Ammunition production is currently an extremely difficult issue, and Ukraine is no exception.
But now, not only the establishment but also the expansion of domestic ammunition production in Ukraine is already a reality.
Read more: Ukraine Should've Made "Mountains of Ammunition," Ben Hodges Says, But Was It Physically Possible?
As Defense Express reported earlier, Chairman of the Ukrainian security council announced "good news" regarding the production of ammunition in Ukraine and promised to agree on U.S. defense supplies in the upcoming January.
Defense Express also reported whether Ukraine could produce "mountains of ammunition."
But in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda, the head of the company Ukrainian Armor (a part of NAUDI) Vladyslav Belbas revealed another aspect of this issue.
Let's remind that Ukraine had almost no ammunition production even during the Soviet era.
For some time, there was the production of individual components for detonators at one of the enterprises in Shostka.
"When the question of producing our own projectiles arose, Ukraine lacked both propellants, metalworking capabilities, and equipment for explosive substances. We had to assemble a chain of competencies. One state-owned company produces equipment, we handle metalworking. We purchase some components on the global market. Currently, Ukrainian components in our projectiles are around 30%," Vladyslav Belbas reported.
So, despite the desire to increase the production of ammunition, there is one significant factor - dependence on foreign components from which the artillery projectile is composed. These, at a minimum, include gunpowder and explosives, which are currently becoming scarce worldwide due to the increased production of projectiles.
Moreover, as the head of Ukrainian Armor points out, even in the conditions of a peaceful country, the production of ammunition from scratch requires time because it is necessary to acquire the appropriate equipment. The waiting time for the necessary equipment is two years.
However, in Ukraine, there is currently no possibility to establish the production of explosives or gunpowder at all, as it would be destroyed by russian attacks.
The CEO of the company, Vladyslav Belbas, pointed out another fundamental problem in the Ukrainian defense industry - a lack of personnel. It is associated not only with mobilization processes but also with the lack of professional education and experience in the defense industry.
Therefore, the situation where foreign companies come to Ukraine "with their people, knowledge, technologies" is absolutely positive, said the head of the company Ukrainian Armor.
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