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PARIS—Rheinmetall and Destinus said they plan to accelerate the fielding of the 2,000-km (1,243-mi.)-class Ruta Blk. 3 cruise missile as part of their partnership.
The two companies also said they are close to finalizing their joint venture plans to set up Rheinmetall Destinus Strike Systems, two months after disclosing their ambition to work together. Destinus is looking to Rheinmetall to help boost output of its cruise missiles and other systems.
The companies aim to have the Ruta Blk. 3 ready for qualification by the end of 2028, a Destinus official said at the Eurosatory expo. Destinus, which has supplied the Blk. 1 version of the missile to Ukraine, aims for the 800-km-class Ruta Blk. 2 to be qualified next year.
The top billing the long-range cruise missile is getting reflects a sense of urgency to field homegrown deep-strike systems capable of reaching Russian targets in case Moscow expands its war in Ukraine further into Europe.
“Together we are advancing NATO qualification on an accelerated path,” said Roman Köhne, who runs Rheinmetall’s weapons and ammunition division. “This allows us to rapidly provide European armed forces with a ready-to-deploy, certified and fully European effector,” he added.
The Ruta Blk. 3 aims to plug a capability gap in Europe now that the U.S. is preferencing RTX Tomahawk deliveries for its own needs. Ruta Blk. 3 is designed to augment higher-end European cruise missiles such as the MBDA Taurus and Storm Shadow, the Destinus official said, providing mass that militaries cannot afford with those costlier weapons.
Using a cruise missile over ballistic missiles also has the advantage of reducing escalation concerns, he argued. A conventionally armed short or medium-range ballistic missile could be mistaken for a nuclear-tipped weapon, he suggested.
The Ruta Blk. 3 could be fired from ships or vehicles like Rheinmetall HX trucks, the companies said.
The joint venture would start production with the company's low-cost Kryla and Ruta Blk. 2 cruise missiles while the Blk. 3 missile is developed. Initial deliveries by the new company are planned for this year.
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