KIELCE, Poland — Ukraine has publicly unveiled the self-propelled launcher for its indigenous Koral surface-to-air missile system at the MSPO 2026 international defense exhibition in Kielce, Poland.
The system is being developed by Ukraine’s State Kyiv Design Bureau Luch and is part of the country’s ongoing effort to develop a domestically produced air defense capability.
An image released by Ukraine’s state defense conglomerate Ukroboronprom shows a Koral missile launching from a self-propelled launcher mounted on a Czech Tatra heavy-duty truck chassis. The truck-based configuration provides the system with the mobility required for deployment and repositioning.
Designed for Air and Ballistic Targets
The Koral missile is designed primarily to intercept aerial and ballistic targets as part of a broader air defense network. In this context, its ballistic-target role refers to short-range or tactical ballistic missiles, rather than long-range ballistic missile threats.
According to the developers, the missile also retains a secondary capability to engage ground or surface radar-contrast targets in exceptional circumstances.
The updated Koral interceptor has a total mass of 450 kilograms, including a 36-kilogram warhead. Its guidance system combines inertial navigation, radio correction and an active radar homing head.
The missile has a length of 4.8 meters. Its stated diameter is 230/300 millimeters, while the wingspan is 835 millimeters and the control-fin span is 685 millimeters.
For comparison, the PAC-3 interceptor used by the U.S. Patriot system weighs 316 kilograms and carries a 24-kilogram warhead.
The maximum engagement range of the updated Koral missile has not been publicly disclosed.
Nearly a Decade of Development
Development of the Koral project began in 2016. Early project documents identified the missile as part of a proposed ship-based surface-to-air missile system.
The project was presented to the public more clearly in 2021, when the Luch Design Bureau displayed a full-scale Koral missile mockup at the Arms and Security exhibition in Ukraine.
At that stage, the missile was described as having a mass of approximately 300 kilograms, a projected range of up to 30 kilometers and a maximum altitude of 10 kilometers. The earlier version was listed with a 25-kilogram warhead, a length of 4.33 meters and a diameter of 230/260 millimeters.
Luch chief designer Oleh Korostelov estimated the overall readiness of the system at around 70 percent in 2021. At the time, the company was also considering a family of Ukrainian air defense systems covering different ranges, with Koral intended for the middle tier.
The specifications have changed during the development process. The missile displayed in 2026 is heavier and longer than the version presented in 2021 and carries a larger warhead.
Developers have previously stated that the final characteristics of the system could be adjusted according to the operational requirements of the armed forces.
First Public Display of the Self-Propelled Launcher
The presentation at MSPO 2026 marks the first public display of the complete self-propelled Koral launcher configuration.
The appearance of the launcher provides a look at the latest configuration of a Ukrainian air defense project that has been under development since 2016. The system's current configuration combines the 450-kilogram interceptor, its inertial and radio-correction navigation systems, active radar homing and a mobile launcher mounted on a Tatra truck chassis.
While the updated missile's current range and other final performance parameters have not been publicly disclosed, the MSPO presentation shows the latest publicly displayed configuration of Ukraine's Koral air defense system.
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