Fire Point says its strike systems operate without satellite link, covering 15-20% of Starlink capability

Ukrainian drone and missile maker Fire Point says it can carry out long-range strikes inside Russia and Russian-occupied territory without satellite communications, but only at a fraction of what it could do with Starlink operating. "We found a way to technologically overcome this challenge, but this only covers probably 15 to 20% of what we could do if the Starlink was working (over Russia)," CEO Iryna Terekh said in an interview with Reuters.

Terekh said Fire Point designs its systems for exactly this situation. "We have built with this in mind. Fire Point systems are designed to finish a mission without a satellite link. Navigation that works without any external signal is a priority," she said. She declined to give details of the solutions.

The claim comes amid a dispute over satellite access for Ukrainian forces. On 19 October, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Starlink and Starshield equipment had stopped working at speeds of 130-161 km/h in various sectors of the front line, disrupting logistics and limiting Ukraine's use of drones. The following day, SpaceX owner Elon Musk wrote on X: "Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS."

The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk ordered the slowdown for the military version of Starlink for Ukraine, which made some Ukrainian strike drones and interceptor drones practically unusable. On 22 October, the Journal reported that US President Donald Trump had allegedly called Musk and asked him to lift restrictions on Starshield in Ukraine. On 24 October, Musk said the Ukrainian military had violated the terms of use for that communications system, and added that if Starlink were switched off, "the Ukrainian front line would collapse immediately."

Zelenskyy has said he believes the publicity surrounding the connection restrictions helped restore Starlink operation to the required speed. Fire Point has not said how many of its systems can operate without satellite link, and Terekh has not described what the workarounds involve.