Nineteen Ukrainian companies have joined the Brave1 grant program for the development of missiles.

Mykhailo Fedorov, Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine for Innovation, Education, Science and Technology Development and Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, announced this during his speech at Defense Tech Innovation Forum 2025.

Currently, it is not publicly known which companies were involved, nor what kind of means they were working on.

According to Mykhailo Fedorov, manufacturers are developing short- and medium-range missiles, as well as ballistic missiles.

“In fact, the number has already been identified: 19 companies. This is no longer the level of startups, but companies that can produce a certain product that will fly and can be tested,” said Mykhailo Fedorov.

He also emphasized that the priority was to produce cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as anti-aircraft missiles.

“We need cheap small missiles, we need missiles that will shoot down Shaheds, or cheap missiles that will shoot down cruise missiles. So, this direction remains our focus this year,” said Mykhailo Fedorov.

As previously reported, the missile program under Brave1 became known in July 2024. At that time, Mikhail Fedorov announced the preparation of grants for the development of missile weapons.

New Ukrainian missiles

In 2024, Ukraine introduced the Palianytsia and Peklo drone missiles, as well as the Ruta missile. It is not known whether they are the product of the Brave1 grant program.

At the same time, in December 2024, Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the Palianytsia missile had already entered mass production.

As for the Peklo drone missile, it is known that the Ukrainian military had already received the first batch of those missiles. It is stated that the maximum flight range of the missile was 700 kilometers, and thanks to the jet engine, it is capable of reaching speeds of up to 700 km/h.

The stage of development of the Ruta missile project is currently unknown. In December 2024, Volodymyr Zelensky announced that it had passed a series of successful tests.

The characteristics of the missile have not yet been announced, but in June at Eurosatory 2024, the Ukrainian stand demonstrated the Ruta missile by Destinus. It is possible that this is the missile in question.

It is noted that the advantage of the RUTA missile was the combination of low cost, payload size and speed, which made it an ideal tool for performing a variety of missions.