Ukrainian defense industry enterprises are currently ramping up production of various types of weapons and military equipment in extremely difficult conditions. Defense Express talked to CEO of Ukrainian Armor LLC Vladyslav Belbas, about the obstacles Ukrainian manufacturers face and what can be improved.
According to Belbas, there are four factors that hinder the scaling capabilities of Ukrainian defense companies. First of all, he notes financial and production development opportunities. "Unfortunately, lending and attracting financial instruments are not developed in our country at all," Belbas emphasizes.
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The second factor is problems with electricity. "Now we can see large-scale power outages, including producers. I think we should somehow stabilize this system in terms of outages (shutdown schedules) for manufacturers of weapons, unmanned aerial vehicles and other systems necessary for the frontline. Now the power is goes out, including at our production sites," Belbas says.
He explains that not all facilities are currently equipped with generators due to expansion and scaling. At the same time, the company is working on this issue.
The third aspect emphasized by CEO of Ukrainian Armor is the speed of testing and adoption of new samples of weapons and military equipment.
"For instance, we have to test it for several months and deal with bureaucratic processes in conventional weapons. In my opinion, this is not that we should do during wartime. The amounts of tests that we receive for mortar shots are sometimes greater than the volume of tests we had before the full-scale invasion. So it is a bureaucratic burden," Belbas says.
He emphasizes that the company understands the level of responsibility and the importance of going through these processes. For example, the same explosives and ammunition require a cautious approach, but at the same time it is important to speed up these processes so that the military could receive the necessary weapons faster.
"The fourth issue is postponement. We see changes in regulations, changes in the postponement procedure. Unfortunately, it does not work properly, the mechanisms have not been communicated to the recruitment center, and it leads to the involvement of employees who should have postponement from mobilization. And there is no turning back now. These are the main factors that create obstacles to scaling up production," Belbas summarizes.
Earlier Defense Express reported about reasons why Czech initiative had been a good idea.
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