Ukraine Deploys First Home-Grown Ballistic Missile in Moscow Strike Combat Trial

Ukraine Deploys First Home-Grown Ballistic Missile in Moscow Strike Combat Trial

Ukraine is aggressively advancing its domestic ballistic missile capability to establish a sovereign, reciprocal strategic deterrent against Russian infrastructure attacks. This program bypasses the geographic and political restrictions tied to Western-supplied weaponry, such as the U.S.-made ATACMS.¹²

The FP-9 Ballistic Missile Program

Ukrainian defense manufacturer Fire Point is preparing to initiate flight trials of its new short-range ballistic missile, the FP-9, toward Moscow by summer or early autumn 2026.

• Specifications: The FP-9 is a heavy short-range ballistic missile measuring 9.5 meters in length and 1.1 meters in diameter. It is designed to carry an 800-kilogram warhead across an operational range of 800 to 855 kilometers, reaching speeds exceeding 1,200 meters per second.
• Strategic Reach: This range puts both Moscow and St. Petersburg (Vladimir Putin's birthplace) within striking distance, targeting critical energy grid infrastructure, fuel storage, air bases, and military-industrial facilities.
• Production and Testing: Fire Point has completed the structural, guidance, and control systems of the airframe. The final major hurdle is an engine validation test scheduled for mid-2026. To accelerate deployment, Fire Point plans to bypass standard procurement delays by manufacturing an initial batch of 10 to 20 test missiles in parallel with the engine trials.

Sovereign Strategic Intent

Fire Point chief designer and co-owner Denys Shtilerman emphasized that the FP-9 is explicitly designed to penetrate Moscow's dense air defense networks. While long-range drones are highly vulnerable to electronic warfare and tactical air defenses, a ballistic missile descending at high speed severely compresses Russian response times, forcing Moscow to divert premium air defense systems (like the S-400) to protect deep-rear infrastructure.

Importantly, because the FP-9 is entirely domestically designed and manufactured, target selection and launch authority remain completely sovereign to Kyiv, insulating Ukraine from shifts in Washington's policy restrictions.