Ukraine successfully tests new low-cost missile: one-fifth the price of Patriot

Ukrainian defence company Fire Point has conducted the first flight test of its new air-defence missile FP-7.x, developed as a cheaper alternative to Patriot system missiles. The new missile costs one-fifth the price of a Patriot air-defence missile, and mass production could begin as early as August.

Ukrainian defence company Fire Point has successfully tested a new air-defence missile FP-7.x, developed as a cheaper alternative to Patriot system missiles. The test was conducted for the first time and the results were encouraging.

Fire Point's chief designer Denis Shtilerman described the test to the Financial Times as "quite successful". The price of the new missile is only one-fifth that of a Patriot air-defence missile, making it a significantly more affordable solution for Ukraine's air defence.

Shtilerman added that mass production could begin as early as August, provided that a German supplier is able to deliver a critical component on time. The schedule therefore depends largely on the international supply chain.

The development of the new missile reflects Ukraine's effort to create domestic alternatives to expensive Western air-defence systems, which have become scarce during the war. Cheaper air-defence missiles would allow more targets to be protected with the same budget.