When an Ukrainian drone attacked a repository in Russia last September, Kyiv offered The design is deeply beating behind the enemy lines And the ingenuity of the defense industry.
The moment was particularly satisfactory to the woman responsible for manufacturing drones that flew more than 1000 km (620 miles) to carry out this task. For several months after that, Russia no longer has a way to keep up with Destroyed bombs attacks Like those that just targeted the original city of Kharkif.
“The fighting in the air is our only true feature in the battlefield at the present time. We do not have a lot of workforce or money as it is,” said Irina Terrick, Fire Point Production Head, said.
Telkh spoke during its survey of dozens of “deep drones” that recently emerged from the assembly line and Ukrainian forces will soon be used to attack weapons, oil refineries and other vital targets of the war machine and the Kremlin’s economy.
Betled by An existential battle against Russia – Limited military assistance from Western allies – Ukraine has become a global center Defense innovation. The goal is to match, if not superior, Russia’s capabilities – and Fire Point is one of the companies that lead the road.
The Associated Press gave an exclusive look at one of the dozens of secret factories at Fire Point. In a sprawling warehouse where rock music showed rock music, executives showed drones that could reach 1,600 km (994 miles). They also publicly described a missile with an occurrence that is developing it, capable of traveling 3000 km (1864 miles), which Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelinsky hopes for its production by the end of the year.
Even when he was US President Donald Trump Presses to end a 3/2 years war – The possibility of our support dictates NATO security guarantees Ukrainian defense officials say their country is determined to become more self -acquisition in Russia’s deterrence.
“We believe that our best guarantee is not to rely on someone’s will to protect us, but rather our ability to protect ourselves,” said Arsen Chaudadelov, head of the country’s weapons purchase agency.
The Ukraine government is now purchasing about $ 10 billion of weapons annually from local manufacturers. Officials say the industry has the ability to sell three times this amount, and they believe that sales for European allies can help them reach these capabilities within years.
Done -drone innovation arose out of necessity
Like most defense companies in Ukraine, Fire Point arose out of necessity after Russia was widely invaded in 2022. Despite the appeals of Ukrainian military officials, Western countries were unwilling to allow Keef to use their long -term weapons to strike targets in the depth of Russian territory.
This is when a group of close friends, experts from various fields, launched an inexpensive drone production that could comply with the effectiveness of Iranian -made drones that Russia was launching to Ukraine with severe consequences.
The company’s founders spoke with AP on the condition that his identity is not disclosed out of concern for their safety and the security of their factories.
By collecting knowledge of construction, designing games and architecture, the company’s founders – who did not have a background in defense – have reached new designs for drones that can fly more and more accurate than most of the products already in the market. Far -range drones had another benefit: you did not need to take off from the air field.
When Terekh – architect – in the summer of 2023 was appointed, was given a target to produce 30 drones per month. Now the company provides approximately 100 a day, at a cost of $ 55,000 each.
FP-1 seems to be more like a scientific project made more hurry than something that will launch the production lines of the largest defense articles in the world. “We have removed unnecessary shiny things, she said.
But FP-1 was very effective in the battlefield.
With a load of 60 kilograms weighing (132 rugs), they are responsible for 60 % of deep strikes inside Russian territory, including visits to oil refineries and weapons warehouses, according to Terik. These strikes helped to slow down Russia’s progress along the 1,000 -km front line (620 miles) in eastern Ukraine, where army units reported a sharp decrease in the artillery fire.
“I think the best drones, or among the best, are Ukrainian drones,” said Claude Chenyuel, a former French military official who is now working in a commercial group that focuses on defense. “When the war ends in Ukraine, the market will be overwhelmed.”
Ukraine has become “Silicon Valley” for defense
Fire Point story is not completely unique. Soon after Russia’s invasion of Russia in 2022, hundreds of defense companies spread almost overnight. The Ukrainian government motivated innovation by relaxing the regulations and facilitating startups to work directly with the military brigades.
National entrepreneurs in building minerals and information technology designed research, weapons and ammunition facilities, focusing on drones. The ongoing war allowed them to test ideas almost immediately in the battlefield, and quickly adapt to the changing tactics of Russia.
Ukrainian businessman Yaroslav Aznyuk said: “Ukraine at this very unique moment is now, as it has become the defense valley in reality, the Ukrainian Defense Valley,” said Ukrainian businessman Yaroslav Aznyuk. “Our biggest strategic balance is that we were in war with Russia for 11 years.”
An example of this: Fire Point initially obtained navigation equipment for drones from a major Western company, but before Russia was able to disrupt its effectiveness using electronic warfare; So Fire Point has developed its own program for enemy superiority.
Since defense companies are high -value targets for Russia, many of them work underground or hidden within civil centers to evade the disclosure. Although they guard the air defenses, the strategy has a defect to endanger civilians. Many Ukrainians died in inaccurate Russian attacks most likely to target weapons facilities. Entrepreneurs said that the alternative is to work frankly and face attacks that would restore the war effort.
The drone supplies do not last long
On a day, AP correspondents visited the Fire Point factory, there were dozens of drones waiting for delivery. It will all disappear within 72 hours, and they are shipped to the battlefield in unclear charging trucks.
Fire Point team receives regular notes from the army units, and the company has re -investized most of the profits towards innovation quickly to keep up with other drone makers. Increasingly, these profits are directed to develop a new, more powerful weapon.
The company completed the test this year for the first cruise missile, FP-5. Independent experts said that FP-5 is one of the largest of these missiles in the world, and it is able to travel 3000 km (1864 miles) and landing 14 meters (45 feet) from its target, and is one of the largest missiles in the world, as it offers a load of 1150 kg (2,535 pounds). Because the initial versions of the missile came out of the pink after a factory error, they called it Flamingo – and the name was stuck.
Terich said that the point of fire produces nearly Flamingo daily, and by October they hope to build the ability to make seven a day.
Although Zelinski and other Ukrainian officials are following ways to end the war, Terick said it suspects that Russia will accept real peace conditions. “We are preparing for a larger and more terrifying war.”
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The Associated Press journalist DMYTRO Zhyhinas contributed to this report.
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