Ukraine scales up its own arms industry in a hidden mission to fortify its defense
Image source: Moose Campbell/BBC
By Jonathan Beale
Defence correspondent in Kyiv
We’re whisked to a secret site, blindfolded, where Ukraine is developing one of its newest weapons. We’re told to switch off our phones because the Flamingo cruise missile is highly sensitive. For Kyiv, dispersing and concealing production is vital to survival. Two factories owned by the Fire Point company have already been struck.
Inside the facility, we’re asked not to photograph structural features like pillars, windows, or ceilings, and we’re told not to show the faces of workers on the assembly line. Flamingo missiles are at various stages of completion along the line.
Even amid ongoing conflict, Ukraine is expanding its arms industry. President Volodymyr Zelensky says the country now produces more than half of the weapons it uses on the front lines. Nearly all of Ukraine’s long-range weapons are now domestically manufactured.
At the war’s outset, Ukraine relied on its aging Soviet-era arsenal. Western support helped modernize the forces, but Kyiv has since become a global leader in unmanned systems—drones and other autonomous tools. Now, domestically produced cruise missiles are boosting Ukraine’s long-range capabilities.
Image source: Moose Campbell/BBC
Iryna Terekh, Fire Point’s chief technical officer, leads one of Ukraine’s largest drone and missile manufacturers, whose Latin motto translates to “if not us, then who.” A 33-year-old former architecture student, she is helping dismantle Russia’s war machine.
She stands before the large Flamingo missile, which she notes is painted black rather than pink (contrary to early prototypes) “because it eats Russian oil.” The finished product resembles a World War II German V1 rocket: a substantial jet engine perched atop a tube roughly the length of a London bus.
These missiles have already seen combat use, although the company does not confirm specific targets.
Image source: Moose Campbell/BBC
The Flamingo represents a deep-strike weapon that Western nations have been hesitant to supply. The missile is reportedly capable of traveling about 3,000 kilometers (1,900 miles), a range comparable to the U.S.-made Tomahawk—though the Tomahawk is a more sophisticated and costly system that the previous U.S. administration was reluctant to provide Ukraine.
Deep-strike capabilities are considered a strategic asset, and Ukraine has mainly relied on long-range drones for such operations. As the frontline extends over more than a thousand kilometers, Kyiv is increasingly aiming to cripple Russia’s war economy to slow its advances.
General Oleksandr Syrskyi, head of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, notes that long-range strikes have already cost Russia more than $21.5 billion this year.
Ruslan, an officer with Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces, puts the strategy plainly: reduce the enemy’s military capacity and economic potential. He says the spetsnaz has conducted hundreds of strikes on oil refineries, weapons factories, and ammunition dumps deep inside Russian territory.
Russia is pulling off similar, larger-scale strikes. On average, Moscow fires around 200 Shahed drones daily; Ukraine’s response is roughly half that figure. Russia’s long-range attacks have also caused widespread power outages, intensifying civilian hardship across the country. “I’d like to match Russia’s drone output,” Ruslan admits, “but we’re scaling up quickly.”
Terekh of Fire Point emphasizes that Ukraine may not have Russia’s resources, but the focus is on clever tactics and ingenuity.
Denys Shtilerman, Fire Point’s chief designer and co-founder, says there is no magical weapon—only determination. “The real game changer is our will to win,” he asserts.
Image source: Kevin McGregor/BBC
Fire Point did not exist before Russia’s full-scale invasion. Today, it produces around 200 drones daily. Its FP1 and FP2 drone models—the size of small airplanes—have accounted for about 60% of Ukraine’s long-range strikes. Each drone costs around $50,000, roughly one-third the price of a Shahed drone from Russia. Despite Ukraine’s progress, Russia continues to produce nearly 3,000 Shahed drones each month.
Ukraine still relies on external support for intelligence, targeting, and funding. Nevertheless, the country is pursuing greater self-sufficiency. Terekh explains a deliberate strategy to source as many components as possible domestically, aiming to minimize external influence on the weapons they build. The team deliberately excludes parts from two countries—China and the United States—citing concerns about possible future interference.
When asked why American components are avoided, she responds that the U.S. could one day decide to shut down parts supply, leaving Ukraine unable to use its own weapons.
To put this in context, U.S. military aid to Ukraine totaled nearly $70 billion through the end of last year under President Biden, but this assistance waned under President Trump, who instead established a framework for European NATO partners to purchase U.S. weapons. The U.S. is no longer Ukraine’s sole or primary backer, and European support has struggled to fill the gap.
Criticism about future U.S. backing spills into discussions about potential future security guarantees—an issue often debated in peace talks. Terekh dismisses these negotiations as “capitulation talks” and argues that domestic weapon production is the only reliable path to true security guarantees.
The former architecture student also hopes Europe will watch and learn from Ukraine’s approach. “We are a stark example,” she says, highlighting that if another country faced Ukraine’s onslaught, they would likely have fallen.
She wants to spur action across Europe and believes that if anyone faced the same level of assault, they would already be conquered.
Additional reporting by Volodymyr Lozhko and Kyla Herrmannsen.
