Unlike Russia, Ukraine continues arms supplies to Pakistan
February 25, 2013
Dadan Upadhyay, specially for RIR
While in the past years, Moscow has made it clear that it will never supply arms to India’s enemies, Kiev has always been ambivalent on this issue.
Ukraine has once again decided to deliver a big party of 110 main battle tank (MBT) engines and related parts to Pakistan under a $50 million contract.
Committing an obvious breach of mutual trust and diplomatic understanding with India, the former Soviet Republic of Ukraine, has once again decided to deliver a big party of 110 main battle tank (MBT) engines and related parts to Pakistan under a $50 million contract.
Ukraine’s government-controlled weapons exports agency, Ukrspetsstroi, announced last Monday that the MBT engines and parts will be manufactured at Malyshev Plant in Kharkov, under a four-year agreement signed recently. The plant specialises in producing armoured vehicles and their components.
Earlier, in 1997-99, Ukraine supplied 320 T-80UD MBT engines to Pakistan for its al-Khalid main battle tank under a $650 contract. Pakistan procured the T-80s to counter the T-90 main battle tanks which were to be supplied by Russia to India under a contract which the two countries had been negotiating for several years. Russia's state arms exporter, Rosoboronexport, finally signed the contract with India to supply 347 T-90S tanks worth $1.24 billion, in December 2007. T-90S tanks were scheduled to gradually replace the outdated T-55 and earlier T-72 versions.
In addition to the supply of T-80s, Ukraine also decided to manufacture medium-size guns for the Pakistani tanks within three to four years in collaboration with China. In June 2002, the two countries signed a contract for delivery of motor-transmission part for al-Khalid tank estimated at $100 million.
With its infrared night-vision optics, antiaircraft machine guns and desert-storming diesel engine, the T-80 tank is a formidable assault weapon. It was Ukraine’s biggest arms sale to date. However, Pakistan's first major purchase of land weapons from a former Soviet Republic raised hackles in Russia, whose factories produce many of the parts that Ukraine's factories assemble into T-80s. Soon after the first 15 tanks arrived in Pakistan, Russia announced that it would not license export of any more T-80 parts to Ukraine, saying that it "strictly refrains" from selling arms to Pakistan.
According to the media reports, Ukraine is participating in the implementation of over a dozen projects in the military-industrial sphere in Pakistan. Contracts have been signed for establishing two repair test bases for T-80s in Pakistan. Kiev may also avail an opportunity to export new air defence units which were recently tested in Pakistan, which are elements of weapons of high precision. Ukraine may also reportedly participate in a major programme on setting up production facilities for Pakistani frigates. Ukrainian organizations and enterprises may get orders for the development of combat ships exterior and supply of gas turbines, acoustic systems and radiolocation units for them, they said.
...they are usually for just quick snap decisions, especially when a exercise is going on in some place and the chief is already there so are some other officers and the chief gets a novel idea, he calls a brainstorming session!
