Ukraine strikes Russian semiconductor plant with AGM-188A Rusty Dagger missile

By: Carter Johnston

American and Norwegian-developed Rusty Dagger cruise missiles slam into Russia's Voronezh Semiconductor Device Plant in June.

Recovered missile debris highlights the operational impact of the AGM-188A Rusty Dagger, Ukraine’s high-survivability, long-range strike weapon.

On June 6, Russian military forces recovered a Controlled Reception Pattern Antenna (CRPA) from missile wreckage found inside Russia. The antenna was traced back to Zone 5 Technologies — a company recently acquired by Norway’s Kongsberg — via an identifying CAGE code on the debris. That antenna was the guidance element of an AGM-188A Rusty Dagger low-cost cruise missile, a weapon currently competing in the U.S. Air Force’s Extended Range Attack Munition (ERAM) and Family of Affordable Mass Munitions competitions.

Russian media and military analysts were perplexed by the weapon’s presence deep inside Russian territory, noting its range and survivability against jamming compared to Ukraine’s FP-1 drones, which — while still capable — have achieved impact rates below 50%. The weapon featured robust anti-jamming equipment and identifying codes linking its construction to NATO partners in Europe and the United States.

Less than two weeks later, the same type of missile debris was found in the rubble of Russia’s largest semiconductor plant. Rusty Dagger missiles had flown over 200 miles to the Voronezh Semiconductor Plant, rendering the facility’s production lines — critical for manufacturing dozens of Russian missile and drone systems — useless.

Ukraine’s MiG-29 and Su-27 fleet carried out the attack, according to officials familiar with the weapon’s deployment, paying homage to Russia’s countless claims of having completed the total destruction of the Ukrainian Air Force’s fixed-wing aviation fleet — which, even this month, continues to fly combat missions.

Since the first attacks in June, Zone 5’s Rusty Dagger has proven itself as Ukraine’s most capable and effective long-range strike weapon, demonstrating “extreme survivability” even against Russia’s most capable air defense systems, according to a source who spoke with Naval News on condition of anonymity. Strikes have been successful against several military targets, underscoring the weapon’s success while showcasing NATO’s quiet role in enabling Russia’s defeat beyond the battlefield.

A Rusty Dagger ERAM sits under the wing of an F-16C model at the Arnold Engineering Development Complex during a wind tunnel test, supporting an urgent request from the U.S. Air Force’s 96th Test Wing at Eglin Air Force Base in April 2026. The test is supporting ongoing integration of the Rusty Dagger system on U.S. and Ukrainian F-16 Vipers. (U.S. Air Force photo by Keith Thornburgh)

A Rusty Dagger ERAM sits under the wing of an F-16C model at the Arnold Engineering Development Complex during a wind tunnel test, supporting an urgent request from the U.S. Air Force’s 96th Test Wing at Eglin Air Force Base in April 2026. The test is supporting ongoing integration of the Rusty Dagger system on U.S. and Ukrainian F-16 Vipers. (U.S. Air Force photo by Keith Thornburgh)

Naval News understands the Rusty Dagger ERAM is showing extreme survivability, with the last strike having confirmed all missiles reached their target with a confirmed battle damage assessment.

The Rusty Dagger has a range of:

• 300 nautical miles (555 km) in low-altitude strikes
• 500 nautical miles (926 km) in medium-altitude strikes

This gives the missile long reach against targets inside Russia. “[Attacks] are less about occupied Ukraine or Russia, more that the mission planning was designed around unrestricted targeting, […] all to allow deep strike well outside of occupied Ukraine.”

A Growing Threat

Since the June attacks, Russia has been plagued by daily missile alerts that reach as far as Moscow’s air defense rings during major attacks. “This could explain the large amount of quiet missile alerts in Russia,” a second source familiar with Russia’s air defense and early warning systems told Naval News. “We hear on alert pages … but then hear nothing after. That’s happened over the last few weeks a lot, along with more talk of rocket and bomb danger from Ukrainian aircraft.”

In some cases, Russian alerts have been triggered just by Ukrainian Air Force aircraft taking off, mirroring Ukraine’s own practice of sounding alarms when Russian MiG-35Ks take off from bases inside Russia and Belarus. Russia began warning of Ukraine’s air-launched attacks in May.

Warnings like these from Russian Telegram channels frequently note the type of weapon being employed against Russian targets. Often, they note specific weapon types such as jet-powered UAVs, Storm Shadow missiles, or traditional prop-driven UAVs.

Warnings from Russian Telegram channels frequently note the type of weapon being employed against Russian targets. Often, they specify weapon types such as jet-powered UAVs, Storm Shadow missiles, or traditional prop-driven UAVs.