What the press from Ukraine writes about Sahara, the first Romanian rocket with artificial intelligence
A Romanian software company has developed its first autonomous cruise missile integrated with artificial intelligence, capable of flying at low altitude and operating even in disturbed navigation conditions. The project, called Sahara, has reached an advanced stage of development, and official demonstrations are expected in the spring or fall of this year.
According to the Ukrainian publication Defense Express, the development of the Sahara cruise missile, equipped with a minimalistic 10 kg warhead, has already involved costs of about 1 million euros, with another 2 million euros for testing and refinement. The initiative belongs to the OVES Enterprise company, known mainly for digital technologies, which has expanded its activity in the field of long-range weaponry.
The company says the missile, launched as a project in 2025, is at an advanced stage and initial tests have been successfully completed. Sahara is designed as an integrated system that includes Nemesis AI, an artificial intelligence solution that quickly adapts the missile to the established flight mission.
According to the information cited by Defense Romania, obtained directly from the developers, artificial intelligence also has the role of ensuring resistance to satellite navigation jamming. The algorithm analyzes data from satellites and on-board sensors every 200 milliseconds to detect spoofing attempts and electronic interference, and automatically switches to the inertial navigation system if necessary.
The missile is powered by a miniature turbojet engine with a thrust of 310 N and weighs approximately 55 kg, of which up to 10 kg can be allocated to the warhead or other payload. The declared range is about 200 km, possible thanks to a fuel reserve of 20 kg, and the estimated flight speed is Mach 0.85. The developers also announced the intention to create variants with an extended range of 500-600 km and even 900-1,100 km.
How the project is evaluated by the Ukrainian press
From the perspective of Defense Express, the Sahara currently represents “the only Romanian long-range missile development project known to the public“. The publication notes that the project is being carried out by a non-traditional defense contractor that entered the military sector relatively recently.
As for the specifications, especially the 10 kg warhead, the cited source points out that the Sahara is still far from a full cruise missile and even some so-called “missile drones“However, the project reflects an increasingly visible trend in the United States, where the US Marine Corps has chosen the Red Wolf cruise missile, which carries up to 10 kg of explosives and has a range of about 370 km.
“Currently, there is no publicly known national missile development program in Romania. If the Romanian armed forces need to carry out long-range strikes independently, they currently rely on coastal missile systems armed with NSM anti-ship missiles, which they also have the ability to attack ground targets. By 2025, the Norwegian company Kongsberg has declared a range of 185 km for the NSM, but more recently a figure exceeding 300 km has been announced”comments Defense Express.
