EW-resistant and weighing only 13 kg: Ukraine develops unique DART missile for launch from aerostats

EW-resistant and weighing only 13 kg: Ukraine develops unique DART missile for launch from aerostats

The company Center of Innovative Technologies Program has created the DART missile designed for launch from aerostats, as reported by Militarnyi.

The launch will be carried out from stratospheric aerostats at altitudes from 12 to 18 km. The accuracy of release and trajectory stability across the entire range of conditions are ensured by special servos.

Little is known so far about the DART missile. Its body length is 1.84 m, and its empty weight is 13 kg.

The warhead mass, depending on the version, can vary from 3.5 to 10 kg.

The warhead uses graphite striking elements.

Guidance is provided by an inertial system; however, after reaching an altitude of about 6 km, navigation is disabled, the solid-fuel engine ignites, and the missile continues its flight to the target without changing course.

It is precisely the disabling of navigation during flight that prevents the enemy’s electronic warfare (EW) systems from affecting the missile.

“Aerostats are not our development, but that of our partners,” the company clarified.

In the near future, the DART missile is to undergo the approval procedure at the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine.

It is also planned to develop a ballistic missile and a surface-to-air missile based on the DART.