The modern war has shown that security can no longer be built around a single manufacturer or a single state. The democratic world must create a common defense ecosystem capable of rapidly scaling production and responding to new challenges. This opinion was expressed by Denys Shtilerman, co-founder and chief designer of the Ukrainian defense company Fire Point, in a column for The Washington Post, reports UNN.
"The main lesson that not only Ukraine but also the United States, Europe, and every democracy that wants to remain safe must learn: survival cannot be outsourced to one country or entrusted to one company," he emphasized.
The world admires Ukrainian drones, but Ukraine's ability to build a modern and flexible defense industry in just a few years did not arise from a comfortable life. Under the constant threat of destruction, the country was forced to act faster, abandon lengthy bureaucratic procedures, and produce weapons at the pace demanded by the battlefield itself.
"Ukraine, with such limited resources, built a modern defense industry so quickly. It did so because it treated defense not as a matter of policy but as a matter of survival. Policy teaches you to live within the limits of the possible. Survival forces you to go beyond those limits," Shtilerman noted.
Europe is changing its approach to defense
Recently, the United States, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden signed an agreement to establish a service center in Europe for the maintenance of PAC-3 missiles for Patriot systems. Its launch is expected to reduce repair time, logistics, and the return of missiles to combat use. This step is further evidence that European countries are increasingly investing in their own production and service capabilities.
At the same time, according to the Fire Point co-founder, the opening of the service center in itself does not solve the key problem of modern warfare – the production of ballistic missiles already significantly outpaces the production of interception systems.
"Today's wars have shown that the production of ballistic missiles significantly outpaces the production of interceptors. In just five weeks – from June 2 to July 6 – Russia launched 114 ballistic missiles and another 24 Zircon and Oniks missiles at Kyiv. The global production of the most advanced version of the PAC-3 MSE interceptor missiles for Patriot is only about 50 units per month. In five weeks, Kyiv alone consumes more than two months' worth of their global production," Shtilerman emphasized.
That is why the modern defense industry must be built on the principle of an open network, where no manufacturer, enterprise, or state is a critical link.
Reminder
It is precisely in this logic that the FREYJA anti-ballistic project is being built – a system that will unite technologies, production capabilities, and competencies of different countries into a single defense ecosystem. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently stated that FREYJA has already united 10 European states and 12 leading defense companies and remains open to new participants.
The head of state also emphasized that Ukraine is capable of ensuring the production of the interceptor missile and the launch system. From European partners, contributions are expected in the form of modern radars, sensors, guidance systems, and other components necessary to create a full-fledged anti-ballistic system.
Separately, Zelenskyy warned that Russia will try by any means to hinder the implementation of FREYJA, because the emergence of a joint European anti-ballistic system will not only strengthen the continent's security but also create a new powerful player in the global defense market.