Oct 1 (Reuters) – Ukraine has deployed its FP-7 tactical ballistic missile in combat for the first time, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday.
“Ukrainian FP-7 tactical ballistic missile. First combat use,” Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram. “Thank you for the result. Next production.”
He did not specify where the FP-7 was used in combat or against what target.
Russia “frequently uses ballistic missiles to strike Ukrainian targets, and Ukraine views the development of its own tactical ballistic missiles as an important part of meeting its defense needs.”
Zelenskiy welcomed the results of tactical ballistic missile tests conducted earlier this year, saying they showed good potential for use by the military.
Ukrainian military analysts describe the FP-7 as a short-range missile of around 200 km (125 miles).
The missile’s manufacturer, Fire Point, says it is being developed as a ballistic interceptor as part of Europe’s Freyja missile defense program launched this year.
Ukraine wants a prototype of the European Freyja anti-ballistic system to be ready in the first half of next year, Davyd Aloian, deputy secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, said in July.
(Reporting by Ron Popeski, editing by Timothy Heritage)
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