Not just Patriot: How soon Ukraine can field Freya ballistic missile interceptor
Ukraine has tested a missile for its domestic Freya ballistic missile defense system.
Air defense system (illustrative photo)
The Ukrainian company Fire Point has already flight-tested the interceptor for the new Freya air defense system, evaluating its performance at maximum speed and during high-G maneuvers. How soon the system will be capable of intercepting ballistic missiles now depends entirely on how quickly European partners transfer the necessary technology.
Denys Shtilerman, co-founder and chief designer of Fire Point, shared these details in an interview with LIGA.net.
The Freya air defense system
According to Shtilerman, the project could serve as a faster, more cost-effective alternative to the US-made Patriot system. However, to finalize development, Ukraine requires foreign technical documentation regarding radars, homing heads (seekers), and data links. Intergovernmental approvals for this transfer are currently in the final stages.
“Our entire bureaucratic apparatus is moving incredibly fast right now. It sounds like an oxymoron, but it’s true. Everyone understands the critical importance of this project. Initially, getting things off the ground took a year, but now we are running. Memorandums have been signed with a number of countries. The most recent one was signed by the defense ministers of Germany and Ukraine. This serves as the legal basis for partners to begin transferring technical documentation for radars, homing heads, and data links, which we have already started integrating into our interceptor,” Shtilerman said.
The designer adds that European defense companies have also begun responding rapidly. At the same time, he pointed out that the pace of developing the anti-ballistic system could be affected by the summer vacation season in the West due to local lifestyle habits.
When Freya will become operational in Ukraine
Regarding timelines, Shtilerman explained that while the progress of Ukraine's domestic ballistic missile depends solely on local developers, the Freya project hinges primarily on cooperation with international partners. Until Ukraine receives the foreign documentation, setting exact dates is impossible, as the European components will likely require further integration and adjustments.
Evaluating potential targets for the future air defense system, the chief designer noted that the complex is being developed primarily to counter Russian Iskander missiles.
“There is probably no point in intercepting Kinzhals because they don't hit anything anyway. We see that they can't even hit the Starokostiantyniv airfield, which is quite a large facility. As for the Iskander, it is a relatively slow missile [compared to hypersonic ones], so everything will depend on the seeker and the radars,” Denys Shtilerman concluded.