Ukrainian manufacturers have begun standardizing deep strike systems to make them easier for the military to use
Kyiv • UNN
Standardizing deep strike parameters should simplify the preparation and planning of combat missions. Manufacturers seek to preserve competition in the market.
Ukrainian manufacturers of long-range UAVs are already working on the standardization of deep strike according to specific parameters. This should simplify the preparation, planning, and work of combat units. This was reported by a serviceman of the First Separate Center of the Unmanned Systems Forces with the call sign "Kasper" and Fire Point CEO and CTO Iryna Terekh, reports UNN.
Combat missions are easier to plan with deep-strike systems that have similar characteristics
We are already moving toward this (the standardization of deep strike — ed.). It is not in the form (of a product — ed.); it concerns certain parameters that I will not disclose right now, but standardization is underway
As an example, he cited the work of servicemen in 2023–2024, when the UAV fleet was very large.
If you list all these names, you can simply get confused by the names alone. And the guys had to know how to work with each of them. And they are all different. Each one has a different checklist and different training
According to the serviceman, it is much easier to work with deep strike when there are, conventionally, several systems that are more or less similar in their parameters — in terms of how they launch and their tactical and technical characteristics.
Then planning is much easier for you because you do not have this zoo, and you understand: "So, this is a ‘horns and hooves’ drone; it has a 10-kilogram warhead and a range of 500 km. Where do we launch it? Right. That one has a range of 200 km; we will launch it there. And this one has a range of 1,000 km. It is simply a nightmare
Standardization of strike UAVs will preserve competition in the drone market
Iryna Terekh, CEO and CTO of the Ukrainian manufacturer of long-range UAVs Fire Point, noted that in this context, the standardization of certain functions should be considered.
For example, making all aircraft launch according to the same principle, or ensuring that they are transported or stored in such a way that different systems can be more or less consolidated. I think this is a very cool and harmonious arrangement, in which competition can be preserved, but it does not impose an additional mental burden on the units, and for them there is no substantial difference between choosing one, two, three, or four systems
Iryna Terekh compared operating a strike drone with driving a car, when it is easier for a driver to switch from a new car with an automatic transmission to another new car with an automatic.
In addition, according to her, Ukraine has experimental combat units that test new systems in real combat conditions so that manufacturers can make improvements if necessary. At the same time, the CEO of Fire Point emphasized that manufacturers are responsible for providing a quality product for testing so as not to waste the servicemen’s time.
Therefore, when they bring completely raw products for testing and say, "Come on, get going" — that annoys me more. But if it is a joint effort in which everyone understands the value of time, the value of the personnel, and is ready to move very quickly on their own, without delegating the improvement of their system to the military, then this is an absolutely normal, great thing that both develops the market and, in principle, has a positive impact. And as the classics wrote, any monopoly exceeding 40% in any segment of the market is harmful both to the market and to the monopolist. And we will have to remember this. There must always be an alternative, but the operating principle, at least the automatic systems, is something that should be standardized
As a reminder
Fire Point produces the FP-1 and FP-2 long-range drones, as well as the FP-5 "Flamingo" cruise missile, capable of flying 3,000 kilometers.
In addition, the company 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 travel 800–850 kilometers — enough to reach moscow. The company promises to launch the FP-9 by the end of the year.
In the near future, the FP-7 is planned to be tested during a strike on the territory of russia.
At the same time, Fire Point is working on launching the Freyja antiballistic program. The project involves integrating the Ukrainian FP-7.x interceptor, developed by Fire Point, German radar technology, and Norwegian guidance technology into a single system. Fire Point plans to begin using the first interceptors on the battlefield in mid-2027.