Estonia to provide Ukraine with air defense missiles for testing

The Estonian arms company Frankenburg Technologies will transfer air defense missiles to Ukraine for testing, Ukraine's Defense Ministry announced on Nov. 8.

Kyiv has been calling on its partners to provide additional air defense assets as Russia intensifies its strikes against cities and energy infrastructure.

The first samples for testing will be delivered in the coming months. The missiles to be trialed by Ukraine are designed to counter drones, and can shoot down targets at an altitude of up to 2 kilometers (1 mile), the ministry said.

"Our goal is to help Ukraine win this war. To do this, we offer a sample of a new low-cost missile to shoot down air targets, primarily unmanned aerial vehicles," said Kusti Salm, CEO of Frankenburg Technologies and former Permanent Secretary of the Estonian Defense Ministry.

Salm met with Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister, Brigadier General Anatolii Klochko, and discussed the upcoming tests.

The next step is to agree on a financing format for missile production, according to the statement. If the trials are successful and the Defense Ministry and Frankenburg Technologies agree on further use of the weapons, Ukraine may also arrange the production of these missiles.

Frankenburg Technologies is a defense-industrial company founded in 2024 and headquartered in Tallinn. It currently operates in Ukraine, Latvia, and Estonia.

Estonia and Ukraine signed a 10-year bilateral security agreement on June 26. The deal stipulates that Estonia will supply Ukraine with defense aid worth more than 100 million euros ($107 million) this year and will allocate at least 0.25% of its gross domestic product (GDP) annually for military support in 2024–2027.

Kyiv and Tallinn will also launch a regular "strategic dialogue" and deepen their military-industrial cooperation.

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The Kyiv IndependentOleg Sukhov

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