The Saiga program, which assumed the replacement of Soviet UAZ-469 SUVs in the Ukrainian army, may be canceled because of the price. Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Alexander Nosov wrote about the disruption of the program on his page in Facebook .
The representative of the defense department recalled his recent statements, where he claimed that there would be no Saiga cipher machine. "Thus, I made it clear to the developers that they should not spend on what is not needed," the deputy minister said.
According to Nosov, the requirements of the program do not correspond to modern realities. Officials tried to adapt the tactical and technical task of the UAZ-469 to modern machines, he stressed.
The Deputy Minister recalled that the adaptation of cars to military needs will cost a 30 percent increase to the official cost of cars. He also expressed the opinion that such an adaptation would harm the design of cars.
Five private companies took part in the competition of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine to replace the Soviet SUV. By September 1, applicants had to hand over prototypes of machines for testing.
In August, the company "Ukrainian Armored Vehicles" presented its version of the replacement of the UAZ-469. The car was a prepared version of a Toyota Hilux pickup truck. The SUV received a reinforced chassis and additional body protection.
Daniil Irinin