Kyiv – Ukraine wants a prototype for a European antiballistic system codenamed Freyja to be ready within the first half of next year, a senior official said, as Kyiv pushes its allies to help deliver a weapon capable of downing Russian missiles.

Davyd Aloian, deputy secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, who oversees the Freyja project, said that an international steering committee tasked with estimating the research and development costs was due to convene for the first time soon. Leaders from 10 European countries, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as well as around a dozen defense manufacturers gathered at a summit in Paris two weeks ago to officially launch the antiballistic coalition.

“Since we’re working within such a tight timeframe, we have an ambitious goal: to have an MVP (minimum viable product) ready by the first half of next year,” Aloian said.