Interview with Director of the State Enterprise "Ukroboronservis" Sergey Mikityuk
In December, 2013, the State Enterprise Ukroboronservis, a subsidiary of the Ukrspetsexport Group of Companies, now part of the Ukroboronprom State Concern, is 20 years old. Director of the state enterprise "Ukroboronservis" Sergey Mykytyuk told how one of the leaders of arms exports lives in our difficult times.- Sergey O., Ukroboronservis SE has always occupied a serious place in the system of military-technical cooperation of Ukraine. How would you rate the capabilities of the enterprise at present, and what are its main areas of activity?
- SE "Ukroboronservis" today really occupies a leading place in the system. One of our main areas is air defense systems. Also, the company is very confident in the repair, modernization and supply of armored vehicles and weapons. There are successes in the field of disposal of ammunition, humanitarian demining, in projects with small arms. It is also true that today we compare favorably with all other special exporters with our own production facilities.
- If we talk in detail about such a direction as air defense. What is the role and place of the enterprise in this segment, what has been achieved today and what are the prospects?
“Today we have come to the conclusion that Ukroboronservis provides the entire complex of work related to the repair, extension of the resource and modernization of anti-aircraft missile systems, as well as other systems and military air defense equipment. To understand our role, place and our capabilities, we need to take into account certain realities that have developed in the global market. After all, everyone knows that weapons of many countries are still samples of weapons that were supplied during the Soviet era. These are, for example, such anti-aircraft missile systems and complexes such as Volga, Pechora, these are the P-12, P-15, P-18, P-19 radar systems, various altimeters. They constantly require updating as a result of operation. And "Ukroboronservis" it successfully does.
- The company conducts work in the direction of air defense in the interests of both domestic and foreign consumers. What results have been achieved?
- We are directly involved in the implementation of the “Program for restoring the combat capability of anti-aircraft missile forces of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to 2017”, which is aimed at repairing and extending the life of the C-300 PT / PS air defense missile system, as well as command points of the system 1Н5С ЗРК С-83ПС. For 300, two anti-aircraft missile systems were repaired in the interests of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, which are handed over to the Armed Forces (VS) and are now on alert. One is around Sevastopol, and the other is around Kiev. To date, we are carrying out work related to the repair of two anti-aircraft missile systems S-2012PS for the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
In general, by the current period in the interests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, we have extended the 8 resource of the C-300 and 2 complexes of the Buk complexes. In 2014, in the first decade of February, we are planning to commission another C-300 complex, and in the first half of the year - the Buk-М1 air defense system.
In general, if funding is available from the MO "Ukroboronservis", it is ready to annually repair and extend the resource with three S-300 air defense systems, one "Buka" and one command post of the 5H83С system.
With regards to foreign customers, I’ll dwell on one important fact. The practice of recent years has shown that no one from the CIS countries today is able to provide the depth of repair that Ukroboronservice carries out and ensure the extension of the resource for seven years or five thousand hours. Our consumers see and know this. For example, in 2013, a major overhaul of the S-300PS air defense system was carried out in the interests of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan. After repair, the complex has passed field testing. Live firing was conducted at the Sary-Shagan test site, where four missile launches with one hundred percent hit were made.
In addition, the state enterprise Ukroboronservis together with the defense industry enterprises mastered the modernization of the Pechora C-125 air defense system. In 2010, we fired at the Chauda training ground. As a result, following the results of these combat shooting, we had an export contract. Today there are prospects for this work with other countries. Considering the engineering composition and industrial developments, worked out on the example of the С-125 air defense missile system, we are engaged in the modernization of the systems “Kvadrat” and “Volga”. To date, we are approaching the stage of conducting experienced combat shooting both one by one and the second system. We carry out these works with an eye to the presentation in the interests of the foreigner.
- How is the issue of the elemental base deficit resolved during the repair of air defense equipment? After all, at one time it was considered, almost a key problem?
- There is some success. In particular, Ukrainian-made solid-state devices have already been adopted for the replacement of traveling-wave tubes for the S-300 and Buk-М1 SAM systems. Next year it is planned to adopt two more types of microwave devices from the C-300PS complex.
Technically, Ukroboronservice, which is the owner of all the design documentation for the manufacture of devices, was directly involved in solving this problem. It also says that in the future, countries where the C-300PT / PS and Buk air defense systems are in operation will be ready to buy Ukrainian-made microwave devices on a new element base.
- One of the activities of the state enterprise "Ukroboronservis" is the disposal of ammunition and humanitarian demining. What milestones have already been achieved today and what are your plans for the future?
- For almost 9 years, during which the company dealt with this topic, just a huge amount of ammunition was disposed of. It was also possible to take part in a number of international projects. In 2005, Ukroboronservis supplied equipment for the disposal of ammunition to Kazakhstan, which was put into operation in 2006.
An important and successful project was the utilization of Scud-B domestic missile systems. In 2010 in Khmelnitsky region, we completed the elimination of the latest missiles of this complex.
In 2009 - 2012 under a contract with NAMSA GP Ukroboronservis, 31 147,9 tons of ammunition were recycled in Ukraine, of which only 2012 was 16747,9 tons.
With the signing of 19 on April 2012 in Kiev, a framework agreement with NAMSA, the implementation of the second phase of the NATO / PFP Trust Fund project on the disposal of light weapons and conventional ammunition in Ukraine began. As part of the second phase of the project, it is planned to dispose of 76 thousand tons of ammunition (including 3 million anti-personnel mines), 366 thousand units. light weapons and small arms weaponsunsuitable for further use and hazardous for storage. The estimated cost of the work is € 25 million. Implementation period - 3-4 of the year. Works on the disposal of ammunition performs exactly GP "Ukroboronservis."
In 2013, we completed one of the stages of this work and, literally, recently the NSPA organization issued us a purchase order for the extension of this work and the allocation of the next tranche of € 1 million 800 thousands. We start this stage from the beginning of December of the current year.
- And how are the works in the field of humanitarian demining going?
- Our company is the only one in Ukraine that is accredited to the United Nations (UN) as a provider of humanitarian demining services. We have completed and are carrying out a number of projects under the auspices of the UN in Somalia, in Libya (engaged in collecting ammunition, storing and arranging them for proper storage). We are preparing for a number of other projects.
To perform the tasks of humanitarian demining, the enterprise uses Ukrainian technologies developed by us. They are all licensed and have international certificates.
In addition, it should be noted that we are engaged in personnel training in the delivery of arms and military equipment and the provision of services. For this purpose, the Training Center of the State Enterprise “Ukroboronservice” was established in 2011. To date, we have completed a project for the training of specialists of the Algerian armed forces. From 23 in November 2013, we will begin a project to train personnel for the Ministry of Defense of Kenya.
- What is the annual volume utilized "Ukroboronservis", and what is the potential?
- We could recycle about 12-14 thousand tons of ammunition per year. It is directly on its production facilities. If we take into account the involvement of enterprises "Ukroboronprom", then this figure can be much greater. In the best of times in Ukraine, up to about 50 thousands of tons of ammunition per year were utilized. I think that this is not the limit.
- Is the issue of disposing of not only ammunition, but also armored vehicles in the framework of the NSPA?
- NSPA has proposals to Ukraine to recycle tanks and armored personnel carriers. This proposal was voiced by NSPA representatives at a joint meeting in Ukraine. The Ukrainian side, to date, has made a political decision to participate in this program. Now there are processes associated with the development of specific actions.
- An important area of activity of the state enterprise "Ukroboronservis" is also a rocket and space theme. What has been achieved in this field?
“Here we are involved in a number of programs, both military and civil. As for the military direction, in order to maintain the safe condition of intercontinental ballistic missiles 15А18М, called Satan in the West, Ukraine conducts warranty and architectural supervision of the state of the missile systems located in the Russian Federation. This work will continue until the expiration of the designated and extended life of the missiles. The main performers of this program are the developer of the MBR Yuzhnoye Design Bureau and their manufacturer, the Southern Machine-Building Plant (Yuzhmash).
- And what about the provision of civil services?
- Civilian direction in the rocket and space subject - today for the state enterprise “Ukroborosservis” is the key. First of all, this is the Land Launch program - the manufacture of Zenit-2BB launch vehicles, their launching commercial satellites from various countries from the Baikonur launch site. Between 2006 and 2013 "Ukroboronservis" put five launch vehicles under the contract, which is now closed. It was the fifth rocket carrier within the framework of this agreement that on the night of August 31 on September 1 a regular Israeli communications satellite Amos-4 was launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome.
Currently, we have a contract with the Russian Federation up to 2020 for the manufacture and supply of Zenit launch vehicles 24. But this is a framework contract. Its implementation is carried out within the framework of additional agreements to this contract, which specify the production time of each launch vehicle and the payment schedule. Today, the first of the 24 launch vehicles is being manufactured. Its delivery time is August 2014. For now, everything moves in accordance with the production schedule. Financing by the customer is also on schedule. And we hope that in the future everything will be fine.
- What new directions on the “space theme” are relevant for the enterprise now?
- We are developing the subject of space aerial photography, remote sensing of the Earth and a number of other promising areas. Also a promising and quite relevant topic today is the creation of geographic information systems. How these works will move in the future time will tell.
- Another area that I would like to touch on is armored and naval subjects. Both directions are important both for consolidating the enterprise on the world arms market and for solving problems related to the defense capability of Ukraine. What are the successes here?
- Currently, in addition to contracts for the supply of units and spare parts for ships and boats of Soviet production, SE "Ukroboronservis" is involved in the creation of a combat ship of the class "corvette" for the Naval Forces (Navy) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. We are also actively working with foreign customers regarding the supply of patrol boats, amphibious ships being built at Ukrainian shipyards.
Considerable work has been done to promote the newest developments of Ukrainian enterprises in the field of optics, outdoor equipment, combat control systems to the external market. The activities in the field of equipment for the ground forces include the supply of tanks, armored personnel carriers, other types of armored vehicles, as well as the modernization of armored vehicles. A prominent place is occupied by the supply of spare parts for armored vehicles.
As part of the implementation of the decision of the management of Ukroboronprom, the enterprise is actively working to bring the T-64 tank into the market, which has not been supplied abroad to date. As a result, our company created all the conditions for creating a pre-contractual interest in acquiring T-64 tanks with a number of foreign customers. We consider this a definite achievement of the Ukroboronservice team.
The implementation of the T-64 project should open a new page in stories enterprises and, in general, there is confidence in the success of this product, which surpasses many analogues by the criterion of "price-quality". The main customers of the above-mentioned products are countries that use Soviet-made equipment. Mostly, these are regions of Africa, Southeast Asia, partly countries of the Arab world.
- Will the company develop new directions in the coming years?
- We are considering options, but let it still remain a trade secret. It is usually said about what has already been done.
PS by the way, on December 16, 2013 the state enterprise "Nikolaev Shipbuilding Plant named after 61 Communards" was visited by a delegation of the Russian Federation. It is interesting that the mission included a special representative of the President of Russia, ex-Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Viktor Zubkov. The purpose of the visit was to inspect the unfinished missile cruiser Ukraine (formerly Admiral fleet Lobov "project 11641), which for many years (since launching in 1990) moored at the outbuilding wall of the shipyard named after 61 Communards. According to Ukrainian estimates, its readiness is about 95%. Moreover, according to the Russian military-industrial complex , the current degree of readiness of the ship is lower than declared by Ukrainian shipbuilders. At the same time, the press-secretary of the chairman of the Nikolaev regional administration Natalia Lushchan reported to kontrakty.ua that the Russian delegation “during a visit to the GP“ Shipbuilding Plant named after 61 Communard "preliminary negotiations were held on the possible placement of orders at the facilities of this enterprise."
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