Ukrainian missile shows Patriot-level results, mass production is expected in August
The Ukrainian FP-7.x anti-missile interceptor reached an altitude of 25 kilometres during testing, similar to the Patriot, said Ukrainian weapons manufacturer Fire Point to the Financial Times. Mass production of these missiles could begin as early as August 2026.
Denys Shtilierman, co-founder of Ukrainian weapons manufacturer Fire Point, says the FP-7.x test was “pretty successful”: the missile reached an altitude of 25 kilometres, similar to the Patriot system’s performance, and was designed to be fast enough to intercept ballistic missiles.
Mass production of the missile, at a rate of three per day, could begin in August, provided that the infrared seeker for guidance is delivered, which Fire Point hopes to get from the German company Diehl Defence. The missiles will be fully operational by 2027.
Each one, says the company’s co-owner, costs $700,000, compared to $3.8 million for a Patriot PAC-3 missile. However, unlike Patriot missiles, which are guided by modern ground-based targeting radars, the FP-7.x also uses radar guidance but switches to an infrared heat-seeking homing seeker during the final stage of flight (“last mile”).
The FT reports that thermal guidance is considered less effective than radar guidance, as there are more means of spoofing and countermeasures against it.
The FP-7.x is part of the Freyja air defense system; other components, including radars, the command and control system, will be provided by European partners, though Fire Point declined to tell the specifics.
However, according to the FT, Fire Point has been in talks with Germany’s Hensoldt and Thales regarding radars, Italy’s Leonardo regarding target tracking and detection radars, and Norway’s Kongsberg regarding command and control technologies.
Back in April 2026, Fire Point announced plans to supply the Ukrainian army with a new air defence system capable of intercepting ballistic missiles as early as 2027. At the time, Shtilierman said that the new air defence system his company wanted to develop would offer a cheaper alternative to the Patriot system, costing less than $1 million per missile.
Later, the company unveiled its anti-ballistic project, Freyja, which will be based on the FP-7.x anti-missile interceptor. The FP-7.x has a flight speed of 1,500–2,000 meters per second and a length of 7.25 meters. Tests of this type of missile were conducted in February 2026. At that time, the company said the missile was designed for the rapid engagement of targets at medium ranges.