While the UK is planning to acquire the Lockheed Martin Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) programme to extend the Army’s current land-based strike range by 2027, Ukraine is manufacturing and launching ballistic missiles at Russia.
Founded in 2022, Fire Point now employs 6,000 people, 25% of whom work in its R&D department. Its FP-5 Flamingo is a seven-metre ground-launched cruise missile with a range of 3,000 km and a speed of 650-700 km/hr. One of the FP-5’s key advantages is its capability to operate in conditions of active electronic warfare. The system does not rely solely on GPS navigation and utilises a combined control system. On 10 June, an FP-5 Flamingo struck the VNIIR-Progress defence enterprise in Cheboksary, Chuvash Republic, Russia.
Fire Point has tested its FP-7.X ballistic missile, which will serve as the foundation for the FREYA missile defence project. This project aims to create a pan-European, integrated air and missile defence system designed to counter ballistic missile threats through a combination of Ukrainian interceptor technology and NATO-compatible European radar and command infrastructure. At Eurosatory 2026, Iryna Terekh, the company’s executive director, told ARMADA International that the test involved a fully controlled flight of the missile. It is said to be capable of reaching speeds of 1,500-2,000 m/s, carrying a 200 kg payload over a range of 250 km. The missile uses a domestically produced solid-fuel motor and is launched via a hot-launch system from a lightweight mobile launcher developed by Fire Point. The company is currently collaborating with European missile manufacturer MBDA on further missile development linked to the Freya project.
A much larger ballistic missile, the FP-9, is currently under development at Fire Point. It will carry a maximum payload of 800 kg over 850 km at a top speed of 2,100 m/s. Its large solid rocket motor produces a thrust of 37,000 kg. Manufactured using continuous filament winding of carbon fibre and epoxy resin, the engine weighs 570 kg, with an additional 4,700 kg of propellant.
Ukraine will soon be able to hit targets at tactical distances with the FP-7, and with the FP-9, this capability will be elevated to the operational level, although no timeline for this programme has been disclosed.
by David Oliver
