Military-industrial complex of Ukraine: state and prospects
The media of the Russian Federation has developed the practice of publishing articles with incessant criticism about the capabilities of the military-industrial complex (MIC) of Ukraine. A one-sided view of a problem, no matter whether optimistic or pessimistic, never leads to good consequences. Of course, the capabilities of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine are in many respects inferior to both the capabilities of the military-industrial complex of Russia and the leading countries of the world, but it’s erroneous to talk about its absence and the complete collapse of industry. In this regard, I propose to look at the other side and study the state of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine, what factors can help it to begin production of modern weapons, and which ones.
After the collapse of the USSR and the proclamation of independence of Ukraine, about 17% of the military-industrial complex of the USSR remained on its territory, which in total was about two thousand enterprises that employed more than seven hundred thousand people.
As a result of the general economic degradation of the state, corruption, lack of political will and the breakdown of cooperative ties with Russian enterprises, the military-industrial complex of Ukraine suffered significant losses. The absence of a large state defense order from the Ukrainian armed forces, due to chronic lack of money and oversaturation with weapons samples left over from the collapse of the USSR, forced defense plants to cut a huge number of personnel. The closure of research and development (R & D) conducted during the period of the USSR led to the loss of many key competencies.
In many ways, these problems are characteristic of the military industrial complex of Russia, but a significantly larger margin of safety, better funding, and an understanding that the Russian Federation, in any case, goal No. XXUMX for the United States and NATO, made it possible to preserve and further modernize a significant part of the Soviet legacy.
As in Russia 90-s, the attention of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine was directed to foreign markets. It would seem that a powerful industry, an advanced Soviet engineering school and low cost guaranteed success? However, it was not so easy. The main competition of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine were the armed forces of Ukraine itself. As mentioned earlier, a huge amount of military equipment of the armed forces of the USSR remained in the warehouses. This led to the fact that the main export successes of Ukraine are connected with the sale abroad of repaired equipment from warehouses or its modernized versions. Moreover, with a high probability, the non-modernized technology was implemented according to various gray schemes, from which neither the state nor the military-industrial complex could get anything.
The ability to qualitatively modernize military equipment of previous generations is extremely important, this allows for the longest possible period to use it in the armed forces, to "squeeze out" everything possible from the inherent potential. However, if you deal only with this, then the military-industrial complex may forget how to produce conceptually new weapons, endlessly trying to make obsolete tank a sort of perfect "samurai sword."
The most significant success of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex was the signing of an agreement with Pakistan in 1996 for the supply of X-NUMX T-XNUMHUD, produced in Kharkov. The contract value was about 320 million dollars. There is a version of the loss to Russia, which participated in this tender with the T-80 tank, due to disagreements with one of the largest customers - India, which is a strategic opponent of Pakistan.
The fulfillment of this contract was given to Ukraine not without difficulty. Some of the components were removed from the mothballed obsolete models of armored vehicles, and the production of tank cannon barrels was mastered at the Frunze plant in Sumy, which previously produced weighted pipes for oil and gas production.
In the future, the export of Ukrainian weapons was also based on the modernization, in some cases deep processing, of Soviet armaments. Due to the general degradation of the industry, periodically there are problems with the quality of the manufacture of components, including with gun barrels and armored steel. All this is not the best way affects the image of Ukrainian technology and weapons.
After the coup d'état in Ukraine and the coming to power of the nationalist government, it turned out that the equipment of the armed forces of Ukraine (APU) with modern military equipment leaves much to be desired. For several decades, the independence of the new technique almost did not arrive, and the existing one has become unusable. The fighting between the breakaway Lugansk People’s Republic, Donetsk People’s Republic (LNR, DPR) and the Ukrainian Armed Forces of Ukraine showed that the latter were in a deplorable state.
Having embarked on a tough confrontation with Russia, the Ukrainian authorities took steps to modernize the industry, based on the remnants of a dilapidated military industrial complex. It is hardly possible to say that this led to significant success, but there is some kind of forward movement. In recent years, the military industrial complex of Ukraine annually announces the appearance of certain types of weapons, mainly for the ground forces.
Not all of the announced weapons models are ready for mass production, and some are only at the OCD stage.
What are the advantages of the Ukrainian military industrial complex in comparison with the Russian military industrial complex?
This suggests the only correct answer. The Ukrainian military industrial complex receives and will receive full support from Western countries. There will be no restrictions in the supply of components, electronics, machine tools. Of course, no one will give Ukraine access to advanced exclusive technologies, or access to technologies for creating strategic weapons, but in other areas cooperation, up to the joint sale of individual types of weapons and military equipment (CWT), is more than possible.
Someone may say that this is rather a minus, and it is better to create everything on your own. For Russia, this is true, and it is extremely difficult, because you have to confront the intellectual and technical potential of half the planet. For the state of the level of Ukraine this is impossible in principle. In addition, if in the long term, borrowing components produced by other countries poses a threat to the country's independence, and weakens its military-industrial complex as a whole, in the short-term it allows us to obtain products with higher characteristics than those of competitors.
Do not forget that the engineers who developed military hardware in Ukraine are the heirs of a mighty Soviet school, not all knowledge is lost, but active nationalist agitation and infusion of funds can stimulate this part of the industry.
What weapons can potentially and what not, to produce the military-industrial complex of Ukraine? And which of them pose a threat to Russia and the breakaway republics?
The first is the creation of missile weapons. After the termination of the existence of a treaty on medium and shorter range missiles (DRDM) in Ukraine, voices are already voiced about the possibility of starting the development of missiles of this class. Theoretically, Ukraine may have certain competencies in this matter. Do not forget about Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, the leading developer of the legendary strategic rocket “Satan”.
At the moment, the Ukrainian authorities have announced the creation of the operational-tactical missile complex (OTRK) "Grom", which is essentially the analogue of the Russian complex "Iskander". According to the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, the development work on this complex is moving towards completion.
It is likely that in the event of successful launch of the GROM complex into a series, the presence of domestic and export orders and funding from the state, attempts may be made to create longer-range missile systems. It should be noted that these attempts will most likely come across opposition from Ukraine’s Western allies, who are not at all interested in the proliferation of long-range weapons and the technologies for their creation. So, Ukraine shouldn’t be sure of any help in this matter.
The same can be said about the idea of developing nuclear weapons in Ukraine. At best, an attempt to develop a nuclear weapon will slam the heavy friendly hand of the United States. In the worst case scenario, the agents of the Israeli Mossad will shoot, due to the justified fears that the technologies of the newborn atomic bomb, for a certain financial reward, will float to Iran.
Also in Ukraine a subsonic low-flying anti-ship missile (ASM) “Neptune” is being developed. This anti-ship missile is being developed by the Luch design bureau, its design is based on the Uranus Soviet / Russian anti-ship missile base X-35. Called the maximum firing range to 300 kilometers. The missile can be released in the ship, ground and aircraft performance.
On tests, the rocket was pursued by a series of failures, but most likely it will somehow be brought to mass production.
And OTRK "Thunder", and PKR "Neptune" in the case of bringing to serial production may pose a certain threat to the armed forces of the Russian Federation. Of course, their use will mean the beginning of full-scale hostilities between Russia and Ukraine, and will not bring anything good to either side. But it is precisely the presence of more or less adequate modern offensive weapons that could motivate the Ukrainian authorities to strike at the base in the Crimea or attack the Russian Navy ship in the hope that Russia's response full-scale reaction would force the United States and other NATO countries to intervene.
For Russia and Ukraine, minus the irreversibly irresponsible representatives of the population on both sides, this situation is unpleasant because it can lead to a complete rupture between our countries. War will lead to casualties on both sides, both among the military and among the civilian population. These sacrifices in the future will always stand in the way of reconciliation and unification of the two countries, turning the situation similar to those that exist between India and Pakistan, North and South Korea.
In theory, the development of the Ukrainian space program on the basis of Zenit missiles is possible, but in practice, breaking the cooperation ties with Russia will lead to significant problems when attempting to reanimate this project. Perhaps the representatives of foreign business will be interested in the Zenit rocket, but this will most likely be realized in the form of the purchase of all the design documentation, equipment and specialists, and the new Zenith will be implemented in another country and from foreign components.
Another area in which the military-industrial complex of Ukraine can achieve success is the creation of ground-based armored combat vehicles, rocket artillery and anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM). Significant groundwork, inherited from the armored industry of Ukraine to the USSR, allows today to produce very competitive samples.
In particular, Ukraine is actively developing a line of T-64 / T-80 tanks developed in the USSR. Most of the components, including the engine, fire control system (LMS), active and dynamic protection, can be produced by the Ukrainian military-industrial complex.
There are problems with the manufacture and quality of some components that affect the mass production of new tanks. This is clearly characterized by the constant failure of the deadlines for the delivery of Oplot-M tanks to 49 in Thailand.
One way or another, but the Ukrainian industry is actively developing the direction of development and production of tanks and other armored vehicles. In this field, it is quite possible to expect increased cooperation with NATO countries. For example, in case of loss of competence in the production of tank guns, it would not be surprising to see guns made by German companies on promising Ukrainian tanks. This also applies to the supply of SLA, communications equipment and other components.
The same Luch Design Bureau, which creates the Neptun anti-ship missiles, developed and launched into mass production the Stugna-P anti-tank missile system (ATGM) with a range of about 5000 meters. This ATGM most likely uses a laser beam guidance system similar to the one used on Russian Kornet ATGM (KBP, Tula). Large-scale production of such complexes can pose a serious threat to the armed forces of the LC and the DPR.
Another weapon system that poses a threat to the armed forces of the LPR and the DPR is the Alder rocket launcher (MLRS), which has a range of about 120 kilometers. Despite the significant reserves of the MLRS inherited from the USSR, the Ukrainian military-industrial complex represented by Luch, since 2016, led the development of this complex, which is essentially an average between the classic MLRS and Tochka-U. The “Alder” missiles are equipped with a guidance system that minimizes deviation from a given target, which makes it possible to hit targets with a point rather than work in areas. When using only an inertial guidance system, the average deviation of the missile is 50 m, when using GPS correction - about 7 m.
Also, the military industrial complex of Ukraine is capable of producing in the interests of the ground forces such weapons as remotely controlled weapons modules, mortars, small arms and sniper weapons, including the so-called "anti-material" rifles of 12,7 mm.
In the area of creating anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM) from the military-industrial complex of Ukraine, it is difficult to expect anything much larger than upgrading samples from the Soviet heritage. Theoretically, in cooperation with NATO countries, new short-range and long-range air defense systems can be developed, but it’s difficult to say what share of the Ukrainian side will be in them.
In the field of aircraft industry, the military-industrial complex of Ukraine can prove itself in the creation of military transport aircraft aviation (BTA) of small and medium capacity. This is more likely if foreign avionics and engines are used. The development of the aviation industry is an extremely complex process, so it can be expected that the development and production of new aircraft of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine will face difficulties and delays.
The appearance of combat aircraft in the future is possible only in the form of surrogate alterations from transport aircraft or the simplest subsonic jet aircraft of the “attack” type. The creation of modern aircraft of the "fighter" type for the Ukrainian military-industrial complex in the foreseeable future is not feasible.
The competences of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine for the development and production of helicopters can be estimated from the NADIA helicopter presented by Motor Sich JSC, which is essentially a processing of the ancient Mi-2 helicopter. On the other hand, Ukraine can be a supplier of helicopter engines that Motor Sich JSC produces. This is a critical technology, the development and support of which can provide Ukraine a place in the cooperative development of new helicopters with any state.
It is also difficult to expect the resumption of the development and construction of heavy transport aircraft - the calling card of Antonov Design Bureau. American and European companies absolutely do not need competitors in this field, so they will not have to expect help from them. India or China would rather prefer to work in this direction with Russia, as with a more predictable partner. At best, Ukraine will be able to sell (if not already sold) the technical documentation for the aircraft developed by Antonov Design Bureau.
The military-industrial complex of Ukraine is actively developing projects of small UAVs designed for reconnaissance of the battlefield. It can be noted here that, taking into account the development of modern technologies, this trend to a certain level is comparable in complexity to advanced aircraft modeling. The main advantages of the UAV are manifested when it is possible to move beyond the limits of terrestrial radiocommunication; therefore, creating a global UAV control system is much more difficult. Unfortunately, problems in this area are present in the military industrial complex of Russia.
In the field of naval construction fleet Ukraine as a part of the USSR possessed tremendous opportunities. It is enough to say that the only Russian aircraft carrier was built at the shipyard of the Black Sea Shipbuilding Plant in Nikolaev, of course, with the cooperation of enterprises throughout the USSR.
After the collapse of the USSR, the shipbuilding enterprises of Ukraine, as well as Russia, suffered probably the greatest damage in relation to other industries. Affected is that the construction of ships is a long process, requiring huge investments and coordinated work of a huge number of subcontractors.
At the moment, the top of the military shipbuilding capabilities of the Ukrainian industry are the armored boats of the 58150 Gurza project with a displacement of 38 tons.
In the near future, the shipbuilding industry in Ukraine is unlikely to be able to build anything more than a corvette-class ship. Huge problems will arise with its filling with modern means of reconnaissance, control, and armament. Most likely this is possible only with the involvement of complexes and systems of Western production.
As in the case of helicopter engines, Ukraine has engineering and industrial potential in the development of ship power plants. If this direction does not squander its potential and develops, it can be claimed both in the world market and in the joint creation of ships with any state.
Competences in the construction of submarines in the military-industrial complex of Ukraine are completely absent, and the prospects for their appearance are not observed. Most likely, the best that shines to the armed forces of Ukraine is the acquisition of foreign-made non-nuclear submarines (NNS), if funding is available for this (besides the NNS themselves, you need to buy weapons for them, train the crews and support staff, and provide maintenance).
Summing up, we can say that the military-industrial complex of Ukraine is “more alive than dead”, although it is in an unenviable state, and its individual capabilities may pose a threat to Russia and the breakaway republics (the LPR and the DPR).
It is a great pity that you have to write articles about the military-industrial complex of Ukraine, in the context of a “hostile assessment”. In a situation where the fragments of the former superpower are almost in a state of internecine war, it remains only to hope that common sense will prevail and in the future we will be able to return to normal relations again.
In the end, enemies should not forget the words of the German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck: “Russians, even if they are dismembered by international treatises, will reunite as quickly as particles of a cut piece of mercury. It is an indestructible state of the Russian nation, strong in its climate, its spaces and its limited needs. ”.
And to the peoples and leaders of both our states, recall another statement attributed to Bismarck: “The power of Russia can be undermined only by the separation of Ukraine from it ... it is necessary not only to tear off, but also to oppose Ukraine to Russia. To do this, you only need to find and cultivate traitors among the elite and with their help change the self-consciousness of one part of a great nation to such an extent that it will hate everything Russian, hate its clan, without realizing it. Everything else is a matter of time. ”.
After the collapse of the USSR and the proclamation of independence of Ukraine, about 17% of the military-industrial complex of the USSR remained on its territory, which in total was about two thousand enterprises that employed more than seven hundred thousand people.
As a result of the general economic degradation of the state, corruption, lack of political will and the breakdown of cooperative ties with Russian enterprises, the military-industrial complex of Ukraine suffered significant losses. The absence of a large state defense order from the Ukrainian armed forces, due to chronic lack of money and oversaturation with weapons samples left over from the collapse of the USSR, forced defense plants to cut a huge number of personnel. The closure of research and development (R & D) conducted during the period of the USSR led to the loss of many key competencies.
In many ways, these problems are characteristic of the military industrial complex of Russia, but a significantly larger margin of safety, better funding, and an understanding that the Russian Federation, in any case, goal No. XXUMX for the United States and NATO, made it possible to preserve and further modernize a significant part of the Soviet legacy.
As in Russia 90-s, the attention of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine was directed to foreign markets. It would seem that a powerful industry, an advanced Soviet engineering school and low cost guaranteed success? However, it was not so easy. The main competition of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine were the armed forces of Ukraine itself. As mentioned earlier, a huge amount of military equipment of the armed forces of the USSR remained in the warehouses. This led to the fact that the main export successes of Ukraine are connected with the sale abroad of repaired equipment from warehouses or its modernized versions. Moreover, with a high probability, the non-modernized technology was implemented according to various gray schemes, from which neither the state nor the military-industrial complex could get anything.
The ability to qualitatively modernize military equipment of previous generations is extremely important, this allows for the longest possible period to use it in the armed forces, to "squeeze out" everything possible from the inherent potential. However, if you deal only with this, then the military-industrial complex may forget how to produce conceptually new weapons, endlessly trying to make obsolete tank a sort of perfect "samurai sword."
The most significant success of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex was the signing of an agreement with Pakistan in 1996 for the supply of X-NUMX T-XNUMHUD, produced in Kharkov. The contract value was about 320 million dollars. There is a version of the loss to Russia, which participated in this tender with the T-80 tank, due to disagreements with one of the largest customers - India, which is a strategic opponent of Pakistan.
Tank T-80UD Pakistan Armed Forces
The fulfillment of this contract was given to Ukraine not without difficulty. Some of the components were removed from the mothballed obsolete models of armored vehicles, and the production of tank cannon barrels was mastered at the Frunze plant in Sumy, which previously produced weighted pipes for oil and gas production.
In the future, the export of Ukrainian weapons was also based on the modernization, in some cases deep processing, of Soviet armaments. Due to the general degradation of the industry, periodically there are problems with the quality of the manufacture of components, including with gun barrels and armored steel. All this is not the best way affects the image of Ukrainian technology and weapons.
After the coup d'état in Ukraine and the coming to power of the nationalist government, it turned out that the equipment of the armed forces of Ukraine (APU) with modern military equipment leaves much to be desired. For several decades, the independence of the new technique almost did not arrive, and the existing one has become unusable. The fighting between the breakaway Lugansk People’s Republic, Donetsk People’s Republic (LNR, DPR) and the Ukrainian Armed Forces of Ukraine showed that the latter were in a deplorable state.
Having embarked on a tough confrontation with Russia, the Ukrainian authorities took steps to modernize the industry, based on the remnants of a dilapidated military industrial complex. It is hardly possible to say that this led to significant success, but there is some kind of forward movement. In recent years, the military industrial complex of Ukraine annually announces the appearance of certain types of weapons, mainly for the ground forces.
Weapons samples presented by the Ukrainian military industrial complex in recent years
Not all of the announced weapons models are ready for mass production, and some are only at the OCD stage.
What are the advantages of the Ukrainian military industrial complex in comparison with the Russian military industrial complex?
This suggests the only correct answer. The Ukrainian military industrial complex receives and will receive full support from Western countries. There will be no restrictions in the supply of components, electronics, machine tools. Of course, no one will give Ukraine access to advanced exclusive technologies, or access to technologies for creating strategic weapons, but in other areas cooperation, up to the joint sale of individual types of weapons and military equipment (CWT), is more than possible.
Someone may say that this is rather a minus, and it is better to create everything on your own. For Russia, this is true, and it is extremely difficult, because you have to confront the intellectual and technical potential of half the planet. For the state of the level of Ukraine this is impossible in principle. In addition, if in the long term, borrowing components produced by other countries poses a threat to the country's independence, and weakens its military-industrial complex as a whole, in the short-term it allows us to obtain products with higher characteristics than those of competitors.
Do not forget that the engineers who developed military hardware in Ukraine are the heirs of a mighty Soviet school, not all knowledge is lost, but active nationalist agitation and infusion of funds can stimulate this part of the industry.
What weapons can potentially and what not, to produce the military-industrial complex of Ukraine? And which of them pose a threat to Russia and the breakaway republics?
The first is the creation of missile weapons. After the termination of the existence of a treaty on medium and shorter range missiles (DRDM) in Ukraine, voices are already voiced about the possibility of starting the development of missiles of this class. Theoretically, Ukraine may have certain competencies in this matter. Do not forget about Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, the leading developer of the legendary strategic rocket “Satan”.
At the moment, the Ukrainian authorities have announced the creation of the operational-tactical missile complex (OTRK) "Grom", which is essentially the analogue of the Russian complex "Iskander". According to the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, the development work on this complex is moving towards completion.
The model of the rocket developed by the Ukrainian PRC "Grom"
It is likely that in the event of successful launch of the GROM complex into a series, the presence of domestic and export orders and funding from the state, attempts may be made to create longer-range missile systems. It should be noted that these attempts will most likely come across opposition from Ukraine’s Western allies, who are not at all interested in the proliferation of long-range weapons and the technologies for their creation. So, Ukraine shouldn’t be sure of any help in this matter.
The same can be said about the idea of developing nuclear weapons in Ukraine. At best, an attempt to develop a nuclear weapon will slam the heavy friendly hand of the United States. In the worst case scenario, the agents of the Israeli Mossad will shoot, due to the justified fears that the technologies of the newborn atomic bomb, for a certain financial reward, will float to Iran.
Also in Ukraine a subsonic low-flying anti-ship missile (ASM) “Neptune” is being developed. This anti-ship missile is being developed by the Luch design bureau, its design is based on the Uranus Soviet / Russian anti-ship missile base X-35. Called the maximum firing range to 300 kilometers. The missile can be released in the ship, ground and aircraft performance.
Ukrainian subsonic anti-ship missile "Neptune"
On tests, the rocket was pursued by a series of failures, but most likely it will somehow be brought to mass production.
And OTRK "Thunder", and PKR "Neptune" in the case of bringing to serial production may pose a certain threat to the armed forces of the Russian Federation. Of course, their use will mean the beginning of full-scale hostilities between Russia and Ukraine, and will not bring anything good to either side. But it is precisely the presence of more or less adequate modern offensive weapons that could motivate the Ukrainian authorities to strike at the base in the Crimea or attack the Russian Navy ship in the hope that Russia's response full-scale reaction would force the United States and other NATO countries to intervene.
For Russia and Ukraine, minus the irreversibly irresponsible representatives of the population on both sides, this situation is unpleasant because it can lead to a complete rupture between our countries. War will lead to casualties on both sides, both among the military and among the civilian population. These sacrifices in the future will always stand in the way of reconciliation and unification of the two countries, turning the situation similar to those that exist between India and Pakistan, North and South Korea.
In theory, the development of the Ukrainian space program on the basis of Zenit missiles is possible, but in practice, breaking the cooperation ties with Russia will lead to significant problems when attempting to reanimate this project. Perhaps the representatives of foreign business will be interested in the Zenit rocket, but this will most likely be realized in the form of the purchase of all the design documentation, equipment and specialists, and the new Zenith will be implemented in another country and from foreign components.
Another area in which the military-industrial complex of Ukraine can achieve success is the creation of ground-based armored combat vehicles, rocket artillery and anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM). Significant groundwork, inherited from the armored industry of Ukraine to the USSR, allows today to produce very competitive samples.
In particular, Ukraine is actively developing a line of T-64 / T-80 tanks developed in the USSR. Most of the components, including the engine, fire control system (LMS), active and dynamic protection, can be produced by the Ukrainian military-industrial complex.
There are problems with the manufacture and quality of some components that affect the mass production of new tanks. This is clearly characterized by the constant failure of the deadlines for the delivery of Oplot-M tanks to 49 in Thailand.
Tank T-84-120 "Yatagan"
One way or another, but the Ukrainian industry is actively developing the direction of development and production of tanks and other armored vehicles. In this field, it is quite possible to expect increased cooperation with NATO countries. For example, in case of loss of competence in the production of tank guns, it would not be surprising to see guns made by German companies on promising Ukrainian tanks. This also applies to the supply of SLA, communications equipment and other components.
The same Luch Design Bureau, which creates the Neptun anti-ship missiles, developed and launched into mass production the Stugna-P anti-tank missile system (ATGM) with a range of about 5000 meters. This ATGM most likely uses a laser beam guidance system similar to the one used on Russian Kornet ATGM (KBP, Tula). Large-scale production of such complexes can pose a serious threat to the armed forces of the LC and the DPR.
ATGM "Stugna-P"
Another weapon system that poses a threat to the armed forces of the LPR and the DPR is the Alder rocket launcher (MLRS), which has a range of about 120 kilometers. Despite the significant reserves of the MLRS inherited from the USSR, the Ukrainian military-industrial complex represented by Luch, since 2016, led the development of this complex, which is essentially an average between the classic MLRS and Tochka-U. The “Alder” missiles are equipped with a guidance system that minimizes deviation from a given target, which makes it possible to hit targets with a point rather than work in areas. When using only an inertial guidance system, the average deviation of the missile is 50 m, when using GPS correction - about 7 m.
Model MLRS "Alder"
Also, the military industrial complex of Ukraine is capable of producing in the interests of the ground forces such weapons as remotely controlled weapons modules, mortars, small arms and sniper weapons, including the so-called "anti-material" rifles of 12,7 mm.
In the area of creating anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM) from the military-industrial complex of Ukraine, it is difficult to expect anything much larger than upgrading samples from the Soviet heritage. Theoretically, in cooperation with NATO countries, new short-range and long-range air defense systems can be developed, but it’s difficult to say what share of the Ukrainian side will be in them.
In the field of aircraft industry, the military-industrial complex of Ukraine can prove itself in the creation of military transport aircraft aviation (BTA) of small and medium capacity. This is more likely if foreign avionics and engines are used. The development of the aviation industry is an extremely complex process, so it can be expected that the development and production of new aircraft of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine will face difficulties and delays.
Antonov An-132 mid-range cargo aircraft
The appearance of combat aircraft in the future is possible only in the form of surrogate alterations from transport aircraft or the simplest subsonic jet aircraft of the “attack” type. The creation of modern aircraft of the "fighter" type for the Ukrainian military-industrial complex in the foreseeable future is not feasible.
The competences of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine for the development and production of helicopters can be estimated from the NADIA helicopter presented by Motor Sich JSC, which is essentially a processing of the ancient Mi-2 helicopter. On the other hand, Ukraine can be a supplier of helicopter engines that Motor Sich JSC produces. This is a critical technology, the development and support of which can provide Ukraine a place in the cooperative development of new helicopters with any state.
Ukrainian helicopter "Nadia"
It is also difficult to expect the resumption of the development and construction of heavy transport aircraft - the calling card of Antonov Design Bureau. American and European companies absolutely do not need competitors in this field, so they will not have to expect help from them. India or China would rather prefer to work in this direction with Russia, as with a more predictable partner. At best, Ukraine will be able to sell (if not already sold) the technical documentation for the aircraft developed by Antonov Design Bureau.
The military-industrial complex of Ukraine is actively developing projects of small UAVs designed for reconnaissance of the battlefield. It can be noted here that, taking into account the development of modern technologies, this trend to a certain level is comparable in complexity to advanced aircraft modeling. The main advantages of the UAV are manifested when it is possible to move beyond the limits of terrestrial radiocommunication; therefore, creating a global UAV control system is much more difficult. Unfortunately, problems in this area are present in the military industrial complex of Russia.
Spectator reconnaissance / unmanned aerial vehicle
In the field of naval construction fleet Ukraine as a part of the USSR possessed tremendous opportunities. It is enough to say that the only Russian aircraft carrier was built at the shipyard of the Black Sea Shipbuilding Plant in Nikolaev, of course, with the cooperation of enterprises throughout the USSR.
After the collapse of the USSR, the shipbuilding enterprises of Ukraine, as well as Russia, suffered probably the greatest damage in relation to other industries. Affected is that the construction of ships is a long process, requiring huge investments and coordinated work of a huge number of subcontractors.
At the moment, the top of the military shipbuilding capabilities of the Ukrainian industry are the armored boats of the 58150 Gurza project with a displacement of 38 tons.
River armored boat project 58150 "Gyurza"
In the near future, the shipbuilding industry in Ukraine is unlikely to be able to build anything more than a corvette-class ship. Huge problems will arise with its filling with modern means of reconnaissance, control, and armament. Most likely this is possible only with the involvement of complexes and systems of Western production.
As in the case of helicopter engines, Ukraine has engineering and industrial potential in the development of ship power plants. If this direction does not squander its potential and develops, it can be claimed both in the world market and in the joint creation of ships with any state.
Competences in the construction of submarines in the military-industrial complex of Ukraine are completely absent, and the prospects for their appearance are not observed. Most likely, the best that shines to the armed forces of Ukraine is the acquisition of foreign-made non-nuclear submarines (NNS), if funding is available for this (besides the NNS themselves, you need to buy weapons for them, train the crews and support staff, and provide maintenance).
Summing up, we can say that the military-industrial complex of Ukraine is “more alive than dead”, although it is in an unenviable state, and its individual capabilities may pose a threat to Russia and the breakaway republics (the LPR and the DPR).
It is a great pity that you have to write articles about the military-industrial complex of Ukraine, in the context of a “hostile assessment”. In a situation where the fragments of the former superpower are almost in a state of internecine war, it remains only to hope that common sense will prevail and in the future we will be able to return to normal relations again.
In the end, enemies should not forget the words of the German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck: “Russians, even if they are dismembered by international treatises, will reunite as quickly as particles of a cut piece of mercury. It is an indestructible state of the Russian nation, strong in its climate, its spaces and its limited needs. ”.
And to the peoples and leaders of both our states, recall another statement attributed to Bismarck: “The power of Russia can be undermined only by the separation of Ukraine from it ... it is necessary not only to tear off, but also to oppose Ukraine to Russia. To do this, you only need to find and cultivate traitors among the elite and with their help change the self-consciousness of one part of a great nation to such an extent that it will hate everything Russian, hate its clan, without realizing it. Everything else is a matter of time. ”.
Information