Ukraine pursues domestic missiles and glide bombs to counter air defense shortages

Ukraine is accelerating efforts to manufacture domestic weaponry to address severe shortages of Western air defense interceptors amidst ongoing Russian ballistic missile strikes. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that establishing local production of Patriot defense systems under U.S. licenses faces bureaucratic delays, requiring between one and several years to deploy.

In response to these vulnerabilities, two Ukrainian defense companies are actively developing native ballistic missiles, though mass production remains hindered by technical obstacles. Additionally, the Ukrainian military has begun procuring the "Equalizer" precision glide bomb kit. Developed by DG Industry with the Brave1 defense technology cluster, the system converts standard unguided bombs into long-range precision munitions compatible with both Soviet-era aircraft and Western F-16 fighters, offering an immediate low-cost strike capability.

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