Ukraine's Fire Point finds Starlink alternative for strikes inside Russia

Fire Point finds an alternative to Starlink

Ukraine's Defense Forces rely heavily on Elon Musk's SpaceX for satellite communications over Ukrainian territory. Kyiv has asked the company to extend coverage to Russia.

However, for 10 days this month, Ukraine faced speed restrictions on Starlink services. The outlet noted that this hampered drone defense and strike missions.

Terekh said that Ukrainian company Fire Point had found workarounds that allowed it to strike Russia without using satellite communications.

"We have built with this in mind. Fire Point systems are designed to finish a ⁠mission without a satellite link. Navigation that works without any external signal is a priority," she said.

Full access to Starlink

Terekh declined to provide details but clarified that full access to SpaceX systems over Russia would be a significant improvement.

"We found a way to technologically overcome this challenge, ​but this only covers probably 15 to 20% of what we could do if the Starlink was working (over Russia – ed.)," she noted.

Full access to SpaceX systems would be a "game changer" for Ukraine's attacks on Russian ballistic missile launchers, she said.

"What we want is an alliance with America where the rules are known in advance so the question of whether we are allowed to defend ourselves is not reopened every few weeks depending on someone's mood," Terekh stressed.

New Fire Point missiles

This month, Ukraine announced the first combat use of Fire Point's FP-7 tactical ballistic missile against a target in Russia-occupied Ukrainian territory.

Terekh said the missile has a range of about 300 kilometers. It can be used against Russian Iskander short-range ballistic missile launchers.

"Our new FP-7 missile could, among other things, be a valuable addition to the arsenal of weapons ​that help protect our ⁠cities," she said, adding that it would be more cost-effective than using US-made Patriot interceptor missiles.

Works on FP-9

Fire Point is also working on another ballistic missile—the FP-9. However, Terekh said, its 800-kilometer range makes development and testing more challenging.

In her view, the FP-9 is very close to being combat-ready this year.

Freyja project

Terekh also said that the Freyja project for a pan-European missile defense system, coordinated by Fire Point, is making progress.

According to her, the missile system is expected to intercept a virtual target by the end of 2026, while intercepting a physical target is scheduled for mid-next year.

Earlier, RBC-Ukraine reported that on October 18, Ukrainian FP-1 drones struck oil facilities in St. Petersburg and the VKontakte data center in the Leningrad region.

In addition, Fire Point is expanding its production capacity beyond Ukraine. In Denmark, its local subsidiary is building a solid rocket fuel production plant.