Destinus has announced the accelerated start of the RUTA Block 3 programme, a 2,000 kilometre-class long-range precision strike system being developed in partnership with Rheinmetall, with flight testing planned to begin in 2027, the company stated.
Block 3 extends the RUTA family, which has already moved from battlefield validation into serial industrial production. RUTA Block 1 is in serial production in the Netherlands, while Block 2, developed with support from Ukraine’s Brave1 defence technology initiative, is currently undergoing flight testing in Ukraine and is planned to enter production ramp-up in 2026. Block 3 will extend the architecture into a new long-range category while retaining what Destinus describes as sovereign European design authority, scalable production, and containerised deployment.
The programme is structured across three industrial hubs. Destinus serves as engineering and design authority and primary production site in the Netherlands. Ukraine will contribute to both development and operational testing of Block 3 and will manufacture essential components. In Germany, a planned Rheinmetall Destinus Strike Systems joint venture is expected to add high-rate manufacturing, qualification, and final integration capacity for Bundeswehr and broader European customers, with production at Rheinmetall’s Unterlüß site planned to begin with Block 1 and Block 2 in 2026-2027.
Mikhail Kokorich, CEO of Destinus, described the programme around industrial depth rather than headline capability. “Europe is entering a new defence era where the decisive factor is no longer the existence of precision weapons, but the ability to produce, replenish, and evolve them at an industrial scale during prolonged high-intensity operations. RUTA Block 3 is designed around that reality: sovereign European architecture, distributed industrial production, and the ability to scale rapidly across allied nations. Our objective is not to manufacture symbolic quantities of exquisite missiles, but to help establish a credible European long-range strike capability with real industrial depth.”
Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall AG, said the joint venture was on track for establishment before the end of the year. “Deep precision strike capabilities, meaning the ability to strike strategically important targets with pinpoint accuracy, even deep within the enemy’s territory, contribute to a credible deterrent and are therefore of great importance in terms of security policy. We are ready to establish the Rheinmetall Destinus Strike Systems joint venture with our partner Destinus before the end of this year and to provide these capabilities to our customers as soon as possible. We are excited to produce and deliver the first missiles from our Unterlüß site before the end of 2026.”
According to the company, Block 3 is intended to be powered by a next-generation Destinus T220 turbojet engine currently in design, and will carry a 250 kilogram-class warhead. The system is designed for long-range missions in contested environments, combining advanced autonomous navigation for GPS-degraded conditions with terminal sensing and guidance capabilities under development. Launch is via a standard ISO containerised architecture supporting land-based, maritime, and fixed-site deployment.
The RUTA family draws on operational lessons from Ukraine, where the conflict has demonstrated both the value of long-range precision strike capability and the importance of industrial scale in sustaining it. European nations have been investing significantly in domestic long-range strike programmes as the continent seeks to reduce its dependence on US-supplied systems.
That’s not a drone, that’s a cruise missile.
It Is often said that certain Motorcycles are “Cruise Missiles” … It’s just word soup.
Daniil Kvyat isn’t cigar shaped, but “The Torpedo” was still the best in the Russian arsenal at the time!
If you call it a one way effector or a drone it’s ten times cheaper and quicker to procure than a cruise missile 😀
Ahh yes, Destinus.
This company was set up back In 2021 by a Russian.
Kokorich renounced his Russian citizenship a few year back. They have done work for DARPA so has actually had better vetting than Mandelson.
Ahh another Von Braun then !
The timing of the announcement has nothing to do with The Tangerine Toddler not sending cruise missiles to Germany…..
Every month Europe needs the US less and less.
Europe has vast amounts of cash, a much larger manufacturing base than the USA and large military forces and as we have seen with Ukraine verses Russia once you get efficient business from the non military industrial sector involved you can achieve a lot very quickly.
In a few years Europe will start to act like the powerhouse it has always been. US strategic policy has been to keep Europe dependent for decades. Trump screwed that all up for zero benefit.
Europe is rapidly adding satellites, ABM and deep strike capability which are the main things it requires at present from the USA.
To be fair Tony Blair realised that American dependency for weapons systems wasn’t a good idea.
However, he saw sense and UKIP was preserved: just about.
Even Blair wanted a UK drone industry and missile industry. Hence TANARIS and Storm Shadow.
I’d say the powering up of UK independent manufacturers started a long time ago but with drip fed money – which has caused a lot of issues.