9 nations back Ukraine’s Patriot alternative, Freyja - and want it flying in a year
Nine nations have formed a coalition to support Ukraine in developing the 'Freyja' anti-ballistic interceptor system. This initiative aims to address the global shortage of defensive missiles and bolster European security.
Why it matters
It represents a significant shift in defense industrial cooperation to counter missile threats in an ongoing conflict.
KYIV, Ukraine — Nine nations have joined Ukraine in a nascent anti-ballistic coalition to speed up production of Ukraine’s Freyja interceptor system and get it operational within a year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced at a meeting of defense allies in France on Monday.
He first said a coalition of allies would work together to build the complicated weapon at last week’s NATO summit in Ankara, where U.S. President Donald Trump pledged to let Ukraine build its own Patriot interceptors after recognizing that, in Zelenskyy’s words, Ukraine is “a country that is ready to do this.”
The initiative was launched as a result of a global shortage of anti-ballistic interceptors, as the war in Iran and nearby countries carries on into its fifth month and allied partners across the world push to stock up on defensive weapons.
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