Ukraine is working on creating a fundamentally new air defense system that should not only intercept ballistic missiles but also guarantee the state's complete independence in security matters. This refers to the Freya project – a Ukrainian concept for a next-generation pan-European anti-ballistic shield based on open architecture and proprietary interception technologies. This was shared by Denys Shtilerman, co-owner and chief designer of Fire Point, reports UNN.
"We are currently at war, and it is very important for us to complete certain projects that will give us the opportunity to win this war, and most importantly – the opportunity to live through the next winter in peace,"
According to him, the war has demonstrated a key lesson for both Ukraine and all of Europe: without its own air defense, no country can feel safe. Shtilerman emphasized that this primarily concerns an air defense system capable of effectively intercepting ballistic threats, for which permission to use does not need to be requested from partners.
A key feature of the Ukrainian Freya project lies in its independence from external control. Denys Shtilerman emphasizes that modern Western air defense systems often operate in a closed architecture format, where the supplier country or manufacturer effectively retains control over critical elements of the system.
"Freya is about ballistic interception. We proposed a pan-European anti-ballistic shield based on our interceptor and based on an open architecture and software solution that will prove to the end-user that this solution can never be turned off by the manufacturer, the company that sold it to them, or the country that sold it to them,"
In fact, this is a new philosophy of weaponry: not just purchasing a security system, but gaining full sovereignty over it.
As an example of the risks of dependence on foreign systems, Shtilerman cited the story of Qatar, which invested tens of billions of dollars in the purchase of American Patriot surface-to-air missile systems.
"You can invest 20 billion (dollars – ed.) like Qatar in your own security, buy up 'Patriots,' and one day, when Israeli aviation is flying to eliminate Hamas leaders (an Islamist paramilitary group – ed.), your radars will simply be remotely turned off. Israeli aviation will fly in and destroy the Hamas leaders. The Hamas leaders are very bad people, they needed to be destroyed. But the country invested 20 billion in its own air defense; what did it get? Total dependence,"
According to him, even the most modern air defense systems do not guarantee real independence if the country does not control the software, architecture, and critical control elements.
This example became one of the factors why Ukraine is now betting specifically on its own air defense and ballistic interception.
Shtilerman also added that parallel to the Freya project, work is underway in Ukraine on the new FP-9 ballistic system, capable of striking targets on Russian territory at high speed and with minimal chances of interception.
According to him, this is not only about responding to Russian attacks but also about creating a new balance of deterrence. "We can strike 10, 20, 30 objects simultaneously on the territory of Moscow and reach such a pact: you don't touch our civilian infrastructure, and we don't touch yours," he stated.
Such an approach will allow for the simultaneous protection of Ukrainian skies and the creation of a risk of an inevitable response for the enemy.
As a reminder
Earlier, Shtilerman stated that a Ukrainian analogue of the Patriot could begin intercepting Russian ballistics by the end of the year. The Freya project has already been supported by Germany, France, and Norway.