The Director General of Ukraine’s state-owned defence export company Ukrspecexport Pavel Bukin, says that the firm has enjoyed a healthy order book in 2014/15, and is looking forward to increased sales in 2016.
The company, which is headquartered in the Ukrainian capital Kiev, provides a wide range of products including Main Battle Tanks, Armoured/Infantry Fighting Vehicles, artillery and missiles and ammunition. This is in addition to the famous Antonov family of tactical and strategic freighters and a range of naval vessels from fast attack craft to corvettes.
Mr. Bukin told Armada that the “internal demand for military products has increased,” with the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence reporting a high demand for material. This is unsurprising given the country’s recent conflict, and ongoing tensions with Russia, which annexed Ukraine’s Crimea region in April 2014.
In addition to the large domestic need for materiel, the company has reported a continuing high demand for military hardware in the Asia-Pacific. Mr. Bukin continued that this market occupied “36 percent of the company’s exports in 2014.” He adds that the company is able to exploit the close relationship with the Soviet Union (USSR) which several nations around the Asia-Pacific region such as India, the People’s Republic of China and Vietnam enjoyed with the USSR.
As Ukrspecexport manufactures and upgrades several platforms and subsystems which were originally designed and manufactured throughout the Soviet Union, including in Ukraine, the company is well-placed to offer updated versions of legacy systems as well as new products into that region.
