Ukrainian company Fire Point is trying to overcome European and U.S. bureaucracy and become less dependent on external regulations and foreign components in the weapons production process. This was stated in an interview with LIGA by Fire Point co-founder and chief designer Denys Shtilerman.
Ukraine is seeking to change the situation on the battlefield and bring the war onto Russian territory, thereby demonstrating to its allies that it has strategic advantages in the conflict. Ukrainian engineers are developing their own cruise missiles, ballistic weapons, upgrading drones, and creating guided aerial bombs.
The designer acknowledged that Fire Point remains critically dependent on Western components, but the team is working to address this issue.
"Currently, there is only one component in our ballistic systems and in the FP-5 (also known as 'Flamingo,' a long-range cruise missile) that is not produced in Ukraine. And this is very important. We are now working to manufacture this device domestically. However, it is highly sophisticated equipment and will require time," Shtilerman said.
Regarding the production of the Flamingo missile, Shtilerman also noted that the company remains highly dependent on external import regulations for turbojet engines. He admitted that Fire Point underestimated the complexity of this issue and is now working to resolve it.
First, the company has already learned how to navigate bureaucratic procedures in the United States and Europe, allowing it to obtain export permits relatively quickly.
"And most importantly: we are developing our own engine for Flamingo. It has already been designed. We are now assembling the first 10 test units, and then we will gradually transition to our own engine," Shtilerman added.
Foreign technologies are also required for the Freya air defense system (being developed jointly with Europe, it could become an alternative to the U.S. Patriot system), according to the Fire Point co-founder. In particular, technical documentation is needed for radars, guidance systems, and data links.
Shtilerman noted that it took about a year to accelerate bureaucratic processes. Cooperation agreements with Western partners are now moving more smoothly, but he fears that the summer holiday season in Europe could slow down the development of Ukrainian anti-ballistic defense systems.
