The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Ukraine’s possible first use of a long-range ballistic missile in combat. The occupiers claim that Russian air defense systems allegedly shot down such a target over the past 24 hours, but have not provided any confirmation or details.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Ukraine’s possible first use of a long-range ballistic missile in combat. The occupiers claim that Russian air defense systems allegedly shot down such a target over the past 24 hours, but have not provided any confirmation or details.
This was reported by Bloomberg, citing a report from the defense ministry in Moscow. So far, official Ukrainian sources and the military have not publicly confirmed the use of ballistic weapons of this type on the battlefield.
According to the enemy ministry, the occupiers' air defense allegedly intercepted a «long-range operational-tactical missile,» as well as guided aerial bombs and aircraft-type drones. The specific name or marking of the weapons was not specified in the statement.
This statement came amid reports of an active phase of development of the Ukrainian FP-9 ballistic missile by the domestic defense company Fire Point. Only in June, the company’s chief designer, Denis Shtilerman, noted that the development was confidently approaching the stage of the first launches.
According to the developers, testing of the promising weapon is planned for the end of this summer or the beginning of autumn, as soon as the final tests of the rocket engine are completed. The new Ukrainian FP-9 missile is being developed with the aim of hitting military targets deep behind enemy lines — its declared flight range is about 850 kilometers.
The emergence of its own ballistic weapons is a key stage in the development of the Ukrainian defense industry and the scaling of the long-range capabilities of the Defense Forces. Unlike kamikaze drones and cruise missiles, the rapid trajectory of a ballistic missile leaves the enemy only a few minutes to react, which significantly complicates its interception even by modern air defense systems.
Denis Shtilerman previously noted that the FP-9 missile will be able to easily hit targets in Moscow due to its ultra-high speed in the final stage of flight. According to him, a certain part of the missiles may be lost, but at least 25% are guaranteed to penetrate the defense and hit the target.
