Ukraine has confirmed that privately operated air defence units are now active and have already shot down enemy drones, according to the Ministry of Defence.
The initiative, which integrates private sector capability into the national air defence network, has seen at least one company form its own operational unit, with further groups being established across the country.
Several unmanned aerial vehicles, including Iranian-designed Shahed drones and Zala systems, have already been intercepted in Kharkiv Oblast, the Ministry of Defence said.
“We have created a model where the state, the military, and business operate as a unified system,” said Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
Under the scheme, private air defence groups are equipped with weapons and operate under the command and control of the Ukrainian Air Force, forming part of a wider, layered defence architecture rather than acting independently.
The programme is designed to expand air defence capacity rapidly without placing additional strain on frontline military units, particularly as Ukraine continues to face sustained drone and missile attacks on infrastructure.
So far, 13 additional enterprises have been granted authorisation to establish similar units, with groups at varying stages of readiness, ranging from active operations to training and preparation.
The Ministry said the model allows companies to contribute directly to the protection of critical infrastructure while remaining integrated into military command structures.
“This means more protected facilities, more targets shot down, and faster response to attacks,” Fedorov said, adding that the aim is to build a multi-layered system capable of wider coverage and quicker interception of aerial threats.
Interesting idea, maybe we can do the same thing as long as SERCO isn’t allowed anywhere near a gun.
It would not really work in the UK as a peacetime nation, any company that created to would be looking for government funded cream….
A better solution would be the creation of voluntary air defence units under the reserve forces and cadet associations..
Personally I think if we are heading into a peer war in Europe they need non deployable volunteer reserves that essentially can be a step down in fitness and age requirements in the same way they need to create a civil defence reserve that includes a rescue reserve, civil engineering reserve, security reserve and, decontamination reserve and healthcare reserve….
They keep talking about a whole society effort.. but nobody is making any effort to make it a whole society effort.. and its nations that win wars.. the ability to mobilise everyone in a war effort…to have a resilience society.
“Personally I think if we are heading into a peer war in Europe they need non deployable volunteer reserves that essentially can be a step down in fitness and age requirements in the same way they need to create a civil defence reserve that includes a rescue reserve, civil engineering reserve, security reserve and, decontamination reserve and healthcare reserve….”
Exactly there are plenty of people with experience, leadership skills and brains who can do civil defence but are too old or not medically fit (enough) to do front line duties. Whilst we like to laugh about Dad’s Army etc it would be impossibly expensive for full timers to do this kind of thing.
Services won’t like it as it goes against the small, superb elite approach that is now hobbling things nearly as much as to the total lack of money and the disproportionate spending on the high tech end of things leaving only crumbs for the more banal end of needs.
I find it profoundly concerning that once again we are trying to perfectionise DIP as opposed to getting on with the obvious low level stuff. Most of the arguments in DIP will be about the very expensive mega projects that will creep to absorb more and more of the banal budgets…..
Exactly.. look at me.. I’ve been a trauma life support qualified ED nurse, managed emergency teams, been a major incident control room manager and been trained in casualty decontamination and setting up a decontamination until during chemical,nuclear and biological incidents.. and yet after retiring early my skills were left to rot… I’m exactly the sort of person you would want in a healthcare/emergency civil defence reserve role.. but nothing exists so as all these people leave the police, NHS, ambulance and fire services in their mid 50s they are lost.
Exactly this.
It is partly the Blair mantra that anyone can learn to do anything I
in a couple of weeks.
But that was in an era when UK had seriously deep experience from
career professionals many of whom would come back to consult.
Now it is just OMG where is the knowledge….
I think it’s a no brainer.
And I LOVE how having made noises to this effect months ago the whole thing seems to have died a death.
Every County should have a unit of the examples you list.
Then the stumbling block, no money! Woking Council in Surrey has gone bankrupt I hear.
Sounds like a variation of the Home Guard with localised independently run units working within a wider network. It could work if the government wanted it to.