Dorozvidka #35: Fire Point, Terma, Merops, Defence City, Darknode, and news from Ministry of Defence & Brave1

In Dorozvidka, Defender Media compiles notable publications from other media from the past week, as well as news that did not appear on the site as separate stories.

Last week:

• The American Merops interceptor drones are no longer an open secret;
• The principal owner and chief designer of Fire Point, Denys Shtilerman, appeared in public for the first time and gave a video interview to Natalia Moseichuk;
• Yevhen Lesin from Nemesis spoke about the evolution of Shaheds and how to counter them;
  In the latest episode of the ZBROYA project, Valentyna Vedrovska from the Ukrainian Council of Defence Industry discusses Defence City.

More on this below, but first, Defender Media reminds readers that the project’s Telegram channel features more news and updates than the website. Here are some of last week’s highlights:

• The state defence tech cluster Brave1 reported on Denmark’s Terma participating in the Test in Ukraine programme;
• The Ministry of Defence codified anti-drone rounds from several Ukrainian manufacturers;
• Seven private UGV operator schools received certificates from the Ministry of Defence;
• The UK’s Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge posted a video from the Ukrainian UKRSPECSYSTEMS plant;
• The military received the first 100,000 FPV drones via DOT-Chain Defence.

Merops steps out of the shadows

Ukrainian experts and specialised media have long been aware of Merops — the American interceptor drone that was the first of its kind to be used effectively to down Shaheds. However, following the military’s recommendations, information about it was kept out of the public domain. Now the use of Merops is openly reported by Western media, and European armies are adopting this game-changer.

A long feature about the Merops interception system was published last week by Business Insider. The outlet writes that more than 1,000 Russian drones in Ukraine have fallen victim to Merops. The system is now being deployed in several NATO countries.

First video with the co-founder and chief designer of Fire Point

Denys Shtilerman is the principal owner and chief designer of Fire Point. Until last week, Ukrainian media had no information on what he looked like. That has now changed: Shtilerman gave a 90-minute interview to Natalia Moseichuk and then, together with his business partners, held a press event (details to be published on Defender Media tomorrow).

Topics discussed by Moseichuk and her guest:

• Why Shtilerman decided to go public;
• The creation of Fire Point and the project’s team;
• Mindich and his involvement in Fire Point;
• Relations with anti-corruption activists;
• Whether corruption scandals hindered concluding a weapons production deal with Denmark;
• Relations with Yermak, Zelenskyy, and the Zuckerman brothers;
• Why Fire Point needs ties with Mike Pompeo;
• The Flamingo missile and how many are produced;
• When Ukraine will have its own ballistic missiles.

Yevhen Lesin from Nemesis — on the evolution of Shaheds and countering them

The Darknode Battalion is a technological unit of Nemesis’s 412th Brigade that destroys Geran-2/Shahed strike UAVs using interceptor drones. It is currently the most effective unit in Ukraine’s Defence Forces in this category. Darknode’s commander, Oleksandr Yarmak, stated that the battalion has already reached around 1,500 downed aerial targets. In an interview with GRUNT, Darknode fighter Yevhen Lesin discusses Russian tactics, methods of countering Shaheds, and whether our Western partners are prepared to repel Russian Shahed-style attacks.

Valentyna Vedrovska from the Ukrainian Council of Defence Industry — on Defence City

In the latest episode of the ZBROYA project, produced jointly by Militarnyi and the Ukrainian Council of Defence Industry, the focus is on the launch of the Defence City project and its role in developing Ukraine’s defence sector. The guest is Valentyna Vedrovska, Head of Government Communications at the Ukrainian Council of Defence Industry.

In this episode:

• What Defence City is;
• Which companies the programme is intended for;
• Tax benefits and relocation opportunities for defence companies;
• Reinvestment of profits;
• Amnesty measures for defence companies;
• Special export conditions for programme residents;
• What the state expects from the launch of the programme.

Previous editions of Dorozvidka.