Ukraine has begun serial production and deliveries of its indigenous Ryf surface-to-air missile system (SAM), a domestically developed air defense system whose development was still underway when russia launched its full-scale invasion. Despite wartime challenges, the project was completed and successfully brought into serial production.
The system's operational deployment became public through a Suspilne report featuring air defense crews from the 101st Separate Anti-Aircraft Missile Battalion of the 30th Marine Corps of the Ukrainian Navy.
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According to the operators, they have been using the Ryf since January 2026, primarily to intercept russian drones.
The Ryf is based on the legacy Strela-10 air defense system, retaining its MT-LB tracked chassis, launcher traverse mechanism, and operator's station while replacing the missile armament and fire-control equipment with newly developed Ukrainian components.
The launcher carries four RK-10 missiles in sealed transport-launch canisters. Positioned between the missiles is a modern electro-optical sighting station.
The fire-control suite combines a laser rangefinder, day and thermal imaging channels, and a laser beam guidance system. The RK-10 employs laser beam-riding guidance, in which the sighting station continuously guides the missile to the target through a coded laser beam.
The same guidance principle is used by systems such as Sweden's RBS 70, the British Stormer HVM, and the latest RapidRanger air defense system.
The report also includes footage of the Ryf successfully engaging a russian drone. Although the interception appears to have occurred at a distance of roughly 4-5 km, this is well below the missile's stated maximum engagement range of 10 km.
Development of both the RK-10 missile and the Ryf air defense system was already well underway in 2021. The missile completed its first live-fire trials in December 2021, just weeks before the full-scale invasion. At the time, the launcher was mounted on a Ukrainian-made armored vehicle rather than the MT-LB chassis used on the production version.
Another noteworthy detail in the Suspilne report is that the unit continues to operate legacy Strela-10 systems. However, the Soviet-era launcher is shown carrying only two missiles, while the Ryf is equipped with its full complement of four ready-to-fire RK-10 missiles.
That difference highlights the importance of Ukraine's transition from the Strela-10 to the Ryf. Securing replacement missiles for Soviet-era air defense systems has become increasingly difficult, making the domestically produced RK-10 a practical long-term solution that both extends the service life of existing launchers and ensures a sustainable supply of interceptors.
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