On the sidelines of the Eurosatory 2024 international exhibition of military equipment, held on June 17–21 in Paris, the Ukrainian company Thermo Projects Ukraine (TPU) was noticed by big Western manufacturers and concluded cooperation agreements. Yuliia Yasnohorodska, Chief Executive Officer of the company, confirmed this to Defense Express in an interview, noting that the results of this event exceeded her and the TPU team's expectations:
"We received requests from a few very big manufacturers of armored equipment whose names are renowned worldwide. At the moment, I cannot tell their names but the list includes giant enterprises from France, Germany, and Canada. Now we are starting the work by signing a Non-Disclosure Agreement and are ready to proceed once we get the Scope of Work document. In addition, there were inquiries from enterprises working on the modernization of Soviet equipment currently stationed in the countries of Europe and Africa," Yasnohorodska said.
Read more: Eurosatory 2024, European Echo Chamber, and Foreign Market Entry: An Interview with the CEO of Thermo Projects Ukraine
Thermo Projects Ukraine specializes in producing Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems, including those integrated into various vehicles, such as Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) class armored cars or heavy personnel carriers. The company refused to name the specific types of military vehicles they intend to work with as part of these agreements, yet noted that those belong to land armored vehicles.
However, it is still too early to talk about finished supply contracts, Yasnogorodskaya notes: "Currently, we are at the stage of signing the Non-Disclosure Agreement, without it they don't even want to hand us the scope of work materials for their projects."
In the past, the company provided climate control systems to such Ukrainian-made developments as the Kozak-2M1, Kozak-5/5A armored cars, Otaman 6x6, Otaman 8x8 armored personnel carriers, 36D6M mobile radar station from the 1L220UK counter-battery radar system, and others.
In its projects, TPU adopts a "human-centered approach" where the comfort and healthy well-being of a serviceman results in effectiveness on the battlefield: "A serviceman in the maximum comfortable temperature conditions will always have a better focus when performing tasks, compared to a serviceman whose working conditions were extreme," says the CEO of the company.
In addition, as the manufacturer emphasizes, the stable operation of sensitive equipment is no less important, which requires a properly controlled temperature regime. For that purpose, besides air conditioners, so-called parking heaters are installed in the vehicles — these devices ensure a reliable engine start in frosty weather.
With that in mind, TPU offers climate systems that are adjusted to the specific parameters of the armored vehicle, in other words, customized solutions for each client. This is how many of their products were developed, for example, Kyiv 50 and Kharkiv 90 air conditioning systems for vehicles, or Borey Tent and Borey Compact mobile air conditioners for stationary accommodations. All these systems were designed to the order of Ukrainian partners or the military.
Find more insights about Ukraine at the Eurosatory 2024 exhibition, and about the difficulties Ukrainian defense manufacturers have to face when entering the international market in our interview with Yuliia Yasnohorodska.
Read more: Ukrainian Manufacturers Significantly Increased Arms Production in 2024
