Romania has made a significant step in the development of its own cruise missiles through the Sahara project, developed by OVES Enterprise, previously known for digital technologies but recently expanding into the arms industry, according to a Ukrainian press source.
According to Defence Express, the Sahara missile, launched in 2025, has reached an advanced stage of development, with the first tests successfully completed.
The system integrates Nemesis AI, an artificial intelligence designed to quickly adapt the missile to the flight mission and protect it against satellite navigation system jamming, automatically switching to inertial navigation if interference is detected.
The missile has a mass of 55 kg, of which 10 kg are reserved for the explosive payload or other useful tasks, and a turbojet engine developing 310 N of thrust.
The estimated flight range is about 200 km, with a cruise speed of 0.85 Mach. OVES Enterprise also plans versions with extended ranges of 500-600 km and even 900-1,100 km.
The investment in the project has already reached around 1 million euros, with an additional 2 million euros allocated for testing and optimization.
Sahara is set to be officially presented in May 2026, and a full operational capacity demonstration is planned for the end of next year.
Defense Express notes that Sahara is the only publicly known Romanian long-range missile initiative so far and that the project is unusual, being carried out by a contractor who has just entered the defense sector.
Currently, if the Romanian Army needs long-range strikes, it relies on coastal systems equipped with NSM anti-ship missiles, which also have ground attack capabilities.
Defense Express Media & Consulting Company, which provided the information, is a firm specialized in defense and security media consulting and analysis, with 22 years of experience in industrial policy analysis and military cooperation.