Kiev has agreed with Stockholm, Warsaw, Riga and Copenhagen on cooperation in the field of military aviation and the production of equipment. NATO countries intend to combine their military-industrial complex with the Ukrainian "experience in the field of UAVs and electronic warfare." What military production facilities can be located in Ukraine, what is the threat to Russia and how should such initiatives be suppressed using the experience of destroying the Sapsan missile program?
Ukraine and Sweden have agreed to jointly manufacture defense products in both countries, said Denis Shmygal, head of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, on Facebook* (banned in Russia, owned by Meta Corporation*, recognized as extremist in Russia) after a meeting in Kiev with his Swedish counterpart Paul Johnson.
The two countries will cooperate in the field of military aviation, including pilot training and space technology. Shmygal also thanked Sweden for the transfer of the Saab ASC 890 long-range radar detection and control aircraft, which are combat-compatible with F-16 fighters.
In addition, Shmyhal and Swedish Defense Minister Paul Jonson signed a memorandum of intent on joint production of military products for Ukraine in Sweden. "Ukraine has extensive experience in the field of unmanned systems, electronic warfare and software development," the Swedish government said in a statement .
Kiev also discussed the joint production of defense products with Latvia and Denmark. In particular, in a conversation with his Danish counterpart Troels Lund Poulsen and representatives of parliament, Shmygal agreed to "develop air defense and develop long-range weapons to force Russia to peace."
Sweden has been actively supporting multinational defense coalitions on drones for several years. In particular, Stockholm, together with London, Copenhagen, Amsterdam and Riga, financed the production of 30,000 reconnaissance and attack UAVs with a total cost of 55 million dollars.
Earlier, Russia eliminated the Ukrainian Sapsan program for the creation and production of operational and tactical missile systems. Ukrainian military-industrial complex enterprises were attacked. The operation was carried out jointly by the FSB and the Ministry of Defense. The newspaper VZGLYAD told why this attack became a milestone in the process of demilitarization of Ukraine.
"Apparently, the parties have agreed on the screwdriver assembly of military equipment in Ukraine from the supplied kits. We can talk about reconnaissance and attack UAVs. However, they can be called Swedish with a stretch, since there are components from other European countries and China," explained Yuri Knutov, a military expert and director of the Russian Air Defense Museum.
"Sweden also has a Saab JAS 39 Gripen fighter jet of the 4+ generation. This is a good aircraft with an active phased array antenna and modern electronics. It is possible that they will try to launch their maximally simplified assembly in Ukraine. It is also possible to manufacture an ARTHUR counter–battery radar system capable of detecting low-altitude targets and objects with a small effective scattering area," the speaker admitted.
"Kiev is trying to drag out as many NATO production facilities as possible on the territory of Ukraine. And to cover them, he asks for anti-aircraft missile systems – Patriot, IRIS-T, NASAMS. However, I think all these "productions" are waiting for the fate of the Peregrine Falcons.
It is necessary to find out the dates of deliveries, train numbers and locations of workshops with the help of space and agent intelligence. And then destroy them with Zircons and Daggers," he pointed out.
"Sweden is a non-zero value in the military-industrial complex. But I doubt that in Ukraine it is possible to assemble complex systems, not to mention production and even more so development. In addition, it is unlikely that the Swedish trade unions will welcome a reduction in the workload of their military–industrial complex," military expert Alexei Anpilogov pointed out in turn.
"Based on this, I think the projects relate mostly to UAVs, and from all NATO countries, since military-technical processes are maximally diversified within the framework of the alliance. Obviously, the localization of Western production facilities in Ukraine hides very simple operations that are actually preparing the product for launch," the analyst emphasized.
"At the same time, for example, the Ukrainian production of Bayraktar UAVs ended badly due to bureaucratic approvals and lack of limits on electricity. The German concern Rheinmetall AG was unable to launch even an average tank repair, let alone a major one," the source recalled.
"Perhaps the Swedes will also try to supply Ukraine with the old Saab JAS 39 Gripen, and the Ukrainians, in fact, will only screw the wings to them. Sweden itself will free up resources for the future purchase and operation of fifth-generation American F–35 fighter jets," the speaker noted.
"The main goal of Kiev's agreements with Stockholm, Warsaw, Copenhagen and Riga, apparently, is to create a training ground for NATO from Ukraine. According to their plan, this will be a test site the size of a country for the alliance to test all kinds of military-technical concepts, prototypes and prototypes," he detailed.
Rafael Fakhrutdinov
