Destinus unveils Ruta Block 2 cruise missile with 450+ km range for frontline strike.

Destinus unveiled the Ruta Block 2, a 450 km-class AI-guided cruise missile built for low-altitude strikes in contested airspace.

On January 15, 2026, Destinus unveiled the Ruta Block 2, a mid-range autonomous cruise missile with a stated range exceeding 450 kilometers and a 250-kilogram payload for strikes against fixed high-value targets. The Block 2 marks a departure from the earlier Ruta Block 1 missile-drone as it incorporates autonomous, AI-based guidance with anti-jam features and is intended for integration with mobile launchers and allied command-and-control architectures.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link

The Ruta Block 2 is a clear break from the original Ruta, which had often been seen as a missile-drone rather than a full cruise missile, with a heavier warhead, longer reach, and guidance based on artificial intelligence rather than simple preset navigation. (Picture source: Destinus)

The Ruta Block 2 marks a departure from the earlier Ruta Block 1 that had often been characterized as a missile-drone, as is now positioned as a fully fledged cruise missile. Destinus highlights a heavier payload, extended range, and artificial intelligence-based guidance designed to function under electronic interference. The Ruta Block 2 missile is said to be booster-assisted and canister-launched, optimized for low-altitude flight profiles, and equipped with an anti-jam suite intended to sustain accuracy in defended airspace. Compatibility with allied launchers and command-and-control architectures, including C2 and AI-swarm systems, is emphasized as part of its design logic. The company, currently based in Hengelo, the Netherlands, also frames the Ruta as suitable for scalable production and deployment from self-propelled or mobile missile launchers.

The Ruta Block 2, also known as Destinus Strike Ruta Block2, is a cruise missile with a range exceeding 450 kilometers and a payload of 250 kilograms, to strike armored vehicles, concrete structures, and troop concentrations. The Block 2 is described as autonomous, relying on an AI multimodal guidance system for navigation and terminal engagement, with an integrated anti-jam capability to counter electronic warfare effects. Destinus links this new guidance concept to the missile’s ability to operate inside layered air defense zones while maintaining strike accuracy. The Ruta Block 2 is also said to be compatible with mobile launch concepts, reinforcing its role within dispersed ground-based strike architectures. Overall, the Block 2 configuration reflects a new emphasis on reach, payload mass, and precision against fixed high-value targets.

The airframe and launch architecture of the Ruta Block 2 differ materially from the original Ruta, known as the Block 1, with Destinus highlighting a redesigned low-observable form and folding wings. The folding wing arrangement enables launches from ground-based transport-launch containers as well as from underwing aircraft hardpoints, expanding employment flexibility. The missile uses a booster-assisted canister launch, with the booster providing initial acceleration before transition to sustained powered flight. Low-altitude flight is described as a core operating profile, supporting penetration of defended corridors rather than loitering patterns. Destinus also underlines its compatibility with allied launch systems and broader command networks, suggesting coalition integration as a design consideration. These elements collectively frame the Block 2 as an almost new cruise missile rather than a limited modification of the earlier Ruta.

The nose section is shaped to accommodate a thermal-imaging or imaging-infrared homing seeker intended for the final phase of flight, supporting precision against stationary targets. This terminal concept is comparable in principle to solutions used on modern cruise missiles such as the Storm Shadow/SCALP, where imaging seekers support accuracy in contested environments. The AI-based guidance is intended to maintain navigation and targeting even under jamming or spoofing conditions. Destinus also links the missile to potential coordination with C2 and AI-swarm systems, implying future employment concepts involving coordinated strikes rather than single-weapon use. The stated objective is to combine autonomy, electronic resilience, and terminal precision in a single effector.

In May 2025, Destinus announced the integration of a GPS-independent and electronic-warfare-resistant navigation system developed by UAV Navigation into the original Ruta, alongside a broader cooperation framework discussed during FEINDEF 2025. That partnership was described as covering joint development, production, and commercialization of Ruta missiles, with an emphasis on adapting the system to Spanish Armed Forces requirements and expanding international availability. The navigation system was already described as supporting autonomous navigation, target-referenced mission execution, and terminal engagement under jamming or spoofing, including low-altitude flight. In November 2025, Destinus also announced plans to integrate the Hivemind combat AI from Shield AI into Ruta and Hornet systems, with testing of long-range weapons combined with combat AI referenced for 2026.

The earlier Ruta missile-drone, known as the Ruta Block 1, had a maximum takeoff mass not exceeding 300 kilograms, a length of 3.93 meters, a wingspan of 2.25 meters, and an operational range commonly cited at 300 kilometers, with other claims extending to 500 kilometers. Cruise speed has been described as Mach 0.8, and terminal accuracy has been stated at 15 m² CEP. The airframe was modular, with interchangeable payload bays, internal modular fuel tanks, avionics and electronic warfare subsystems, and detachable wings for storage and transport. Launch is booster-assisted, while recovery for non-strike variants is parachute-based with deployable airbags, and a vertical-landing option has been mentioned as a future path. Destinus has also associated the Ruta with missions beyond strike, including intelligence gathering, surveillance, emergency response, emergency cargo delivery, and target training, with production in Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, and possibly Ukraine.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.