What stage is the launch of the Freyja anti-ballistic shield at: Fire Point reveals details
Kyiv • UNN
Ukrainian company Fire Point has begun integrating components from 13 European partners into the Freyja system. The first interception of a ballistic missile is planned by mid-2027.
The Ukrainian defense company Fire Point has begun integrating European technologies into the new Freyja missile defense system. The company’s CEO and CTO, Iryna Terekh, told Reuters in an interview, reports UNN.
The Freyja project, which is intended to provide interception of Russian ballistic missiles, is being built around the FP-7.x interceptor missile from Fire Point, while the system’s other components are being supplied by European defense companies. According to Terekh, 13 industrial partners have already joined the project.
The creation of the integrated system is currently at the component integration stage.
"We are at the most intensive and, at the same time, the most challenging stage — the final integration of all components: surveillance radars, tracking radars, and guidance systems," Terekh said.
The project to create a joint European antiballistic shield officially began on July 13, when Ukraine and nine other European countries signed the declaration of the Antiballistic Coalition. At that time, 12 defense companies joined the project, including Eurosam, Leonardo, Thales, and Saab. Their number has since increased, and according to Terekh, the number of industrial partners may rise to approximately 20, which would increase production capacity.
Terekh said that the participating companies will finance research and development until a minimum viable product (MVP) is achieved, which, she said, will mean the successful interception of a ballistic missile.
Norwegian company Kongsberg is working on a command center that will integrate all the various systems. It was previously reported that German company Diehl Defence, which manufactures seeker heads for its own IRIS-T air defense system, would supply the guidance system. A Diehl representative confirmed to Reuters that the company is in talks with Fire Point but declined to disclose details.
The distinctive feature of the project is that Freyja will use an open-source architecture, allowing various options to be replaced, such as, for example, the Weibel radar with a radar manufactured by Saab. As Fire Point's chief designer and co-founder Denys Shtilerman previously explained, this openness will allow partner countries to use domestically produced technologies, such as radars or command centers. It also reduces dependence on a specific manufacturer.
The Freyja anti-ballistic system is intended to become an analogue of Patriot in terms of shooting down ballistic targets, while achieving larger-scale production and being cheaper. According to Iryna Terekh, the company plans to carry out the first successful missile interception by mid-2027.