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Italy lacks its own missiles and wants to buy Ukrainian ones – media reports

Italy lacks its own missiles and wants to buy Ukrainian ones – media reports

14 May 2026, 14:01

Italy lacks its own missiles and wants to buy Ukrainian ones – media reports — The "Hell" rocket

Ukraine, which just a few years ago was asking its allies for long-range missiles, may now itself become a supplier of such systems to Europe. Italy is considering purchasing Ukrainian missiles and attack drones due to a lack of its own modern long-range weaponry.

This is reported by the Italian defence publication RID, as cited by Defense Express.

According to Italian analysts, Rome currently has virtually no ready-to-use long-range systems. New European projects – notably the Stratus LO cruise missile from MBDA or the Italian Teseo ER anti-ship missile – remain merely a prospect for the next decade.

Against this backdrop, Ukrainian developments appear to be the quickest solution for Italy. The publication mentions the Ukrainian ‘Peklo’ missile, the Areion missile project, and the FP-1 long-range strike drones, which have already seen combat in the war against Russia.

In Italy, particular attention is being paid to the combat experience of Ukrainian weapons. Whilst most European systems exist only as concepts or prototypes, Ukrainian missiles and drones are already being used in actual strikes against Russian military targets – from depots and airfields to oil refineries and military-industrial complex facilities.

RID also notes that cooperation with Ukraine could give a new impetus to the Italian defence sector. This involves not only the procurement of ready-made systems, but also joint production and the localisation of individual components.

Separately, new approaches to the use of long-range weapons are being discussed in Italy. In particular, the deployment of cruise missiles or strike drones in shipping containers, which can even be installed on civilian vessels.

As a reminder, earlier, the Ukrainian and German defence ministers, Mykhailo Fedorov and Boris Pistorius, signed a letter of intent in Kyiv to launch Brave Germany – a joint programme for the development of defence technologies and support for innovative start-ups.

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