Ukraine and European countries developing a cheap alternative to Patriot

Ukraine, together with France, the United Kingdom, and Germany, is working on creating a European alternative to the American Patriot air defense system — one that would be cheaper and designed for scalable production.

This is reported by The Telegraph, citing sources.

According to the publication’s source, Kyiv has already begun developing its own interceptor missiles and is conducting tests on them. To complete the project, Ukraine needs guidance systems from its allies.

“Ukraine’s role is to produce anti-ballistic interceptors, and we are already testing them. We need guidance systems from our allies to bring it all together and create a European alternative to Patriot, but much cheaper and with the ability to scale up production,” the source told The Telegraph.

The initiative was discussed at a meeting of the European troika countries and Ukraine in London on June 7. According to the publication, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky persuaded NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to take on the role of coordinator for the project.

Following the London meeting, NATO organized a separate meeting on the matter involving heads of industrial enterprises, national security advisers from alliance member states, and other officials. A timeline for the creation of a functioning air defense system has not yet been determined.