13:47 29.04.2019

Ukraine planning to develop military, technical cooperation with U.S. in aircraft repairs

3 min read
Ukraine planning to develop military, technical cooperation with U.S. in aircraft repairs

Ukraine is drafting plans to expand its military and technical cooperation with NATO members and is in talks with Boeing to develop partnership on aircraft repairs, Serhiy Kryvonos, the National Defense and Security Council's (NDSC) First Deputy Secretary and Head of the inter-agency commission for military-technical cooperation and export control, said on April 26.

Kryvonos told Channel 5 TV that Ukraine had already held the first round of talks over cooperation with the U.S. corporation, the NDSC press service said on Friday. Promising areas of partnership include setting up large-sized unit assembly and aircraft repair facilities in Ukraine for the United States and developing Ukraine's manufacturing infrastructure to ensure maintenance of Boeing aircraft in Ukraine, Kryvonos said.

The talks "set the general direction for mutually beneficial partnership with Boeing," details will be discussed during next rounds in May and June, Kryvonos said.

Kyiv hopes to set up industrial cooperation with Boeing, which should enable Ukraine to step up military and technical cooperation with NATO members and might send signals to potential Western investors in Ukraine's defense industry, he said.

"For us this means thousands of jobs, an opportunity to make our army stronger, strengthening positions on international markets," Kryvonos said. For Boeing, strategic military and technical cooperation with Ukraine would be "quite a successful project allowing it to become stronger on its own market as well," Kryvonos said.

It was reported that the Kyiv-based Civil Aviation Plant 410, member of the Ukroboronprom state defense concern, in the wake of geopolitical changes had begun making plans with Western partners to set up in Ukraine repair and maintenance facilities for Airbus and Boeing aircraft and U.S. Robinson helicopters. According to earlier Ukrainian assessments, by 2024, such facilities would service up to 40 western aircraft per year. The Plant 410 was also reportedly planning to set up a certified maintenance center for Robinson helicopters.

In 2017, the Plant 410 signed a memorandum of cooperation and upgrade with the U.S. company Rockwell Collins. According to Ukrainian data, alone with upgrading aircraft with modern onboard avionics, the Kyiv aircraft repair plant was planning to become the regional dealer for Rockwell Collins and perform warranty repairs on its own.

Civil Aviation Plant 410 is the only Ukrainian enterprise which repairs Antonov aircraft and D-36 engines. In June 2015 the plant became a member of Ukroboronprom. The next month the plant received a NATO certificate of compliance of its services with NATO standards.

At last year's Farnborough airshow Ukroboronprom's Antonov and Boeing's Aviall Services, Inc. signed a General Terms Agreement on the joint production of upgraded An-148, An-158 and An-178 aircraft. In April, talks over Boeing's potential involvement in a program to upgrade Ukrainian combat (fighter, attack) aircraft were held in Kyiv.

Currently Ukraine and the United States are contemplating the possibility of developing bilateral military and technical cooperation, including boosting Ukraine's air defense system and renewing its Navy.

AD
AD
AD
AD
AD