Russian Filin missile could reach 1,200 kilometres
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on La Nouvelle Tribune
The Russian Filin missile is reportedly 3.5 metres long, with a stated range of up to 1,200 kilometres and an explosive payload of 50 to 100 kilograms. Ukrainian drone specialists fear its mass deployment in air warfare, according to Ukrainian officials and their Defence Ministry.
The Russian Filin cruise missile could have a range of 1,200 kilometres, according to specifications provided by Ukrainian military intelligence and reported by La Nouvelle Tribune. The missile is said to measure about 3.5 metres, fly at nearly 800 km/h and carry an explosive payload of 50 to 100 kg.
The Filin can fly at very low altitude. It reportedly combines a Russian engine, foreign electronic components and 3D-printed parts, according to Ukrainian intelligence. Two former drone advisers to Ukraine’s Defence Ministry, Serhii « Flash » Beskrestnov and Serhii Sternenko, fear that Russia will soon resort to cheap air-attack missiles. Sternenko wrote on Telegram on 23 October that their mass use was imminent.
Beskrestnov believes these conventional missiles, which are faster than jet-powered attack drones, would pose new challenges to Ukrainian defences. In an interview with the NV media outlet in September, he referred to speeds of 500 to 750 km/h. Russia and Ukraine have already developed long-range weapons, including Russia’s S8000 Banderol and Ukraine’s FP-5 Flamingo, whose cost is estimated at about 600,000 dollars.
The warnings come as Russian strikes on Kyiv and Ukrainian drone attacks in Russia have marked recent days. The Russian strikes on Kyiv killed two people and injured 34 on 22 October, according to an already published toll.
