Yesterday, Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz made a surprise visit to Ukraine. The agenda included not only numerous public relations engagements, but also concrete support for the Ukrainian energy sector and the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
One of the more than a dozen agreements and contracts signed yesterday in Kyiv also involved the German sensor specialist HENSOLDT. A memorandum of understanding was signed between HENSOLDT and the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence, which significantly expands their joint cooperation in the defence sector.
According to a press release issued by the company today, this includes examining whether the TRL-4D LR long-range radars could be deployed in Ukraine for ballistic missile defence.
Although the project is not mentioned by name, it can be assumed that the use of TRL-4D LR radars – in addition to TRML-4D radars, which are also manufactured and supplied by HENSOLDT – is being considered for the FREYJA air defence system, which is being designed by the Ukrainian defence company Fire Point as the prime contractor. This is also consistent with the fact that HENSOLDT is thereby – according to its own press release – “expanding the collaboration already agreed upon in the field of ballistic missile defence”.
With FREYJA, Ukraine aims to take a major step towards greater independence in the field of ballistic missile defence from next year onwards.
At present, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have only the US-made MIM-104 Patriot system at its disposal, of which Germany alone, with financial support from European partners, has supplied five fire units. However, under US President Trump, the supply of new missiles for these fire units were severely restricted for a variety of reasons, leaving Ukraine largely defenceless at present and in urgent need of an alternative.
Additional deliveries of radar systems
In addition to examining the deployment of the TRL-4D LR radars, the memorandum of understanding also provides for extensive deliveries of further radar systems. Details regarding, for example, the scope of delivery or the specific radar systems involved have not been disclosed.
However, HENSOLDT has been supplying the TRML-4D air surveillance and target acquisition radar to Ukraine for several years now, both as a stand-alone radar system and as part of the IRIS-T SLM air defence system.
It is also highly likely that the SPEXER 2000 3D MkIII short-range radar is already in use in Ukraine. A contract for its supply was made public more than a year ago.
It is therefore more than likely that this concerns further deliveries of the TRML-4D or SPEXER 2000 3D MkIII radar systems, or possibly even both. Given the ongoing expansion of production capacity, it can be assumed that deliveries would start relatively quickly once the contract has been signed.
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