Ukrainian defense company Fire Point has already launched two satellites this year and plans to launch dozens more in 2027 to reduce Ukraine’s dependence on the US government and Western technology companies, according to the Financial Times.
Fire Point co-founder and chief designer, Denis Shtilerman, told the outlet that the company is expanding production of cruise and ballistic missiles and developing a “pan-European air defense shield” to avoid dependence on specific manufacturers. “The idea behind our weapons is that we sell not just weapons and not just security, but also independence in the security sector,” he said.
Shtilerman noted that the company produces about 200 Flamingo missiles per month but has the capacity to increase production. He also acknowledged the missile’s “engine bottleneck,” which he said will soon be resolved.
The issue of defense independence is also a topic of concern to both Russians and Americans, but they are pursuing different agendas. The test launch of Russia’s new RS-28 Sarmat missile had just concluded when the United States responded. However, the response was not officially announced and went largely unnoticed.
On the night of May 12-13, a US Navy guided missile submarine conducted live-fire exercises in the Western Mediterranean. This mission was carried out in conjunction with an E-6B Mercury aircraft, which was flying near Iceland. This aircraft serves as a command post and relay station for US nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines. The Ohio-class nuclear submarine USS Alaska (SSBN 732 Alaska) has reportedly conducted training launches of the Trident missile. The missile was recently spotted during a visit to the naval base in Gibraltar.
Indeed, after the release of images of Alaska at the “Rock” dock, Russian experts began to speculate that this was some sort of show of force towards Iran. However, according to the Russians, things turned out quite differently. In addition to the naval component, B-2A Spirit bombers are also believed to have participated in training US strategic nuclear forces. However, there is still no precise information on what they actually practiced.
It is widely believed that such exercises are necessary to test the waters, that is, to maintain the readiness of strategic nuclear forces to launch a nuclear strike and, at the same time, demonstrate to a potential adversary the Russians’ determination to retaliate. But the reality, according to the Russians, is quite different. Analysts state: “Nuclear confrontation has long since moved away from the concept of ‘mutually assured destruction.'” By the late 1970s, it was clear that it was possible to win a ‘nuclear war’ and, in principle, avoid serious damage. Certainly, some damage will occur, but it can be minimized. To gain the upper hand over an adversary, however, requires surprise and powerful, high-precision nuclear weapons systems. In reality, possible countermeasures against American nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines and the asymmetric responses that the USSR and Russia have prepared, due to certain nuances, have been kept secret.”
Operationally, two Oreshnik missile launches against Ukrainian targets have confirmed the capabilities of the Russian military industry. This Sarmat missile far surpasses Western missiles of the same generation in terms of power. Its range exceeds 35,000 km.
It is capable of ballistic or suborbital flight. The Sarmat system will become operational by the end of the year, and the first regiment equipped with Sarmat missiles will be deployed in the Krasnoyarsk region. The Oreshnik and Sarmat missiles, now operational, are not the only strategic surprises in the Russian arsenal. Two other ultramodern missiles are currently in the final testing phase: the Burevestnik missile, a nuclear-powered intercontinental cruise missile.
And the Poseidon missile, a nuclear-powered underwater vehicle armed with a nuclear warhead, capable of striking and massively destroying ports, naval bases, and aircraft carrier strike groups, both by direct impact and by a radioactive tsunami.
Graziella Giangiulio
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