Ukraine Plans Freyja Missile System
PHOTO CAPTION: FILE PHOTO: Ukrainian service members walk next to a launcher of a Patriot air defence system, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in an undisclosed location, Ukraine August 4, 2024. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/File Photo
Ukraine wants a working prototype of a European anti-ballistic missile system ready during the first half of 2027 as Kyiv seeks a lower-cost alternative to the U.S.-made Patriot system.
Davyd Aloian, deputy secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council and the official overseeing the Freyja project, said the goal is to produce a minimum viable system capable of demonstrating its first practical results.
“Since we’re working within such a tight timeframe, we have an ambitious goal: to have an MVP ready by the first half of next year,” Aloian said.
An international steering committee is expected to meet for the first time soon to estimate the project’s research and development costs.
The project was formally launched at a summit in Paris two weeks ago attended by leaders from 10 European countries, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and representatives from about a dozen defense manufacturers.
Ukraine remains heavily dependent on Patriot air-defense systems, the only weapon in its arsenal that can reliably intercept Russian ballistic missiles traveling at several times the speed of sound.
Patriot supplies have been limited by political uncertainty, low stockpiles and lengthy production times.
Russia intensified ballistic-missile attacks on Kyiv and the southern port city of Odesa this month, launching dozens of missiles. Ukraine was unable to intercept most of them because it lacked sufficient interceptors.
Ukraine is prepared to contribute a launcher and an interceptor missile to the Freyja project. Zelenskiy said this month that developing the system was now a “matter of testing” and that he hoped it could become operational within a year.
Kyiv is seeking radar systems, sensors and expertise in missile guidance and control electronics from its European partners.
Companies participating in the project include Eurosam, which manufactures the SAMP-T interceptor system, as well as Leonardo, Thales and Saab.
Ukrainian missile and drone manufacturer Fire Point, which developed the Flamingo cruise missile, has said it will serve as the project’s lead industrial partner.
Fire Point announced an agreement last month with German defense manufacturer Hensoldt to provide radar technology for Freyja.
The project is intended to offer a less expensive alternative to Patriot, which is also used by several European countries.
Other European air-defense systems, including the Franco-Italian SAMP/T and Germany’s IRIS-T, have not yet demonstrated the ability to intercept ballistic missiles reliably.
Freyja is being designed with an open architecture that would allow countries to combine interchangeable components from different manufacturers.
Zelenskiy has compared the approach to Lego, with equipment from different defense companies fitted together into one system.
“If Denmark says, ‘I want the Freyja system with a Danish-made Weibel radar,’ that’s fine,” Aloian said. “If Sweden says they want the Saab system, that’s no problem either.”
Officials are also considering creating a dedicated organization or fund to collect contributions and provide stable financing for the project.
Aloian said direct participation by defense companies alongside governments could help reduce bureaucratic delays.
“The coalition should be practical rather than political,” he said.
(Source: Reuters)
