Ukraine expands domestic arms efforts to bridge air defense shortfalls

Ukraine is accelerating domestic arms development to address severe air defense shortages and continuous Russian missile strikes.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy indicated that manufacturing American Patriot air defense systems under U.S. licenses may require between 12 months and several years due to bureaucratic procedures and regulatory steps.

To counter immediate vulnerabilities, Ukrainian defense forces are procuring the "Equalizer" glide bomb system, developed by DG Industry in collaboration with the Brave1 technology cluster. The module converts conventional unguided bombs into precision-guided weapons for deployment from both Soviet-era and Western combat aircraft. Meanwhile, two Ukrainian companies are working on native ballistic missile programs, though technical obstacles persist, delaying large-scale manufacturing.

Sources: NEXTA, NV, Point, The Insider, Українська правда.