Ukrainian President Announces Plans to Develop Domestic Missile Defense System

On July 10, Xinhua News Agency reported from Kyiv (Reporter Li Dongxu) that Ukrainian President Zelensky stated on social media that due to the limited production capacity of the U.S. "Patriot" air defense system and Europe's new generation SAMP-T surface-to-air missile system, Ukraine will develop a domestic anti-ballistic missile system.

Zelensky announced that Ukraine will create a domestic anti-ballistic missile system named FREYA, which has interception capabilities comparable to the U.S. "Patriot" air defense system but is easier to produce on a large scale and at a lower cost.

Zelensky indicated that Ukraine will hold the first meeting in France soon to discuss the development of the domestic anti-ballistic missile system, introducing the plan to relevant countries that can help Ukraine implement the project as soon as possible. If support is received from relevant countries and enterprises, the FREYA anti-missile system is expected to enter production soon.

During the Ukraine crisis, Ukraine relied on the U.S.-made "Patriot" missile defense system to intercept Russian missiles. After the conflict in Iran, the U.S. redeployed some missile defense systems stationed in Europe to the Gulf region. The SAMP-T surface-to-air missile is the only air defense system in Europe capable of intercepting ballistic missiles, developed by the European missile company jointly established by France and Italy, and was commissioned into the armed forces of both countries in 2008. It was deployed to the Ukrainian battlefield after the escalation of the Ukraine crisis, but its production is limited.