Russia’s New 9M729 Land Attack Cruise Missile Makes Combat Debut: Show of Force Against NATO

The Russian Armed Forces have reportedly for the first time utilised the new 9M729 Novator ground-launched cruise missile in combat, with the missile having demonstrated an engagement range of over 1200 kilometres, but estimated to have a significantly longer reach of 2,500 kilometres allowing it to strike NATO targets across Europe. UkrainianForeign Minister Andrii Sybiha on October 31 claimed that the missile had been fired 23 times since August 2025, and twice in 2022, indicating that combat use may be intended both for testing purposes and to send shows of force to Western Bloc states. Little is known regarding the missile, although it is believed to be a derivative of the sea-launched 3M14 Kalibr integrated into the Iskander-K system. Each reportedly carries a 450 kilogram warhead, and uses satellite and inertial guidance terrain contour matching in its final stage.

The confirmed use of the new missile coincides both with talks in the United States on the possibility of donating Tomahawk cruise missile launchers to Ukraine, and with escalating calls in Europe to deploy ground forces, both of which would escalate the conflict between Moscow and the Western Bloc. It has also occurred at a time when Ukrainain forces operating with extensive support from Western intelligence, targeting data, and advisors, are escalating attacks on key infrastructure in Russia, in particular against its energy facilities. Western sources have strongly supported such attacks as a means of pressuring Moscow to yield to Western terms. The missile’s ability to launch both nuclear and conventional strikes on NATO targets, and its use of mobile launch vehicles which are particularly difficult to neutralise, allows it to make a significant contribution to strengthening Russia’s position in the theatre.

As Russia has faced shortcomings in multiple areas of its conventional forces compared to NATO, and particularly in the field of fighter aviation, the Armed Forces have invested heavily in asymmetric assets including mobile surface-to-air, anti-ship, and surface-to-surface missile systems. Alongside the 9M729, the Bastion cruise missile system has also been incrementally modernised, and in the Ukrainian theatre demonstrated its ability to launch precision strikes against land targets as well as enemy warships. The capabilities of Russia’s mobile cruise missile launchers are expected to be revolutionised near the end of the decade with the introduction of a mobile cruise missile launcher integrating the Zircon hypersonic missile, which combines a 1000 kilometre range with a Mach 9 speed and extreme manoeuvrability. Parallel investments have also been made in significantly enhancing the tactical ballistic missile arsenal, most notably with the scheduled service entry of the Oreshnik intermediate range system carrying hypersonic glide vehicles before the end of the year.