35 development projects currently underway at "Ukrainian Armor", all at company’s own expense - Belbas
Ukrainian Armor is currently carrying out around 35 research and development projects at its own expense.
The company's CEO, Vladyslav Belbas, said this in an interview with Channel 24, Censor.NET reports.
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"Before the war, the company carried out 12 development projects at its own expense and only one with state funding. Now all 35 projects — significantly larger in scale, more expensive and more technologically advanced — are being carried out entirely at our own expense," he said.
Belbas noted that modern warfare requires manufacturers to act quickly both in developing new equipment and in upgrading existing equipment.
According to the Ukrainian Armor CEO, all manufacturers are currently engaged in a constant cycle of "action and counteraction."
"We develop a system, and the enemy looks for a countermeasure, and vice versa. I personally believe we need to run even faster," Belbas explained.
He also believes that a lack of strategic planning is holding back the industry's development.
"The Ministry of Defense must meet the needs of the General Staff, but it is also responsible for development. And this is where, I think, it is very appropriate for the Ministry of Defense to take the initiative and say: 'We would like this and this here.' Since 2022, manufacturers have been carrying out research and development work at their own expense.
"And that is normal, because they have been given the opportunity to make money in the defense industry and earn a legal profit. But at the same time, there is no long-term vision of where we are heading," Belbas concluded.
