Ukraine Turns to Homegrown Missiles as BlueBird Tech Targets Drones and Ballistic Threats

Ukrainian defense company BlueBird Tech has launched a program to develop interceptor missiles designed to counter drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic threats, as Kyiv looks to strengthen its domestic air defense capabilities.

The company announced on April 26 that its systems are being designed to engage a wide range of aerial targets, potentially reducing Ukraine’s reliance on limited supplies of foreign-provided air defense munitions.

BlueBird Tech said it is already scaling up operations, actively recruiting specialists, and bringing in experienced engineers to accelerate development across multiple missile-related directions.

“Systems being developed by BlueBird Tech will make life in Ukraine safer, particularly when it comes to protection from Russian strikes. In addition, domestic production of air defense missiles will reduce the cost of intercepting aerial targets compared to the systems we receive,” said co-founder Valerii Zarubin.

He added that Ukraine must build its own capabilities to ensure long-term security.

“Having a neighbor like Russia, Ukraine must be ready to repel air attacks at any moment, and to do this effectively, we must rely on our own capabilities. The systems being developed by BlueBird Tech will make life in Ukraine safer, particularly in terms of protection from Russian attacks. In addition, domestic production of air defense missiles will make intercepting aerial targets cheaper compared to the alternatives we receive,” Zarubin said.

The company is working across several areas of missile development simultaneously, though some details remain undisclosed for security reasons.

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According to Zarubin, one of the key challenges is rethinking the cost structure of air defense.

“At the moment, the main challenge is to rethink the cost of expensive missiles and move toward affordable large-scale production using local industrial capacity,” he said.

BlueBird Tech expects that tangible results from its missile program could emerge within the next few years, as Ukraine continues to adapt its defense industry to the demands of high-intensity warfare.

Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s air defense forces are intercepting more than 90% of incoming Russian drones, but the country still requires stronger capabilities to counter ballistic missile threats.

He highlighted both the effectiveness and current limitations of Ukraine’s air defense system, which is currently facing a critical shortage of Patriot PAC-3 air defense missiles. Ukrainian operators of the Patriot air defense system are intercepting ballistic missiles with a single interceptor, rather than the usual two to four.

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