Ukrainian defense companies fear European bureaucracy more than the Russians – Fire Point CEO

Ukraine's experience in rapid development, testing, and modernization of weaponry could become one of Ukraine's key contributions to strengthening European security. At the same time, excessive bureaucracy remains the main obstacle to integrating Ukrainian solutions into European defense systems. This was stated by Fire Point CEO and CTO Iryna Terekh during a briefing at the international arms exhibition Eurosatory-2026, reports a correspondent for UNN.

According to her, for the effective use of Ukrainian defense technologies, European countries need to review existing approaches to regulation and procurement in the defense industry sector.

It is very important that our government also works at the doctrinal level and introduces concrete changes. Otherwise, everything we can offer simply won't fit into existing systems. So I will say frankly: we are significantly less afraid of the Russians than of European bureaucracy. And this is precisely the first step that must be taken so that Ukrainian technology companies can truly transfer their experience, successful experience, and provide partners with their systems that have proven their effectiveness in the conditions of modern warfare 

As an example, she cited the process of creating and certifying the Ukrainian Flamingo missile.

When I completed the development of a missile, for example, the Flamingo – the certification process took five weeks, including all tests. After five weeks, it was certified and ready for service in the Ukrainian army. I cannot even imagine what these timelines would be in the EU, given the number of required tests, the availability of testing ranges, coordination between aviation, electronic warfare units, and numerous other points of agreement. For us, all of this was done very quickly 

Another advantage, according to Iryna Terekh, is the rapid defense procurement system in Ukraine, which allows for a swift response to changes on the front line.

Firstly, the procurement process itself is as fast as possible for us. But in addition, it allows us to make technical changes without changing the price of the product. If we believe that certain electronic systems are outdated and need to be replaced according to the current situation at the front, we can do it without any excessive paperwork, literally in a matter of days. And this is also extremely important for the needs of the front line 

Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council David Aloyan added at a joint briefing with Iryna Terekh that flexibility has become one of the main advantages of the Ukrainian defense-industrial complex during the war.

The conditions of combat operations in Ukraine change very rapidly, and therefore we must also be flexible at the government level. Improving procurement processes is one of the achievements we have made over these years. Whereas in some European countries, individual procurement processes or strategies require at least one to two years just for preparation to form a project and allocate financial resources, and after that, rigid and unchangeable requirements are imposed on the product. This simply does not correspond to the realities of modern war and how rapidly everything changes on the battlefield 

Aloyan added that Ukraine is already engaged in a dialogue with European partners regarding the adaptation of defense procedures to new challenges.

As a reminder 

As UNN previously wrote, the FP-5 "Flamingo" is a modern ground-based system UAV/cruise missile produced by the Ukrainian company Fire Point. 

The Flamingo was developed to deliver a specified combat payload of up to 1150 kg to strike ground targets with fixed topographic coordinates at a range of up to 3000 km, both day and night. The missile is capable of hitting a target even under conditions of active electronic interference.

Fire Point emphasizes that the FP-5 stands out for its ease of use and low cost. It is the largest system of its class, yet it remains simple to manufacture and launch. It does not require expensive launch platforms – its launchers are reusable, making deployment more economical. 

Open sources indicated that the missile was built based on AI-25 or AI-25TL engines; however, back in March 2026, the co-founder and chief designer of Fire Point, Denys Shtilerman, stated that the company is completing the development of its own engine, which will be manufactured at the company's production facilities.