The co-founders of the Ukrainian defense company Fire Point, Iryna Terekh and Denys Shtilerman, have revealed details about the development of the FP-7 and FP-9 ballistic missiles, which are positioned as a low-cost alternative to Western systems like ATACMS, according to an exclusive interview with Deutsche Welle (DW).
They have announced a strategic mission for the coming years: to create an open architecture anti-ballistic air defense shield for the whole of Europe.
Details of plans for FP-7 and FP-9 ballistic missiles.
According to Denis Stielerman, the FP-7 is a "cheap replacement for ATACMS," with a range of up to 300 km and a low weight warhead. "This missile is designed for short-range strikes where high speed and accuracy are required. The more powerful FP-9 has a range of 800-850 km and a warhead weighing 800 kg. 800 kilometers is Moscow, it's St. Petersburg," he said bluntly, emphasizing the missile's potential to reach key russian centers.
Stillerman explained that the missiles are undergoing final tests.
"Now we are conducting tests because there were very big organizational problems. They have already been resolved and we are conducting final tests," he said.
Shtilerman expects to receive codification and enter service as early as February 2026.
"I'm afraid I thought we would be done by the new year. But we had a number of events that prevented us from doing so. I hope that in February we will complete all the tests that are necessary for codification," Shtilerman said.
Iryna Terekh added that ballistics is a key element in overcoming powerful air defense systems, such as the three circuits around moscow.
"It will be much easier to hit Moscow with ballistic missiles. We need to understand that neither cruise missiles nor drones will reach Moscow in any large percentage that can make a significant impact on Moscow or its infrastructure. Therefore, the only hope is ballistics with a high speed of hitting the target. More than 1200 meters per second," she said.
Shtilerman compared the speed of development to historical examples to emphasize the advantages of the Ukrainian approach.
"Even countries with a lot of experience and a strong missile program spent decades to develop ballistic missiles. France, for example, spent 15 years with its M51 ballistic missile. The S-400, a Russian system, was also developed over 15 years," he said.
In contrast, Fire Point achieves results quickly due to the lack of bureaucracy in Ukraine, in particular, Resolution 256 of March 2022, which simplified processes for defense companies.
Shtilerman emphasized that the plans for the next year are to focus on ballistics, and in 2-3 years to create an anti-ballistic air defense shield for the whole of Europe.
"This shield will be based on an open architecture with software that guarantees independence from the manufacturer or country," he explained
The main challenge for the defense industry, he said, is to reduce the cost of intercepting russian missiles such as Iskander.
"Currently, intercepting an Eskander costs more than USD 6 million. We want to "drop" this to, well, a million, a million and a half, so that it costs to intercept Iskanders," Shtilerman explained.
This will be achieved by using the FP-7 as a "clone of the Russian S-400," but composite and cheap, with a simple control method. The missile will not have the ability to be remotely disabled.
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