EDITORIAL: The Ukrainian Vyrivnyuvach Bomb — A Precision Revolution Made in Ukraine

Maxime Marquette

2026-06-29 14:41:25

Brave1: The Silicon Valley of War

The Brave1 platform is one of the most significant institutional innovations of the war in Ukraine. Created to accelerate the development of defense technologies, it connects Ukrainian startups, private engineers, and military organizations within an agile innovation ecosystem, bypassing the delays of traditional procurement processes. It was through this channel that the Vyrivnyuvach was developed, tested, and put into production.

DG Industry, the developer of the munition, secured the necessary funding through Brave1 to launch the program. In May 2026, the Ukrainian Air Force received its first experimental batch. A few weeks later, in June, the munition carried out its first actual operational strike. The time between the delivery of the first batch and its combat deployment is remarkably short—a sign of the operational urgency that characterizes every aspect of the war in Ukraine.

From the Su-24M to the MiG-29: Versatility Is Key

In 2025, the first tests of the Vyrivnyuvach were conducted from a Su-24M tactical bomber. The results confirmed its ability to engage targets at a range of 60 kilometers. For the first operational strike in June 2026, a MiG-29 served as the launch platform. This compatibility with various aircraft in the Ukrainian inventory is essential: it maximizes tactical flexibility.

The Vyrivnyuvach is also certifiable for the F-16s and Mirage aircraft supplied by European allies, following additional certification work. This interoperability between Soviet-era aircraft and Western fighters represents a true feat of technical integration—an achievement that even some NATO engineers would not have anticipated three years ago.

The compatibility of the MiG-29 and F-16 with the same Ukrainian munition is the perfect symbol of the Ukrainian Air Force’s transformation: one foot in the Soviet legacy, one foot in Western modernity, and a unique ingenuity that bridges the two. This hybrid nature is not a weakness—it is an operational strength unique in the world.

Technical Specifications: Ammunition Designed to Withstand Russian Defenses

250 kilograms payload, 40 to 130 kilometers range

The Vyrivnyuvach is equipped with a 250-kilogram warhead—enough to destroy fortified positions, armored vehicles, logistics depots, or command posts. Its stated range exceeds 130 kilometers, although analysts at Defence Express note that this maximum range can only be achieved at very high altitudes—a constraint that is difficult to meet in the Russian air defense environment.

In practice, the most realistic release method for the Ukrainian Air Force is the loft release: the aircraft approaches at low altitude to evade Russian radars and air defense systems, then performs a sharp climb before dropping the bomb, which then uses its momentum to glide toward its target. Under this tactical profile, the effective range is around 40 kilometers—sufficient to keep the carrier aircraft out of range of most Russian short- and medium-range air defense systems.

Three times cheaper than the American JDAM-ER

One of the Vyrivnyuvach’s strongest selling points is its cost. According to information provided by DG Industry to Business Insider, the Ukrainian bomb costs one-third as much as its American counterpart, the JDAM-ER. In a high-intensity war where munitions are consumed by the hundreds, this cost difference is strategically decisive.

It allows Ukraine to consider ramping up its domestic production without running into the budgetary constraints that so often limit purchases of Western weaponry. If production can be industrialized—which is suggested by Defence Ukraine’s mention of active mass production—the Vyrivnyuvach could quickly become the most widely used precision-strike munition by the Ukrainian Air Force.

At one-third the cost of the JDAM-ER and with a range of 40 km under real-world conditions, it offers the right balance of cost-effectiveness for a war of attrition. Ukraine does not need the perfect munition—it needs munitions that are available in sufficient quantities, reliable, and inexpensive. The Vyrivnyuvach checks all these boxes.

The first strike: a video worth a thousand words

Sonyashnyk and Real-Time Operational Documentation

The documentation of the first operational strike followed a now-familiar path in the war in Ukraine: a post on Telegram, verified by military sources, and relayed by open-source analysts. The Sonyashnyk channel, associated with the Ukrainian Air Force, shared images of the impact. Confirmation came quickly from the specialized website Militarnyi, which identified the munitions as Vyrivnyuvach based on their visual characteristics.

This mode of operational communication—transparent, rapid, and well-documented—is one of the most distinctive features of the war in Ukraine. It places performance pressure on development teams but also fosters public confidence in the capabilities of the armed forces. When a Ukrainian commander states that his troops have a new weapon, a video typically follows within 48 hours.

Russian Trenches as Targets of a Ukrainian Precision Strike

The targets struck during the first operational strike were Russian defensive trenches on the front lines. This choice of target is indicative of the intended doctrine of use for the Vyrivnyuvach: the destruction of enemy fortifications to prepare for or support Ukrainian infantry operations. In the war of position that has characterized the front for months, the ability to precisely destroy fortified positions without exposing one’s own aircraft is decisive.

Russian KABs—guided glide bombs—have posed one of the major challenges for the Ukrainian defense precisely because they allowed Russian aircraft to strike from a safe distance. With the Vyrivnyuvach, Ukraine now has a symmetrical capability: to strike deep into Russian positions without exposing its pilots to enemy defenses.

A precision strike on trenches 40 kilometers away, launched from a MiG-29 that remains out of range of Russian air defense systems—this is exactly the capability Ukraine lacked to rebalance the air power dynamic. Tactical symmetry with the Russian KABs has now been partially restored.

Technological Independence as a Doctrine of Survival

When Western Supplies Are No Longer Enough

Ukraine has received significant quantities of Western guided munitions since the start of the full-scale invasion: American JDAM-ERs, French AASM Hammers, British Storm Shadows, and Franco-British Scalps. But each of these munitions comes with its own set of constraints: usage restrictions imposed by donors, high unit costs, delivery delays, and quantitative quotas.

The Vyrivnyuvach fundamentally changes this equation. A munition produced in Ukraine, by Ukrainian companies, using Ukrainian raw materials and components—or those available on the global market—does not depend on the political decisions of a foreign government. It can be produced in quantities dictated solely by Ukraine’s military needs and industrial capabilities.

The European Union and Ukraine’s “most innovative” defense sector

This assessment, attributed to the European Union’s defense chief in June 2026, is not flattery—it is a statement of fact. Over four years of high-intensity war, Ukraine has developed some of the world’s most advanced drone systems, innovative anti-drone defense systems, and now its own guided munitions. This innovation has emerged under the existential pressure of war—a pressure that sparks a level of creativity that peacetime laboratories cannot match.

The Vyrivnyuvach is the visible product of a military innovation ecosystem that has taken shape in just a few years. Brave1, Ukrainian technical universities, private research centers, and the armed forces now form a weapons development network that has no equivalent in Europe.

“The world’s most innovative defense sector”—that’s a bold claim, but looking at what Ukraine has produced in four years of war, I don’t dispute it. It took Israel decades to build its defense industry. Ukraine did it in a hurry, under bombardment. It’s truly astonishing.

The Context of Arms Transfers: The 840 ERAM Missiles and Partnerships

Ukraine to Receive 840 ERAM Missiles in 2026: A Complementary Strike Force

Alongside the development of its national capabilities, Ukraine continues to receive munitions from its allies. In 2026, 840 ERAM missiles will be delivered—missiles compatible with both the MiG-29 and the F-16, illustrating the hybrid architecture of the Ukrainian Air Force. This complementarity between domestic and imported munitions is a strength: it reduces dependence on a single supplier while increasing the variety of available tactical options.

Ukraine’s strategy for air power is now clear: to develop a domestic base for short- and medium-range precision munitions, to continue receiving long-range systems from Western allies, and to maximize interoperability among all these platforms. It is a strategy focused as much on resilience as on firepower.

From Eurosatory to the Front Lines: An Unprecedented Innovation Cycle

The Vyrivnyuvach, unveiled at the Eurosatory 2026 exhibition in Paris in June and deployed in combat on the front lines just days later: this unprecedented innovation-to-deployment cycle illustrates the speed at which the Ukrainian defense industry operates. Under normal circumstances, military procurement cycles span years, even decades. Ukraine compresses them into weeks.

This speed of execution has strategic value independent of the technical quality of the systems developed. It means that the Russian adversary must constantly adapt to new threats, which complicates its defensive and offensive planning. Technological surprise is a weapon in itself.

Unveiling a bomb in Paris and firing it in actual combat within the same week—that’s weapons development in startup mode. No traditional military bureaucracy could operate at this speed. Ukraine has invented a new way of waging industrial warfare, and the West should learn from this for its own procurement processes.

The Psychological and Doctrinal Impact on Russia

Putin Faces a Ukraine That Is Innovating Faster Than He Is Making Progress

The Russian military has built its air dominance in Ukraine on the superiority of its long-range bombers and KAB guided bombs. These munitions have caused massive destruction in frontline Ukrainian cities such as Kharkiv, Kupiansk, and Avdiivka. Russia’s ability to strike from a safe distance was one of its most significant tactical advantages.

The emergence of the Vyrivnyuvach changes this calculus. Not because a single strike alters the overall balance—but because it signals a predictable and accelerated escalation. If Ukrainian production of this munition reaches hundreds per month, as suggested by the stated industrial ambitions, the Russian military will have to contend with the constant threat of precision strikes on its fortifications.

Airborne counter-battery: rebalancing the glide bomb equation

For every Russian KAB dropped on a Ukrainian position, Ukraine will now be able to respond with its own Vyrivnyuvach. This is not merely a rhetorical symmetry—it is a tactical reality that will alter behavior on the front lines. Russian commanders will now have to protect their fortified positions not only against Ukrainian drone strikes and cruise missiles, but also against a new category of domestically produced glide bombs.

The logistical implications for Russia are significant: strengthening air defenses across the entire operational depth, adapting ground combat procedures to protect now-vulnerable fortifications, and revising doctrines for the deployment of frontline troops. This is an additional operational burden that Ukraine is imposing on its adversary.

The symmetry of glide bombs is perhaps one of the most significant changes in this war in months. Moscow has long struck with impunity from its Su-34s and Su-35s. With the Ukrainian Vyrivnyuvach, that impunity is beginning to crack. And cracks in Russian military certainties—that is what matters.

The Future of Industry: Toward Mass Production

From Prototype to Mass Production: The Challenges of Scaling Up

According to information obtained at the Eurosatory 2026 trade show by industry observer Jeff21461, the Vyrivnyuvach is already in active mass production. If confirmed, this claim represents a remarkable acceleration of the program. Moving from an experimental batch in May 2026 to mass production in June 2026 implies that the industrial infrastructure was already in place beforehand.

For the Vyrivnyuvach to truly be a tactical game-changer, hundreds or even thousands of units will need to be produced each month. DG Industry and its supply chain partners will have to overcome the classic challenges of scaling up industrial production: sourcing electronic components, special materials for control surface actuators, and explosives for warheads. Each of these links could become a bottleneck.

Brave1’s Role in the Ukrainian Defense Ecosystem

With the Vyrivnyuvach, the Brave1 platform has demonstrated that it can support an arms program from design to mass production in less than two years. This track record will now attract engineers, investors, and manufacturers to other ambitious programs. Ukraine is building, bomb by bomb, drone by drone, a military-industrial complex that was virtually nonexistent before 2022.

This complex has a unique advantage over traditional defense industries: it is free from bureaucratic red tape, corporate lobbying, and multi-year budget cycles that paralyze procurement in Western democracies. The urgency of the war has created an environment where speed of execution is a core value—a model from which the entire NATO alliance should take inspiration.

Brave1 is perhaps the most important institution created in Ukraine since the start of the war. Not the military, not the government—but this catalyst for innovation that has enabled civilian engineers to create weapons that save soldiers’ lives. It is proof that the best responses to existential crises often emerge outside official structures.

Implications for NATO Doctrine

Lessons from Ukraine for the Western Defense Industry

The successes of the Ukrainian defense industry pose an uncomfortable question for the West: Why does it take wealthy democracies ten years to develop a guided munition when Ukraine can create one in seventeen months while under bombardment? The answer involves multiple factors—regulations, procurement processes, certification requirements, bureaucratic culture—but it is not satisfactory. The strategic urgency posed by the rise of Russia and China should necessitate a fundamental overhaul of Western defense innovation processes.

Secretary General Rutte himself has called for accelerating innovation and reducing bureaucracy in Alliance procurement. The Ukrainian model—defense startups, private capital, short development cycles, rapid deployment—is empirical proof that this is possible. The question is whether the West has the political will to reform.

The Vyrivnyuvach as a Case for Continued Support for Ukraine

Every new capability developed by Ukraine strengthens the case for continued Western support. Not only does Ukraine use the aid it receives effectively—it multiplies its impact by developing its own capabilities, sharing valuable operational data, and innovating in areas where even NATO is lagging behind. Support for Ukraine is an investment that yields military returns for the entire Alliance.

The engineers who designed the Vyrivnyuvach are the same ones who will train the next generation of weapons experts in a Ukraine that will, sooner or later, join the European Union and, hopefully, NATO. Investing in their capabilities today means investing in Europe’s security tomorrow.

Ukraine is developing a guided bomb for one-third the U.S. price in seventeen months. If that isn’t a case for strengthening the Ukraine-NATO defense technology partnership, I don’t know what is. Brussels and Washington should send their procurement program directors to Kyiv to learn a thing or two.

The Symbolic Axis: From Russia's UMPK to Ukraine's Vyrivnyuvach

Two gliding bombs, two worldviews

It is impossible to discuss the Vyrivnyuvach without mentioning its Russian counterpart, the UMPK—the conversion kit that turns Soviet unguided bombs into glide bombs. The Russian military has used this munition extensively since 2023, drawing on the vast stockpiles of unguided bombs accumulated during the Cold War. These munitions have caused considerable destruction in Ukrainian urban areas on the front lines.

The Vyrivnyuvach is Ukraine’s response to this threat—not a copy, but a technologically more advanced, more precise solution designed to different standards. The difference between the two munitions reflects the difference between their designers: on one side, a military power adapting Cold War stockpiles; on the other, a nation innovating from scratch under the existential pressure of survival.

The bomb as a metaphor for Ukrainian resistance

The Vyrivnyuvach—whose Ukrainian name means “the equalizer” or “the leveler”—is almost too rich in symbolism to resist. It is the project of a nation seeking to level the playing field against an adversary that is infinitely larger, heavier, and better equipped. Not by imitating it, but by innovating. By creating solutions that are cheaper, more agile, and smarter.

This approach lies at the heart of what Ukraine represents for the West right now: living proof that a determined democracy, backed by human creativity and the support of its allies, can resist and innovate in the face of the brutality of a powerful autocracy.

“Vyrivnyuvach”—the one who levels the playing field. In war as in engineering, there are moments when a name says it all. This bomb is not just a weapon—it’s a statement of principle: Ukraine isn’t just surviving; it’s rebalancing the power dynamic. And that, in itself, is a victory.

Risks and Limitations: Don't Get Carried Away

One strike does not change the course of the war

It would be unwise to conclude from this first operational strike that the Vyrivnyuvach will shift the military balance in the short term. A strike, even a successful one, is only a starting point. Building up industrial capacity will take months. Training pilots and weapons crews will take time. Integrating the system into operational unit doctrine is a long and complex process.

Furthermore, the Russian military is not static. It will adapt its defensive procedures in response to this new threat—by deploying more short-range air defense systems, altering the layout of its trenches, and strengthening electronic warfare systems to disrupt the Vyrivnyuvach’s guidance. Technological warfare is a perpetual game of cat and mouse.

Supply Chain Constraints

Mass production of guided munitions requires precision electronic components—GNSS sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes, microprocessors—whose procurement can be complex in a country at war that is subject to attempts to circumvent sanctions. Ukraine will need to carefully manage its supply chain to prevent bottlenecks in component delivery from limiting the ramp-up of production.

These logistical risks are real, known to Ukrainian planners, and likely already addressed in discussions with Western partners regarding support for the defense industry. But they deserve to be acknowledged so that the justified enthusiasm surrounding the Vyrivnyuvach remains grounded in operational reality.

I don’t want to be the killjoy who downplays a real victory. But war teaches us that we celebrate early victories too quickly. The Vyrivnyuvach is a remarkable promise. It will only become a transformative reality if production keeps pace, if training is accelerated, and if the supply chain holds up. The enthusiasm is justified. Caution remains warranted.

An International Perspective: What the Defense Community Takes Away from Eurosatory

Paris as a Showcase for Ukrainian Innovation

The unveiling of the Vyrivnyuvach at the Eurosatory 2026 trade show in Paris was a significant moment of military soft power for Ukraine. In front of defense industry executives, military officers, and procurement officials from around the world, Ukraine declared: we are no longer just a buyer of weapons—we are a supplier, an innovator, and a technology partner.

This repositioning of Ukraine’s strategic identity has major diplomatic and industrial implications. Countries seeking affordable guided munitions—particularly in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Africa—may now look to Kyiv as a potential supplier. Not during the war, but in a post-conflict context.

F-16 Compatibility: A Message to Western Partners

The ongoing certification process for the F-16s and Mirage aircraft supplied by European allies sends a clear message to these partners: Ukraine is maximizing the utility of the platforms it has received by pairing them with its own munitions. This is not an affront to their defense industries—it is a demonstration of ingenuity in the use of available resources. Allies who have supplied F-16s to Ukraine can take pride in seeing their aircraft now carrying Ukrainian munitions to Russian targets.

This synergy strengthens the case for continuing aircraft transfers: every additional F-16 supplied multiplies the Ukrainian Vyrivnyuvach’s drop capacity. The interdependence between Ukraine’s national capabilities and Western support creates a virtuous cycle.

Showcasing a weapon in Paris in front of defense buyers from around the world is a way of asserting that Ukraine exists as an industrial player and not merely as a recipient of international aid. It is a symbolically enormous shift in posture. And symbolically, in the current war, that matters.

Electronic Warfare as a Challenge: Countering Russian Jamming

GNSS Guidance Under Pressure from Russian Systems

One of the major technical challenges for any guided munition in Ukraine is Russian electronic warfare. Russia is deploying GPS and GNSS jamming systems on a massive scale along the front lines and in the rear, aiming to disrupt the guidance of enemy munitions. Ukrainian operational reports have indicated that disruptions have even affected U.S. JDAM-ERs at times. The Vyrivnyuvach will have to contend with this reality.

According to available information, the Vyrivnyuvach’s guidance system uses modern algorithms specifically designed to ensure precise strikes against long-range targets. The vague wording in official Ukrainian communications suggests that anti-jamming solutions have been integrated, but without specifying which ones—a logical precaution to avoid revealing the enemy’s countermeasures.

Incorporating Combat Experience into the Design

One of the decisive advantages of the Ukrainian Brave1 is the close collaboration between designers and end users. Through Ukrainian institutional channels, engineers at DG Industry have access to feedback from pilots, intelligence officers, and electronic warfare specialists who face off against Russian systems on a daily basis. This short feedback loop between the front lines and the design office is what enables rapid iterations on guidance systems.

By comparison, traditional Western weapons programs incorporate combat experience over cycles of five to ten years. The urgency of the war in Ukraine has shortened this cycle to a few months. This is a lesson that designers of guided systems in Europe and North America should study carefully.

Russian electronic warfare is real and effective—several Western munitions have been compromised. If the Vyrivnyuvach has incorporated robust anti-jamming solutions, that is a major competitive advantage. I do not know for certain if this is the case. But the first successful strike is an encouraging sign.

The message sent to the European defense industrial base

When a Ukrainian Startup Beats European Giants in Speed

The fact that a relatively young Ukrainian startup developed an operational guided bomb in 17 months at one-third the U.S. cost sends an uncomfortable message to major European defense contractors—MBDA, Thales, BAE Systems, and Diehl. Not a message of immediate commercial threat, but a legitimate question: why do these established manufacturers take so long to achieve comparable results?

The answer is complex—NATO standards, multi-jurisdictional certifications, and reliability and qualification requirements at high security levels—but it does not fully justify the gap. The Brave1 model offers an alternative path that deserves to be studied, adapted, and partially replicated within Western defense ecosystems.

Partnerships Between Ukrainian Industry and NATO Industry: The Way Forward

Rather than viewing the Vyrivnyuvach as competition for Western guided munitions, the most productive approach is one of partnership. Companies such as DG Industry could work jointly with European manufacturers to develop NATO-certified variants, share anti-jamming guidance technologies, or co-produce wing correction modules for other bomb calibers. The scope for cooperation is vast.

The NATO summit in Ankara should provide an opportunity to formalize this type of industry-defense partnership between Ukrainian and European companies. The German-Ukrainian ARX Industries joint venture on ground robots shows that this model is already taking shape. There is no reason why the same logic should not apply to guided munitions.

Major European defense conglomerates should be in Kyiv, not watching from their headquarters in Paris or London. Ukraine’s experience in defense innovation is an unparalleled strategic resource. Those who know how to capitalize on it will be the leaders of European defense tomorrow.

Conclusion: Vyrivnyuvach—both a bomb and a manifesto

A nation that refuses to depend on the charity of others

The Vyrivnyuvach is much more than a weapon. It is the manifesto of a nation that has decided, amid gunfire and bombs, to take its technological destiny into its own hands. After four years of gradually increasing dependence on Western aid—necessary and valuable, but never enough—Ukraine has crossed a qualitative threshold. It now produces its own precision munitions, using its own technology, to defend its own territory.

This is not a rejection of Western aid. It is its natural complement. A Ukraine that develops its own capabilities is a stronger, more resilient, and more valuable security partner for the Western Alliance. The Vyrivnyuvach’s first strike is therefore also good news for Brussels, Washington, and Berlin: their investment in the Ukrainian resistance is yielding technological dividends.

The Leveler: Leveling the Playing Field, One Bomb at a Time

Vyrivnyuvach—the Leveler. There is something eloquent about this name for a munition designed to level enemy trenches, wipe out the invader’s fortifications, and rebalance the power dynamics in Ukrainian airspace. Every bomb dropped from a Ukrainian MiG-29 or F-16 is a statement: Ukraine is not retreating; it is advancing—technologically, industrially, and militarily. This bomb says what words sometimes struggle to express: we are here, we are creating, we are striking, we are holding our ground.

The Vyrivnyuvach is not the end of a process—it is a beginning. After this first domestically produced guided bomb, others will follow—heavier, more precise, with greater range. Ukraine has entered the era of precision industrial production. And Moscow will have to reckon with this era for a long time to come.

By Maxime Marquette, columnist