First Combat Test Of Freyja Anti-Ballistic System Expected In 2027 Firepoint CEO

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) Ukrinform reports this, citing FirePoint CEO Iryna Terekh, who spoke at a defense and space summit in Brussels.

“Freyja is an anti-ballistic air defense system for Europe. We are seeking to build an anti-ballistic shield that works somewhat differently from the Patriot system. Patriot is an absolutely excellent, technologically advanced system, one of the best in the world, but it was never designed to deal with the number of threats we are facing now,” Terekh said.

Read also: Zelensky says Canada ready to join FREYJA anti-ballistic missile program

The project envisages developing a system based on the principles of affordability, scalability and maximum independence from external suppliers, according to Terekh.

“Every part of Freyja is being developed according to 'design for manufacturing' principles. It is designed to be scalable, affordable, reproducible and accessible through the use of as many European components as possible that are free of ITAR restrictions and Chinese components. If we truly want to be sovereign in terms of our own air defense, we have to build it ourselves,” the FirePoint CEO emphasized.

She noted that development is proceeding on an accelerated schedule, while the system is being tested using data from real-world combat operations in Ukraine.

Read also: UK urges industries to support Freyja anti-ballistic missile program

“Despite the tremendous progress on Freyja and the fact that we expect to conduct the first interception of a ballistic target by the middle of next year, which means compressing a 40-year program into just over two years, we will not be able to immediately replace Patriot. This is still a program that needs time to develop. However, we are already preparing all the capabilities needed for this. We are testing it under real conditions at a testing range in Ukraine, taking all the data from attacks against us - from Iskanders to North Korean missiles - and integrating it into Freyja's algorithms,” Terekh said.

As previously reported by Ukrinform citing President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine, together with its European partners, is working to develop a joint Freyja anti-ballistic system that could become operational within a year.

Photo via Fire Point, wiki

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