Key facts
- Ukrainian firm Fire Point is integrating European technology into its Freyja missile defence system.
- The project involves over a dozen European defense companies providing radar, guidance, and other systems.
- Fire Point aims to develop a ballistic interceptor missile for under €1 million ($1.2 million) each.
- The company targets the first successful interception by mid-2027.
- An attack variant of the FP7 missile is nearing certification for combat use.
- Fire Point is developing its own engines for its Flamingo cruise missile.
Ukrainian drone and missile maker Fire Point is actively integrating European technology into its Freyja missile defence project, aiming to counter Russian ballistic missiles. The company has secured agreements with over a dozen European defense firms to supply radar, guidance, and other critical systems.
Fire Point's CEO, Iryna Terekh, stated that the project is in a complex assembly phase, combining surveillance and tracking radars with guidance systems. Norway's Kongsberg is developing the command center, while Germany's Diehl Defence is reportedly supplying the guidance system. The project aims to produce interceptor missiles for less than €1 million ($1.2 million) each, a fraction of the cost of Western systems like the U.S.-made Patriot.
The Freyja project utilizes an open-source architecture, allowing for flexibility in component selection. Fire Point is also developing an attack variant of its FP7 missile, which has undergone numerous test launches and is nearing certification for combat use. The company is further advancing its capabilities by developing its own engines for its Flamingo cruise missile, moving away from using second-hand jet engines.
Fire Point's efforts are part of Ukraine's urgent push to develop indigenous defensive capabilities amid shortages of existing interceptor missiles. The company is working to compress a development timeline typically spanning decades into just a few years, with a target for the first successful interception by mid-2027.