Shmyhal discusses procurement, technical support, joint production with defense manufacturers at exhibition in London
As part of the international arms exhibition DSEI, which is being held in London from September 9 to 12, Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal held a series of meetings with representatives of leading defense companies, in particular, manufacturers of Gepard and NASAMS air defense systems, HIMARS, ATACMS missiles and F-16 aircraft, as well as ASRAAM and Storm Shadow missiles.
As Shmyhal reported on Telegram on Thursday, special attention was paid to innovative solutions in the field of air defense.
The purpose of the meetings was to reach agreements on supplies, technical support and joint production of weapons.
The minister noted that with Executive Director of KNDS Deutschland Ralf Ketzel they discussed the implementation of joint agreements on supplies, technical support and joint production of Gepard air defense systems. They focused on the work of the joint venture that KNDS is launching in partnership with a large Ukrainian manufacturer.
He also held a meeting with representatives of the American company Lockheed Martin - the manufacturer of HIMARS, ATACMS missiles and F-16 aircraft. They discussed the prospects for cooperation in the main types of weapons, as well as the potential for industrial cooperation with Ukrainian companies.
"I met with our partners - a delegation from Thales. We discussed the main areas of work of the joint venture, as well as the possibilities of expanding areas of cooperation in joint production," Shmyhal added.
During the meeting with the delegation of MBDA, Shmyhal inspected the company's latest products.
"We discussed ways to provide Ukrainian soldiers with missiles, in particular ASRAAM and Storm Shadow, and had the opportunity to evaluate the company's new developments with colleagues. Together with representatives of BAE Systems, we focused on further developing our cooperation in the repair of armored vehicles, in particular ABRAMS tanks and CV-90 infantry fighting vehicles," the minister said.
During the meeting with the Kongsberg delegation, they reviewed the prospects for cooperation in the supply of new NASAMS air defense systems and missiles for them. The minister also discussed with representatives of Northrop Grumman the prospects for localization and joint production of ammunition of various calibers.
"I was glad to see the stands of Ukrainian manufacturers, some of them are already establishing partnerships with British companies and working together to create new products for the Ukrainian army. Thank you to the companies that support Ukraine," the Minister of Defense wrote.
The DSEI (Defense and Security Equipment International) international arms exhibition is the world's largest exhibition of the defense industry and security technologies, which is held every two years in London.
