Ukrainian weapons manufacturer Fire Point has found a way to carry out long-range strikes on the territory of Russia and temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine without using satellite communications from SpaceX.
Ukrainian weapons manufacturer Fire Point has found a way to carry out long-range strikes on the territory of Russia and temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine without using satellite communications from SpaceX.
This was reported by the company’s CEO Iryna Terek in an interview with Reuters. As the publication notes, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have long faced speed restrictions when using SpaceX services. For 10 days, Ukrainian drones lost contact with the service while flying at speeds exceeding 160 km/h.
According to the 34-year-old head of Fire Point, the company has been developing its systems from the beginning with the possibility of satellite outages in mind. The main priority for developers was navigation that could work without an external signal.
“We have found a way to technologically overcome this problem, but it probably covers only 15-20% of what we could do if Starlink worked over the territory of Russia,” Terek noted during a visit to London.
She added that full access to SpaceX satellite systems over Russian territory would be a “tipping point” for destroying important targets, including ballistic missile launchers. In addition, Fire Point has created a new tactical ballistic missile that should strengthen the defense of Ukrainian cities amid a shortage of air defense assets.
“We seek an alliance with America in which the rules are known in advance, so that the question of whether we are allowed to defend ourselves is not raised anew every few weeks depending on someone’s mood,” the head of Fire Point emphasized.
