The Ukrainian defense technology company Fire Point presented its own long-range ballistic missile, the FP-9, at the international arms exhibition DALO Industry Days in Denmark, UNN writes.
The FP-9 is a ballistic missile designed to deliver a payload of up to 800 kg and hit targets at a distance of up to 855 km.
"The FP-9 is what we are putting a great deal of effort and all our dedication into in order to complete it as quickly as possible. It is a major challenge," Fire Point CEO and CTO Iryna Terekh said at a press conference.
According to her, the greatest challenge was the scale of the missile.
"We are currently casting engines for the FP-9. Just for comparison: the rocket engine for the FP-7 (another ballistic missile produced by the company, with a range of up to 200 km — ed.) contains about one tonne of propellant, whereas the FP-9 contains more than 4.5 tonnes of propellant," Terekh explained.
Iryna Terekh at the company's booth at the DALO Industry Days exhibition (the FP-7 missile is on the left, the FP-9 on the right)
The company believes that the launch of a long-range ballistic missile will become a turning point.
"Although I generally do not believe in the concept of a \"wow effect,\" I do believe that a long-range ballistic missile will become a kind of turning point in this war," Iryna Terekh stressed.
Fire Point is working on two ballistic missiles. The company calls the FP-7, with a range of up to 200 km, a cheaper response to the American ATACMS. The second, the FP-9, is designed to fly 800–850 kilometers — enough to reach Moscow. The company promises to launch the FP-9 by the end of the year.
Earlier, Iryna Terekh said that the company was financing its ballistic missile program with its own money and that the manufacturer had received not a single hryvnia from the state budget for design work.
In addition to ballistic missiles, Fire Point produces the long-range FP-1 and FP-2 drones, as well as the FP-5 "Flamingo" cruise missile, capable of flying 3,000 kilometers. According to the company, it is these mass-produced products that generate the money for the missile program.