The defense ministers of Germany and Ukraine have signed an agreement that paves the way for the joint development of a new air defense system to shoot down ballistic missiles. This was stated by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius during the opening of the "Ramstein" format Contact Group meeting, UNN reports.
Today, Mykhailo (Fedorov - ed.) and I signed an agreement that paves the way for the joint development of a new air defense system to counter ballistic missiles
He noted that seven German enterprises are already interested in cooperation.
Earlier
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated Ukraine's urgent need for additional air defense systems and artillery ammunition.
As a reminder
Ukraine also initiated the creation of a pan-European anti-ballistic shield – Freyja. The basis of this air defense system is the Ukrainian ballistic interceptor missile FP-7.x, created by the Ukrainian manufacturer Fire Point. It is called an analog of the American Patriot PAC-3 system. However, the Ukrainian missiles are significantly cheaper – their price is expected to be around $700,000 per unit compared to $3.8 million for a single American one.
During a recent test, the FP-7.x reached a flight altitude of 25 kilometers, which is comparable to the performance of the Patriot complex.
On June 16, the German radar systems manufacturer Hensoldt joined the project to create the Freyja pan-European anti-ballistic shield.
According to open sources, in addition to German long-range detection radars, Freyja will also include the Weibel GFTR-2100/48 or Leonardo KRONOS Land illumination and guidance radar. The command post will be based on the Norwegian Kongsberg Fire Distribution Center complex. One of the key features of the system will be its open architecture and the use of Network Access Nodes modules, which will allow for the integration of additional solutions and components.
Data exchange between all elements of the complex will be carried out via the Link 16 tactical channel, standardized according to STANAG 5516. This specific protocol is intended to ensure the integration of Freyja into the existing air defense systems of Ukraine and other European countries.