Ukraine showcases upgraded 230-km RAM-2X strike drone in Poland

While initial iterations of the unmanned aerial system entered operational service with the Defense Forces of Ukraine in 2023, the platform has undergone sweeping technological modernization. Designed to operate within a decentralized mesh network, the RAM-2X is engineered to neutralize high-value static and mobile targets on land and in the air. Since 2024, Ukrainian crews deploying the drone have destroyed or damaged nearly 500 high-value Russian targets.

Speaking in an interview with Radio NV, Ukrspecsystems Deputy Director Andrii Rymaruk revealed that neutralized assets include Russian surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems, radar complexes, electronic warfare (EW) stations, and signals intelligence (SIGINT) units. The system scored its earliest high-profile strikes against Russian air defense batteries across the temporarily occupied Crimean peninsula in the spring of 2024.

"These enemy assets are extremely expensive, complex to operate, and technically sophisticated to deploy. Striking them was particularly painful for the enemy and granted our forces the operational freedom to work at depth to stall Russian offensives. The RAM-2X proved its viability beyond doubt, which is why we finally lifted secrecy and presented it to the world," he explained.

Rymaruk noted that while the platform initially operated at ranges of up to 140 kilometers, modern configurations routinely engage targets up to 180 kilometers from launch points. Under optimal meteorological conditions, specialized crews have achieved record-setting strikes at operational depths of 210, 220, and nearly 230 kilometers.

Rymaruk firmly dismissed comparisons labeling the RAM-2X a "Ukrainian Lancet" simply because of its cruciform, X-shaped wing configuration.

"Is it similar to the Lancet? No, it is entirely different. From the outset, we operated the platform in mesh-relay mode. The SHARK reconnaissance aircraft — also from our family of electric UAVs and currently the backbone of deep operational reconnaissance for our forces — acts as an airborne relay, confirming every strike. It features an entirely different warhead, proprietary communications architecture, and an advanced relay protocol that enabled deep operational strikes at 140 to 170 kilometers," Rymaruk stated, confirming that Ukrainian engineers mastered mesh-network drone control well before Russian forces attempted similar tactics.