{
  "id": 6154555,
  "title": "Ukrainian university and the Flamingo missile-maker opened an engineering course. On the first try, zero of 150 passed",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/07/ukrainian-university-and-the-flamingo-missile-maker-opened-an",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-07T18:39:53.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Euromaidan Press",
    "slug": "euromaidan-press",
    "url": "https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/09/07/ukrainian-university-and-the-flamingo-missile-maker-opened-an-engineering-course-on-the-first-try-zero-of-150-passed/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A Ukrainian university and the maker of the country's Flamingo cruise missile have launched a program to train engineers for the nation's weapons industry. However, on the initial attempt, none of the 150 candidates who applied passed the entrance exams. The Kyiv Aviation Institute (KAI) revealed this information to LB.ua.\n\nThe university collaborates with Fire Point, a drone and missile manufacturer, to deliver this course. The war in Ukraine has transformed the nation into one of the world's leading producers of drones and missiles, with the industry expanding tenfold since 2022. Currently, the goal is to manufacture millions of drones each year.\n\nScaling up production necessitates engineers rather than just financial investment and factory construction. Out of the 150 applicants, zero successfully passed the two-stage exam process. The first stage comprised the math and physics scores from the Ukrainian university entrance exam (NMT), followed by a second round of exams tailored by Fire Point's engineers. Even those who excelled in the NMT struggled to pass the second stage.\n\nKAI's president, Kseniia Semenova, attributed the failure to the difficulty of the physics section, which was on par with national olympiads rather than a typical entrance test. She emphasized that while these concepts could be learned, they required extensive preparation. Semenova noted that candidates who go in unprepared are unlikely to succeed. To address this issue, KAI and Fire Point will begin offering preparatory courses starting in September.\n\nSemenova traced the failure back to the quality of science education in Ukrainian schools, stating that it is not robust and few students even attempt physics on the NMT. Those who do often perform poorly. Interest in KAI remains high, with first-year enrollment increasing by 40% this year, primarily driven by aviation transport and rocket-and-space technology. However, the more challenging tracks, such as applied mechanics, composite materials, and engines, are not experiencing significant growth.",
  "summary": "Even students who scored well on the university entrance exam flunked the physics round.",
  "key_points": [
    "Ukrainian university and Flamingo missile-maker launch engineering course",
    "Zero of 150 candidates passed entrance exams on first try",
    "KAI president cites physics difficulty as main obstacle"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "France 24",
        "title": "'What we see right now is that Putin has zero interest in ending the war', Ukrainian MP Yasko says",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/07/what-we-see-right-now-is-that-putin-has-zero-interest-in-ending-the",
        "published": "2026-09-07T18:38:32.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}