The Ukrainian company Fire Point, which produces cruise missiles “Flamingo“ and combat drones, is working on creating its own missile defense system to intercept Russian ballistic missiles, writes the German publication Tagesspiegel.
As noted in the material, Ukraine continues to experience a shortage of means to combat ballistic missiles. The most effective system of this type remains the American Patriot, but they are not enough, and the price of interceptor missiles reaches several million dollars.
In early June, the head of Fire Point Irina Terek announced the tests of the FP-7.X interceptor missile and published a video of the launch. According to her, this missile should become the basis of a new complex called "Freya", which will also include a radar for target detection, the publication writes.
The company expects the system to be ready for use by the end of 2027. Terek admitted that such a goal may seem "unrealistic and very ambitious", but promised to make every effort to achieve it.
Expert in missile technology and defense policy Fabian Hoffman believes that the idea itself has potential. According to his assessment, Fire Point is striving to create interceptor missiles at a price of less than one million dollars each.
Goffman gave an example that to achieve a probability of intercepting a target of 90%, two Patriot missiles with a total cost of about 14.6 million dollars may be needed. At the same time, according to his calculations, a similar result could be achieved with the help of four Fire Point missiles worth a total of about $4 million.
"Theoretically, this sounds good", the expert noted.
Goffman also drew attention to the complexity of developing modern anti-missile systems. He recalled that the “Patriot“ complex has been developed since 1967 and was put into operation in 1984, and the current level of effectiveness was reached after decades of testing and modernization.
According to the expert, the European SAMP/T system is also going through a similar path. Therefore, the main question is whether Fire Point will be able to implement its plans within the announced deadlines.
“If Fire Point wants to fulfill its promise, it will have to break this historical model“, – summed up Goffmann.
Earlier, the co-founder and chief designer of the Fire Point company Denis Shtilerman reported that Ukraine had begun deploying its own satellite network. The first two devices are already in orbit. And in 2027, the developers plan to launch "dozens" more satellites into space, which will allow Ukraine to rely less on the United States and private Western corporations.
The company also announced the creation of a Ukrainian ballistic missile. The full implementation of the plans for the missile program requires significant funds. However, the leading researcher of the NAU Valery Romanenko considers these prospects doubtful.