With the appearance of the first so-called missile drones in Ukraine, social media was abuzz with discussions about the technical accuracy of this term. People debated what should be classified as a missile drone and whether such a designation is appropriate, especially when there are distinct categories like jet-powered drones and cruise missiles.
Ukrainian company Fire Point provided a straightforward and comprehensive answer to this question at a press conference on Friday, November 21. The explanation followed a question about how the manufacturer positions its FP-5 development, which is technically a cruise missile.
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As Fire Point explains, there are significant differences between regulatory policies for drones and missiles today. To speed up testing and deployment, many missiles are classified as unmanned aerial vehicles.
Now, Ukraine may now possess missile drones, including ballistic ones, since both cruise and ballistic missiles can be more easily deployed when classified as unmanned aerial vehicles.
Fire Point notes that these missile and ballistic drones would become true cruise and ballistic missiles again if Ukraine revises its defense procurement laws.
The company emphasizes that the boom in Ukraine's drone industry is driven by reduced bureaucratic hurdles for manufacturers and by close collaboration between manufacturers and the military to improve unmanned aerial vehicles.
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