Maintenance of donated weapons is gradually shifting to Ukraine, significantly decreasing the timeframe the works take to be finished. After Rheinmetall's commitment to open an armor-making factory for producing and repairing Fuchs and Lynx combat vehicles, another defense industry giant BAE Systems is entering the Ukrainian market.
The company officially announced a deal between BAE Systems and AMS Integrated Solutions, according to which Ukrainian artillery systems, earlier donated by the British government, will be repaired and kept in good shape by service centers located in Ukraine.
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AMS Integrated Solutions acts as a contractor, adding one more active conflict zone to its portfolio. Earlier the company worked in Kosovo, Afghanistan, etc., awarded contracts from the UN and the USA. The main activity is the maintenance of vehicles and weapons.
"Our partnership signifies a union of expertise and dedication, leveraging BAE Systems' extensive experience in manufacturing artillery systems and our proven track record in maintenance, repair and overhaul services. This collaboration allows us to utilize our in-country facilities and skilled engineers to rapidly restore critical artillery equipment, ensuring the resilience and readiness of Ukraine's defense capabilities," said Gary Riordan, CEO of AMS. That also means Ukrainian engineers will be working with the British-supplied equipment.
The types of artillery equipment in question are not specified but the definition of "artillery systems donated by the UK Government" limits the possible options to L119 towed 105mm or AS90 self-propelled 155mm howitzers.
At the same time, earlier this May, Defense Express reported that BAE Systems would open its office in Ukraine and start repairing weapons of own manufacture. The variety of weapons, in this case, is broader: Challenger 2 main battle tanks, CV90 and Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, M113 armored personnel carrier, M109 and Archer self-propelled howitzers, M777 towed artillery.
Therefore, BAE Systems entering a contract with AMS Integrated Solutions might be only part of the effort, aimed to share the responsibilities based on not only the manufacturer of particular weapons but the country of its origin as well.
That is to say, although CV90 and Bradley are made by BAE Systems, it is the Swedish and the US governments who are working on the issue of maintaining these vehicles in Ukraine. The same goes for other types of equipment produced by BAE Systems. Consequently, this deal is just the first step on the way to creating a proper foundation.
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