The Ukrainian defense company Fire Point has found technological solutions that enable the Defense Forces to carry out long-range strike missions against the territory of russia and the occupied areas of Ukraine without SpaceX satellite communications. The company’s CEO, Iryna Terekh, said this in an interview with Reuters, reports UNN.
Details
According to Terekh, the company’s systems were designed from the outset with the possibility of a lack of satellite communications in mind.
We built them with this in mind. Fire Point systems are designed to complete a mission without satellite communications. Navigation that operates without any external signal is a priority
The Fire Point CEO did not disclose details of these solutions. At the same time, she acknowledged that full access to SpaceX systems over russia would significantly expand the capabilities of Ukrainian strikes.
We found a way to overcome this challenge technologically, but this probably covers only 15–20% of what we could do if Starlink worked over Russia
In her view, full access to SpaceX satellite systems would radically change the capabilities for strikes against valuable targets, including the launchers of Russian ballistic missiles.
In October, Ukraine operated with Starlink speed restrictions for about 10 days. These restrictions complicated drone interceptions and the execution of strike missions. The restrictions were in effect at a time when U.S. President Donald Trump was pressuring Kyiv to stop strikes against Russian oil refineries. Ukraine later reported that communications had been restored at high speeds.
We want an alliance with America in which the rules are known in advance, so that the question of whether we are allowed to defend ourselves does not return every few weeks depending on someone’s mood
FP-7 Against Iskanders and FP-9 by the End of the Year
Terekh also spoke about the FP-7 tactical ballistic missile, whose first combat use Ukraine confirmed this month. According to her, the missile, with a range of about 300 km, can be used against Iskander launchers, which have time to change position before slower strike drones arrive.
Our new FP-7 missile could, among other things, become a valuable addition to the arsenal of weapons that help protect our cities
According to Terekh, since the FP-7 is a Ukrainian-developed weapon, no foreign state has an "off switch" for this missile.
The company continues to work on the FP-9 ballistic missile, with a range of 800 km. Terekh acknowledged that such a range makes the missile more difficult to develop and test. At the same time, according to her, the FP-9 is "very close" to combat readiness, which should be achieved this year.
She also reported progress on the Freyja project – a pan-European anti-ballistic interceptor coordinated by Fire Point. An interception of a virtual target is expected by the end of 2026, and of a physical target by mid-2027.
It should be recalled
Earlier, Iryna Terekh predicted that in 2027, deep-strike systems would operate almost without GPS navigation. If it appeared on individual sections of the route, this would be more a matter of luck than the rule. Therefore, autonomous navigation will become one of the key areas for modernizing the company’s strike UAVs.
On October 1, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported the first combat use of the FP-7 ballistic missile and published a video of its launch. According to an assessment by The New York Times, this returns Ukraine to the small group of countries capable of independently producing ballistic missiles.
FP-7. First combat use. Source: social media of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy