By: Oleg Varfolomeyev
Ukraine has begun majority producing ammunition for 40-millimeter automatic grenade launchers, the dry reason defence forcefulness manufacture monopoly Ukroboronprom lately announced. This caliber is widely used past times the militaries of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) fellow member states; whereas, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have, thence far, utilized mainly 30-millimeter ammunition for their grenade launchers. Ukroboronprom said the novel ammunition, which corresponds to NATO standards, is beingness manufactured jointly past times the Shostka-based state-controlled Impuls found together with the Kyiv-based Kuznya na Rybalskomu (Ukroboronprom.com.ua, July 18). The latter is business office of the concern empire of President Petro Poroshenko.
Ukraine has been amid the world’s largest arms exporters for decades, but its portion of the global marketplace has been shrinking. The Stockholm International Peace Institute (SIPRI) calculated that Ukraine was the world’s 11th arms exporter inward 2013–2017, providing 1.7 per centum of the world exports, together with its principal client was Russia, alongside a 23 per centum portion of exports. Ukraine’s global portion had shrunk from 2.5 per centum inward 2008–2012 (112.international, March 29). The turn down was due to several factors. The state of war that Russian Federation started inward Ukraine inward 2014 boosted domestic demand for arms together with ammunition, together with so to a greater extent than is similar a shot consumed past times the Ukrainian army, to the detriment of exports. Additionally, the Ukrainian authorities banned armed forces sales to Russia, i time again because of the war, together with it has been impossible to speedily respect a replacement for such a large market. Finally, Ukraine used to export surplus stock inherited from the Soviet Union, which has dwindled over the years.
With NATO-standard products such every bit the novel grenades, Ukraine could endeavor to non solely find its seat on the global market, but every bit good to respect Western customers. Thus far, it has been selling weapons mainly to developing countries together with those NATO members i time business office of the Soviet bloc that accept retained a substantial Soviet-era inventory. Also, moving away from Soviet together with Russian standards volition facilitate Ukraine’s aim of cutting dependence on hardware together with technologies from Russian Federation together with its satellites, which is essential for national safety at a fourth dimension when Russian Federation occupies portions of Ukrainian territory. Last but non least, the adoption of NATO standards is essential for attaining membership inward the North Atlantic Alliance—one of Kyiv’s principal unusual policy goals since the EuroMaidan Revolution inward 2014.
A novel national safety law, adopted past times Ukraine this summertime (see EDM, June 26), provides for the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ adoption of NATO principles together with standards (President.gov.ua, July 5). However, a transition to Alliance standards inward the defence forcefulness manufacture officially began earlier, since 2014. In Apr 2015, Ukroboronprom came upwards alongside a plan, according to which the motility toward NATO industrial standards should survive completed inward 2020. In Dec 2015, when President Poroshenko visited Alliance headquarters, Ukraine together with NATO signed a roadmap on defense-technical cooperation aimed at achieving interoperability alongside NATO forces together with providing assistance to Ukraine inward transitioning to the Western political-military bloc’s standards. The same year, Poroshenko ready the extremely ambitious destination of Ukraine becoming i of the tiptop 5 arms exporters of novel products, rather than erstwhile stocks.
Ukroboronprom has said that weapons developed inward Ukraine that jibe NATO criteria accept together with so far primarily included aviation together with armored vehicles. Also, it has been participating inward NATO Industrial Advisory Group research, has joined the supplier base of operations of the NATO Support together with Procurement Agency, together with created novel battle tanks, armed forces carry aircraft, artillery, surveillance together with reconnaissance systems, every bit good every bit small-scale arms jointly alongside Alliance members (Ukroboronprom.com.ua, Feb 21).
Armored vehicles accept been i of the Ukrainian defence forcefulness industry’s principal exports, but the models sold abroad past times Ukraine tend to survive upgraded versions of Soviet mechanism designed inward the 1970s together with 1980s. As for aviation, the Kyiv-based Antonov blueprint bureau is famous for its giant carry planes—An-124 Ruslan together with An-225 Mriya. However, these were designed for specific Soviet aerospace together with armed forces needs. Only Russian Federation together with Cathay sporadically expressed involvement inward reviving their production. As a result, Antonov has practically ceased to brand aircraft (Hvylya.net, March 29).
Thus far, Ukraine has been trying to operate into NATO markets mainly alongside small-scale arms together with ammunition, such every bit the aforementioned 40-millimeter grenade-launcher rounds. Early final year, Ukroboronprom said it would outset assembling the WAC-47 onslaught rifle based on the famous M-16 nether U.S.A. authorities license. This, bragged Ukroboronprom, “is a existent measuring toward Euro-Atlantic structures” (Ukroboronprom.com.ua, Jan 10, 2017; come across EDM, Jan 25, 2017).
However, judging past times official Ukrainian statistics, non much has been achieved to date. Ukraine exported its defence forcefulness manufacture products to solely half dozen countries inward 2017, including the US. In particular, the States imported 15,830 firearms, including grenade launchers together with anti-tank rifles. But those were probable bought generally for commercial purposes rather than armed forces needs. Ukraine exported mainly small-scale arms final year, every bit good to Mongolia, Uzbekistan together with Jordan. Thailand together with Turkey were 2 exceptions, alongside Thailand buying sixteen Oplot tanks together with Turkey buying iii anti-air missile complexes (Interfax, July 20; Segodnya.ua, June 6).
The Ukrainian defence forcefulness industry’s efficiency has been dubious, fifty-fifty bearing inward heed that transition to novel standards cannot survive an piece of cake chore for an economic scheme every bit nether describe per unit of measurement area every bit Ukraine’s. Moreover, the National Anti-Corruption Agency of Ukraine has begun to investigate Ukroboronprom’s activities. It suspects, inward particular, large-scale fraud involving transfers to banking concern accounts of a identify unit of measurement fellow member of i of the Ukrainian dry reason arms maker together with exporter’s tiptop managers, every bit good every bit re-selling Soviet-era armored vehicles imported from Poland at artificially high prices. But for now, Ukroboronprom is dismissing these charges every bit business office of business office of Moscow’s propaganda (Foreign Policy, Dec 21, 2017; Gordonua.com, June 22, 2018).
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