Ukraine aims FP-9 ballistic missile at Moscow as summer test window opens
Workers inspect a Ukrainian-made cruise missile named ‘Flamingo’ at a secret factory of the Fire Point company in Ukraine, on August 18, 2025. (Photo: AP/Efrem Lukatsky)
Ukraine could be capable of striking Moscow this summer or
in early fall with Ukrainian-made FP-9 ballistic missiles, Denys Shtilerman,
chief designer and co-owner of Ukrainian defense company Fire Point, said in an interview
with journalist Olesya Batsman on June 3.
“We have everything for the FP-9, which can reach Moscow,
except the engine. We will test the engine this month and expect to begin test
flights soon. As soon as a test flight shows that everything is working
properly, the next flight should be launched toward Moscow,” Shtilerman said.
He expects the first FP-9 strike on Moscow to take place “in
the summer or, at the latest, in early fall.” Shtilerman said the company plans
to produce about a dozen test missiles at once. After the missile receives
official military approval, Fire Point will expand production.
Shtilerman also suggested that energy facilities in Moscow
could be targets for Ukrainian ballistic missiles.
A mock-up of Ukraine’s FP-9 ballistic missile was shown for
the first time at an exhibition in Rzeszów, Poland, in April 2026. The
missile’s declared specifications include a range of 855 kilometers (531 miles)
and an 800-kilogram (1,764-pound) warhead, Defense
Express reported.
The FP-9 is about 9.5 meters (31 feet) long, with a maximum
diameter of 1.1 meters (3.6 feet). That would make it larger than Russia’s
9M723 ballistic missile used in the Iskander tactical missile system, which is
7.2 meters (23.6 feet) long and 0.95 meters (3.1 feet) in diameter.
On May 25, Shtilerman said that if development succeeds,
Ukraine could use its cheaper alternative to the Patriot air defense system to
intercept Russian ballistic missiles by the end of the year.
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