Authorization Act. This crucial legislation, which guides the policies and funding of our defense agencies, is a cornerstone of our commitment to national security and the well-being of our servicemembers."

"In these challenging times, it is more important than ever to bolster our military capabilities and deter our adversaries. With a budget of $883.7 billion, the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for FY25 is a significant step in this direction. It not only strengthens our deterrence against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) but also enhances the quality of life for our dedicated servicemembers, accelerates our hypersonic capabilities, and addresses the growing nuclear and strategic threats we face."

"This markup also ensures that our men and women in uniform have the tools and resources to serve and defend our nation while caring for their families. I applaud House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rogers for his leadership on this crucial legislation," said Congressman Lamborn.

"Our strategic posture has never been more vital. For the first time in history, our nation is faced with the challenge of deterring two near-peer nuclear adversaries at the same time," Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) said. "Thanks to Rep. Lamborn's steadfast leadership as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, the FY25 NDAA strengthens our defense by providing for the continued modernization of our nuclear deterrent and supporting the development of our hypersonic capabilities."

Chairman Lamborn secured and supported several amendments and initiatives specific to:

• Accelerating and prioritizing hypersonic development.
• Advancing missile defense capabilities and policies.
• Modernizing our nuclear deterrent.
• Maintaining momentum in military space.
• Strengthening national security & prioritizing Colorado.

As Chairman of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee, Congressman Lamborn was responsible for drafting the portion of the National Defense Authorization Act that encompasses the Department of Defense’s nuclear enterprise, missile defense agency, and military space enterprise. It included provisions that accomplish the following:

Advancing missile defense capabilities and policies:

• Requires the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in coordination with the Commander of United States Northern Command, to submit a report that identifies existing or novel sensor and interceptor capabilities necessary to defend critical infrastructure assets.
• Directs the Department of Defense (DoD) to assess the operational impact of persistently elevated network sensors that can identify, classify, and provide firing quality track data to U.S. and allied missile defense systems on air defense missions.
• Directs the Commander of Army Space and Missile Defense Command to provide a briefing on plans to address environmental degradation and modernize facilities for the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site at U.S. Army Garrison-Kwajalein Atoll.
• Requires a DoD strategy to improve cooperation on joint air and missile defense activities in U.S. Central Command among U.S. allies and partners to counter future air and missile attacks.
• If the program is recertified following the Nunn-McCurdy review, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment must ensure the maximum feasible opportunity for competition and maximum Federal Government oversight of all three Sentinel program areas.
• Adds Directive Report Language concerning Air Force Global Strike Command manning.
• Updates to possible alternatives for consideration in the report on the Sentinel Program.

Modernizing our nuclear deterrent:

• Fully funds the nuclear modernization program of record.
• Requires a statement of policy concerning nuclear weapons.
• Requires reports and briefings on recommendations of the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States.
• Establishes modifications and terminations of Certain Reporting Requirements Under Atomic Energy Defense Act.
• Requires a report on the impact of the Nuclear-Armed Sea-Launched Cruise Missile (SLCM-N).
• Adds arms control considerations into section 1622 of base NDAA text.
• Establishes a briefing on the plans for a new material staging facility at the Pantex Plant.
• Requires a report on feasibility of a Nunn-McCurdy Process for National Nuclear Security Administration
• Requires a report on the Sentinel Nunn-McCurdy process.

Maintaining momentum in military space:

• Establishes the Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve.
• Requires an annual briefing on Commercial Space Strategy of the Space Force.
• Creates a pilot program to demonstrate Hybrid Space Architecture.
• Directs the Secretary of the Air Force to submit a briefing on commercial space command and control software.
• Directs the Chief of Space Operations to prepare a comprehensive plan for modernizing the satellite control network of the Space Force.
• Requires a report on in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing capabilities.
• Amends Directive Report Language on space-based environmental monitoring to include consideration of commercial capabilities.
• Includes Directive Report Language for the National Reconnaissance Office's plan to procure more Commercial Synthetic Aperture Radar.
• Identifies and evaluates commercial space situational awareness capabilities, enabling low latency video and advanced edge computing to monitor space environments and assets faster across all orbit regimes.
• Requires a briefing on how the United States Space Command’s Joint Commercial Operations cell develops and implements a hybrid government-commercial space domain awareness force design.
• Requires a briefing on developing resilient positioning, navigation, and timing technologies.

Strengthening national security & prioritizing Colorado:

• Directs the Secretary of Defense to prepare a space and satellite security assessment for allies and partners in the Middle East.
• Directs Secretary of Defense to provide the House Armed Services Committee a briefing on a plan to resource and enable an architecture to connect with operationally relevant interoperability.
• Modifies the annual assessment of the budget concerning Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations Capabilities.

Accelerating and prioritizing hypersonic development:

• Requires a briefing on the current development, testing, and deployment of hypersonic weapons by the People's Republic of China.

Congressman Lamborn also championed 16 amendments that directly support Colorado Springs and other national security initiatives in this year’s FY25 NDAA include:

Performs an evaluation of any foreseeable risks of wildfires or impacts to soldier training.

Provides an assessment of the risks and limitations on training attributable to the pipeline in the PCMS, options to minimize the aforementioned risks, and pipeline recapitalization options including:

Relocating the pipeline

Relocating air blending stations and rerouting the gas to allow the pipeline traversing PCMS to be abandoned in place.

Requesting military construction funds to buyout the easements from the pipeline owner/operator.

The feasibility of a state, county, or local government in Colorado forming a public-private partnership (such as a business improvement district) with the gas pipeline owner/operator in order to help implement a preferred pipeline recapitalization option.

• Establishes a briefing on the Commercial Airlift Review Board certification process and criteria.
• Initiates language directing a strategy for phased cloud modernization for the Satellite Control Network.
• Establishes a briefing on efforts to integrate United States commercial satellite systems with the government architecture to augment and build resiliency for secure space-based data communications related to low earth orbit.
• Leverages commercially available threat visualization and simulation capabilities to rapidly develop advanced training capabilities that enable Guardians to develop space warfighting tactics.
• Requires the Navy to brief the House Armed Services Committee on areas where the naval ship construction and maintenance enterprise can leverage the mining equipment industry's advanced processes, techniques, and equipment to increase efficiency and lower costs.
• Requires a report on roles and responsibilities relating to defense against hypersonic threats. Hypersonic missile threats are expanding, particularly threats posed by China and Russia.
• Directs the DoD to report on efforts to remediate drinking water supplies contaminated with per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, which are attributable to the DoD.
• Directs a report on Strategic Missile Tube Reactivation for Ohio-class Submarines.
• Provides for the extension and modification of an annual report that significantly impacts our understanding of Iran's military power.
• Prohibits the admittance of Chinese and Russian nationals to national security laboratories and nuclear weapons production facilities.
• Expands some prohibitions regarding missile defense information and systems to apply to the People's Republic of China.
• Directs the Secretary of Defense to provide a briefing on the operational utility, technical applications, and procurement feasibility of deploying persistent elevated network sensors to support air and missile defense capabilities to defend U.S. territory and globally deployed forces.
• The House Armed Services Committee strongly encourages the Department to continue the investment in private 5G Open RAN for existing pilot projects focused on tactical operations.
• Prohibition on Department of Defense Transport of Palestinian refugees to the United States.
• Directs Chief of Space Operations to report on plans to expand the Space Force acquisition workforce.

The National Defense Authorization Act is legislation that Congress passes each year to change the policies and organization of United States defense agencies and guide how military funding may be spent. Though funding for the U.S. military must be approved through appropriation bills, Congress uses the NDAA to establish defense priorities, make organizational changes to military agencies, and guide the Department of Defense.

Read Congressman Lamborn's opening statement during the FY25 Strategic Forces Subcommittee markup here .

Watch Chairman Rogers's remarks regarding Congressman Lamborn and other members during the FY25 NDAA markup here .