Ukraine seeks to localize European air defense systems and missiles

As the Russo-Ukrainian war rages on, Ukraine is focused on both securing Western military assistance and expanding its own defense industry, including missile and drone technology, artillery, and electronic warfare systems.

Mar 30, 2025 - 17:00

Ukraine seeks to localize European air defense systems and missiles

Ukraine's mad scientists marry Soviet R-73 with Western missiles in hybrid air defense system

Ukraine has conducted negotiations regarding the localization of European air defense systems and missiles, according to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Amid intensified Russian air attacks over the past year, Ukraine has been urgently requesting any available air defense systems from its allies. Simultaneously, it is actively developing its own air defense technologies and extensively repurposing FPV drones as aerial interceptors.

The President noted that this development is crucial for Ukraine:

“In negotiations with other partners, we talked about localizing production in Ukraine. Localizing some air defense systems, localizing missiles for them,” Zelenskyy said on 28 March.

Militarnyi notes that Ukraine has been working for an extended period toward localizing western air defense technologies. In 2023, the US Department of Defense provided Ukraine with technical data to begin local production of FrankenSAM air defense projects.

These projects aim to expand the capabilities of Ukraine’s Soviet-era air defense systems by integrating western missiles onto them. The Ukrainian Air Force has already deployed modernized Buk-M1 mobile firing units with RIM-7 missiles as part of the FrankenSAM project.

Earlier, it was reported that Norwegian air defense systems manufacturer Kongsberg was integrating interceptor missiles of Ukrainian production into NASAMS systems.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian defense-industrial complex has been developing several interceptor solutions, from the Koral surface-to-air missile to the aircraft missiles, R-27 and the promising UP-277.

Related:

You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this. We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society. A little bit goes a long way: for as little as the cost of one cup of coffee a month, you can help build bridges between Ukraine and the rest of the world, plus become a co-creator and vote for topics we should cover next. Become a patron or see other ways to support. Become a Patron!