Zelenskyy expects that the launch of the FREYJA anti-ballistic system will force Putin to sit down at the negotiating table.
Kyiv • UNN
President Zelenskyy stated that the joint FREYJA system will strengthen the defense of Ukraine and Europe. He believes that this, together with strikes on the Russian economy, will force Putin to sit down for negotiations.
The FREYJA missile defense system, on which Ukraine will work together with nine other European countries, will complement and strengthen the anti-ballistic capabilities of Ukraine and Europe. This, along with strikes on the Russian economy carried out by Ukrainian drones, will force Vladimir Putin to sit down at the negotiating table, believes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, reports UNN.
"I am grateful to President Macron for organizing and holding the first meeting of the European Anti-Ballistic Coalition. I also thank the national security advisors and heads of defense companies who gathered here today. Our work on the joint FREYJA system is not to replace existing systems. It is a way to complement our defense, create a reliable shield over all of Europe, and do it all faster and cheaper," wrote President Zelenskyy following the meeting of leaders of the countries that joined the creation of the Anti-Ballistic System.
The head of state emphasized that strong anti-ballistic capabilities will destroy the last argument of the Russian dictator – ballistic missiles.
"Strong and sufficient anti-ballistic capabilities are needed to end Russia's war against Ukraine. They are no less important than deep or middle strikes on the Russian war economy or active operations on the front line. The more means Ukraine has to shoot down Russian ballistic missiles, the higher the probability that Putin will sit down at the negotiating table, because his last argument in this war will no longer work," wrote Zelenskyy.
Context
Today, July 13, Ukraine and the leaders of nine European countries – Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom – signed a declaration on the creation of an Integrated Coalition on Missile Defense (Anti-Ballistic Coalition). The leaders of European countries recognized Ukraine's unique experience in countering Russian aggression and the need to strengthen Europe's defense. In the document, the leaders acknowledged the growing ballistic threat and "the importance of defense capabilities for the security of the European continent." The leaders announced the start of creating an exclusively defensive coalition on missile defense.
Earlier it became known that the project is named FREYJA and will be built on the basis of an interceptor missile developed by the Ukrainian defense company Fire Point.
The missile has already been tested at maximum accelerations and maneuvers it can perform to intercept ballistic targets. The cost of this missile is about 700 thousand dollars per unit compared to 3.8 million dollars for one American missile for Patriot.
As explained by Fire Point chief designer Denys Shtilerman, the missile now needs to be integrated with other components of the future system.
The pan-European anti-ballistic shield Freyja was immediately conceived as one that would unite European partners. As noted by President Zelenskyy, Ukraine is capable of creating such a system independently, but it would take years, because besides the missile, FREYJA requires the integration of a whole range of components.
Even before the signing of the declaration on the creation of the Anti-Ballistic Coalition, the Ukrainian company Fire Point signed an agreement with the German radar manufacturer Hensoldt. From open sources, it is known that in addition to German long-range detection radars, the system will likely also include an illumination and guidance radar Weibel GFTR-2100/48 or Leonardo KRONOS Land. The command post is expected to be based on the Norwegian Kongsberg Fire Distribution Center system. One of the key features of the system will be an 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 complex will be carried out via the tactical Link 16 channel, standardized according to STANAG 5516. It is this protocol that is supposed to ensure the integration of Freyja into the already existing air defense system of Ukraine and other European countries.
As stated by co-founder and chief designer of Fire Point Denys Shtilerman, the key difference of the Freyja 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 effectively retains control over critical elements of the system. It is expected that the project's architecture will be implemented in such a way that new partner countries can easily join it.