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After three-and-a-half years of defending against constant Russian missile and drone attacks, Ukraine has used up a great deal of its stocks of old Soviet interceptors, as well as donated Western types, which are in increasing demand around the world. As the U.S. and allies look wearily toward potential future conflicts of their own, their ability to continue flowing these weapons to Ukraine is diminishing. Faced with ever-increasing barrages from rapidly improving Russian missiles and drones, Ukraine is turning inward, relying on local companies to develop new interceptors and launchers to fire them.
Andriy Hyrtseniuk, the new head of Ukraine’s Brave1 defense tech incubator, gave us some general insights on how his country is working feverishly to develop and field weapons of its own to defend against Russia’s aerial onslaught. Some questions and answers have been edited for clarity.
Brave1 head Andriy Hyrtseniuk. (Ukraine Development Innovation Fund)
Q: Ukraine badly needs air defense systems and interceptors. What is Brave1 doing to foster domestic development?
A: One and a half, two years ago, when Brave1 launched, there were no private companies that built missiles, and right now, we have dozens of companies already working on different classes of missiles. And this is the market that was created from scratch. It was our focus, our discussions and meetings with the companies working in this closed area. We are persuading and motivating them and focusing them to join the missiles program, and we see how successful it has become. We started this missile program at the end of 2024 and right now, a few dozen companies already have the solutions. Not in the very early stages. Multiple of them already test their missiles on our [testing grounds], in some cases on the battlefield. It is used on the battlefield as well.
Q: Tell me about the air defense interceptors.
A: We need surface-to-air missiles because it’s extremely important to have various weapons against rockets. You see the number of Shahed drones that Russia is launching every day. And for us, it’s important to have inexpensive weapons able to shoot down the Shahed in any condition, in any weather, day or night, in the clouds in the winter and at different altitudes. That’s why, of course, surface-to-air missiles are extremely crucial, and it’s also one of our key priorities. And next week, we are launching this very big grant program. One is AI, and the second area is missiles.
Q: Can you tell me more about these missiles?
A: This is actually the next wave of the program. We started it in 2024 and right now we see a few dozen – I cannot tell you the exact number – already have the products and are working on the finalization of them, and we see where the gaps are and where more types of weapons are needed, and we are focusing the market there. Surface-to-air missiles are one of them.
Q: Will these integrate with systems like Patriot and [National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System] NASAMS? Are there separate type launchers that you’re thinking about?
Ukraine is running short on interceptors for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) and other advanced donated air defense systems. (Raytheon/Kongsberg Defense)
A: It’s extremely difficult from the technical standpoint. And the cost of such a missile will be much higher than standalone, proprietary solutions. We are following the NATO standards; we see how valuable and useful they are, but in some cases, we are using and creating weapons that are not yet in line with NATO standards. Interoperability and compatibility are good to have, but we are very much looking to that from a financial standard standpoint.
Q: Are you looking for service to air missiles that would use a new type of launcher, maybe some of the Soviet era launchers converted into so-called FrankenSam systems – Soviet-era ground-based air defense systems upgraded with Western surface-to-air missiles?
The first official photos have appeared showing a Soviet-era ground-based air defense system upgraded with Western surface-to-air missiles — a so-called ‘FrankenSAM.’ The images, published by Ukraine’s Operational Command East, show a tracked self-propelled Buk-M1 system — known in the West as SA-11 Gadfly — which is said to have been adapted to fire the RIM-7 Sea Sparrow, a missile that previously provided point defense for numerous NATO and allied warships. (Operational Command East)
A: We are using everything possible that we can use, we can buy, or we can rebuild or refurbish, but it’s not enough. So, of course, the new launchers are also needed, and the technologies are developing. And in some cases it makes sense not to use old launchers, but in some cases, it’s easier to build the new one with other launching principles, aiming principles, radio control protocols and standards, because the technologies are growing.
Q: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently talked about deploying 1,000 interceptor drones daily. How can Ukraine scale up to that?
A: This is one of the examples [where we had] a leading role from day one, where the market was created from scratch and scaled. This is not the only example, but let’s discuss, and maybe it’s easier to understand how the program works. The first experiments with interceptor drones started in late 2023, early 2024, with a few military brigades, the most enhanced, and we were involved in the analysis of this asymmetric work against ISR surveillance drones. We saw that there is a huge potential in this area, and we started to create this market.
Today I spoke with the manufacturers of interceptor drones. I visited the facility, thanked the team, and saw firsthand how protection for our cities and villages, for our people, is being produced. Ukraine knows how to create outstanding things and maintains its technological… pic.twitter.com/PHVKbwGVCY
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 25, 2025
It was done in two dimensions. The first, the increasing number of companies that are working and creating interceptor products and the second is increasing the level of technologies. And over time, it was upgraded from targeting not only ISR drones, but also Shaheds and other drones that Russia is using. And right now in Ukraine, 62 companies have already tested or the Army is actively using the interceptors. And they come in different classes, in different models.
Our vision and our approach is if there is some segment on the market that has high potential and it doesn’t exist, or very is not mature enough, we want to be part of this market, and we are creating multiple projects and we are supporting all of them, providing grants and financing to them. And after that, the market is regulating itself, and the best companies, the best products, are surviving, and the number [of companies] is decreasing. Right now, we are at the level where the interceptors market is growing very quickly.
MaXon is developing a next-generation air-to-air defense system to protect our skies from enemy drones. With Brave1’s support, they successfully closed their first investment round and are now raising more funds. See their system in action in the Ukrainian sky. pic.twitter.com/HSNHCEZY8Z
— BRAVE1 (@BRAVE1ua) August 15, 2025
Every week, new companies are providing and starting to test their solutions, and it’s actually great because of the big variety of technologies and approaches and dynamic schema, the ways in which they operate very quickly in a very saturated and mature market. They previously didn’t exist at all, and the Brave1 is focusing the companies, facilitating the delivery, providing feedback and helping the best products. But of course, it’s very important after that to procure, to buy, and to deliver to the army these interceptors.
Q: Can you provide any details about some of the capabilities of these weapons?
A: No, it is our official position not to share technical details about interceptors, because it’s clear to us that when Russia gets technical details out of the box, they start to create countermeasures. Of course, we are making changes, but we avoid sharing this technical information from being known by Russia.
In the next segment of our interview, Hyrtseniuk talks about the development of long-range missiles and drones, ground and sea drones, electronic warfare and AI.
Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com
Howard is a Senior Staff Writer for The War Zone, and a former Senior Managing Editor for Military Times. Prior to this, he covered military affairs for the Tampa Bay Times as a Senior Writer. Howard’s work has appeared in various publications including Yahoo News, RealClearDefense, and Air Force Times.