Ukraine Begins Serial Production of 1KR1 Sapsan Ballistic Missile System

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense has launched serial production and deployment of the 1KR1 Sapsan operational-tactical missile system after several years of development, Militarnyi reported on December 12.

The announcement was made by Oleksandr Liev, who served as Deputy Head of the Defense Procurement Department in 2022–2023.

Liev explained that in August 2022, while leading the department for military-technical policy and weapons development, he signed the first state contract with the Pivdenne Design Bureau for the purchase of the new missile system. This marked the official launch of the Sapsan program, which had been previously planned for revival in 2021.

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The official designation 1KR1 Sapsan was disclosed for the first time as part of this update. According to Liev, the system underwent initial tests in 2023, was used in limited combat roles in 2024, and by 2025 had reached systematic operational use alongside serial manufacturing.

“I’m glad to have played a part in strengthening the Ukrainian Armed Forces,” Liev said. “We saw initial results in 2023, these were tested in practice in 2024, and by 2025 the system was in full use.”

Militarnyi highlights that development work on the missile system initially focused on two variants: a 900 mm missile with a range of up to 500 km for domestic use, and a 600 mm version with a range of 280 km intended for potential export. Both were designed to carry a warhead weighing approximately 500 kg.

For targeting, the Sapsan system uses satellite and inertial navigation, with additional seeker head options under development—including electro-optical, infrared, radar, and a hybrid seeker combining radar and optical capabilities.

Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine’s long-anticipated, domestically developed strike system is now operational, with the Sapsan ballistic missile already being used in combat against Russian forces.

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