Ukraine would like to boost production of main battle tanks by 2,300 percent in 2016

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Defence & Security News - Ukraine
 
Ukraine would like to boost production of main battle tanks by 2,300 percent in 2016.
Ukrainian state arms manufacturer UkrOboronProm said Wednesday, February 4, 2015, that it would boost tank production by an unprecedented 2,300 percent in 2016. The company's general director, Roman Romanov, was cited in a press release as saying that UkrOboronProm will expand production of its Oplot main battle tanks from five units per year to 120 per year from 2016 onward.
     
Ukrainian state arms manufacturer UkrOboronProm said Wednesday, February 4, 2015, that it would boost tank production by an unprecedented 2,300 percent in 2016. The company's general director, Roman Romanov, was cited in a press release as saying that UkrOboronProm will expand production of its Oplot main battle tanks from five units per year to 120 per year from 2016 onward.Ukrainian-made T-84 Oplot main battle tank
     
The Oplot MBT, also known as the T-84, is an upgraded variant of the Soviet-made T-80 main battle tank. As such, it has a similar design heritage to the Russian tanks it would ostensibly face off against in the event that the conflict in eastern Ukraine descends into a large-scale ground war with Russia.

The Oplot MBT armament includes a 125mm gun, 7.62mm coaxial machine gun and 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine gun.

The Oplot is fitted with an integrated vehicle protection system, which includes passive armour, explosive reactive armour array as well as a number of other tank protection devices that are optimised against modern anti-tank weapons and make the tank considerably less vulnerable to the full range of anti-tank weapons.

Russia has over 2,750 tanks in active service, with more than 18,000 in storage, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported last year. Meanwhile, Ukraine has 1,150 tanks in service, with a further 1,435 in storage.

UkrOboronProm says it plans on producing 40 Oplot tanks this year, up from the five units originally planned. By 2016, the defense company says it will be rolling 100 to 120 Oplots off the lines per year.

The firm will also boost production of Dozor-B armored cars for use on the front lines in eastern Ukraine. UkrOboronProm further promised in its statement to begin work on a domestic design for aerial drones and counter-battery radar systems — high-tech gear used to locate enemy artillery and rocket batteries.

The company's announcement dovetails with Kiev's increased war footing in recent months, as a fragile cease-fire between the government and rebels has given way to renewed conflict.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said in December that tank production needed to be increased, and last month he called up 50,000 men for front-line duty against the separatists.