Northrop Grumman to Produce Ammo in Ukraine: A New Era of US-Ukrainian Defense Cooperation
Submitted by MAGA
Posted 91 days ago
Breaking news from Eurosatory 2024 — Northrop Grumman, a prominent American defense contractor, has announced plans to produce medium caliber ammunition inside Ukraine. This agreement, bankrolled by Ukrainian dollars, marks the first publicly acknowledged deal between a US defense prime and the Ukrainian government for a manufacturing project within Ukraine's borders.
The announcement was made during an exchange between Dave Bartell, director of international business for Northrop’s defense systems sector, and Stanley Brown, the State Department’s principal deputy assistant secretary for the bureau of political-military affairs.
Bartell revealed that Northrop has been working on a coproduction agreement with Ukraine to produce medium caliber munitions. He further stated that the company is looking to expand this project into tank ammo and 155 mm rounds, among others, as they find innovative processes.
This development comes as the State Department introduces the Ukraine Defense Enterprise Program, a $2 billion investment in Ukraine’s defense industrial base. This program could potentially open the door to US-Ukrainian coproduction, a move that has been welcomed by the US defense industry.
Bartell, however, highlighted some challenges that Northrop has encountered when trying to offer the latest versions of certain weapons, which are typically cheaper and easier to produce. He mentioned that while Northrop has built a better mousetrap, they are currently limited to producing legacy systems that are expensive and time-consuming due to US Army regulations and qualifications.
In response, Brown assured that the US government is open to innovative approaches to meeting Ukraine’s needs. He stated that the US government is more open-minded than it may seem, despite bureaucratic problems, and is happy to discuss entrepreneur-like and innovative approaches.
This move by Northrop Grumman is a significant step towards strengthening Ukraine's defense industrial base. It also marks a shift in US defense firms' approach, which have previously lagged behind their European counterparts in forging coproduction agreements inside Ukraine.
In recent months, the US government has stepped up efforts to work directly with Ukraine’s defense sector. This includes the Ukraine Defense Industrial Base Conference held in December, which resulted in the countries signing a Statement of Intent on Co-production and Technical Data Exchange.
Last week, President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a bilateral agreement espousing the need for defense industrial cooperation, including codevelopment, coproduction, and supply of Ukraine’s defense industrial base requirements.
This news comes at a time when the US is providing significant support to Ukraine in its ongoing conflict with Russia. The $60.8 billion Ukraine supplemental funding bill, passed in April, is a testament to this support.
As the situation in Ukraine continues to evolve, the role of US defense firms like Northrop Grumman in bolstering Ukraine's defense capabilities will be closely watched.
Sources:
breakingdefense.com
yahoo.com
The announcement was made during an exchange between Dave Bartell, director of international business for Northrop’s defense systems sector, and Stanley Brown, the State Department’s principal deputy assistant secretary for the bureau of political-military affairs.
Bartell revealed that Northrop has been working on a coproduction agreement with Ukraine to produce medium caliber munitions. He further stated that the company is looking to expand this project into tank ammo and 155 mm rounds, among others, as they find innovative processes.
This development comes as the State Department introduces the Ukraine Defense Enterprise Program, a $2 billion investment in Ukraine’s defense industrial base. This program could potentially open the door to US-Ukrainian coproduction, a move that has been welcomed by the US defense industry.
Bartell, however, highlighted some challenges that Northrop has encountered when trying to offer the latest versions of certain weapons, which are typically cheaper and easier to produce. He mentioned that while Northrop has built a better mousetrap, they are currently limited to producing legacy systems that are expensive and time-consuming due to US Army regulations and qualifications.
In response, Brown assured that the US government is open to innovative approaches to meeting Ukraine’s needs. He stated that the US government is more open-minded than it may seem, despite bureaucratic problems, and is happy to discuss entrepreneur-like and innovative approaches.
This move by Northrop Grumman is a significant step towards strengthening Ukraine's defense industrial base. It also marks a shift in US defense firms' approach, which have previously lagged behind their European counterparts in forging coproduction agreements inside Ukraine.
In recent months, the US government has stepped up efforts to work directly with Ukraine’s defense sector. This includes the Ukraine Defense Industrial Base Conference held in December, which resulted in the countries signing a Statement of Intent on Co-production and Technical Data Exchange.
Last week, President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a bilateral agreement espousing the need for defense industrial cooperation, including codevelopment, coproduction, and supply of Ukraine’s defense industrial base requirements.
This news comes at a time when the US is providing significant support to Ukraine in its ongoing conflict with Russia. The $60.8 billion Ukraine supplemental funding bill, passed in April, is a testament to this support.
As the situation in Ukraine continues to evolve, the role of US defense firms like Northrop Grumman in bolstering Ukraine's defense capabilities will be closely watched.
Sources:
breakingdefense.com
yahoo.com
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