Ukraine has conducted tests of its new FP-7.X missile, which could pave the way for a cheaper and more plentiful alternative to the US-made Patriot air defense system. The FP-7.X missile is planned as a stepping stone towards the production of the Freyja missile, Ukraine's first homegrown anti-ballistic missile defense system.
The development of the FP-7.X missile comes as Ukraine faces a critical shortage of Patriot interceptors and an uptick in Russian missile and drone attacks. The country relies heavily on the Patriot system, which has been provided by Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States.
The FP-7.X missile is derived from the FP-7 surface-to-surface ballistic missile and is intended to provide a lower-cost alternative to the Patriot system. Fire Point, the manufacturer of the FP-7.X missile, aims to develop an anti-ballistic missile with a unit cost of less than $1 million, significantly lower than the $5.3 million cost of the PAC-3 MSE variant of the Patriot system.
