Co-owner and chief designer of the Ukrainian miltech company Fire Point, Denis Shtilerman, revealed details of the new FP-7 and FP-9 ballistic missiles and when to expect their combat use.
Co-owner and chief designer of the Ukrainian miltech company Fire Point, Denis Shtilerman, revealed details of the new FP-7 and FP-9 ballistic missiles and when to expect their combat use.
In an interview with the Army TV channel, Shtilerman said that the Fire Point developers managed to achieve their main goal - to make Ukrainian ballistics as accessible as possible.
The designer noted that the FP-7 will have a potentially greater warhead weight compared to the ATACMS. This means greater effectiveness in hitting protected objects, logistical nodes, and enemy equipment concentrations.
The missile is capable of hitting targets at a distance of 200 to 300 km, which fully corresponds to the range of the most common modifications of the American analogue.
If the FP-7 is a direct competitor to the ATACMS, the company’s next model, the FP-9, should take Ukrainian capabilities to a new level. According to Shtilerman, with a velocity of over 10,000 m/s, it will be significantly faster than any Western or Russian medium-range ballistic missile, effectively rendering enemy air defenses powerless.
Denis Shtilerman 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 its 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.
The designer emphasized that it is currently virtually impossible to hit key targets in the Russian capital with cruise missiles or drones. He explained that losing about 200 drones for the sake of one accidental hit makes no sense. That is why the company's strategy involves using cruise missiles and other means on the front line and for conventional "deep strikes", while for strikes on Moscow, the developers are leaving ballistics.
Stillerman said that by the summer, the FP-7 will be in combat mode, and in early summer, the FP-9 will undergo its first tests.
Previously, Denis Shtilerman said that the developers of the Flamingo missiles are seeking to increase the flight range of the FP-2 drone to the deep strike level, while retaining the previous warhead.
