Ukraine to receive Estonian air defense missiles for testing

Estonian defense industry company Frankenburg Technology is sending its domestically produced air defense missiles to Ukraine for testing. The image shows a military air defense exercise featuring French Mistral air defense missiles being fired. Photo: Marianne Loorents

Estonian defense industry company Frankenburg Technology is sending its domestically produced anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine for testing, with the first samples expected to arrive by the end of this year.

The missiles are primarily intended for combating drones and can strike targets at altitudes of up to two kilometers.

The Ukrainian news outlet Ukrinform reported that on Friday, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister, Brig. Gen. Anatolii Klochko, met with the company's management in Kyiv.

"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 secretary general of the Estonian Defense Ministry.

Salm added that in the event of successful tests and approval for further use, the production of these missiles could be established in Ukraine. The parties have already agreed that the next step could be to agree on a format for financing the production of the missiles.

Klochko stressed that it is extremely important for Ukraine to have the widest possible arsenal of missile weapons to counter Russian aggression. He called on foreign manufacturers of such weapons to supply them to Ukraine and test them in combat conditions.

Frankenburg Technologies is a defense-industrial company founded in 2024 and headquartered in Tallinn. It currently operates in Ukraine, Latvia, and Estonia. The company focuses on developing and producing innovative, mass-production-ready anti-aircraft missiles.

Several top Estonian defense professionals have joined the company. In April, Maj. Gen. Veiko-Vello Palm joined the team, and in early September, former commander of the Estonian defense forces, Gen. Martin Herem, came on board. Salm assumed leadership of the company in September.

The company's ownership includes Taavi Madiberk, Margus Linnamäe, and Marko Virkebau.