Ukraine Hints New ‘Bars’ Drone Missile With 800 km Reported Range

A private company in Ukraine is reportedly developing a new drone missile called “Bars” – but details remain extremely scarce.

It’s rumored that the missile operates similarly to other drone-missiles – namely a mix between conventional unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and cruise missiles – and is capable of striking targets 700-800 kilometers (435-500 miles) away with a 50-100-kilogram (110-220-pound) warhead.

For reference, the Shahed-136/Geran-2 drones favored by Moscow for attacking Ukrainian cities are normally equipped with a 50-kilogram warhead with a 2,500 kilometers (1,553 miles) claimed range – albeit operating at a much lower speed than missiles, making them easier to intercept by comparison.

While Herman Smetanin, Ukraine’s minister for strategic industries, only mentioned the name in passing alongside other known developments during a local defense event on April 11, BBC Ukraine said it has obtained more details via an unnamed source in the government.

BBC Ukraine, citing the source, announced the aforementioned performance and said the “Bars” drone-missile was developed by private manufacturers, not the government. It added that the exact specifications of the weapon are not publicly available at present.

BBC Ukraine claimed the weapon could be ground-launched or air-launched without making references to Ukraine’s naval drones, which are unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) operated on water.

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The source also referred to it as a medium-range weapon in a comment to BBC Ukraine, adding that mass domestic production is planned within Ukraine without specifying a time frame.

In his April 11 comments, Smetanin listed “Bars” alongside Ukraine’s other known domestic missile developments, such as “Hell,” “Palyanytsya” and “Ruta” – all of which have been covered by Kyiv Post’s analysis.

On Dec. 6, 2024, President Volodymyr Zelensky handed over the first batch of modern “Peklo” (Hell) missile drones to the Ukrainian military. The missiles have a strike range of 700 kilometers (435 miles) and can reach speeds of up to 700 kilometers per hour (435 miles per hour).

Ukraine launched the “Palyanytsya” drone-missile, a long-range air-breathing jet-propelled kamikaze drone, in its first combat use in August 2024.

In December 2024, Zelensky announced successful tests of the “Ruta” missile.

Destinus, the weapon’s presumed manufacturer, said in its brochure that the “Ruta” missile could be used for “intelligence [gathering], fast-response surveillance, fast disaster & emergency response, emergency cargo supply, target training, [and] strike.”