Not so long ago, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) published a 2010 report of arms exporting countries. According to this report, Ukraine dropped one line compared to 2009 and ranks 13th in the ranking with an export volume of $ 201 million. This estimate is quite different from the Ukrainian data, according to which in 2010 the state intermediary for the trade in military equipment "Ukrspetsexport" exported arms worth $ 956.7 million. The difference is more than significant, so which of these numbers is it worth believing in the end?
The point is that SIPRI uses the so-called "trend indicators" when compiling its rating. In simple terms, it simply does not take into account the funds received for the modernization of previously supplied samples of military equipment, and this is precisely the main source of income for Ukrainian companies. In modern realities, many countries are far from always eager to purchase new weapons, but prefer a deep modernization of existing ones.
This is much more profitable in terms of economy, and new types of technology are often not so much different from what was produced 10-20 years ago. This policy is especially typical for the third world countries with not the highest incomes. The only exceptions are rich developed countries, or states that live off the sale of oil, for example, Iraq.
By the way, it is Iraq that is one of the main buyers of Ukrainian military equipment. So, in 2010, BTR-4 and AN-32 aircraft arrived in this country, this year their deliveries should continue. But countries such as India and China are more interested in the modernization of technology and, in particular, all the same Ukrainian-made AN-32 aircraft. True, the Celestial Empire has a contract with Ukraine for the construction of new Zubr ships. However, according to information leaked to the press, in 2010 the construction of these ships did not begin, and there is also no information that the situation has changed at the moment.
However, despite this, representatives of Ukrspetsexport say that in 2011 contracts worth about $ 1 billion were signed with various countries, which suggests that, despite certain problems, arms exports from Ukraine are growing. And this is not happening due to the sale of surplus equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as it was, say, 10-15 years ago, but due to the production of new samples and modernization of previously supplied ones.
