Analysis: Ukraine develops indigenous air defense systems to reduce reliance on foreign military aid.

On August 27, 2025, The War Zone conducted an interview with Andriy Hyrtseniuk, the new head of Ukraine’s Brave1 defense tech incubator. It comes out that Ukraine is intensifying its drive toward building resilient, domestically developed air defense systems as Western missile stocks dwindle. After more than three years of withstanding relentless Russian aerial assaults, the country has shifted to a self-sustaining defense model led by its Brave1 tech incubator. This long-term military-industrial effort positions Ukraine not only to protect its skies now but to emerge post-war as a sovereign and strategic partner in European defense.
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Ukraine accelerates its Brave1 defense program, developing indigenous missiles and drones while securing European co-production deals to strengthen long-term air defense and industrial independence (Picture source: Ukrainian Presidency).

Brave1, launched by Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense at the end of 2024, is a government-backed defense technology cluster designed to unify state institutions, private industry, and research organizations into a single innovation ecosystem. Its primary purpose is to accelerate the design, testing, and deployment of combat-ready technologies across drones, missiles, electronic warfare, and command-and-control systems. Brave1 provides financial grants, technical expertise, and operational testing opportunities directly linked to frontline needs, allowing promising ideas to move from prototype to battlefield deployment at unprecedented speed. In this way, Brave1 serves as Ukraine’s equivalent to major Western accelerators such as the United States’ DARPA or NATO’s DIANA program, though with a sharper wartime focus. Unlike its Western counterparts, which often operate on multi-year research cycles, Brave1 compresses innovation into weeks or months, delivering immediate battlefield-ready solutions tailored to Ukraine’s urgent survival. Its overarching goal is to ensure that Ukraine builds a sustainable, combat-proven defense industrial base capable of supporting the war effort now and standing independently in the long term.

Brave1’s latest wave of systems includes advanced high-speed interceptors now undergoing trials over Kyiv and Chernihiv, designed to engage both cruise missiles and tactical aircraft. On the drone front, Ukraine is scaling production of aerial interceptors at a rate soon expected to reach a thousand units per day. These drones, capable of speeds above 300 kilometers per hour, are designed to strike reconnaissance UAVs, loitering munitions, and Iranian-supplied Shahed drones at a fraction of the cost of traditional surface-to-air missiles. Their low price and rapid production capacity are central to sustaining Ukraine’s air defense under conditions of prolonged attrition.

Ukraine’s indigenous strike drone sector is also expanding rapidly, with loitering munitions carrying modular payloads between 60 and 120 kilograms and reaching ranges of up to 1,600 kilometers. These long-range systems allow Ukraine to hold strategic targets deep behind the frontlines at risk, disrupting logistics and command centers. At the other end of the spectrum, lightweight swarm-capable kamikaze drones built with simplified airframes and electronic architectures saturate enemy defenses at very low cost, forcing adversaries to expend expensive interceptors on cheap but lethal platforms. Together, these systems provide a layered mix of deterrence, offensive reach, and defensive attrition.

Brave1 also plays a central role in developing hybrid “FrankenSAM” systems that adapt Soviet-era platforms like the Buk-M1 to fire Western interceptors such as the RIM-7 Sea Sparrow. This fusion of legacy hardware and modern munitions gives Ukraine the ability to extend the service life of inherited systems while achieving partial NATO compatibility without incurring the full expense of fielding brand-new platforms. New proprietary launchers are likewise being designed to integrate seamlessly with Ukraine’s growing family of indigenous missiles, allowing for modular deployments across both mobile and fixed air defense networks.

Beyond the tactical and operational levels, the stakes of this industrial buildup are significant. Post-war, Ukraine envisions a defense economy capable of producing its own high-end systems, ensuring independence from the volatility of foreign aid. At the same time, by embedding European defense companies into Ukrainian production chains, Kyiv creates a powerful political and security guarantee: when European industry has facilities, investment, and contracts tied to Ukraine, European nations acquire a direct stake in the country’s security. This model transforms Ukraine into both a shield and a partner for continental defense.

Recent developments underscore this trajectory. Nordic countries, led by Denmark, Sweden, and Finland, have agreed to co-produce Ukrainian armaments on their own soil, marking a new phase of industrial integration. Factories in Northern Europe will assemble Ukrainian-designed systems with local technology inputs, ensuring stable supply chains and accelerating standardization with NATO practices. Such initiatives mean Ukraine’s innovations, particularly in drone warfare and affordable air defense, are now entering joint European production lines. This not only strengthens Ukraine’s resilience but also embeds its defense industry within the broader European security architecture, making its survival and success a shared continental interest.

Ukraine’s Brave1-driven ecosystem is delivering a blend of cost-effective drone interceptors, long-range strike drones, hybrid missile platforms, and proprietary launch systems, all underpinned by a growing partnership with European allies. The combination of indigenous innovation and trans-European industrial cooperation ensures that Ukraine will emerge from the war not only defended but also entrenched as a new defense power at the heart of Europe.