Speaking on the Bundeswehr’s Nachgefragt podcast, Freuding warned that moscow is significantly ramping up its drone production capabilities, aiming to saturate Ukraine’s airspace with large-scale assaults. Such tactics, he said, will create serious challenges for Ukrainian air defense systems.
Freuding highlighted the inefficiency of using expensive missiles, such as the Patriot air defense systems, to shoot down cheap Shahed-type kamikaze drones, which cost between €30,000 and €50,000 each. In contrast, a single Patriot missile can cost upwards of €5 million.
Read more: Beyond Promises: How Many Patriots and Long-Range Missiles Could Ukraine Really Get?
According to the general, Ukraine urgently needs more cost-effective air defense solutions, ideally in the price range of €2,000 to €4,000 per unit, to efficiently counter such mass drone attacks.
Among other measures, Freuding emphasized the importance of early detection, preemptive strikes against russian aircraft, military airfields, and defense industry sites as key elements of Ukraine’s broader defensive strategy.
He also pointed out a worrying development in the drone supply chain: china has halted the export of drone components to Ukraine and has shifted its entire output in this sector to support russia.
"Right now, china is essentially exporting only to russia, while Ukraine has been cut off from this market," Freuding said.
Read more: If U.S. Gives Ukraine Long-Range Missiles, What Besides JASSM-ER Could Hit moscow
