This weekly defence briefing from GRYD covers 24 to 30 October 2026, a week about firing, stopping and building missiles. Ukraine says it destroyed two Su-34 bombers, Houthi missiles were shot down over Riyadh and Japan will assemble AMRAAM missiles.
- Key takeaways
- 1. Ukraine says Neptune missiles destroyed two Su-34s
- 2. Houthi missiles at Riyadh, fires in Hormuz
- 3. Japan will assemble AMRAAM missiles
- 4. North Korea fires about 10 ballistic missiles
- 5. Russia test-fires a Bulava from the Sea of Okhotsk
- 6. Europe’s missile makers scale up
- 7. Ethiopia receives its first Su-35s
- The thread: mass beats perfection
- What to watch next week
- Sources
Key takeaways
- Ukraine’s Navy says Neptune missiles destroyed two Su-34s at Marinovka airfield, the second such raid this month.
- Japan will host a final assembly and inspection facility for the AMRAAM air-to-air missile.
- Destinus says it now builds nearly 300 Ruta cruise missiles a month in Europe.
1. Ukraine says Neptune missiles destroyed two Su-34s
Ukraine’s Navy said on 29 October that domestically made Neptune missiles destroyed two Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers at Marinovka airfield in Volgograd Oblast, and President Volodymyr Zelensky said an Iskander launcher was also hit, the Kyiv Independent reports. The Navy gave no visual proof. Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) says Russia has about 140 Su-34s, has lost 43 and can build about 14 to 18 a year. A drone strike on Dnipro station killed at least 14 people as a US-mediated local ceasefire held around occupied Oleshky, the Kyiv Independent reports.
GRYD takeaway: Two jets is a small dent in the fleet, but each raid costs Russia weeks of production.
2. Houthi missiles at Riyadh, fires in Hormuz
The Saudi-led coalition said air defences shot down two Houthi ballistic missiles fired at Riyadh on 29 October, injuring one person, Arab News reports. “Air defenses intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the terrorist Houthi militia toward Riyadh,” coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Malki said, according to Al Arabiya. At sea, the UK Maritime Trade Operations centre (UKMTO) logged a tanker hit by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz and, on 30 October, a vessel on fire off Khasab, Oman. US Central Command rejected a claim by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to have captured a US target drone: “In the past weeks and months, the IRGC has repeatedly lied out of desperation, and today is no different,” spokesman Captain Tim Hawkins told TWZ.
GRYD takeaway: Saudi interceptor stocks are being tested almost daily. Last week’s briefing covered the RAF Typhoons sent to help.
3. Japan will assemble AMRAAM missiles
Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said the US and Japan agreed on “the establishment of a final assembly and inspection facility in Japan” for the Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM), and to share data to raise production of the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IIA interceptor, Breaking Defense reports. No partner, timeline or output figure was given. US output is also rising, TWZ notes.
GRYD takeaway: Washington is turning allies into second production lines for the weapons it is shortest of.
4. North Korea fires about 10 ballistic missiles
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea fired about 10 short-range ballistic missiles from Wonsan on 29 October, each flying about 250 km, the Associated Press reports. State media said the next day the launches were a live-fire demonstration of suicide drones, tactical cruise missiles and a battalion of 600mm rocket launchers at a drone exhibition attended by Kim Jong Un, NK News reports. Kim called for “absolute superiority” in drones, NK News adds, and Seoul urged the North to stop, Yonhap reports.
GRYD takeaway: Pyongyang presents drones and rockets as one strike package. See also Kim’s China trip.
5. Russia test-fires a Bulava from the Sea of Okhotsk
Russia’s Defence Ministry said the Pacific Fleet’s Borei-A submarine Generalissimo Suvorov fired a Bulava submarine-launched ballistic missile from under the Sea of Okhotsk, state news agency TASS reports. The ministry said the warheads reached the range at the expected time. Each Borei carries 16 Bulavas, with an estimated range of 8,300 km, AeroTime reports, citing the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
GRYD takeaway: Moscow keeps its sea-based nuclear deterrent in public view while the war in Ukraine grinds on.
6. Europe’s missile makers scale up
Destinus told Reuters it has built more than 1,750 Ruta cruise missiles and makes nearly 300 a month, more in a month than Europe built in a year before Russia’s full-scale invasion, Defense News reports. “To have sufficient deterrence, you need to have tens of thousands of missiles,” chief executive Mikhail Kokorich said. On 26 October Helsing unveiled Contra, an AI-controlled air defence system, with two new interceptors.
GRYD takeaway: European start-ups now compete on volume. Compare Norway’s approach in our Kongsberg NSM report.
7. Ethiopia receives its first Su-35s
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said Ethiopia has received its first Su-35 fighters, a year early, and will get 12 jets and four S-400 batteries, according to Reuters via Yahoo News and the Ethiopian News Agency. Russia’s arms exporter Rosoboronexport told Reuters “the first batch of two Su-35 aircraft was delivered to the Ethiopian Air Force today”. Anadolu notes rising tension with Eritrea and renewed fighting in Tigray.
GRYD takeaway: Russian jets and air defences are reaching a tense Horn of Africa ahead of schedule.
The thread: mass beats perfection
Most of this week’s stories are about numbers. Ukraine is trying to destroy Su-34s faster than Russia can build them, Saudi Arabia spends interceptors on Houthi missiles every few days, and North Korea fired about 10 in one demonstration. On the supply side, AMRAAM assembly is coming to Japan and Destinus is scaling up fast.
Stockpiles decide how long a country can fight. A cheap missile that exists beats an advanced one on order. For the interceptor side of that story, see our report on Poland’s PAC-3 MSE repair hub.
What to watch next week
- Whether the Oleshky ceasefire holds, and the first US-mediated three-way peace talks since February.
- Houthi launches at Saudi cities and new UKMTO alerts.
- A partner, timeline and output figure for AMRAAM assembly in Japan.
Find every edition in GRYD Briefings.
Sources
- Kyiv Independent: Ukraine destroys 2 Russian Su-34 bomber jets in Neptune missile strike on airfield, Navy says
- Kyiv Independent: Drone strike on Dnipro station kills 14
- Arab News: 1 injured in Riyadh after Saudi air defenses shoot down Houthi missiles
- Al Arabiya: Saudi air defenses intercept two Houthi ballistic missiles targeting Riyadh
- UKMTO: Recent incidents
- TWZ: Let’s talk about the US target drone Iran claims to have recovered intact
- Breaking Defense: US, Japan reach agreements for AMRAAM assembly, SM-3 production boost
- TWZ: Japan to assemble AMRAAM missiles as US moves to dramatically boost AIM-120 production
- Associated Press: North Korea fires ballistic missiles
- NK News: North Korea says it launched barrage of 600mm ‘Sniper’ rockets at live-fire demo
- NK News: Kim Jong Un calls for ‘absolute’ drone superiority
- Yonhap: Cheong Wa Dae urges N. Korea to cease provocations following missile launch
- TASS (Russian state media): Generalissimo Suvorov submarine test-launches Bulava
- AeroTime: Russian Borei-A submarine Bulava missile launch
- Defense News: Destinus’ monthly output tops Europe’s pre-war annual cruise missile production
- Helsing: Helsing unveils Contra autonomous air defence
- Reuters via Yahoo News: Ethiopia says it has taken delivery of Su-35 jets
- Ethiopian News Agency: Ethiopia takes delivery of 12 Su-35 fighter jets, to receive S-400 air defense systems: PM Abiy
- Anadolu Agency: Ethiopia receives 12 Russian Su-35 fighter jets, plans to acquire S-400 air defenses
