Ukraine seeks domestic missile and bomb solutions amid Patriot production delays

Ukraine is pursuing domestic defense technologies to address severe vulnerabilities to Russian ballistic attacks while facing delays in obtaining Western air defense systems. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that licensing and setting up domestic manufacturing for American Patriot systems could take from a year to several years due to bureaucratic hurdles.

To counter these shortfalls, two local defense firms are developing indigenous ballistic missiles, though technical hurdles delay immediate mass production. Additionally, Ukraine is deploying the "Equalizer" precision conversion kit created by DG Industry and Brave1. The system converts standard free-fall bombs into standoff precision munitions compatible with Soviet-built and Western aircraft, offering a faster effort to reduce dependence on foreign arms supplies.

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