The new Russian cruise missile "Filin" has a range of up to 1200 km and can reach speeds of up to 800 km/h, says military expert Yuri Knutov. According to him, the most important feature of the system is the use of a Russian-made P500 turbojet engine, which he described as a "major technological breakthrough."
Knutov presented the characteristics of the missile to the newspaper "Vzglyad". According to him, "Filin" is 3.5 meters long, its wingspan is 3 meters, and the structure includes composite materials. This, he says, reduces its radar visibility. Some of the components are made using 3D printing, which allows for changes in production and lower costs.
Ground launch and low-altitude flight
The missile is launched from a ground platform using a solid-fuel booster. Knutov points out that this method of launch makes it difficult to detect the launch position, as the installation can be quickly moved or hidden.
According to the expert, the flight altitude can vary from a few meters above the ground to 6 km. He defines this as a factor that complicates the detection of the “Filin“ by anti-aircraft artillery systems, portable anti-aircraft missile systems and short-range air defense systems.
The missile can be equipped with a 50 or 100 kg warhead. The specified variants are high-explosive-fragmentation, piercing and thermobaric. These data are presented as an estimate by Knutov, and not as an officially announced technical specification.
Combined guidance
The described control system combines inertial navigation with a satellite navigation module “Comet“. According to Knutov, the module's antenna array is designed to limit the possibility of jamming GLONASS signals by means of electronic warfare.
In the final phase of the flight, the missile uses a system resembling machine vision. A digital map of the terrain, images of landmarks and target data are pre-loaded into the on-board computer. “When the missile approaches the designated area, its sensors scan the terrain and compare the real picture with the data stored in the computer. If the images match, an attack is carried out,“ the expert explained.
Appearance of the missile in the war
Photos of the “Filin“ appeared after the crash of a missile at an unspecified location in Ukraine. According to Ukrainian sources, the use of the system began in late summer 2026. The missile was developed by JSC “NPO “Molniya“, a subsidiary of the “Kalashnikov“ concern.
Serhiy Sternenko, a former adviser to the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, said that the mass use of such jet weapons could change the scale of air attacks. He warned that in such a development, the “Geran“ drones with jet engines may seem like a smaller problem.
Currently, publicly disclosed data on “Filin“ are based mainly on expert assessments and information from Ukrainian sources. There is no official Russian confirmation of all the stated parameters, including range, warhead and serial production.
Sources: news.bg