Fire Point CEO Iryna Terekh said at a defense industry conference in Herning, Denmark, that construction — originally expected to begin by the end of 2026 — will now be pushed back to the end of 2027.
"The setback shows how difficult it is to shift Ukrainian weapons production onto EU soil, even when governments are willing to cut red tape to speed up defense projects," Euractiv wrote.
Danish authorities have removed more than 20 legislative obstacles to allow Fire Point to establish a production site in the country for solid-fuel Flamingo cruise missiles, according to the report.
However, despite this acceleration of regulatory procedures, the Ukrainian defense company has run into an obstacle that will be harder to overcome.
Terekh said Fire Point is being forced to construct a new facility in Denmark after the building the company originally purchased turned out to be unsuitable for producing solid rocket propellant.
"The Danish Business Authority has confirmed that safety requirements are preventing the use of the initially purchased building," Euractiv wrote.
In addition, the change will require Fire Point to raise significantly more investment.
"The initial plan was to complete the entire project within €50 million ($58 million). The cost has now risen to more than €150 million ($175 million)," Terekh said.
Earlier, in July 2026, Fire Point's CEO told Euractiv that there was significant interest across Europe in hosting the Ukrainian company's local production.
At the same time, Terekh said, "European bureaucracy is a greater threat to Europe’s defence than the Russians."
"With Russians, you can deal with missiles and drones, but how do you fight European bureaucracy?" she said.
On March 17, 2026, Fire Point CEO Iryna Terekh said the company was in the process of obtaining the necessary permits, including environmental ones, to launch solid rocket fuel production at the plant in Denmark.
“It turned out to be a bit more complicated than doing this in Ukraine, but not as bad as I expected. For the European system, it is also a challenge to adapt to the pace of wartime life that we are used to in Ukraine,” she said.
According to Terekh, the plan was for the first part of the Denmark plant to open in 2026, with the main part following in 2027. The facility will produce rocket fuel, engine casings, and connecting parts for other missile components, and will also assemble the engines themselves, the Fire Point CEO said.