At the 2025 International Defense Industry Exhibition in Poland on 4/9, the Ukrainian company Fire Point announced it is developing two new ballistic missiles, the FP-7 and FP-9, along with several air defense systems.
The FP-7 is touted as having a range of 200 km, a top speed of 5,400 km/h, a 150 kg warhead, and a target accuracy of 14 m. The missile is launched from a ground-based platform and has a maximum flight time of 250 seconds.
The FP-9 missile reportedly has a longer range of 855 km, enabling strikes deeper into Russian territory. It has a speed of 7,917 km/h, a flight ceiling of 70 km, an 800 kg warhead, and a target accuracy of 20 m.
Some military experts note that the FP-7 ballistic missile closely resembles the S-300 air defense missile. Some believe Ukraine has repurposed S-300 missiles for ground attack and can be reconfigured for air defense if needed.
 |
Image of Fire Point's new ballistic missiles at the exhibition in Poland on 4/9. Photo: Militarnyi |
Image of Fire Point's new ballistic missiles at the exhibition in Poland on 4/9. Photo: Militarnyi
Unlike cruise missiles, which have jet engines and fly relatively flat trajectories, ballistic missiles use rocket engines and are launched into the atmosphere before descending on their targets at high speed.
Founded in 2023, Fire Point has quickly become a major contractor for the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, known for the FP-1 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
Last month, the company unveiled the Flamingo cruise missile, which has a 1,150 kg warhead and a range of 3,000 km. Although marketed as a domestic Ukrainian weapon, experts believe the Flamingo closely resembles the FP-5 cruise missile unveiled by the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) Milanion Group at a defense exhibition in Abu Dhabi in February.
H. I. Sutton of the US Naval Institute described Fire Point as being "under the umbrella of Milanion," but did not elaborate.
 |
Flamingo missiles at the Fire Point production facility on 14/8. Photo: AP |
Flamingo missiles at the Fire Point production facility on 14/8. Photo: AP
On 29/8, Kyiv Independent, citing sources, reported that the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) is investigating Fire Point for allegedly "inflating the value of components and the number of UAVs delivered to the military."
NABU is also investigating possible links between Fire Point and Tymur Mindich, co-founder of the Kvartal 95 television studio with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Fire Point confirmed the investigation to Kyiv Independent but downplayed its significance. They dismissed NABU's accusations as rumors spread by competitors and part of a larger investigation into Ukraine's defense procurement system.
NABU later stated it was "not investigating the Flamingo missile" but did not comment on whether it was investigating Fire Point.
Pham Giang (Kyiv Independent, Militarnyi)
