In recent years, Ukraine has started producing its own planes and helicopters again, President Vladimir Zelensky said during his speech at Stanford University. The broadcast was conducted on the Facebook page of the office of the Ukrainian leader.
He admitted that he lamented the lack of production in Ukraine for 30 years of independence of "the first helicopter, an artificial satellite of the Earth and the world's largest aircraft".
Now, according to Zelensky, he and his associates have changed the situation in the country.
"And today Ukraine is building thousands of kilometers of roads, hundreds of bridges. < ... > It is again building its own planes, helicopters, tanks, military and naval fleet," the Ukrainian leader said, without specifying what weapons are being discussed.
At the same time, RIA Novosti writes that since 2016, Ukraine has not produced or delivered a single new aircraft. In addition, in August it became known that Ukroboronprom had disrupted plans to assemble American UH-1 Iroquois helicopters, and the only built Oplot tank failed during the rehearsal of the Independence Day parade and did not participate in the event.
On July 24, it was reported that Ukrainian specialists from the State Research Institute (GNII) are studying the possibility of independent production of Su-27 and MiG-29 fighters. Experts made a proposal to equip fighters manufactured in the country with engines, electronics and weapons that were produced by the Ukrainian military-industrial complex.
At the same time, in May, a Ukrainian expert, director of the Center for Army Research, Conversion and Disarmament, Valentin Badrak, said that the pace of building up Ukraine's defense potential leaves much to be desired.