Ukraine has pursued a multi-year effort to build affordable surface-to-air missiles limited to $20,000 apiece, according to Andrii Hrytseniuk, head of the Brave1 startup incubator.

Multiple companies have already tested prototypes under this initiative, and Kyiv plans to deploy systems from two of them in active operations soon, Hrytseniuk stated during a video interview released with Ukrainska Pravda on Thursday.

He added that a third firm could reach the same milestone shortly.

Some producers have already reduced unit costs to $10,000, although the program maintains a strict $20,000 ceiling per missile.

Even when two or three rounds are required, the total remains far below the price of a single Shahed drone, Hrytseniuk noted.

The Brave1 program began as a contest among Ukrainian firms to design the most economical anti-aircraft missiles possible.

Financing started in 2024, yet missile development requires more time than interceptor drone production, he explained.

A $20,000 limit would place these weapons below the cost of the American AGR-Falco Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System, a laser-guided 70mm rocket priced at $30,000 to $35,000.

The least expensive standard U.S. surface-to-air missile remains the Stinger, which runs about $120,000 per round.

The push for cheaper air defenses responds to Russia large fleets of Shahed-type drones that are cheaper to build than conventional missiles. Ukrainian estimates place the Geran-2 at roughly $70,000 and jet-powered Geran-3 variants at $100,000 or more.

Kyiv counters these threats with layered defenses that include machine-gun teams, interceptor quadcopters, and electronic warfare systems. Russia now launches hundreds of drones in single waves.

Moscow has shifted toward faster jet-powered Gerans that outpace both drones and gun crews. Some of these aircraft also carry new AI terrain-mapping tools that could soon defeat Ukrainian jamming.

Ukraine has therefore turned to missiles such as the air-launched AIM-9 Sidewinder, which can exceed half a million dollars per shot.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier this month that a small-missile program is under way to handle jet-powered Gerans, with several designs expected to show results by the second half of the month.

In September, Hrytseniuk told Business Insider that several Ukrainian firms are also adding artificial intelligence to strike missiles and have recorded early successes.