President: Steps identified to accelerate production of domestic ballistic and anti-ballistic systems

Today, during a meeting of the Staff, the issue of weapons production was discussed. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, one of the points of discussion was the development of the missile program: the production of its own ballistic and anti-ballistic system, reports UNN.

"I am grateful to all our specialists who are developing our missile program and working, in particular, on the production of effective Ukrainian ballistic and anti-ballistic systems. Today we essentially conducted an audit of capabilities and identified steps that will accelerate production, testing, and deployment," the head of state's statement reads.

Manufacturers were also involved in the discussion of weapons production.

"We also spoke with the manufacturers themselves about what is needed from the state, from administrative decisions, from funding, to maximize all types of Ukrainian capabilities and ensure deep formats of pressure on Russia, its capabilities at the front, as well as its ability to prolong the war," President Zelenskyy reported.

Among the identified priorities, in addition to the development of the missile program, are also the production of drones of all types, UAVs, electronic warfare systems, and military equipment.

The President instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense to focus on working with partners, which could bring additional funding for production. He also emphasized the further implementation of the plan for long-range and medium-range sanctions, which have already shown that limiting Russia's ability to fight directly depends on spreading the feeling among Russian social groups that the war directly affects everyday life. The volumes and timelines for the supply of those air defense systems that are needed on an almost daily basis were also considered.

"In the coming days, the key priority in all diplomatic work, in all meetings and negotiations, is air defense for Ukraine," the head of state emphasized.

Let us add

The full-scale war has pushed Ukraine to actively develop its own weapons, from unmanned aerial and ground vehicles to missiles. Private Ukrainian companies have already announced preparations for the serial production of ballistic missiles. In particular, the company Fire Point plans to complete the codification of the FP-7 missile with a range of up to 300 kilometers by the end of this year. A similar procedure must be undergone by the FP-9 with a stated range of up to 900 kilometers. It is after the completion of certification and codification procedures that the serial production of these missiles and their supply to the Armed Forces of Ukraine will begin. 

Ukraine also initiated the creation of the pan-European anti-ballistic shield Freyja. The basis of this air defense system is the Ukrainian interceptor missile for ballistic missiles, the FP-7.x, created by the Ukrainian manufacturer Fire Point. It is called an analogue of the American Patriot PAC-3 system. However, Ukrainian missiles are significantly cheaper – their price is expected to be around $700,000 per unit, compared to $3.8 million for one American missile.

As the company Fire Point explained, the Freyja project was designed in such a way that it would be possible to integrate foreign-made components into it, such as radars from the German company Hensoldt. 

As stated by the co-founder and chief designer of Fire Point, Denys Shtilerman, the key difference of the Freya project is its independence from external control. He explained that modern Western air defense systems often operate in a closed architecture format, where the supplier country or manufacturer essentially retains control over the critical elements of the system.

"Freyja is about intercepting ballistic missiles. 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, nor by the company that sold it to them, nor by the country that sold it to them," he explained.

Denmark has already announced its readiness to join the anti-ballistic program. Germany, France, Norway, and Sweden have also voiced their intentions to participate in the project. 

President Zelenskyy also recently stated that the issue of the Freyja anti-ballistic system will be discussed within the framework of the NATO summit, which will be held on July 7-8 in Ankara.