United to win: Ukraine to test Estonian anti-aircraft missiles capable of destroying UAVs

An Estonian company will supply Ukraine with air defense missiles designed to take down drones.

The Ministry of Defense's press service reported that.

The Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine, Brigadier General Anatolii Klochko, met with the management team of Estonia's Frankenburg Technologies in Kyiv.

The parties agreed that Ukraine would receive air defense missiles for testing.

The first samples will arrive in the coming months.

The missiles are designed primarily to destroy drones and can hit targets at an altitude of up to 2 kilometers.

According to Kusti Salm, the director of Frankenburg Technologies, the production of these missiles can be organized in Ukraine in case of successful tests and approval for further use.

Ukraine and Estonia agreed that the next step could be to agree on the format of financing the production of missiles.

The Deputy Minister of Defense called on foreign manufacturers to provide Ukraine with weapons to test in combat conditions.

It is worth mentioning that Ukraine escalated weapon production during the war and established partnerships with foreign manufacturers. The country is also actively pursuing its own development, particularly in the field of long-range weapons.

It should be noted that in 2024, Ukraine began issuing grants to produce missiles. Next year, grants for powder factories are planned.

For reference:

Thus, the Rheinmetall defense concern will build four factories on Ukraine's territory. One of them is already working, and the second will open soon. In addition, Ukraine, in cooperation with partner countries, produces weapons on the territory of partner countries. Such a step was necessary to ensure production.

Over the past eight months, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has officially adopted and implemented twice as many domestically-produced weapons and military equipment in its armed forces compared to the entire previous year. In 2023, this indicator amounted to more than 200 samples of Ukrainian-made weapons and equipment.

Some samples of Ukrainian-made weapons are unique in their characteristics, and this is proven by the results of their use in combat conditions. For example, according to some drone models, Ukraine is a world leader.

On August 24, during the Independence Day celebrations, Zelensky announced the first successful combat use of the Ukrainian Palianytsia drone missile.

Also, during a press conference at the "Ukraine 2024. Independence" forum on August 27, the President said that Ukraine had successfully tested a ballistic missile of domestic production for the first time.

Also, the Ukrainian army began receiving new batches of 5.45×39 mm and 5.56×45 mm ammunition, which are manufactured at local production facilities. This is a significant step in restoring independent ammunition production, which was lost after the occupation of the Luhansk Ammunition Plant in 2014.

Overall, Ukraine has greatly ramped up the production of drones and aviation complexes since the start of the Russian invasion. This includes not only helicopters and attack drones but also maritime drones. According to Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine has the capacity to manufacture 4 million drones per year. Currently, over 1.5 million UAVs have already been contracted.

The Ministry of Defense recently announced that Ukraine's armed forces have deployed the new "Black Widow" drone bomber.

Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine's intelligence, stated that these drones could strike targets in Russia from a distance of up to 1,800 km, starting at the Ukrainian border.

In addition, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine codified and approved the military use of a defensive fragmentation grenade, an analog of the Soviet F-1.