President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the first combat deployment of a domestically produced Ukrainian ballistic missile could occur as early as this fall.
Speaking during a national telethon on Saturday, Aug. 8, Zelensky was asked if the public should believe claims by the Ukrainian defense company Fire Point that its ballistic missile could see combat this fall.
“You have to believe it,” Zelensky replied.
While expressing confidence in the weapon’s initial combat debut, the president emphasized that widespread deployment will require significant international cooperation.
“As for mass application, I cannot say, because there are things that do not depend on Ukraine. It is like the ballistics of the Russians – there are elements from other countries. The same with our ballistics – there are few, but there are some elements from other countries,” Zelensky explained.
“When we talk about mass application, we must know that there must be a supply of a large number of such elements from other countries. Therefore, it depends on readiness, contracts, payments, and many different things.”
Despite the supply chain hurdles, Zelensky praised the developers. “In any case, the designers of [Fire Point] – we have no one closer to ballistics than them.”
Fire Point’s dual-purpose FP7 program
Zelensky’s comments align with the development of Fire Point’s FP7 missile program.
The FP7 was initially designed as a surface-to-surface strike weapon. According to Fire Point CEO Iryna Terekh, the strike variant has already completed approximately 15 test launches and is currently undergoing final certification by Ukraine’s Defense Ministry.
Terekh stated last week that this certification process could take another two to four weeks, putting the company on track for the missile’s first combat deployment against ground targets by early autumn.
However, the FP7 platform is also being adapted for a defensive role, which will take significantly longer to deploy.
The Freyja interceptor project
A faster variant of the missile, designated the FP7.X, is currently being developed as an anti-ballistic interceptor as part of the pan-European “Freyja” missile defense initiative.
Launched in Paris in July with the backing of 10 European governments and 12 defense companies, the Freyja project aims to create a highly capable but significantly cheaper alternative to the US-made Patriot system.
Fire Point aims to keep the cost of an FP7.X interceptor below €1 million ($1.2 million), a fraction of the cost of a Patriot interceptor.
While the strike variant of the FP7 is nearing deployment, the FP7.X interceptor requires complex integration with European-made surveillance radars, tracking radars, and missile seekers.
“Right now we are in the most intense and also the most complicated stage of finally assembling everything together,” Terekh said.
Norwegian defense firm Kongsberg is developing the command-and-control center, and German company Diehl Defence is reportedly in talks to provide guidance systems. Fire Point hopes to achieve its first successful ballistic missile interception with the FP7.X by mid-2027.