Armor is strong. Report from the armored plant, where equipment is repaired for ATO (Ukraine)
Kiev armored vehicle is a typical enterprise of the 70s of the last century. Since then, little has changed at the plant. The same vast expanses behind the barbed wire, the same machines and even the same Tanks T-72. True, the latest BTR-3E1 appeared, the production of which was mastered over the years of independence. They have proven themselves in Thailand, Chad, Uganda, Burma and Sudan, not to mention the ATO zone.
Now the plant operates in three shifts. Together with the acting director of the plant, Vladislav Lisitsa (in the recent past he was part of the KrAZ management), we are moving from one shop to another. Unwittingly filled with pride in my country, seeing dozens of tanks and armored personnel carriers, literally plastered with workers in blue robes. Now almost 1000 people work on armored vehicles, their average salary is about 5000 UAH.
Vladislav Lisitsa is short, round-faced and serious, as befits a director of a large production enterprise, and also a military one. He is wearing a camouflage jacket, with a tie peeking out from under his collar.
- To us go to work high-class turners who receive a salary depending on the output. Nobody will be able to smile at the machine, ”the director says sternly, shouting over the shop noise.
Photo: Jaroslav Debely
Vladislav Lisitsa admits that he was surprised by the relatively good condition of the plant, which survived during the times of Yanukovych due to export contracts. True, from the latest equipment - only Bulgarian, but a program has been developed to modernize the enterprise.
“This year we are going to buy machines for operational assembly of bodies, lasers for cutting armor, equipment for welding armor and much more,” the director says. - In this direction, we work closely with the Paton Institute. Now the plant is creating a section of high-performance equipment: we assemble the most modern machines into one workshop in order to shorten the period of procurement operations.
Under the Union, the plant repaired up to eight tanks per day.
- How is it now? - I am trying to find out military secrets from the director. - Fighters in the ATO zone constantly complain about the lack of armored vehicles.
“We transfer to the Ministry of Defense exactly as many tanks and armored personnel carriers as we are ordered to,” the Fox Foxes eyebrows. - Perhaps we can produce more, but tell me, are there tankers and drivers for an additional amount of equipment? When we look at some tankers, we are frankly sorry for our equipment. For two or three incorrect engine start-up a tank can be put out of action. And then indignant on Facebook: "We were sent the old equipment, which immediately broke!" We had plenty of such cases. Our plant repairs a third of all equipment damaged in the ATO area, I know what I'm talking about. If a person served as a tanker in the nineties, it is not a fact that he will be able to control a modern tank.
"We can produce more, but tell me, are there tankers and drivers for an additional amount of equipment?"
Vladislav Lisitsa
about the production capabilities of your plant
Behind the gates of the factory roar BTR. This is running new engines. Each of them must pass at least 300 km before being sent to the troops.
On new BTR put Mercedes engines. They are both economical and reliable. With some European partners, the plant is working in the direction of upgrading transmissions and gearboxes. According to Vladislav Lisitsy, the global trend in the production of armored vehicles is as follows: new designs are practically not developed, but the existing ones are being improved to infinity. The quality of the fire control system is improved, the means of communication, protection, and so on are improved. In other words, only the “stuffing” of the armored body changes.
Before the war, steel for the production of armored personnel carriers was taken in Alchevsk. Now that Alchevsk has remained in the occupied territory, the Kiev armored tank is considering the possibility of producing combat vehicles from Polish or Finnish armor. Negotiations are also underway with the Mariupol MMK. Ilyich, who is quite capable of making armor.
Hearing the question of whether there are Russian parts in Ukrainian armored vehicles, Vladislav Lisitsa looks at me as a traitor to the Motherland.
“Now you can’t find Russian parts anywhere,” the director still answers harshly. - They stopped delivering. If you look at the list of components a decade ago, you can see that a huge amount of parts was purchased in Russia. Especially on the way and on electronics. Now we have replaced them with Ukrainian ones. I can say with confidence that in the Ukrainian BTR-3 there are no Russian parts.
Video: Jaroslav Debely
A beep sounds. Workers slowly descend from armored vehicles and go for lunch. At the factory, lunch for them at a reduced price - 14 UAH.
In parting, Vladislav Lisitsa offers me a ride on an armored troop-carrier. Sitting in the cramped interior of a brand new armored car, listening to the roar of the engine, I try to guess its future. So I want this car to survive in the ATO zone and that no one in it should perish or be injured.
Information