From AI to missiles: the international exhibition Eurosatory-2026 showed Ukraine's new role in European defense
Kyiv • UNN
At the Eurosatory-2026 exhibition in Paris, over 80 Ukrainian defense companies presented their products. Ukraine is gradually becoming a center for the development of missile technologies in Europe.
The international defense exhibition Eurosatory-2026 in Paris demonstrated that the Ukrainian defense-industrial complex is increasingly integrating into the European security system. This year, more than 80 companies from Ukraine took part in one of the world's largest arms exhibitions, signing a number of strategic cooperation agreements with leading European manufacturers, writes UNN.
"Ukrainian arms makers became the real stars of the world's largest defense exhibition in Paris this year. While in 2024 Ukraine was represented by only 5 stands, this year more than 80 of our companies already showcased their products at Eurosatory," – said the People's Deputy, member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Economic Development, Halyna Yanchenko.
Creation of a ballistic shield over Europe
One of the most important agreements was between the Ukrainian company Fire Point and the German company HENSOLDT on cooperation in creating the Freyja air and missile defense system.
The Ukrainian Fire Point and the German HENSOLDT will jointly work on the FREYJA air and missile defense system. This is about a mega-perspective project of an EU anti-ballistic shield, for which Ukrainian-made missiles could be used
The basis of this air defense system is the Ukrainian ballistic interceptor missile FP-7.x, created by Fire Point. It has already passed tests, during which it reached a flight altitude of 25 kilometers, comparable to the performance of the Patriot system. At the same time, Ukrainian missiles are significantly cheaper – their price is expected to be about 700 thousand dollars per unit, compared to 3.8 million dollars for one American one.
The German company Hensoldt is one of the leading European manufacturers of high-tech radar systems and has long cooperated with Ukraine. In particular, the TRML-4D radar stations, used as part of the IRIS-T SLM surface-to-air missile systems, have demonstrated high effectiveness in repelling Russian air attacks.
As Fire Point company reported, the Freyja project was designed to be able to integrate various types of radars, including German-made ones. The radar systems covered by the agreement are the multifunctional TRML-4D, capable of simultaneously detecting and tracking over 1,500 targets at a range of up to 250 kilometers, as well as the SPEXER 2000 3D MkIII, designed for detecting and classifying ground, sea, and air targets at low altitudes.
Connecting German radar systems to Freyja is one of the main stages in creating a full-fledged air defense system capable of protecting Europe from ballistic threats. After this, the project will be able to move to the testing phase and the completion of the anti-ballistic shield.
Development of missile building in Ukraine
Equally important was the agreement between "Ukrainian Armored Vehicles" and the Czech company AviaNera on cooperation in the development and supply of turbojet and turboprop engines for Ukrainian missile and unmanned systems.
The partnership also envisages the future creation of joint ventures, expansion of production capacities, and localization of relevant technologies in Ukraine.
"AviaNera is rapidly expanding the production of power plants for unmanned aerial systems and guided missiles. Power plants are often a bottleneck in their production. That is why our strategy is to expand production and localize it in key markets, which undoubtedly includes Ukraine. The company 'Ukrainian Armored Vehicles' has long been a reliable partner of CSG, and cooperation in the field of power plant production is a logical continuation of the licensed production project for Western-caliber ammunition, which CSG successfully implemented together with 'Ukrainian Armored Vehicles' last year," — noted Pavel Chekhal, CEO of AviaNera Technologies.
In addition, during Eurosatory-2026, a memorandum was signed between the Luch Design Bureau and the European missile concern MBDA regarding the development of the NEPTUNE missile platform and the expansion of its long-range capabilities.
"The agreement focuses on the further development of the NEPTUNE cruise missile. Luch and MBDA will implement breakthrough innovations to develop the NEPTUNE2 deep strike capability, while deepening strategic defense cooperation with Ukraine," - noted at MBDA.
It is noted that MBDA possesses the technologies, expertise, and international partnerships necessary to supply European-developed deep strike systems and technologies to partner countries, enabling the military to protect our values and freedoms.
At the same time, the Luch Design Bureau possesses specialized knowledge, skills, and experience in the design, development, integration, and production of complex weapons systems.
AI and robotic systems
A separate area of cooperation concerned robotic systems and artificial intelligence. Thus, Rovertech and the French company Stronghold AI agreed on the joint production of the AURA active protection robotic system within the TARANTUL program. Frontline Robotics signed agreements with Dropla and Milrem Robotics on the development of robotic combat systems and mobile anti-drone platforms.
Furthermore, Ukrainian Unmanned Technologies agreed with the French company Haulotte on scaling up the production of RAVLYK robotic systems, the partnership between MAC HUB and Paramount Greece in the field of interceptor drones and maritime unmanned platforms, as well as an agreement between AIDronesUA and the Swedish company Njord Technology on the production of Ukrainian MAUL evacuation robotic systems in Sweden.
Another important result was the agreement between the Ukrainian defense platform Brave1 and France on launching the BRAVE FRANCE grant program worth 20 million euros.
"Within the partnership, developers from both countries will create the latest unmanned, missile, and air defense systems. The maximum size of one grant will be 1 million euros, and the first competitions for companies will start already in September 2026," - reported the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine
The program will focus on the development of advanced defense solutions, including missile technologies, unmanned systems, and modern means of countering air threats.
"The Ukrainian defense industry is becoming an increasingly serious player on the European market. Today, over 60% of weapons for the front are produced in Ukraine, and for drones this figure exceeds 90%. Ukrainian companies are entering joint projects, testing new technologies, and building production facilities together with the world's largest defense companies. This is what Ukraine's integration into the European defense sector looks like, from which everyone benefits," – emphasized Halyna Yanchenko
"Ramstein" and new signals regarding Ukrainian ballistic missiles
Significantly, in parallel with Eurosatory, another meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in the "Ramstein" format took place in Brussels. There, the deepening of technological cooperation between Ukraine and European partners was once again confirmed.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that the defense ministers of Ukraine and Germany signed an agreement on combining the technological capabilities of the two states to create new defense solutions.
"Certain technologies exist in Germany. Today, our defense ministers have already signed an agreement to combine these capabilities together," – noted Zelenskyy.
The President emphasized that Ukraine already has a company that is approaching the mastery of ballistic missile production.
In Ukraine, we have a company capable of producing ballistic missiles. Fire Point is moving towards this. And you have capable companies as well
This refers to ballistic missiles FP-7 and FP-9, which are being prepared for serial production.
Thus, it is clear that Ukraine is not only increasing its own defense capabilities but is also increasingly integrating into the European defense-industrial complex. At the same time, among the key priorities of the Ukrainian defense industry, the development of missile building is increasingly evident: from localizing engine production and modernizing cruise missiles to creating European missile defense systems and preparing for the serial production of ballistic missiles. The agreements signed at Eurosatory and the statements made during "Ramstein" indicate that Ukraine is gradually becoming one of the centers for the development of missile technologies in Europe.