A Ukrainian development called “Palyanytsya,” recently presented by the authorities, has aroused considerable interest and a number of discussions among military experts. One of them was Oleg Katkov, editor-in-chief of Defense Express, who questioned the initial claims that “Palyanytsya” was a drone missile.
According to Katkov, the key feature of the “Palyanytsia” is its jet engine, not a rocket engine, as initially claimed. “There is a big difference between a rocket engine and a jet engine. “Palyanytsia” has a jet engine, and this is absolutely normal. A rocket engine is what is used in ballistic missiles and launch vehicles,” he explained on Radio NV.
Despite the attempt to keep details about the “Palyanytsia” secret, Katkov notes that the official video indicated its range of destruction – up to 600 km. “600 kilometers – maybe something is walking around, plus or minus. A map of airfields that can be hit by this product is shown – there is a range of up to 750 km. In any case, we are talking about long-range, and this is very cool,” the expert noted.
Katkov stressed that the difference between a cruise missile and a jet drone is actually blurred in this case. He believes that the “Palyanytsia” is actually a ground-based cruise missile designed to strike Russian airfields, which is much cheaper than known analogues.
The key advantage of the “Palyanytsia”, according to Katkov, is its relative cheapness. “Practice shows that the means necessary for striking the enemy must be massive. There must be a lot of them, and this is possible if the product is cheap. It may not be as perfect as Storm Shadow or Tomahawk, but it is still effective,” he emphasized.
On Independence Day, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the first successful combat use of the Ukrainian “Palyanytsia” drone missile. According to him, this weapon has already demonstrated its effectiveness by striking the enemy.
Another military expert, Oleksandr Musienko, expressed the opinion that Ukraine could produce a significant number of “Palyanyts”, capable of carrying out tasks of destroying enemy oil refineries and industrial enterprises. This gives Ukraine additional opportunities in the confrontation with Russia and strengthens its defense capabilities.
