Ukraine's top strike-drone maker, Fire Point, is moving into ballistic missile defense. The company has signed a deal with German radar maker Hensoldt to produce a low-cost ballistic-missile defense system called Freyja. Fire Point's drones currently carry out about 60% of Ukraine's strikes inside Russia, and the company aims to bring a ballistic missile down for under $1 million a shot.
Fire Point's new FP-2 drone struck an oil refinery in Russia's Tyumen region on June 20, and the company says its rebuilt FP-1 now flies 1,677 miles up from 1,025 miles. Ukraine has already logged at least 28 strikes on Russian oil infrastructure in June, knocking out or disrupting refineries that account for a large share of Russia's fuel production.
The company's move into missile defense is seen as a significant development, with Fire Point aiming to mass produce the FP-7.X interceptor system at three a day starting in August. The system is designed to hit a ballistic missile at 15 miles altitude for about $700,000 a shot, significantly cheaper than the US Patriot system.
