The first companies that provide air defense to their clients as part of a pilot program have started operating in Ukraine. So far, 20 companies have joined this Ministry of Defense program, with two of them already providing their services. TASR informs about it based on the AFP report.
- The first private companies providing air defense to clients are being established in Ukraine.
- 20 companies joined the pilot program of the Ministry of Defense, two are already operating.
- Carmine Sky deploys assets ranging from anti-aircraft systems to automatic machine gun turrets.
- If civilians want to operate the air defense, they have to go through strict background checks and three weeks of training.
Private air defense
Carmine Sky is one such company. Depending on the needs of a particular client, it can deploy multiple levels of air defense, from drone interceptors to automatic turrets armed with M2 Browning heavy machine guns.
Every month, Russia launches thousands of low-cost, long-range attack drones into Ukraine. Although most are destroyed, those that do get through the defenses cause extensive damage to military infrastructure, factories and power facilities, and last winter deprived millions of people of electricity and heat. Private air defense should therefore serve as the next line of defense.
Ruslan: We are supplementing the traditional model of state air defense
“It’s like the layers of an onion,” said Ruslan, a Carmine Sky representative who gave only his first name for security reasons. “We are just supplementing the traditional model of state air defense. State air defense has a more strategic role, while we operate at the local level,” he explained.
The companies must obtain permission from the Ministry of Defense before starting such activities, and then they will be integrated into the command and control system of the Ukrainian Air Force. “The targets and the decision to open fire are decided exclusively by them. We cannot do it ourselves,” Ruslan clarified the principle of operation of this new system.
In March, Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov highlighted the first successes of private air defense, saying that Russian drones were shot down in the Kharkiv region by an unnamed private company. He also recently reported that a private air defense unit shot down a jet-powered Shahid drone.
Civilians must be vetted
If civilians want to operate a private air defense, they must go through a rigorous security clearance process, including a polygraph test that is repeated every quarter. The training of a complete novice takes about three weeks. Those who do not meet the requirements can be included in the crews as observers or technicians, said Roman Korž from Gvardiia.
However, according to Korž, they are mainly looking for crew members within the existing volunteer corps who already have combat experience.
Service schedules are flexible, allowing recruits to adjust service to fit civilian employment if necessary.
