Ukraine Says Its FP-7 Ballistic Missile Has Been Used in Combat for the First Time

Ukraine's domestically developed FP-7 tactical ballistic missile has been used in combat for the first time, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on October 1, 2026, in a Telegram post that did not say where the missile was fired or against what target.

"Ukrainian tactical ballistic missile FP-7. First combat use. Thank you for the result. Next - production," Zelensky wrote, in the wording reported by Reuters and carried by Defense News. Ukrainian authorities have not disclosed the target, the location or the number of missiles used, and the claim has not been independently verified, The War Zone reported. A video has been published showing what is said to be a nighttime launch of the missile, according to the same outlet.

The FP-7 is a ground-launched tactical ballistic missile developed by the Ukrainian company Fire Point, according to Reuters and The War Zone. Published performance figures differ. Reuters reported that Ukrainian military analysts describe the FP-7 as a short-range missile with a range of about 200 km. Ukrainian and company-released information cited by The War Zone puts the range at approximately 250 km and the warhead at around 150 kg, while other published figures cited by the outlet give a velocity of about 1,500 m/s. The War Zone notes that these are reported figures that have not been independently verified.

Fire Point began with drones, building the FP-1 and FP-2 long-range strike drones, before moving into long-range strike missiles, The War Zone reported. Its better-known systems include the FP-5 Flamingo cruise missile, which GMN's database lists with a range of 3,000 km. According to The War Zone, the FP-7 is optimized for targets such as logistics hubs, air defense sites and drone bases, making it a shorter-range complement to the US-supplied ATACMS rather than a replacement, though one that comes without restrictions on the kinds of targets it can be used against. GMN's database lists the ATACMS with a maximum range of 300 km and 16 operators, among them Ukraine's army.

Russia frequently uses ballistic missiles in strikes on Ukrainian targets, and Ukraine has viewed the development of its own tactical ballistic missiles as an important element of its defense in the war, Reuters reported. Zelensky praised test results of tactical ballistic missiles earlier in 2026, saying they showed good potential for military use, according to Reuters. The Russian weapon in this class, the 9K720 Iskander short-range ballistic missile, is listed in GMN's database at 500 km, and Ukraine's earlier domestic ballistic program, the 1KR1 Sapsan, at 300 km. In GMN's ATLAS ranking of 221 countries by military power, Ukraine stands 15th and Russia 3rd.

Zelensky's post named production as the next step. Fire Point says the FP-7 is also being developed as a ballistic interceptor within Freyja, a European missile defense program launched this year, Reuters reported. The War Zone reported that the company has developed the FP-7.X, an anti-ballistic missile interceptor derived from the surface-to-surface FP-7, and has published a video of a test launch; Fire Point expects commonality between the two missiles to shorten development and bring manufacturing efficiencies. In July, a deputy secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council said Ukraine wants a Freyja prototype ready in the first half of 2027, according to Reuters.