The first interception of a ballistic missile using the FP-7.x anti-ballistic missile within the Freyja project is planned to be carried out by the end of 2027. This was stated by the CEO and CTO of the Ukrainian company Fire Point, Iryna Terekh, reports UNN.
"As of today, we have completed testing of the missile in the form of the FP-7.x. But now the most difficult and interesting part of integrating it into the system is underway. And I will be very happy if we carry out, or rather, I hope, and we plan to carry out the first interception by the end of 2027. But this is an extremely ambitious goal," – reported Iryna Terekh on the air of the program "Topic with Mosiychuk".
She added that what the company is currently trying to do is compress a missile program spanning 20-30 years into 2-3 years.
According to Iryna Terekh, during the creation of Freyja, the developers deliberately deviated from a number of principles used in classical missile defense systems.
"Freyja cannot be turned off remotely. Such a kill switch function exists, for example, in Patriot. We saw how Patriots were turned off in Qatar recently, and all the missiles flew over them. They could do nothing. We cannot entrust the security of our sky to a system that has a kill switch," she noted.
Another key feature of the project, according to the CEO of Fire Point, is the open architecture, which allows all participants in the cooperation to work on a common technological base.
"We are building Freyja on an open architecture. This does not mean we are posting it on GitHub, but it means that within the cooperation participants, there are no proprietary secrets. Everyone shares everything in order to carry out integration as quickly as possible," explained Iryna Terekh.
This approach also allows for mutual auditing of solutions and checking the system for the absence of potential vulnerabilities. Iryna Terekh added that any manufacturer can join the Freyja program if its solution meets the unified technical requirements and can be integrated into the overall system.
She recalled that the Ukrainian side is responsible for creating the interceptor missile, the launcher, and the system integration of the complex. International partners supply certain critically important components, including radars and seeker heads.
Fire Point, according to Iryna Terekh, is also integrating other Ukrainian manufacturers into the Freyja project. "We are trying to involve as many participants as possible, because the more people try to perform this exercise, the greater the chances that we will reach success faster and will have alternative options in case something happens to one of the vendors," she explained.
Iryna Terekh also emphasized that one of the main principles of Freyja is ensuring the technological independence of partners, so that the system does not depend on political decisions regarding the supply or use of weapons.
Let's add
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that a meeting of partners of the anti-ballistic coalition will take place in France in the near future. The meeting will discuss the Freyja project initiated by Ukraine for protection against ballistic threats.
Representatives of various European countries have already expressed interest in the joint implementation of such a large-scale concept. In particular, agreements have already been officially signed between the Ministers of Defense of Ukraine and Germany. As noted by Shtilerman, these agreements open the way to obtaining technical documentation for various components of the future anti-ballistic system.
In addition, Fire Point recently signed an agreement with the German radar manufacturer Hensoldt. From open sources, it is also known that besides German long-range detection radars, the system will likely also include an illumination and guidance radar, the Weibel GFTR-2100/48 or Leonardo KRONOS Land. The command post is expected to be based on the Norwegian Kongsberg Fire Distribution Center. One of the key features of the system will be its open architecture and the use of Network Access Nodes modules, which will allow the integration of additional solutions and components.
Data exchange between all elements of the system will be carried out via the Link 16 tactical channel, standardized according to STANAG 5516. It is this protocol that is supposed to ensure the integration of Freyja into the existing air defense system of Ukraine and other European countries.