Exclusive: Ukraine unveils FP-9 ballistic rocket with Moscow firmly in range

Ukrainian defense firm Fire Point says flight testing for its new FP-9 ballistic missile will begin shortly, with combat deployment planned for autumn 2026. The company describes it as a cheaper domestic alternative to the American ATACMS, with a larger 800 kg warhead, an 855-kilometer range, and a claimed top speed of Mach 6.4.

At that range, launches from Sumy or Chernihiv oblasts — 410 to 415 kilometers from Moscow — would put the Russian capital within reach, according to the manufacturer's own framing. Fire Point's chief designer said in June that Russian energy infrastructure could be a primary target set; Ukraine's former defense minister offered a more cautious estimate that domestic ballistic missiles would be used against Russian territory before year's end.

To date, Ukraine's strikes deep inside Russia have relied mainly on drones and subsonic cruise missiles, which are slower and easier to intercept than the ballistic system now being unveiled.

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