Palianytsia (missile)
| Palyanytsya | |
|---|---|
| Type | Turbojet drone |
| Place of origin | Ukraine |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2024 |
| Used by | Ukraine |
| Wars | Russo-Ukrainian War |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Ukroboronprom |
| Produced | 2024 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 320 kg |
| Engine | turbojet[1] |
Operational range | 650 km |
| Flight altitude | 15–500 m |
| Maximum speed | 900 km/h |
Guidance system | INS, GPS |
Palyanytsya (Ukrainian: Паляниця, pronounced [pɐlʲɐˈnɪtsʲɐ] ⓘ) is a Ukrainian turbojet drone missile system developed by Ukraine during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Naming
The word palianytsia (a hearth-baked bread) is a shibboleth that has been used to unmask foreign agents in Ukraine's armed forces, who are usually unable to pronounce the word correctly.[2][3]
Background
The weapon, a cross between a missile and a drone, took 18 months from original design to production. It sidestepped the prohibitions on using Western weapons to strike deep into Russia.[4] The Palianytsia drone hit targets up to 600 miles from the front line, and reportedly has the hypothetical maximum range of 1200 miles.[5]
Description
On Ukraine's Independence Day (24 August 2024) Ukrainian President Zelenskyy unveiled the "missile-drone" as "a new class of weaponry" that is difficult to counter and that had already been used against Russian military targets.[6][7] The unveiling came after Ukrainian authorities claimed responsibility for a strike on an ammunition depot in Voronezh Oblast that media connected with the Palyanytsya.[8]
The surface-launched missile features a central body with forward-positioned wings and a tail section equipped with four control surfaces giving it a visual appearance of a cruise missile.[1] According to the advisor to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Mykhailo Podolyak, the missile has a range of 600–700 km.[9]
Two named defense analysts estimate that the Palyanytsya has a warhead of "a few tens of kilograms", i.e. considerably less than a traditional cruise missile.[10] Another analyst believes the warhead weighs 50 kg while a Ukrainian reserve colonel estimates the warhead to be several hundred kilograms.[11]
According to Defense Express, on September 2, 2025, the Palianytsia weighs 320 kilograms, including up to 100 kilograms of payload. Its maximum range is 650 kilometers, with an operational altitude between 15 and 500 meters, and a cruising speed of 900 kilometers per hour.
The system is guided by GPS and an inertial navigation system. Launch is carried out with a solid rocket booster, which is jettisoned before switching to the main propulsion of a turbojet engine.
The Palyanytsya measures 3.5 meters in length with a wingspan of 1.7 meters. [12]
Propulsion
Although the Palyanytsya has been termed a rocket drone, it is powered by a turbojet engine.[10][13]
According to military correspondent David Axe Palyanytsya is powered by an AI-PBS-350 jet-engine jointly developed by Czech PBS Velká Bíteš and Ukrainian Ivchenko-Progress SE.[14] The AI-PBS-350 is optimized for single use munitions, it weighs 51 kg, has an outer diameter of 298 mm, a length of 706 mm and produces 3400 N of thrust. The engine's specific fuel consumption is 0.125 kg/N/h, i.e. at full thrust the consumption is 425 kg/h.[15]
Production
On 28 August 2024, Minister for Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov stated that the Palyanytsya costs less than US$1 million.[16] A Ukrainian reserve colonel estimates the cost to be $50 000 to $100 000, i.e. much less than Western cruise missiles that cost upwards of one million USD.[11]
On 6 September 2024, Oleksandr Kamyshin stated to The Kyiv Independent that Lithuania would contribute 10 million Euro to build Palianytsia systems.[17]
On 4 December 2024, Rustem Umerov announced as Defence Minister of Ukraine that the Palianytsia missile-drone had entered serial production.[18]
Operational history
Palyanytsya's unveiling came on 24 August 2024 with the claim that the missile had already been used against unspecified Russian military targets that media speculated included an ammunition depot in Voronezh Oblast.[8]
On 18 and 21 September 2024, UAVs caused the Toropets depot explosions and explosions at an ammunition storage facility at Tikhoretsk as well as at the Tikhoretsk air base.[19][20][21] In part based on reports of jet engines being heard by Russians during the attacks military correspondent David Axe subsequently reasoned that the attacks were done with Palianytsia.[14]
See also
- Trembita (cruise missile) – Ukrainian cruise missile
- Peklo – Ukrainian loitering munition
- UJ-25 Skyline – Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle
- MAGURA V5 – Ukrainian unmanned boat
- R-360 Neptune – Ukrainian family of cruise missiles
- Sea Baby – Ukrainian unmanned surface vehicle
- Flamingo (missile) – Ukrainian cruise missile
References
- ^ a b Malyasov, Dylan (25 August 2024). "Ukraine discloses details of secret Palyanytsya missile". defence-blog.com. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ^ "Скажи паляниця: чому саме це слово вибрали для ідентифікації російських військових". Апостроф (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-03-01.
- ^ "Не вимовив "паляниця": на Рівненщині затримали росіянина з "вибухівкою"". Українська правда (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-04-13.
- ^ Demarest, Colin (4 September 2024). "What the "rocket drone" Palyanytsya means for Ukraine". Axios. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
- ^ "Ukraine Warns Russia of 1200-Mile Strike Range of Attack Drones". 28 December 2024. Retrieved 7 September 2025.
- ^ “Difficult to counter”: Zelenskyy unveils new domestic missile-drone system to strike Russians, EuroMaidan Press, 24 August 2024.
- ^ Zelensky vows retribution for Russia, calls Putin a ‘sick man’ for nuclear threats, Agence France-Presse, 24 August 2024.
- ^ a b "Defense Intelligence of Ukraine claims responsibility for destruction of ammunition depot in the Voronezh region". Militaralnyi. August 24, 2024. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
- ^ Barkhush, Amira (2024-08-29). "Ukraine's Long-Range Ballistic Missile Able to Strike 600-700 Km Into Russia". united24media.com. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
- ^ a b Svitlyk, Daria (1 September 2024). "Everything we know about Ukraine's new Palyanytsya missile-drone". The Kyiv Independent. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ^ a b "Meet the Palyanytsya Everything we know about Ukraine's new homegrown 'drone-missile' — and Kyiv's plans to use it on Russian territory". meduza.io. 2024-08-30. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
- ^ https://defence-ua.com/weapon_and_tech/rozkrili_harakteristiki_ukrajinskoji_paljanitsi_tozh_na_scho_vona_zdatna-20083.html
- ^ Hambling, David (2024-08-24). "Ukraine's Mysterious New 'Rocket Drone' Targets Russian Air Force". forbes.com. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
- ^ a b Axe, David (2024-09-21). "Ukrainian Drones Just Blew Up 2,000 Tons Of Ammo in Southern Russia". forbes.com. Retrieved 2004-09-23.
- ^ "AI-PBS-350 TURBOJET ENGINE". PBS Velká Bíteš. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
- ^ "New Palianytsia missile-drone costs less than $1 million, official says". The Kyiv Independent. 28 August 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ^ Denisova, Kateryna (2024-09-06). "Lithuania to allocate $11 million to buy Palyanytsya missile-drones for Ukraine". The Kyiv Independent. Archived from the original on 2024-09-06. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
- ^ Boldizsar Gyori. "Ukraine's new Palianytsia missile-drone enters serial production, minister says". The Kyiv Independent. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
- ^ OLHA HLUSHCHENKO (21 September 2024). "Ammunition depots on fire in Russia following drone attacks – videos, photo". Ukrainian Pravda.
- ^ "Artillery and missile arsenal in Tver oblast attacked by drones". mil.in.ua. 21 September 2024.
- ^ "Ukraine launches second drone attack on Russian arms depots in a week, as Zelenskyy prepares to take 'victory plan' to the US". abc.net.au. 2024-09-22. Retrieved 2024-09-22.