Before the start of the full-scale invasion of Russian troops, Ukraine had only one working copy of the Bogdan self-propelled artillery installation. Even the Russian occupiers had to see its effectiveness when the Armed Forces of Ukraine moved it from Kharkiv Oblast to Kherson Oblast and used it to liberate Zmiiny Island. At first, even the Russian troops did not realize that artillery could reach such a distance. Capable of firing at a distance of up to 60 kilometers, the Bogdana is currently being manufactured in Ukraine at a rate of eight units per month.
According to The New York Times article on the development of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex, this year Ukraine will spend more than $1.3 billion on the development of new weapons and more than $6 billion on procurement. The production of 155-millimeter artillery shells, which are needed for use by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the latest Western weapons, has already been established.
Despite constant Russian shelling and the loss of some specialists and technologies, Ukraine was able to increase the production of weapons several times in a year. Some developments exceed the quality of their Russian counterparts. However, the question of whether this growth will be enough to win the war remains open.
The creation of joint ventures with European and American manufacturers is the optimal way out of the situation. The process of such cooperation has already begun: British BAE Systems and Turkish Baykar are building their sites in Ukraine. It is planned to start production of the German giant Rheinmetall. Even representatives of American manufacturers, despite the temporary pause in aid to Ukraine, showed interest in cooperation.
Until the joint production works at full capacity, Western manufacturers are directing their attention to the repair of equipment that Ukraine has already received from the allies. All these plants are located in the west of Ukraine and are protected by anti-aircraft defenses.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, is confident that over time, Ukraine will be able to independently meet its needs for weapons, in particular, for shells. Oleksandr Kamyshin, former general director of Ukrzaliznytsia, adds that NATO countries should closely monitor Ukrainian samples of weapons and buy some of the manufactured ones, since the capabilities of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex already exceed the procurement limits of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. However, Kamyshin receives daily reports of critical problems at Ukrainian arms factories, such as those operating in unsuitable facilities or production lines breaking down for no apparent reason.
