Russia expands solid fuel rocket engine production capacity - study

IISS reports this with reference to a study by researcher Fabian Hintz.

U.S. officials call it "the most ambitious expansion in military manufacturing since the Soviet era." Satellite imagery suggests that solid-fuel rocket engine production facilities are one of the focuses of this effort.

Recent satellite imagery shows that construction work is underway at many sites, including the possible reconstruction of dormant Soviet-era facilities and the construction of new infrastructure.

“This work is noteworthy given that for the last 30 years there has been little evidence of expansion or refurbishment. Only in 2023, three decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union, did substantial investment appear to be underway,” the report says.

It explains that solid-fuel missile systems are central to Russia's strategic arsenal and its short-range ground-based tactical weapons.

Solid rocket engine production facilities are located in the Altai Territory, Rostov-on-Don, near Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Perm.

• Ukraine has scaled up serial production of R-360 Neptune cruise missiles with improvements to hit targets at longer distances.