Fire Point says its long-range strikes no longer need Starlink

Fire Point, the Ukrainian defence start-up behind the FP-1 long-range drone and the FP-5 Flamingo cruise missile, says it has found ways to carry out long-range strikes without relying on SpaceX's Starlink satellite service. Chief executive Iryna Terekh told Reuters in an interview published on October 30, 2026, that the company's systems are designed to complete a mission even without a satellite link, but she declined to explain how the workarounds function. Her comments came after Ukraine faced about 10 days of speed restrictions on Starlink terminals this month, during which Starlink service in Ukraine stopped working above roughly 160 km/h, according to reports. Ukraine has since said that connectivity at higher speeds has been restored.

Fire Point is one of the best-known examples of a wartime start-up becoming a major arms supplier. It was founded by people without a military background and grew to produce long-range one-way attack drones in large numbers, reportedly lifting FP-1 output from about 30 to more than 100 units a day by mid-2025. Its products are central to Ukraine's campaign of strikes deep inside Russia and in occupied areas.

The Starlink episode showed how much a young defence company can depend on a single foreign technology provider. Long-range drones need reliable navigation and communication over hundreds of kilometres, and a satellite link that can be throttled or cut by another company's decision is a business risk as well as a military one. By saying its systems can operate without that link, Fire Point is trying to show customers and investors that its products are not hostage to SpaceX's policies. One secondary report suggested the alternative works at only part of full capability, but that figure has not been confirmed by the company, and Terekh gave no details.

The company's push for independence goes beyond satellites. Terekh has said that about 90% of the Flamingo missile is made from components produced in-house or by Ukrainian manufacturers, and that Fire Point has developed its own turbojet engine, with testing to finish by the end of 2026. Analysts have questioned parts of these claims, and independent verification of Fire Point's production figures is limited. The company has also faced an inquiry by Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau into supply costs and volumes; the bureau later said the Flamingo missile itself was not under investigation.

For Indian readers, the story is relevant to India's own young defence start-ups and the companies that back them. Fire Point's experience shows both the speed at which small teams can scale in wartime and the risk of depending on foreign platforms for critical functions such as navigation and communications.

Short-term: Ukraine's long-range strike programme gains some reassurance that a cut in Starlink service would not stop missions, although the claim cannot be independently tested. The dispute between Musk and Kyiv over Starlink use remains unresolved.

Long-term: Defence start-ups are likely to invest more in navigation and communication systems that work without commercial satellite networks, and governments may favour suppliers that reduce dependence on foreign platforms.

Who is affected: Ukraine's armed forces and defence industry; Fire Point and its suppliers; SpaceX and its Starlink and Starshield services; investors and governments backing defence start-ups, including in India.

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