Turkey is one of the main competitors of Russia in the manufacture of armored vehicles for the foreign market, Igor Zarakhovich, chief designer of the Russian company AO Remdizel (JSC), said in an interview with Sputnik.
“Today, the situation has emerged that in whatever country we would like to promote our vehicles, there are already Turkish enterprises which have managed to make friends there and provided everyone with their vehicles for trial drives,” he said.
According to Zarakhovich, the secret of the success of Turkish vehicles is that its legislation allows enterprises to independently promote their equipment abroad without prior approvals of a state mediator.
He also underlined a difference in the licensing systems between the two countries and stressed the need to reform the system for export order.
Remdizel produces special purposes vehicles and equipment for armed forces with expertise in armored vehicle engineering and manufacturing operations. The company manufactures approximately 300 armored vehicles per year. One of the productions of the company is the Typhoon, a family of wheeled armored vehicles with enhanced protection against land mines.
Turkish Drone Big Threat To Russian UAVs
Meanwhile, Russia’s technology company Kronshtadt Group is preparing to launch in 2022 mass production of unmanned combat aerial vehicles for exports at a one-of-a-kind plant in the town of Dubna, sources in the defense industry and the Moscow region’s government told Sputnik.
Late last month, a defense industry source said that Russia had started to promote its first export combat drone Orion-E in the world arms market, adding that several potential buyers had already sent in purchase orders.
“Drone production at the Kronshtadt plant at Dubna for foreign customers is planned to be launched in 2022 as soon as the demand for the Orion systems in the Russian armed forces is met,” one of the sources said.
The plant is expected to be commissioned in November, the source added, noting that, at the initial stage, it will produce several dozens of Orion drones in reconnaissance and combat versions.
Another source briefed on the company’s plan confirmed the information.
“The Kronshtadt Group has already begun hiring personnel for the new site. In total, about 1,500 people will need to be recruited, 500 of whom must be hired within the next few months,” the source added.
The company started the construction of the country’s first plant specializing in the mass production of UAVs in April. Combat drones Orion-E are expected to be one of the best offers in the world arms market and will become “killers” of competitors, such as the Turkish Bayraktar, a source told Sputnik in June.
