In order to protect Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure in particular from Russian ballistic missile attacks, the Ukrainian army relies almost exclusively on the US-developed MIM-104 Patriot air defence system.
Although the Franco-Italian SAMP/T system is also an option, it is outperformed by the American MIM-104 Patriot, and so far, very few SAMP/T fire units have been delivered to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and the ammunition supply situation is not much better either.
While the Ukrainian army has built up a sizeable arsenal of “Patriots” since 2023 thanks to substantial international donations, primarily from Germany and the US, the withdrawal of most US bilateral military assistance last year and the war in Iran recently unleashed by the US have meant that the supply of ammunition has increasingly become a real problem.
This was also evident recently when the German government attracted international attention because an initiative to supply Ukraine with just 35 PAC-3 missiles failed at least in part because, after weeks of negotiations with European partners, it was unable to secure all the desired donations.
It seems clear to Ukraine that something needs to change drastically. The country is far too dependent on the goodwill of the US government and on financial assistance, most of which is provided by European partners.
To change this, the Ukrainian defence company Fire Point plans to unveil its “own” air defence system with anti-ballistic capabilities as early as next year, whose missiles, at a unit price of less than $1 million, would be significantly cheaper than those fired by the American MIM-104 Patriot.
It is a highly complex undertaking with a very optimistic target set by a company that has, in the past, made bold public promises that it has not always been able to keep.
If, on the other hand, it proves successful, it is likely to fundamentally transform Ukraine’s air defence capabilities in the area of ballistic missile defence from 2028 onwards.
According to a Reuters interview published a few days ago with Fire Point co-founder Denys Shtilierman, the company aims to collaborate with European firms, particularly in the fields of radar, target-seeking and communications systems, to develop an alternative to the Patriot system.
Although no names have been mentioned publicly as of yet, it is now more or less officially confirmed that at least one or two German defence companies will be involved in this massive project.
Yesterday, the German government issued a comprehensive declaration on a strategic partnership between Germany and Ukraine and, under the heading “Partnership for a more secure Europe”, stated that both countries will focus efforts on accelerating the development of anti-ballistic missile air defence (in Ukraine).
A short sentence with a big impact. Whilst this statement could, in theory, refer “merely” to a desire to increase and accelerate the supply of ammunition to the Ukrainian MIM-104 Patriot fire units – indeed, the delivery of several hundred PAC-2 GEM-T missiles was announced yesterday – this does not seem particularly likely.
After all, Diehl Defence and HENSOLDT, for example, are two German defence companies which, on the one hand, are deeply involved in Ukraine’s defence efforts and, on the other, rank among the world’s leading manufacturers in their respective fields of “air defence systems” and “radar technology”.
It therefore comes as no surprise that Diehl Defence and Fire Point signed an agreement on technical cooperation between the two companies on the sidelines of yesterday’s government consultations.
Ihor Fedirko, CEO of the Ukrainian Council of Defence Industry, announced this yesterday in a Facebook post.
It is not clear what this “technical cooperation” will entail, but it is highly likely that it will concern the very air defence system whose development Fire Point announced just a few days ago.
Unfortunately, Diehl Defence could not be reached for an official comment by the time this article was published.
Diehl Defence as a partner
It would be hard to find a better partner. The IRIS-T SLM, marketed by Diehl Defence, is arguably the most effective and advanced air defence system of its class in the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ inventory and is held in high regard there.
At the same time, the Überlingen-based defence contractor has been working for some time on its own developments (SLX and HYDEF), which also represent major advances in the effective defence against ballistic threats or are specifically designed for that purpose.
A partnership with Fire Point is therefore likely to benefit not only Ukraine but also Diehl Defence, provided that the “lessons learnt” are incorporated into the future development of its own systems.
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