Ukraine unveils Koral air defense system launcher for first time

15:58, 08.09.2026 2 min read

Ukraine has developed its own surface-to-air missile system for intercepting ballistic targets, with a missile weighing 450 kg, including a 36-kg warhead, Militarnyi reports.

Ukraine displayed the Koral air defense missile launcher publicly for the first time at the MSPO defense exhibition in Poland, according to Militarnyi. An image released by Ukroboronprom shows a missile being launched from a self-propelled launcher mounted on a Czech Tatra truck chassis.

The missile is designed to intercept air and ballistic targets and is intended for use as part of an air defense system, though the developer notes it can also, in exceptional cases, be used against ground or surface radar-contrast targets.

The missile weighs 450 kg, including a 36-kg warhead. Its guidance system combines an inertial navigation system, radio correction and an active radar homing head. The missile has a diameter of 230/300 mm and a length of 4.8 meters, with a wingspan of 835 mm and a control fin span of 685 mm. By comparison, the Patriot system's PAC-3 missile weighs 316 kg, with a 24-kg warhead.

Work on the Koral project began back in 2016, when the missile appeared in documents as a component of a ship-based air defense missile system, according to Militarnyi.

Koral first came into wider public discussion in 2021, when the Luch Design Bureau presented a full-scale mockup of the missile at the Arms and Security 2021 exhibition.