Destinus Accelerates RUTA Block 3 Development Program with Rheinmetall to Scale European Long-Range Strike Production
Designed for production, replenishment, and operational availability at scale.
Valkenburg, Netherlands: Destinus today announced the accelerated start of the RUTA Block 3 program, developed for a 2,000 km-class long-range precision strike capability and extending the operationally validated RUTA family. The flight-test campaign is planned to begin in 2027.
RUTA Block 3 will build on the RUTA architecture, which has moved from battlefield validation into serial industrial production. RUTA Block 1 is in serial production in the Netherlands, with Destinus expanding annual RUTA-family production capacity across its European industrial footprint. RUTA Block 2, developed with support from Ukraine's Brave1 and currently undergoing flight testing in Ukraine, is planned to enter production ramp-up in 2026. Block 3 will extend the RUTA architecture into a new long-range category while preserving sovereign European design authority, scalable production, and containerized deployment.
The program is designed to shift European long-range strike from limited inventories toward sustained industrial production. It is structured across three industrial hubs. In the Netherlands, Destinus serves as the engineering and design authority and the primary RUTA production site, already manufacturing the family at scale. In Ukraine, Destinus will contribute to both the development and operational testing of RUTA Block 3 and will act as a center for the manufacturing of essential components. In Germany, the planned Rheinmetall Destinus Strike Systems joint venture is expected to add high-rate manufacturing, qualification, and final integration capacity for Bundeswehr and broader European institutional customers. Production at Rheinmetall's Unterlüß site is planned to begin with RUTA Block 1 and Block 2 in 2026-2027, complementing existing serial production in the Netherlands, with Block 3 to follow as it progresses through flight testing and qualification.
“Europe is entering a new defence era where the decisive factor is no longer the existence of precision weapons, but the ability to produce, replenish, and evolve them at an industrial scale during prolonged high-intensity operations," said Mikhail Kokorich, CEO of Destinus. "RUTA Block 3 is designed around that reality: sovereign European architecture, distributed industrial production, and the ability to scale rapidly across allied nations. Our objective is not to manufacture symbolic quantities of exquisite missiles, but to help establish a credible European long-range strike capability with real industrial depth."
"Deep precision strike capabilities, meaning the ability to strike strategically important targets with pinpoint accuracy, even deep within the enemy's territory, contribute to a credible deterrent and are therefore of great importance in terms of security policy," said Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall AG. "We are ready to establish the Rheinmetall Destinus Strike Systems joint venture with our partner Destinus before the end of this year and to provide these capabilities to our customers as soon as possible. We are excited to produce and deliver the first missiles from our Unterlüß site before the end of 2026."
Block 3 is intended to be powered by a next-generation turbojet engine, the larger Destinus T220 currently in design, and a 250 kg-class warhead, and is designed for long-range missions in contested environments. The system will combine advanced autonomous navigation for GNSS-degraded environments with terminal sensing and guidance capabilities under development, and a standard ISO containerized launch architecture supporting land-based, maritime, and fixed-site deployment.
Built on operational lessons from Ukraine, the system is being developed and industrialized under Destinus’ European design authority and production framework.
All development, production, and export activities will be conducted in accordance with applicable national and European laws, export-control regulations, and required governmental approvals.
Key planned characteristics of RUTA Block 3
Range: Targeting 2,000 km-class
Warhead: 250 kg-class
Propulsion: Destinus T220 turbojet
Guidance: Advanced autonomous navigation for GNSS-degraded environments; terminal sensing and guidance architecture under development
Launch: Standard ISO containerized launcher architecture
