Defense industry in the post-Soviet space. Part II
Kazakhstan
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, about fifty enterprises remained on the territory of independent Kazakhstan. It is noteworthy that in Kazakhstan, which has access only to two inland seas (the Caspian and Aral), several organizations worked that created and built various equipment for the naval fleet. In addition, eight large test sites used by the Soviet defense industry, including Semipalatinsky and Sary-Shagan, became Kazakh. The total area of all landfills is approximately 7% of the country's area. One should also recall several mining enterprises that supplied the Soviet nuclear industry with raw materials.
The rupture of industrial relations, which occurred after the collapse of the USSR, led to a significant deterioration of the defense industry in Kazakhstan. In addition, the Russian Ministry of Defense gradually abandoned the purchase of finished products manufactured by enterprises in Kazakhstan for economic and military-political reasons. Attempts to sell components and weapons to third countries were unsuccessful. Official Alma-Ata was forced to begin the process of conversion of defense enterprises in order to preserve them and not allow them to cease to exist. The result of economic and political processes was the almost complete cessation of defense production. According to some reports, at the end of the nineties, the defense industry of Kazakhstan produced only one type weapons: large-caliber machine guns NSV-12,7 (factory "Metallist", Uralsk). Some enterprises engaged in the production of components for related industries, as well as several repair plants.
In the spring of 2007, the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, approved a state program for the development of armaments and military equipment of the armed forces and the military-industrial complex. In accordance with this document, it was required to conduct a series of activities aimed at modernizing the defense industry and renewing the fleet of military equipment before 2015. In particular, it was proposed to repair and upgrade existing military equipment, as well as build or purchase new ones. An important feature of the State Program is the fact that Russia is considered as the main partner in updating and purchasing equipment.
To ensure effective work and interaction of the remaining defense enterprises, the National Company Kazakhstan Engineering JSC was established. The task of this organization is the implementation of the repair of existing equipment, the construction of a new one, the production of ammunition, etc. In addition, experts from Kazakhstan Engineering are engaged in the development of new weapons and equipment. An urgent task is the creation of promising unmanned aerial vehicles for various purposes.
In 2007, Kazakhstan began cooperation with Israel in order to create new military equipment. The Israeli companies Soltam and IMI were ordered to develop new artillery systems, which resulted in the appearance of the Naiza MLRS, the Semser 122-mm self-propelled howitzer and the Aybat self-propelled mortar. In 120, these combat vehicles were tested and adopted by the ground forces of Kazakhstan. Israeli specialists helped Kazakh colleagues to launch mass production of new equipment at the Petropavlovsk Heavy Engineering Plant. A few years after the start of deliveries of new equipment to the armed forces, it became clear that contracts with Israeli companies signed with serious violations and bypassing the existing legislation of Kazakhstan. The construction of machinery stopped, and several officials were sentenced to imprisonment. At the same time, the systems "Naiza", "Semser" and "Aibat" remained the newest artillery armament of Kazakhstan.
A few years ago, Kazakhstan ordered a number of support combat vehicles from Russia. tanks BMPT. According to some reports, in 2015 the licensed assembly of this equipment will begin at one of the Kazakh enterprises. In addition, the armed forces of Kazakhstan operate several units of the TOS-1 heavy flamethrower system. Currently, the Kazakh army has military equipment of Soviet, Russian and own production. In the future, the appearance of Ukrainian armored vehicles. In 2012, Kazakhstan and Ukraine agreed on the supply and licensed production of BTR-4 armored personnel carriers. It was supposed to complete the delivery of this equipment by 2014, but for some time new information about the contract was not announced. In mid-May of this year, it became known that the BTR-4 armored personnel carrier, tested in Kazakhstan, was returned to Ukraine for improvements. Thus, the execution of the contract is postponed indefinitely.
In 2012, the navy of Kazakhstan received the lead rocket-artillery boat of the 250 "Bars-MO" project. The boat "Kazakhstan" was built at the factory "Zenith" in Uralsk. At the end of 2013, a second boat, the Oral, built at the same shipyard, was included in the naval squadron. In May 2014, the third launch of the 250 project, the Saryarka, was launched. We are aware of plans to develop new boats and ships for the navy. In addition, in 2006, an artillery boat of the Sea Dolphin type was purchased from South Korea, and in the 2009, the United States transferred several landing craft to Kazakhstan.
Since 2007, Kazakhstan has been actively developing its defense industry and is trying to develop new areas for itself. The current state program for the development of the army and industry is coming to an end, which is why new plans are being drawn up in Astana, which are expected to be implemented by 2020. The main tasks of the current and future programs are to equip the armed forces with modern weapons and equipment; strengthening and development of the scientific and technical base of the defense industry an increase in the share of defense industry products in Kazakhstan’s GDP; and an increase in exports of military products.
Kyrgyzstan
Independent Kyrgyzstan gained one of the weakest defense industries in the post-Soviet space. Only Dastan plant (former Instrument Engineering Plant named after the 50 anniversary of the Kyrgyz SSR) is engaged in the production of finished products in the Kyrgyz Republic. This enterprise produces torpedoes and “Squall” missiles, a testing ground at Issyk-Kul Lake is used for testing finished products. Also in Kyrgyzstan, there were six other enterprises that produced various components. It should be noted that the main industry of this Central Asian republic is mining.
Kyrgyzstan’s so modest OPK faced economic problems in the 1990s. The number of orders dropped dramatically, which is why the Dastan plant began producing no more than 40-50 products per year, although before the collapse of the USSR, production rates were much higher. One of the main factors that hit the plant was the supply of components from Russia: the production of most of the components of weapons for the fleet was carried out outside Kyrgyzstan. Over time, the company managed to slightly improve its position by finding a new customer. In the past decade, the Dastan plant began supplying torpedoes and rockets not only to Russia, but also to India. For several reasons, the last batch of products was transferred to the Indian military in 2011 year.
The state of the Kyrgyz industry, including defense, leaves much to be desired. In addition, the country needs to repay external debts. At the beginning of February 2009, the official Bishkek and Moscow agreed to write off Kyrgyzstan’s debt in the amount of 180 million dollars in exchange for the 48% stake in the Dastan plant. Some Kyrgyz businessmen and officials didn’t like such a deal, which led to a number of specific events that resulted in Russia being offered to receive only 38% of shares for debt, and buy the remaining 11% at market value. Such actions of certain circles of Kyrgyzstan led to the fact that the Russian Federation refused to write off the debt. According to 2013, the Dastan plant should be put up for public auction.
The situation around the leading enterprises of the defense industry of Kyrgyzstan does not allow making optimistic forecasts about the future of the entire industry. The number of defense enterprises is small, and most of their products are sent to foreign "allies". Because of this, and also because of the lack of clear plans for the development of military factories, the overall situation looks extremely negative and it is impossible to predict when and how it will begin to change.
Latvia
In the Latvian SSR, due to its border position, there were no enterprises engaged in the production of finished weapons or military equipment. Nevertheless, a number of Latvian enterprises produced components that were sent to the factories of the RSFSR and other Union republics. For example, the VEF Riga factories and the Kommutator, which was formed on the basis of one of its workshops, produced various radio-electronic equipment for the needs of the defense industry complex of the Soviet Union. The first years of independence of the state were experienced by far not all enterprises of the defense sector. In the future, official Riga did not pay enough attention to the development of its defense-industrial complex.
In March 2013, an event took place which, as expected, should have drastically changed the existing situation. Several private organizations that are ready to manufacture products of military designation have founded the Federation of Security and Defense Industry. The federation immediately enlisted the support of the military department. Thus, during the constituent assembly, the Minister of Defense of Latvia Artis Pabriks noted that in the coming years it is planned to increase the size of the military budget and bring it to 2% of the country's GDP. In this regard, the Ministry of Defense will be able to actively finance the armed forces, as well as buy new weapons and equipment. Great hopes are pinned on domestic producers.
About a year after the formation of the Federation of Security and Defense Industries, information appeared on the first results of its work. In August last year, the Federation and the Ministry of Defense signed a cooperation agreement, but the joint work has not gone further than this document. According to the Latvian TV channel TV5, the army has not yet placed new orders for military products. For example, the D Duplex ammunition factory is ready to produce various ammunition for the army’s small arms, but there have not yet been orders for such products. Moreover, the Latvian military continue to look closely at weapons and equipment of foreign production.
The armed forces of independent Latvia found themselves in an unenviable position. Due to the lack of developed domestic production, they have to actively use foreign-made weapons and equipment. In addition, there is a certain dependence on imports, from ammunition to dry rations. Any attempts to change the existing situation are not yet available. As a result, for more than two decades of independence, Latvia has not acquired its own defense industry.
Lithuania
The Lithuanian defense industry, like the Latvian one, is extremely weak and not developed. Before the collapse of the Soviet Union, enterprises of the Lithuanian SSR produced various components for systems and equipment, but did not assemble ready-made equipment or weapons. In this regard, after the collapse of the USSR, the Lithuanian leadership had to seek help from foreign countries. So, already in 1991, the Federal Republic of Germany donated two transport aircraft L-410 of Czechoslovak production to Lithuania. Later, the Lithuanian armed forces, which had only Soviet-made weapons and equipment, were updated only with the assistance of foreign countries.
Foreign states (first of all, the NATO countries), both gratuitously and on a commercial basis, transferred various weapons and military equipment to Lithuania. So, in 1999, the delivery of American automatic rifles M14L1 began; In the same year, Bulgaria handed over 20B2 caliber 11 mm Soviet-made towed mortars to the Lithuanian military 120. Later, Lithuania acquired a large number of armored vehicles, artillery guns, automotive vehicles, anti-tank grenade launchers and missile systems, as well as various types of small arms.
At the beginning of the two thousandth, with the support of foreign specialists, Lithuania was the first time in Lithuania stories built a military factory. A cartridge factory with equipment made in France appeared near the city of Kaunas. In 2005, the company passed certification to NATO standards and was able to supply ammunition not only to the Lithuanian army, but also to the armed forces of other countries. However, the capacity of this plant does not allow it to participate in tenders on an equal footing with foreign manufacturers of cartridges. To date, several private commercial organizations have appeared in Lithuania that are ready to manufacture various products for the armed forces.
In March last year at the Lithuanian Military Academy. General емemaitis held a conference "Lithuanian Military Industry", during which representatives of the Ministry of Defense and Industry discussed the further development of the defense sector. The conference participants came to the conclusion about the need for political support for the development of the defense industry and the corresponding improvement of legislation. In addition, it was proposed to merge all existing enterprises and organizations into a single structure.
However, over the past year there have been no noticeable changes. The Lithuanian defense industry is still weak and is unable to provide at least a significant share of the army’s needs. The only own production, which managed to achieve some success, is engaged in the manufacture of cartridges.
Moldavia
In the Moldavian SSR, there were many enterprises that manufactured various equipment and components, which were subsequently transferred to adjacent plants, where they were used for the construction of finished systems and equipment. Moreover, due to the geographic location of the republic, they did not supply ready-made weapons or equipment. The leading enterprises of the Soviet defense industry in Moldova were the Chisinau factories "Topaz", "Mezon", "Signal", "Schetmash" and others, which produced various radio-electronic systems and computer equipment for aviation, space rocket and other industries. For example, the Mezon plant was once one of the five largest Soviet manufacturers of microelectronics and produced up to 130 million integrated circuits per year. It should also be noted Production Association. IN AND. Lenin (Beltsy), supplying navigation and sonar equipment for the ships of the Navy.
In the first years of independence, official Chisinau had to face a lot of difficulties. In addition, an armed conflict occurred in 1992 in Transnistria. The weakening of the economy and the lack of a competent policy aimed at preserving industry have led to disastrous results. According to some data, in the nineties, politicians and leaders of defense enterprises offered various industry development plans, which, as subsequent events showed, turned out to be useless or even harmful. Moldavian defense industry suffered losses, numerous corruption schemes appeared, and production volumes fell to almost zero.
Nevertheless, some enterprises of the Moldovan defense industry complex managed to survive, having suffered some losses. For example, the Topaz plant in Chisinau still produces special equipment for industry and the armed forces. The main partners of this enterprise are the Russian organizations MMPP Salyut (Moscow), the Omsk Motor-Building Association named after P.I. Baranova and machine-building plant "Agat" (Yaroslavl). The situation is similar with other defense industry enterprises preserved in Moldova - the main buyers of products are their Russian colleagues.
At the beginning of 2011, it became known that the Government of the Republic of Moldova intends to engage in the development of the country's defense industry. Such plans, according to the press, were envisaged in the draft national security strategy of the state. Since then notable news on the development of the Moldovan defense industry did not appear. The country's armed forces are forced to exploit outdated Soviet-made equipment. The modernization of the Moldavian army is carried out only at the expense of foreign aid. So, in 2011, the United States handed over to the military Moldavia several dozen cars of various types. In 2012, official Washington announced its plans for financial assistance to the Moldovan armed forces. In the same year, 2012, Chisinau and Riga signed an agreement on military cooperation.
On the materials of the sites:
http://vpk.name/
http://vpk-news.ru/
http://inosmi.ru/
http://armscontrol.ru/
http://military-kz.ucoz.org/
http://tengrinews.kz/
http://vesti.kg/
http://gezitter.org/
http://mil.kg/
http://melkon.lv/
http://tv5.lv/
http://ru.delfi.lt/
http://15min.lt/
http://vedomosti.md/
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