Ukraine uses homemade FP-7 ballistic missile in combat for first time

Ukraine has used its domestically produced FP-7 tactical ballistic missile in combat for the first time, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday, posting video of a night launch on X. Kyiv is not disclosing what exactly the missile hit.

“Ukrainian tactical ballistic missile FP-7. First combat use. Thank you for the result. Next — production,” Zelensky wrote. Asked what the missile had struck, the president's communications adviser gave a brief reply: “We won't say.” Ukrainian military analysts describe the FP-7 as a short-range missile, Reuters reports.

FP-7 specifications

The missile is launched from a mobile ground-based launcher. According to the manufacturer, the FP-7 has a range of up to 200 kilometres, can carry a warhead of up to 150 kilograms, reaches speeds of up to 5,400 kilometres per hour and can hit targets with an accuracy of up to 14 metres. Its high speed makes it much harder for an adversary to detect the missile in time or attempt to intercept it. Back in spring, Zelensky had already spoken positively about the results of FP-7 tests.

Development under the Freyja missile-defence programme

According to Fire Point, the company that manufactures the missile, the FP-7 is simultaneously being developed as an interceptor for the European missile-defence programme Freyja. The first test of the Freyja system itself is scheduled for the first half of 2027.

Fire Point's other weapons

Fire Point was founded in 2022, after the start of the full-scale war. Besides the FP-7, it produces the Flamingo cruise missile, which Ukraine has already used to strike a number of major Russian military-industrial facilities. Fire Point also manufactures several thousand long-range FP-1 drones each month, with a range of up to 1,600 kilometres.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz