Ukrainian Bars missile drones are currently among the most numerous systems of their kind in the Ukrainian Armed Forces and have been carrying out deep strikes against targets in russia for several years. For instance, nearly 100 Bars missile drones were once launched simultaneously against targets in russia.
Now, the developer of the Bars missile drones has stated in an interview with RBC-Ukraine that the company has a new production facility in Europe. It is scheduled to begin operations in early September.
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The first products from this facility are expected to reach the Defense Forces of Ukraine as early as October 10. Despite the opening of the new facility, one factor is still preventing Ukraine from producing more Bars missile drones.
The issue is turbojet engines, which pose a challenge for all Ukrainian manufacturers of jet-powered drones and cruise missiles. As the developer notes, the main problem lies not in production volume but in delivery times.
The production of turbojet engines for Ukrainian jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicles and missile drones has long been a bottleneck. Ukrainian companies largely rely on products from a small number of European firms, whose production capacities are very limited, with annual output measured in just hundreds of units.
This is despite the fact that, since 2022, production volumes of such engines and their components have increased several-fold. Therefore, it is critically important for Ukraine to launch its own production lines and to expand localized production of foreign products.
This applies both to the small turbojet engines themselves and to the individual components they require, which are essential for developing Ukraine's industrial base and laying the groundwork for the future development of new indigenous designs.
Work on this is currently underway. According to the developer, the company has created a new compact turbojet engine for the Bars, which has already passed its final tests.
It is important to note that small turbojet engines are needed not only to produce missile drones for deep strikes against russian targets, but also to develop Ukrainian jet-powered interceptor drones, which are urgently needed to counter russian jet-powered drones.
The developer of the Bars says that work on the system has been underway since 2023, with more than 40 upgrades and iterations developed during that time. Currently, the Bars missile drones have a maximum range of up to 1,000 km, a warhead weight of up to 60 kg, and a speed of over 700 km/h.
However, it is important to note that the Bars missile drone was designed as a modular platform. Therefore, the warhead weight and fuel load can be adjusted depending on the mission requirements.
During the final stage of flight, the Bars operator has two guidance options: using machine vision for terminal guidance or manually guiding the missile drone to the target via a live control link.
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