Denys Shtilerman, inventor and chief designer of the long-range Flamingo missile and a number of Ukrainian drones, and founder of Fire Point, spoke in an interview with Report's Eastern European bureau about the development of Ukraine's missile industry, drone production and the impact of domestic weapons on the course of the war with Russia.
- Tell us about the history of the creation of the long-range Flamingo missile.
- Before the start of the full-scale invasion, there was an illusion in Ukraine that the country had a powerful defense industry. It was assumed that, in the event of an attack, enterprises would quickly launch mass production of missiles and would be able to give Russia a strong response. The successes of the first months of the war, including the repulsion of the offensive on Kyiv and the destruction of the Moskva cruiser by a Neptune missile developed by the Luch Design Bureau, only reinforced these expectations.
However, long-range strikes on Russian territory did not follow. At first, I bought drones for the army with my own money, and then I realized they could be produced much more cheaply. We created the FP-1 FPV drone, which became the main strike drone. Today, most strikes on Russian territory are carried out by FPV drones.
In 2024, we began developing missiles. Flamingo was created in nine months, successfully passed tests and was accepted into service. It is now used to hit targets deep inside Russian territory. After the emergence of this missile, Ukraine no longer needs separate permission from Western partners to strike any part of the Russian Federation, whereas such restrictions existed before.
- There is an opinion that Ukrainian missiles are still unable to strike all of Russia's territory. In this regard, do you plan to produce missiles with such a range?
- Our task is to hit Russian military enterprises. Missile and drone strikes are carried out against them every day in order to reduce their production capacity. In Russia, defense production is concentrated at large plants, which makes them convenient targets. At the same time, we, as a company, do not choose the targets, as this is done by the military. Flamingo is designed to strike well-fortified concrete facilities at large Soviet-type defense enterprises.
- Are new missiles currently being developed?
- Yes. We are now working on two types of ballistic missiles. One of them, the FP-7, has already passed tests. The FP-9 missile is also under development.
The FP-7 has a range of about 300 kilometers. It is a clone of the Soviet missile for the S-400. The FP-9, meanwhile, will be able to cover a distance of up to 800 kilometers and carry a warhead weighing up to 850 kilograms.
- Tell us about Ukrainian-made drones.
- Our main developments are the long-range FP-1 and the Middle Strike FP-2. They are used to strike logistics facilities, bridges and targets in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. These drones can deliver up to 60 kilograms of explosives over a distance of up to 3,000 kilometers, or up to 200 kilograms over a distance of up to 380 kilometers.
- How much has the arsenal of the Ukrainian army changed over four years of war?
- Today, there are effectively only two armies in the world that are waging a modern war - Ukraine and Russia. I believe the Ukrainian army is technologically superior to the Russian army and is at a higher level of development. Over these years, weapons have undergone a complete transformation.
Weapons that were considered effective four years ago, including howitzers and HIMARS, no longer play the same role. The zone within 80 kilometers of the front line has become extremely dangerous. To operate safely, one has to work from a distance of more than 100 kilometers. Artillery and tanks have largely lost their previous effectiveness. At the same time, Europe continues to spend tens of billions of euros on buying tanks, which, in my opinion, raises questions.
- What is preventing Ukraine from successfully ending the war?
- Our partners.
- Why?
- Russia expected Ukraine to remain weak and to be captured quickly. However, Ukraine has turned into a state that influences the future security architecture of Europe.
At the same time, unlike some countries, such as Azerbaijan, we do not have the financial capacity to fully fund the army on our own. We are heavily dependent on allied assistance and European funding.
At the same time, we have the technical capability, for example, to block Russian oil exports in the Baltic and Black seas. However, this could lead to a sharp rise in oil and fuel prices in Europe, which is why such decisions are not made. We can organize a naval blockade of Russia using drones. But our partners in the European Union do not want to create additional problems for their voters.
- Ukrainian officials often cite a shortage of air defense systems as one of the main problems. What domestic developments does Ukraine have in this area?
- In the field of air defense, we are developing the FP-7 missile, designed to intercept ballistic targets. It has already passed tests. We are offering European countries cooperation in its production. Our missile is large, has a long range, can strike distant targets and provides a wide coverage area.
In addition, we are developing software and source code of the system and proposing, on this basis, the creation of a pan-European anti-ballistic shield called FREYA.