Russo-Ukrainian War - 2022 Edition - Part 8

Dave

Dave

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A good article on how Ukraine's military manufacturing has continued and actually outproducing previous years.

www.wsj.com

Ukraine’s Arms Industry Survives Russian Onslaught to Hit Back

To avoid Russian attacks and boost production, defense companies have spread manufacturing across Ukraine and set up shop in neighboring countries.
www.wsj.com www.wsj.com

Ukraine’s Arms Industry Survives Russian Onslaught to Hit Back​

Weapons makers boost output, dispersing production to avoid attacks​


For Ukraine’s largest weapons maker, the war started with a barrage of Russian missiles that destroyed one factory and several of its giant Antonov cargo planes.

To avoid Russian attacks and boost production, Ukroboronprom and other local defense companies have spread manufacturing across Ukraine and set up shop in neighboring countries.

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Ukraine’s ability to keep making its own shells, missiles and drones despite continued bombardment and struggles to acquire foreign components plays a key role on the battlefield. Munitions from local companies, for instance, help feed Ukraine’s Soviet-era gear—mostly obtained before the war—that analysts say makes up more than 70% of the country’s artillery. Local companies are also able to fix Soviet-spec weapons, while a host of new entrants have also begun churning out drones and other equipment.

Still, Ukraine’s ability to fight both today and into the future remains largely dependent on weapons supplied by the West. Local companies, for instance, aren’t able to produce more sophisticated arms such as the U.S. Himars rocket launcher or the Anglo-Swedish NLAW antitank weapon that have had a high-profile impact on the war.

Made-in-Ukraine equipment has, though, handed the country some notable successes. Last April, Ukroboronprom’s antiship Neptune missile sank the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, the Moskva. Meanwhile, the Bohdana self-propelled howitzer bombarded Russian positions on the strategic Snake Island in the Black Sea before Moscow evacuated.

“Despite the missiles, despite some of our factories being in occupied territories, we are producing even more,” said Yuriy Husyev, Ukroboronprom’s chief executive.

After Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year, Mr. Husyev said he immediately decided to switch Ukroboronprom’s production to a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week schedule.

With the state-owned company’s facilities an obvious target for Russian missiles, it transferred what operations it could to secure locations and began contacting companies abroad for help. So far, more than 150 Russian missiles have targeted the company’s facilities, several of which have been destroyed, it says.

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