The first combat use of Ukraine’s FP-7 ballistic missile marked an important milestone in restoring the country’s own missile capabilities. After decades during which ballistic missile production in the country had effectively been lost, Ukraine once again acquired the capability to create such systems. FP-7 may now become the foundation for the further development of Ukraine’s missile program, UNN writes.
On October 1, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported the first combat use of FP-7, developed by the Ukrainian defense company Fire Point. The launch site and target were not disclosed, but it is known that the missile has a range of about 250 km and a warhead weighing approximately 200 kg.
Returning to the ballistic missile producers’ club
Ukraine already had its own missile industry. During the Soviet era, enterprises operating in our country produced, among other things, intercontinental ballistic missiles. After the collapse of the USSR, a significant portion of these production lines was shut down, and the missile industry declined.
We have a very powerful missile school. Even 10–20 years ago, Ukrainian rockets were launching commercial satellites into space
Therefore, the emergence of FP-7 is significant not only as the creation of a separate weapons system. Following the first combat use of FP-7, The New York Times called it "Ukraine’s return to the small group of countries that produce ballistic missiles."
What Ukraine’s own ballistic missile capability provides
The emergence of its own ballistic missile is also directly important for conducting the war. Serial production of FP-7 could expand Ukraine’s ability to strike targets at a considerable distance from the front line. As experts point out, potential targets could include command posts, ammunition depots, logistics hubs, repair bases, air defense systems, and other military facilities that Russia is attempting to move farther away from the front.
Ukraine is indeed gaining new capabilities on the battlefield. This is a new trump card. The emergence of our own ballistic missile capability changes the balance of capabilities and is of strategic importance. We will no longer merely react—we are gaining the ability to respond
According to him, if Ukraine can scale up FP-7 production, it will have greater freedom in choosing targets and will be less dependent on partners’ supplies of long-range weapons.
FP-7 could become the foundation for the further development of an entire line of Ukrainian ballistic missiles. It may be not just one specific product, but a technological base on which subsequent systems can be created—with different characteristics, ranges, warheads, and operational capabilities. The company (Fire Point—Ed.) has every chance of becoming one of the foundations of Ukraine’s ballistic missile program. It has good specialists and the relevant expertise, and, most importantly, it already has practical experience
The next stage for Ukraine could be the development of missiles with a longer range. Fire Point is simultaneously working on FP-9, which will have a greater range and be capable of striking Moscow.
Therefore, the development of FP-7 and subsequent Ukrainian missile systems could become one of the important elements of a long-term system for deterring Russia. But the key word here is serial production. Individual successful launches demonstrate technological capability, while stable mass production creates a real military capability
Thus, the first combat use of FP-7 was not simply a test of a new missile in the war for Ukraine. It marked the country’s return to the narrow circle of states capable of independently creating ballistic weapons.