Today at 01:04
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that countries participating in the development of a new European anti-ballistic defense program will meet in France in the coming days to discuss Ukraine’s FREYJA project, UATV English reports.
Speaking to journalists, Zelenskyy said FREYJA is a Ukrainian-led anti-ballistic system designed to provide a more affordable, mass-produced alternative to the Patriot air defense system for intercepting ballistic missiles.
“FREYJA is our Ukrainian anti-ballistic system. I would call it European, but it is under our leadership. This project is our anti-ballistic system, which should become an analogue of Patriot for intercepting ballistic targets, but one that can be mass-produced at a lower cost. That was the task I set for our manufacturers,” Zelenskyy said.
According to the president, the first international meeting dedicated to the project will take place in France within the next few days.
Ukraine plans to present the FREYJA initiative to European leaders, defense companies, and national security advisers as a proposal for joint development and production.
“If the leaders, their industrial capabilities, and their companies support FREYJA, it will begin moving forward in the near future. This is, honestly, our number one objective. FREYJA can first and foremost help Ukraine. We will then be able to protect Ukraine’s skies with our own capabilities. And just as importantly, we will share FREYJA with all our partners, especially the Europeans who have supported Ukraine throughout this war,” Zelenskyy said.
The announcement follows a memorandum of understanding signed in June between German defense company Hensoldt and Ukrainian firm Fire Point to jointly integrate components into the FREYJA ground-based air defense system, which is being developed to detect and intercept ballistic missiles.
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