Ukraine capable of starting serial production of ballistic missiles — military expert

Military expert Valentyn Badrak, director of the Center for Army, Conversion and Disarmament Studies, shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

“There’s been a lot of discussion about this missile. The key issue now is how to move from successful tests to fast, smart, and high-quality mass production. I can say that at the end of 2022, Ukraine introduced a new missile program that includes this missile. The program is classified, so we can’t share more details, except for those already mentioned that the latest tests show the missile is ready for mass production,” he explained.

Badrak expressed concerns about whether the Ministry of Strategic Industries has adequately prepared for mass production. He emphasized that production should not take place at state-owned facilities, which are well-known to Russia and therefore likely targets, but rather at concealed sites.

"A friend of mine established a large drone production facility in an extremely discreet location, yet it was struck recently. Why did this happen? I saw a document from the State Emergency Service that listed the enterprise’s name, its specialization, and noted that it had been hit. This is outright criminal. Defense enterprises are required to report their location and the location of their production equipment. This issue must be addressed — in June, Ukrainian facilities were struck with alarming precision, and this clearly points to an act of treason," the expert added.

Badrak emphasized that the Ministry of Defense should not only concentrate on testing developments from Ukraine's defense industry but also actively pursue military-technical cooperation.

"Through such cooperation, the quality of missile technology, especially ballistic missiles, can be significantly improved. Just a few days after Trump came to power, France announced the development of a ballistic missile. It's clear that if Europe lacks its own ballistic missile capability, someone has to step in. This presents a great opportunity for Ukraine. But look at how slowly the European defense industry moves: the announcement was made in November, and by June, at a forum, the French only managed to present a mock-up. That’s incredibly weak," he said.

The expert added that, in reality, Ukrainian weapons manufacturers have moved much faster.

"I believe what we currently have is a tested version — though I’m not claiming it’s a fully completed missile. The missile engineers themselves say that a missile can only be considered ready after 10 successful launches in a row. Certain aspects can still be improved through military-technical cooperation. These opportunities exist, but there is currently a pause in cooperation with American companies working on enhancing PrSM missiles. Still, I’m confident we will return to this," Badrak emphasized.

He added that Ukraine can now pursue this path in cooperation with European companies.

"The key point of our discussion is that there is a real opportunity to launch the missile into serial production. I believe this will happen — and it would be the right decision. From there, we can continue to improve, refine, and further develop the missile already in production. That’s exactly what the Americans are doing; they’re now on the fourth version of the PrSM missile. We must follow a similar path — it’s the right strategy. I believe we will have the missile ready in 2025," the expert concluded.

• On June 14, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that preparations were underway for the mass production of the Sapsan ballistic missile.
   Head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak, confirmed that Ukraine had already begun mass production of its own short-range ballistic missile, the Sapsan.