Dorozvidka #46: Ukraine at World Defense Show 2026, plus Fire Point, General Cherry, Unwave and Brave1

Defender Media traditionally brings together the most notable media publications of the past week, as well as important news that stayed off the editorial radar.

In this issue:

• Which manufacturers are representing Ukraine at World Defense Show 2026 in Saudi Arabia — and what they are showcasing;
• When to expect ballistic missile strikes by Fire Point against Russia;
• What, according to the HR director of General Cherry, should be done about the staffing crisis in defence tech;
• Which UAV became the first in the product line of Unwave, a company that previously focused only on EW/ELINT.

Brave1 CEO on missiles, ePoints, students and priority developments

The DOU portal published an interview with Andrii Hrytseniuk, CEO of the state defence tech cluster Brave1. The outlet notes that in 2025 the cluster issued more than UAH 1.1 billion in grants to manufacturers and launched a marketplace for the military, where equipment can be ordered using ePoints. At the same time, funding is no longer given to everyone: the cluster has moved to strict prioritisation, and the bonus system currently applies to 400 products out of 3,300.

In the interview, Hrytseniuk spoke about how Brave1 operates internally, how many companies are producing missiles and how much time they need, why investments in logistics ground robotic systems were halted, which developments are now prioritised, which countries test their products most actively in Ukraine, and how an analogue of Russia’s Molniya was developed.

Fire Point on Deutsche Welle

Deutsche Welle’s Ukrainian service published an interview with Fire Point co-founders Denys Shtilerman and Iryna Terekh. The outlet notes that the company’s state contracts in 2025 are estimated at more than $1 billion. Its core products include FP-1 drones with a range of up to 1,400 km, FP-2 (up to 200 km), as well as FP-5 Flamingo cruise missiles (up to 3,000 km).

Key takeaways from the interview:

• Fire Point’s focus for 2026 is ballistic systems. Over the next two to three years — air defence and the creation of an anti-ballistic shield for all of Europe;
• Intercepting an Iskander currently costs around $6 million; Fire Point plans to reduce this to $1–1.5 million;
• The FP-7 ballistic missile with a 300 km range is described as a low-cost analogue of ATACMS. Test trials are expected to be completed in February 2026;
• The company is currently producing well over a hundred FP-1 units per day.

“Do Zbroi” with General Cherry co-founder Stanislav Hryshyn

Stanislav Hryshyn, co-founder of the Ukrainian defence tech company General Cherry, appeared as a guest on Militarnyi’s video project “Do Zbroi”. He spoke about:

• Feedback on General Cherry drones and lessons learned;
• How new procurement systems are affecting the company;
• How requests from the military are shaping product development;
• Why the Bullet interceptor drone resembles Sting;
• The company’s flagship products and export prospects.

Andrii Lavrenovych on the staffing crisis in Ukrainian defence tech

Meanwhile, General Cherry’s HR director published a column in Ukrainska Pravda about the staffing crisis in the defence tech industry. He writes that Ukrainian defence tech today is a story of phenomenal growth: thousands of engineers, dozens of new technologies and a pace that only a few years ago seemed unimaginable.

“But behind the shine of the numbers lies a less obvious threat — staffing cannibalism that forces the sector to consume its own resources instead of developing new specialists,” Lavrenovych warns. In the column, he explains why this is an issue of national resilience.

Stepovyi Viter by Unwave

The Ukrainian company UNWAVE has developed the Stepovyi Viter kamikaze drone capable of striking targets at a distance of up to 70 km, Militarnyi reports. The UAV was developed together with a team of aviation engineers from Kropyvnytskyi. The drone has already passed production tests, with combat trials expected soon.

According to the company, the drone can strike static targets and carry a 5 kg warhead. The loitering munition uses automatic target lock — detection and acquisition can be carried out at a distance of up to 1,000 metres. The terminal guidance system was developed in-house.

The drone uses a Ukrainian-made digital communications system that provides the required operational range. Control modes include automatic, semi-automatic and manual.

Ukraine at World Defense Show 2026

World Defense Show 2026 — one of the world’s largest exhibitions of weapons and military equipment — is currently taking place in Saudi Arabia.

Militarnyi reports that Ukraine is represented by 17 companies with individual stands, as well as a joint NAUDI stand. Among the participants is Ukrainian Armor, showcasing the Bohdana self-propelled artillery system, the Protector ground robotic complex and the Varta armoured vehicle.

UkrSpecSystems is presenting the Shark-M unmanned aerial vehicle, while General Cherry and SkyFall are showcasing the Bullet and P1-SUN interceptor drones. UKRARMOTECH is displaying the GYURZA-03 MRAP pickup and the DESNA off-road vehicle.