Ukraine may have used its new FP-1 deep-strike drone against Russia weeks before publicly acknowledging its existence.

As reported by Special Kherson Cat on May 6, 2025, Ukraine formally unveiled the FP-1 long-range unmanned aerial vehicle during an event dedicated to Infantry Day. The drone was presented by the Ministry of Strategic Industries and publicly displayed during an event organized for Infantry Day. According to the information presented at the exhibition stand, the FP-1 is a Ukrainian-designed loitering munition developed for strikes at strategic depth. It is capable of carrying a warhead of up to 120 kilograms and can travel distances of up to 1,600 kilometers. The maximum range is understood to be influenced by the weight of the warhead.
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The FP-1, a Ukrainian-designed loitering munition developed for strikes at strategic depth, is capable of carrying a warhead of up to 120 kilograms and traveling distances of up to 1,600 kilometers. (Picture source: Twitter/Special Kherson Cat)

The FP-1 does not feature conventional landing gear and is launched with the aid of a rocket booster mounted to the fuselage. This method of deployment removes the need for a runway and may reduce the structural complexity and weight associated with retractable landing systems. This design is similar in principle to other ramp-launched systems and serves to optimize the drone’s aerodynamic profile. The drone is intended for one-way missions and is not designed for recovery after impact. The Ukrainian-Czech company UAC is associated with the FP-1’s development and modifications. The drone was reportedly used operationally prior to its public unveiling, with fragments allegedly identified in Russia’s Saratov, Moscow, Voronezh, Kaluga, and Tula regions following strikes on January 24 and March 11, 2025.

In these instances, the drone was reportedly equipped with a 60 kg high-explosive fragmentation warhead, supplemented by KZ-6 shaped charges and TNT-based charges. Sources suggested that for longer-range missions, the payload may be reduced to approximately 50 kg. In one specific case, FP-1 drones were associated with a strike on the “Optic Fiber Systems” plant in Saransk, Mordovia. Ukrainian journalist Bohdan Miroshnychenko noted that, prior to the May 6 unveiling, the FP-1 had primarily been identified through post-strike wreckage on Russian military airfields and other sites. He categorized it as a widely used Ukrainian platform for deep-range strikes.

Deputy Minister of Strategic Industries Anna Hvozdiar confirmed during the event that the FP-1 is currently being manufactured in significant quantities. According to her statements, the drone was developed domestically and transitioned to large-scale production in a short period of time. Hvozdiar added that the system is receiving interest from foreign partners. She stated that the FP-1 is one of the systems that Ukraine is prepared to share with allied countries.

In a speech delivered to the Ukrainian parliament on November 19, 2024, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ordered the production of at least 30,000 long-range drones by the end of 2025. (Picture source: Twitter/Special Kherson Cat)

The FP-1 is being produced as part of a national-scale effort to expand Ukraine’s autonomous strike capabilities. In a speech delivered to the Ukrainian parliament on November 19, 2024, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ordered the production of at least 30,000 long-range drones and 3,000 cruise and drone-launched missiles by the end of 2025. Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine’s missile and drone development programs are a key component of the country’s defense policy. He confirmed that four types of Ukrainian missiles are currently undergoing testing and noted that new extended-range variants of the Neptune missile had already been used in strikes. The president further disclosed that in 2024, Ukraine produced more than 2.5 million mortar shells and artillery rounds, spanning calibers from 60 mm to 155 mm.

In addition to the FP-1, other systems were exhibited on May 6. These included the Bulava drone, developed by the Ukrainian-Czech UAC joint venture. It is equipped with a 3.6 kg cumulative thermobaric warhead and has an operational range of up to 60 kilometers. The Bulava system includes kamikaze drones, a control station, signal repeaters, and reconnaissance equipment, enabling autonomous operation. Also displayed was the TerMIT unmanned ground vehicle, which has a payload capacity of 300 kilograms, a range of up to 20 kilometers, and a top speed of 10 km/h. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are currently using the TerMIT drone at the front, including as a platform for mounting heavy-caliber machine guns.

The exhibition was opened by Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Minister for Strategic Industries Herman Smetanin. Other participants included Presidential Adviser on Strategic Policy Oleksandr Kamyshyn and Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Pavlo Palisa. During the opening, Sybiha stated that Ukraine’s defense industry now meets more than 40% of the armed forces’ equipment requirements. Smetanin reiterated Ukraine’s call for foreign investment in domestic arms manufacturing. Sybiha added that Ukrainian diplomatic efforts are focused on establishing international partnerships, opening export markets, and integrating Ukraine into global defense supply chains.

The FP-1 is launched with the aid of a rocket booster mounted to the fuselage, removing the need for a runway, as well as reducing the structural complexity and weight associated with retractable landing systems. (Picture source: Twitter/Special Kherson Cat)

Ukraine’s defense and technology sectors are currently undergoing expansion. As of early 2025, the country has over 500 defense startups, many of them focused on unmanned systems. According to an April 22 article by The Telegraph, Ukraine has become a testing ground for future military technologies, with autonomous systems increasingly deployed in combat. The article highlighted a combat operation conducted at the end of 2024 near the village of Lyptsi in Kharkiv Oblast. That operation involved dozens of unmanned aerial and ground systems, including armed platforms, and was described as Ukraine’s first documented use of only robotic systems in a military engagement. Ukrainian officers quoted in the article stated that Russian forces were taken by surprise during the operation.

David Kirichenko, a researcher with the Henry Jackson Society, told The Telegraph that Ukraine’s leadership in unmanned systems lies in mass production and responsiveness rather than in cutting-edge technology. According to him, Ukrainian engineers incorporate feedback from front-line soldiers on a weekly basis, allowing for rapid iteration of systems. Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov reported in February 2024 that 19 companies in Ukraine are producing various missile types, from small UAV-launched munitions to cruise and ballistic missiles. The government has also initiated exports to civilian clients, including the U.S. space agency NASA. DroneUA, a resident of the Diia.City innovation platform, has shipped a test batch of robots to Virginia for evaluation.

On May 2, 2025, President Zelenskyy announced after a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief’s Staff that discussions had taken place concerning the acceleration of Ukraine’s ballistic missile development. He stated that long-range strike capability is a key factor for ensuring Ukraine’s security. Previously, in October 2024, Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine’s first domestically built ballistic missile had completed its flight tests. He also mentioned that a new category of loitering missile-drones, such as the Palianytsia, had entered service. In August 2024, Ukrainian forces carried out their first documented strike using the Palianytsia system. Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak later reported that Ukraine’s ballistic missile would likely have a range of 600–700 kilometers. Defense Express assessed that this range would allow Ukrainian forces to target key military installations in Russian territory, including airbases in Engels and Novorossiysk, as well as strategic infrastructure in cities such as Sochi and Moscow.

The introduction of the FP-1 drone follows a sequence of developments in Ukraine’s unmanned and long-range weapons programs, which have included the deployment of other domestically produced systems such as the Palianytsia missile-drone and the Magura V5 maritime drone. The Palianytsia system was used in August 2024 during the first confirmed strike employing a Ukrainian-manufactured missile-drone. It was previously identified by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as part of a new class of long-range systems undergoing testing and deployment. Separately, the Magura V5 naval drone has been used by Ukrainian forces in the Black Sea, including in operations that reportedly involved the destruction of Russian naval assets. Ukrainian military sources have linked it to an incident in which two Russian Su-30 fighter aircraft were shot down over the Black Sea, allegedly by AIM-9 missiles launched from unmanned platforms such as the Magura-7. The incorporation of systems like the FP-1, Palianytsia, and Magura V5 indicates the broadening of Ukraine’s domestic capabilities across aerial, ground, and maritime domains, and reflects a multi-platform approach to extending long-range strike options and increasing operational flexibility across the full theater of operations.

The incorporation of systems like the FP-1, Palianytsia, and Magura V5 indicates the broadening of Ukraine’s domestic capabilities across aerial, ground, and maritime domains to extend its long-range strike options. (Picture source: Twitter/Special Kherson Cat)