Ukraine's New Palyanitsa Cruise Missile

The blurring of lines between uncrewed air vehicles (UAVs) and cruise missiles continues. Ukraine has revealed its latest new strategic weapon, the Palyanitsa (Паляниця). This is much more of a cruise missile than a drone.

The weapon was first revealed on August 24 and a video was shared by President Zelenskyy on August 25 2024. The name was possibly chosen because it is often difficult for native Russian speakers to pronounce.

The missile has a cylindrical body with simple control surfaces. Its broad wings are set relatively far forward, with distinctive upward canted endplates. The jet engine is likely in the aft section of the fuselage, with an air intake below.

The missile is distinct from the successful Neptune cruise missile. That was originally an anti-ship missile, based on the Soviet era AS-20 KAYAK (Kh-35) but adapted for land attack. The implication is that this is cheaper (or at least more producible) and better optimized for the task.

Caution

Some of the footage used in the official video is stock footage from the construction of GEM-63 rockets by Northrop Grumman. Additionally the actual missile may differ from the visuals above.

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