Astana seeks to produce modern weapons on its own
On March 14, Kazakhstan began construction of the country's first cartridge plant, which should provide the army with the most popular types of small arms ammunition. Despite the economic crisis, the republic is actively developing the military-industrial complex, striving to at least partially provide the armed forces with products of its own production.
The development of the defense industry complex is also stimulated by the growth of conflicts in the Middle East and the space of the former USSR, which, in Astana's opinion, is a potential threat.
Until the last Soviet patron
The start of the construction of the cartridge plant was personally given by the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan (RK) Imangali Tasmagambetov. The site is located in Karaganda on the territory of the Saryarka special economic zone. A press release from the defense department explains that the plant is being created "to ensure the necessary level of national security, as well as taking into account the reduction in the available stocks of ammunition for small arms." The most popular types of small arms ammunition in the republics of the former USSR are scheduled for production: 5, 45x39, 7, 62x54, 9x18, 9x19 millimeters. Thanks to the new enterprise, Kazakhstan expects not only to cover the internal needs for cartridges of these calibers, but also to establish export.
The statement that the construction of the plant is associated with a decrease in the available reserves is not entirely true. In February, the upper house of parliament approved the gratuitous transfer of five million rounds of ammunition to neighboring Kyrgyzstan, which are about to expire. If the Kazakh army, which is not at war with anyone, did not manage to shoot them at the training grounds, then there has not yet been a shortage. The deficit could be filled through purchases in Russia. The real reason for the construction of the plant is that Kazakhstan wants to become independent from its northern neighbor in such a sensitive area as patrons, stimulating the development of its own defense industry and metallurgy. Only the consumption of brass after the commissioning of the enterprise will be, according to forecasts, about 300 tons per year. The use of local raw materials and materials, as the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan emphasizes, will ensure independence from external suppliers.
Manufacturing equipment for the plant will be supplied by the Canadian company Waterbury Farrel, its capacity after commissioning will be 30 million cartridges per year. The construction is planned to be completed by the end of 2017. That is, in two years the republic will be able to independently provide itself with ammunition. At the same time, a huge amount of Soviet-made ammunition will remain in the warehouses of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Only cartridges 5, 45x39 millimeters, as noted at recent hearings in the Senate, Kazakhstan has more than a billion.
Armored vehicles with an eye on China
The events of two years ago in the Crimea, the rapid actions of special forces units sharply increased the interest in light wheeled armored vehicles in the CIS countries. Kazakhstan followed the proven path and created the production of armored wheeled vehicles with the South African company Paramount Group. The joint venture "Kazakhstan Paramount Engineering" is engaged in the production of three types of armored vehicles: Marauder, Maverick and Mbombe, named in Kazakhstan "Arlan", "Nomad" and "Barys".
"Arlan" is an armored vehicle weighing 13 and carrying capacity of five tons with a 4x4 wheel arrangement. Accommodates two crew members and eight paratroopers. The armor of the hull provides anti-mine and ballistic protection of the STANAG 4569 level 3. The maximum speed on the highway is 120 kilometers per hour, the cruising range is 700 kilometers. During tests in Kazakhstan, according to local sources, "Arlan" withstood an explosion of eight kilograms of TNT, shelling from a Kalashnikov assault rifle of 5, 45 and 7, 62 mm caliber from a distance of 50 meters, from a SVD - from 100 meters. Actually, the Kazakhstani corps is still only. Engines and bridges for Arlan will be supplied by the Russian KamAZ. In the future, it is planned to increase the share of its own components to 40 percent. The cost of the car is not named, the original armored car costs about half a million dollars. Production plans provide for the production of 120 vehicles per year.
The enterprise was started with an export expectation. The license agreement provides for the possibility of delivery to 12 countries, including Russia and China. At the end of January, during Imangali Tasmagambetov's visit to Jordan, an agreement was signed on the supply of 50 Arlans to the armed forces of the kingdom. For an industry that has barely started assembly production, this contract, if executed, will be a great success. Initially, Astana, apparently, was counting on the Russian market as well. But in the current conditions Moscow is unlikely to buy Arlans. The anti-crisis plan for 2016 provides for the purchase of armored vehicles of our own production. Moreover, having been burned by cooperation with Ukraine, Russia is not enthusiastic about placing military orders abroad - even in seemingly allied states.
With the release of Nomad and Barys, there is less certainty. "Nomad" is for the police. "Barys" is more suitable for equipping army units. It is supposed to be produced in two versions: 6x6 and 8x8. The six-wheeled version differs from the "Arlan" by almost twice its weight (22.5 tons) and increased capacity. In addition to the commander, driver and gunner "Barys" is designed for eight paratroopers with full weapons. Equipping the army and police with these vehicles will require large budget expenditures, which are going through hard times due to the fall in oil prices. "Barys" is essentially a modern modification of the armored personnel carrier, but the republic is not yet in a position to replace the Soviet armored personnel carriers-60, -70 and -80 with it, which is well understood by the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan. It is no coincidence that a press release published on the Barys release says that its production can be adjusted if the ground forces need this type of equipment.
Optics exports are not yet visible
In recent years, Kazakhstan has embarked on the development of fundamentally new segments of the military industry. In April 2011, the largest national defense holding Kazakhstan Engineering, the Turkish company ASELSAN and the Turkish Defense Industry Committee established a joint venture, in which the founders received 50, 49 and 1 percent of the shares, respectively. It is focused on the production of night and day vision devices, thermal imagers, optical sights, and other similar products. Since previously there was no such high-tech production in Kazakhstan, it can be assumed that the share of its own components in optical devices will be modest.
Unlike the assembly production of armored vehicles, where there are already prototypes and even the first deliveries for its own army and for export are planned, little is known about Astana's success in the production of military optics. The export of devices manufactured by Kazakhstan ASELSAN Engineering was discussed during Imangali Tasmagambetov's recent visit to Jordan, but no specific contracts have been signed. In December 2015, it was reported that this year the company plans to start producing infrared lenses for thermal imagers using nanotechnology. The CIS countries and Turkey are considered as promising markets for them. However, one cannot count on Russian customers, since in the context of the conflict with Ankara, Moscow is unlikely to buy Turkish military-industrial complex products collected in Kazakhstan.
A similar situation is with the production of military electronics. In June 2011, Kazakhstan Engineering and the Spanish company Indra Sistemas S. A. created a joint venture in which Astana received 49 percent. It was supposed to establish the production of radars, electronic warfare systems, reconnaissance and other military electronics. However, nothing is known about success in this direction. The main supplier of communications for the Kazakh army is still the Alma-Ata plant named after S. M. Kirov. According to the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan, over the past five years, the enterprise has supplied over 100 mobile communications equipment to the armed forces of the republic, of which more than 40 - in 2015. The same plant last year provided the modernization of the R-142N1 command and staff vehicles based on KamAZ trucks, having developed intercom and switching equipment for them.
Caspian patrol
Attempts to create assembly plants are also being made by Astana in the aircraft industry. In December 2010, joint venture Eurocopter Kazakhstan Engineering was established with Airbus Helicopters. According to the plans, its productivity was supposed to be 10-12 EC-145 helicopters per year, assembled from vehicle kits. However, mastering the assembly was not easy. The number of helicopters delivered to the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan is still counted in units, the transfer of each machine becomes an event. At the end of 2012, the Kazakh side discussed with Russian Helicopters the possibility of organizing an assembly production of the Ka-226T at the Aircraft Repair Plant No. 405 in Alma-Ata in the republic. The needs of the domestic market were estimated at 200–250 aircraft, while at that time only 100 such helicopters were in operation in the republic. But the matter did not go beyond discussions.
The achievements of the Kazakh military-industrial complex in military shipbuilding are more noticeable, for which there are objective reasons. In the Great Patriotic War, several large enterprises for the production of weapons for the Soviet Navy were evacuated here. After the collapse of the USSR, they were partially redesigned for civilian products and mastered a new type of activity - the construction of small military vessels. Controlling a vast sector of the Caspian Sea, rich in hydrocarbon reserves and fish, Kazakhstan needs its own patrol fleet.
Military shipbuilding is carried out by two enterprises in the city of Uralsk - the Zenit plant and the Research Institute Gidropribor. The first in two and a half decades to build 23 vessels from 13 to 250 tons. Gidropribor produces high-speed boats with a displacement of up to 70 tons. In February 2016, Kazakhstan Engineering announced the forthcoming modernization of Zenit, which will allow it to build ships up to 600 tons of deadweight.
Military affairs for internal needs
The geography of military-technical cooperation of Kazakhstan suggests that, despite its membership in the CSTO and the EAEU, Astana is oriented towards joint development with the leading defense enterprises of Turkey, the European Union and South Africa. Moreover, this tendency manifested itself long before the start of the Ukrainian crisis, which aroused fears among the leadership of the republic and part of the titular nation that Northern Kazakhstan, inhabited by Russian and Russian-speaking peoples, could repeat the fate of Crimea. The main reason for focusing on cooperation with foreign defense companies is the desire to pursue a multi-vector foreign policy, as well as to gain access to modern military technologies in order to establish their own production and export supplies in the future.
On this path, Kazakhstan faced numerous difficulties associated with the narrowness of the domestic market, the lack of a production base, the necessary competencies and qualified personnel. In economic terms, small-scale assembly production of military equipment is unprofitable. Therefore, the calculation was for the markets of Russia and other EAEU countries. But with Western sanctions and a conflict with Ankara, the prospects for Moscow to purchase military equipment, which are products of the European or Turkish military-industrial complex under the Kazakh brand, are close to zero. It is no coincidence that Astana is actively trying to organize the export of military equipment to the countries of the Middle East. But they have their own military-technical ties that have developed over decades; it is very difficult to enter this market.
In the Soviet military-industrial complex, the bulk of workers and engineers were traditionally Slavs. It was the need for construction and staffing of new enterprises that largely explained the influx of the European population into the territory of the Kazakh SSR in the postwar years. However, in the quarter of a century that have passed since gaining independence, the republic has lost half of its Russian population, and many competences in mechanical engineering and other industries have simply been lost. As a result, it is difficult to find qualified personnel for military enterprises today. They are trying to solve the problem by teaching students in Western technological universities under the Bolashak program, in which almost exclusively Kazakhs are participants. But this approach implies a transition to Western technical standards, which takes time and appropriate competencies.
Certain successes achieved in the field of the military industry in recent years do not yet allow us to speak of the presence of a developed defense industry in Kazakhstan. If it is not possible to enter foreign markets and to establish the export of MPP, chances are high that the new enterprises will remain small-scale assembly production for internal needs.