Private air defense is already working - the project is yielding its first results, Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced on Monday, writes UNN.
Private air defense is already working — the first results of intercepting enemy targets
According to him, it refers to the experimental project launched by the government to involve the private sector in the air defense system, and it "is already being implemented and yielding its first results."
"One of the project's participating companies has already prepared its own air defense group. As of today, several enemy drones have already been shot down in the Kharkiv region, including Shahed and Zala," Fedorov stated.
In parallel, according to him, "the formation of new air defense groups is underway at 13 more enterprises that have received the status of an authorized economic operator from the Ministry of Defense."
"As of now, all groups are at different stages of preparation: some are already performing combat missions, others are undergoing training, and the rest are completing preparation and will strengthen the country's air defense in the near future," the minister reported.
According to the head of the Ministry of Defense, "private air defense is integrated into the unified command and control system of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and is already operating within it — protecting objects and participating in the interception of Shaheds." This is a systemic solution that allows for quickly scaling air defense capabilities without additional burden on front-line units, he added.
"We have created a model where the state, military, and business work as a single system. We are opening the air defense market, creating competition: businesses and companies can develop private air defense and protect their own infrastructure. Private groups receive weapons, operate under the coordination of the Air Force, and become part of the overall sky defense architecture. The result is more protected objects, more downed targets, faster response to attacks," Fedorov noted.
"Our goal is to build a multi-layered air defense system that will provide maximum coverage and effective interception of air threats. Sky protection is a key priority," the Minister of Defense emphasized.