Europe Developed an Inexpensive Long-Range Crossbow Missile, Similar to the Ukrainian Peklo

The European defense company MBDA has presented the concept of an inexpensive long-range Crossbow missile, which was developed in seven months.

The weapon was presented at the DSEI UK defense exhibition in London.

Visually, it resembles an enlarged version of the Ukrainian drone missile Peklo, which is already being used to strike at the Russian invaders.

The developer claims that the system is designed for large-scale mass production using components available on the market, resulting in a low cost.

The missile is designed to fly at high subsonic speeds and will be able to hit stationary targets at a distance of more than 800 kilometers in the enemy’s deep rear. For this purpose, it will carry a payload of up to 300 kilograms.

As with the Ukrainian Peklo, European developers have abandoned the folding wing and installed a small turbojet engine above the fuselage in the tail section.

The new missile is 5.3 meters long and has a wingspan of 3 meters.

According to MBDA, the weapon was developed in cooperation with European small and medium-sized enterprises as well as large companies, going from design to demonstration in seven months.

It is capable of operating in high-intensity conflicts, including in a complex electromagnetic environment.

According to the company’s press release, the launcher can be used in a container transported by a truck.

The modular architecture of the new missile, based on both military and commercial off-the-shelf subsystems, allows for large-scale production, which could potentially begin as early as the second quarter of 2026.

This year, in July, French Defense Minister Sébastien Le Coronneu announced that MBDA’s British subsidiary had resumed production of the SCALP/Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missile.