Complex, laborious, but critically necessary: how Ukraine supports equipment for the front

In the conditions of a full-scale war, Ukraine faces challenges in the maintenance and repair of military equipment every day. Some of the machines are of Soviet design, others are modern, received from partners. All of them need reliable spare parts, most of which are either manufactured abroad or have long been discontinued. This was stated by military expert Andriy Kulchytskyi in an exclusive comment to UNN. Despite technological, logistical and bureaucratic barriers, the process of import substitution remains critical to maintaining the army's combat capability, as the lives and success of combat missions depend on functioning equipment.

Details

The process of import substitution involves replacing foreign or unavailable components with Ukrainian analogues. In the context of military and aviation equipment, this applies to both Soviet models inherited and modern equipment received from partners or purchased abroad. All these machines require regular maintenance and spare parts, most of which are produced by foreign suppliers. As for Soviet models, components are searched for in warehouses around the world, where possible. In the conditions of war, this creates risks for combat capability due to wear and tear of equipment, limited access to components and dependence on imports.

What we inherited - MIG-27, MIG-29 and other equipment - all this works on Soviet models (...) What partners supply now is modern equipment that is operated and maintained thanks to certain agreements. If we talk about tanks, we have almost none of our own left. T-64 is a Soviet model, and all the others we received as aid or purchased - they are completely foreign. Of course, all equipment needs spare parts and maintenance, which are produced by the same countries - Poles, Slovenes, Serbs, etc.

The process of import substitution is complicated for several reasons. Firstly, much of the technical documentation according to which parts and assemblies were produced was not available to Ukrainian enterprises that currently maintain and repair equipment and aircraft. Secondly, the creation of analogues of those parts that are currently running out requires high-precision technologies, equipment and qualified engineers. Thirdly, even if a part is manufactured, it must undergo a full cycle of testing, certification and approval by the relevant government agencies before it can be used in combat equipment. As a result, years sometimes pass from idea to practical application. In the meantime, the equipment needs repair now, so Ukraine is simultaneously looking for the remains of Soviet parts in warehouses in European countries. According to the expert, the process of purchasing spare parts mostly goes beyond Ukraine and could be carried out even before the start of Russian aggression. Currently, it has become much more difficult to obtain these resources.

In terms of quality and quantity of components that were in the countries of the Warsaw Pact for that equipment, much has already been bought and there are leftovers... Not in such volumes as before. But such an idea is correct, to buy and use (...) The main suppliers were the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and other countries in Africa and Asia, where equipment and weapons were supplied

In today's conditions, we have two main options - either continue to look for old original parts in EU countries, including among the former members of the Warsaw Pact, or invest in the development of domestic analogues. At the same time, according to the expert, private manufacturers often have much greater flexibility and are able to quickly organize the process of repair or manufacture of spare parts. For example, during one of the research projects on the overhaul of the Czechoslovak armored recovery vehicle (BREM-Ch), it was the company that was able to quickly establish all the work. The main issue is to convince representatives of state institutions of the quality and compliance of technical solutions.

Summing up, it is worth noting that ignoring relevant issues is impossible, because our defense capability directly depends on it. It is not about abstract things, but about very specific situations: whether a soldier will be able to fly a helicopter to evacuate the wounded, whether the equipment on the front line will be functioning, whether the plane will withstand the combat load. Without reliable spare parts and timely replacement, we risk being left without the ability to effectively defend ourselves where it is really critical.

Let us remind you

Earlier, UNN reported that the aviation industry of Ukraine is under the threat of a systemic crisis in the conditions of a full-scale war. Due to the wear and tear of equipment, the loss of tax benefits and difficulties with the import of spare parts from abroad, one of the main challenges was the need for import substitution of Soviet components.

Yes, participants of the round table organized by the Aerospace Association of Ukraine emphasized that without state support, modernization of production and establishment of legally transparent procedures, the industry will not be able to ensure either combat readiness or strategic stability in the long term.

In particular, the commander of the Army Aviation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Pavlo Bardakov, stated that a significant part of Ukraine's air fleet is still based on Soviet equipment, for which spare parts are no longer produced, and this jeopardizes the performance of combat missions, including medical evacuation and support of the front line.