“Volunteers Create ‘People’s Missile’ from Scratch”
Ukrainian Engineers Develop Cheaper, Simpler Missiles to Counter Russian Army
Almost 18 months have passed since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war. While the conflict continues with all its violence in the east of Ukraine, the Ukrainian army has been preparing to launch a counter-attack in the near future, according to Ukrainian sources. Ukraine, which has received weapons and ammunition support from Western countries since the first days of the war, is also trying to develop weapons systems that are cheaper and easier to use with its own means.
One of the latest examples of this is the Trembita ‘missiles’, which a group of Ukrainian engineers tried to produce in a garage using everyday materials. Vidsich, a group of volunteer engineers who present themselves as anti-Russian, have been trying to come up with solutions that could help the Ukrainian army since the beginning of the war.
The last system they are working on is the Trembita rockets, which they refer to as the ‘People’s missile’. The group members state that these weapons, which essentially consist of a steel tube with wings, can be fired using a simple catapult. Engineers argue that Trembita, which they claim to have a range of 140 kilometers, has a longer range than the rockets with a range of 70 kilometers used in the HIMARS high-mobility multiple rocket system delivered to Ukraine by the USA.
Members of Vidsich liken these weapon systems to the V-1 rockets, nicknamed the ‘Flying bomb’, which was used by Nazi Germany during the Second World War and is one of the first examples of modern cruise missiles. During the Second World War, Germany targeted especially England with its V-1 missiles, causing many casualties and creating a climate of serious fear on the British people.
Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a former military officer who previously served in NATO, stated that the weapon systems developed by Ukrainian volunteers could lead to important developments. “Such cheap and effective weapons can be a tremendous power multiplier to save on advanced weapon systems that Western countries are delivering to Ukraine.”
Despite the extensive assistance provided by Western countries, the violent conflicts in Ukraine caused the weapons delivered to the country to run out faster than expected. Adding to all these efforts to restore the emptied weapons depots of the US army, the US defense industry had a hard time meeting the demands. The developments led to a debate on how ready the armies around the world are for a possible war.
