The principles of military-technical cooperation between Ukraine and other countries, to put it mildly, are perplexing
We have to return again to the topic of counterfeit construction by the Feodosia Shipbuilding Company (FGC) "More" of four Project 12322 "Bison" amphibious assault ships (DKVP) for the Navy of the People's Liberation Army of China (see the magazine "National Defense" No. 5/2009 and No. 7/2010). It turns out that now this DKVP is not the development of the St. Petersburg Central Marine Design Bureau "Almaz", but Ukrainian shipbuilders from the FSK "More". And his project is different - the Ukrainian 958th. Therefore, Russia, they say, has no reason to protest against the deal. This was reported by the newspaper "People's Army" - the official publication of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
“Friendship is friendship, but the market still provides for competition,” the People's Army notes philosophically. - The history of competitive contradictions around orders, for example, the current Chinese one, resembles the "tank problems" of the 90s of the last century. Then Russian suppliers tried to cut off oxygen to Ukrainian tank builders, refusing to supply components for fulfilling export orders. As we remember, the Russians' calculation was based on the fact that Ukrainians would not be able to produce their own T-80UD tank on their own (the share of Ukrainian components in it was less than 50%). But Ukrainian manufacturers in a short time mastered the manufacture of components, bringing their share to 94-98%. As a result, the Russians lost their order."
There are obvious distortions here. The T-80UD tank was developed by the Kharkov Mechanical Engineering Design Bureau in the early 80s of the last century, and its serial production at the Malyshev Plant began in 1985, that is, at the time of the existence of the USSR. But after the collapse of the Soviet Union, albeit with a stretch (since a significant part of the components for it was created and produced outside the newly independent Ukraine), it could be called a Ukrainian machine. DKVP 12322 "Zubr" is the brainchild of designers from the Almaz Central Design Bureau. And all copyrights to the unique "flying" ship belong to the St. Petersburg bureau.
It is also worth recalling that Russia did not apply for a tank contract with Pakistan, which the People's Army is talking about. Yes, Moscow opposed this deal for a number of political and economic reasons. And pretty compelling. Just when deliveries of 320 Ukrainian T-80UD tanks began, worth $ 650 million, Pakistan and China were jointly developing the Al-Khalid main battle tank. But the business progressed sluggishly, since the partners faced considerable difficulties in creating a promising machine. And Al-Khalid pulled the T-80UD tank and technical documentation out of the quagmire of problems, as well as the direct participation of Ukrainian specialists in the creation of the Pakistani MBT. Layout solutions, components and parts borrowed from the T-80UD, not only allowed Al-Khalid to "drive", but also the modernized Chinese tank Tura 90-II, which is now being produced by the PRC for export under the MBT-2000 brand.
As you know, Russia, for obvious reasons, has never exported armored vehicles to China. And the Ture 90-II tanks served as prototypes for the creation of the newest Ture 96, Ture 98 and Ture 99 tanks for the PLA, with which tank divisions deployed near the Russian borders are now being re-equipped. In all of them, one can easily guess the "genetic traits" inherited from the T-80UD, delivered by Ukraine to Pakistan in the 90s.
In order to avoid such undesirable turns in the future, Moscow and Kiev signed in 2006 a Russian-Ukrainian intergovernmental agreement on the mutual protection of rights to the results of intellectual activity used and obtained in the course of bilateral military-technical cooperation. But, apparently, the Ukrainian leaders behind the FGC More deal with China are not going to abide by the agreement.
Now, according to the "People's Army", in Feodosia will be built DKVP "Ukrainian development", the documentation of which will be transferred to the PRC on "legal grounds." Although the newspaper admits that Ukraine “produces less than 50% of the components for the aforementioned Zubr,” it recalls that almost 50% of the components for T-80UD tanks have learned to make in Ukraine. However, now it is advisable to turn to the Russians for help. Why? Undoubtedly, Ukraine is an industrial country. It has significant production, scientific and technical potential. And Ukrainian enterprises were able to work the missing components for 320 tanks without prejudice to themselves. But it is difficult to practically re-create the elements of the hull of a unique ship and especially the devices for ensuring a high speed of movement on an air cushion. The costs will exceed the income from the sale of four DKVP so-called project 958. Therefore, Russian lads, roll up your sleeves. After all, as the “People's Army” writes, “given the fact that a number of units for these ships will have to be ordered in Russia anyway, Russian shipbuilders need to tune in to fruitful, constructive and, most importantly, mutually beneficial cooperation with their Ukrainian colleagues.” Like this! We steal the project and technologies from you, rename them and launch them into production with your help. And all this is called "mutually beneficial cooperation"? One gets the impression that the hand of the author of the article in the "People's Army" was led by a Chinese mentor.
The principles of military-technical cooperation between Ukraine and other countries, to put it mildly, are perplexing. They run counter to international agreements and unwritten rules that exist in this area. Suffice it to recall the outrageous case of the sale to the same China of the T-10K-3 aircraft, a prototype of the Su-33 carrier-based fighter. Documentation was handed over along with the car. As a result, the PRC acquired the J-15 fighter, which is called the Flying Shark in the West. In June of this year, he made his first flight. Such "commercial deals" allow Kiev to be suspected of transferring strictly prohibited missile technologies to China and other countries, since Ukraine has plenty of them at its disposal. volumes of modern military technology. There are also agreements between Moscow and Beijing on the inadmissibility of copying and reproducing military equipment without appropriate permits. But the PRC defiantly ignores them. Therefore, obviously, the time has come not only to tighten control over military-technical cooperation with the eastern neighbor, but also to impose restrictions on activities with him in this area.
