In the absence of foreign supplies of ballistic missiles and air defenses, Ukraine is developing its own defense systems. It is happening at a record-breaking pace – the innovation phase and prototype development have taken about two years instead of a couple of decades.
Within a few months, Fire Point, one of Ukraine's leading arms manufacturers, hopes to start large-scale production.
- Normally, what we call pre-production is completed before signing large contracts and preparing for production on a larger scale. We do everything in parallel to be able to start mass production as soon as we have a working model. Something like this has never happened before, says the company's CEO Iryna Terech during a visit to Stockholm.
She is 34 years old and has a background as an architect and furniture designer. Careers changed with the war, as for many Ukrainians.
Ukraine is in dire need of ballistic robots – both to defend against Russian attacks and to attack targets inside Russia, such as robot manufacturing, military logistics and energy infrastructure.
The US has delivered only a few Patriot missiles to Ukraine. The European countries that have them are reluctant to empty their stocks. Russia knows this, and since last spring has intensified its attacks with missiles and drones equipped with jet engines.
Launched in 2022, Fire Point is best known for the Flamingo cruise missile. For a few months, however, the focus has been on ballistic robots. The latest model has a range of approximately 90 miles.
Manufacturing is concentrated in Ukraine.
- In large-scale production, bottlenecks almost always occur in deliveries of a certain part. 90 percent of our components are produced in Ukraine. 70 percent of them are produced in a manufacturing chain that we fully control. It includes rocket fuel, control systems, navigation.
It costs more, but creates a supply chain that can withstand the conditions in Ukraine. The systems must be high-tech, cheap and scalable at the same time.
Iryna Terech speaks quickly, rarely searches for the words. Sometimes she stops, like when she explains what her own experiences have done to her. She was in Butja with her mother when the Russians captured the village, which became the site of one of the worst massacres of the war.
- Butja gave me serious trust problems. That lack is also important for my work.
She smiles.
- I don't trust anyone, or anything. I bring that experience with me into the design of our products. They should not be influenced by whimsical, political decisions. Our technology must be reliable regardless of who is in power.
This means, for example, that the company's products never have a built-in "kill switch" and thus cannot be turned off with remote control.
- When the products are exported, the buyer must know that they can trust that the technology works.
The unreliability of the outside world has had a very concrete effect during the autumn - the Starlink satellite system has been used as a pawn in a negotiation game between the US and Russia regarding the war in Ukraine, where access to Starlink has occasionally been broken or limited.
- It is hugely frustrating. In Ukraine, we do not like anyone playing with the lives of civilians. We are looking at European options, but we are completely dependent on Starlink.
Iryna Terech weighs the words.
- There are times when the consequences of a single person's decision are greater than himself, or his company. It cannot be ignored.
She hopes that after the Democrats' success in the midterm elections, the United States can become a more stable partner.
Even in Ukraine, domestic politics are volatile, with corruption investigations reaching President Volodymyr Zelenskyi's inner circle. Fire Point is also in the investigations, as a main suspect in a large bribery racket is alleged to be a hidden owner. The company has denied the information and Iryna Terech welcomes the reviews:
- We have nothing to hide. That Ukraine's anti-corruption authorities are functioning is a sign of health.
In Sweden, Iryna Terech participates in talks about defense technology and security, and meets representatives of authorities and business. She emphasizes Ukraine's need for support and the importance of Europe's own defence.
- Russia's propaganda and hybrid attacks are also warfare. We are also exposed to it. I am often asked if Ukraine has the mental capacity to win the war and why we do not want to negotiate. We certainly want that: we do everything for a stable and lasting peace. But we are not going to capitulate, which is what Russia is demanding.
