Advisor to Ukraine’s Minister of Defense Serhiy “Flash” Beskrestnov explained how the first experimental project of a private air defense system operates, built on remotely controlled machine guns, and why it is important for protecting critical infrastructure. He spoke about this during a TV broadcast.
“Private air defense can take different forms, for example interceptors, but now the team from Carmin Sky has built a private air defense system in the form of a network of towers equipped with machine guns. And this is not just a machine gun, it is also a Ukrainian solution. It is a machine gun based on a platform with artificial intelligence; it helps the operator detect targets and engage them,” Flash said.
According to him, the operator can control this platform remotely.
“This is a very important experiment for us. We are trying to ensure that private companies also have the opportunity to work in the field of air defense. This is truly an innovative project; we are now observing the results of how it will work and expect many other companies to also help us,” he emphasized.
Flash explained that all operations of the private air defense system are conducted under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
“This is a private unit within the air defense network, and it is part of Ukraine’s overall air defense system. It makes it possible to protect critical infrastructure,” he stressed.
He added that the system currently operates at a range of several kilometers, as it is based on turret-mounted Browning machine guns.
“This is protection of critical infrastructure, and any company can build its own protection, any company can order these services from another company. We expect that in the matter of defending our country, all options are possible, available, and will add advantages to our defense. We are betting on the private air defense segment,” he concluded.
