ASTANA – Increasing Kazakhstan’s production in the defence-industrial sector is to be prioritised among defence-industrial firms in Astana and Almaty, said Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence and Aerospace Industry Askar Zhumagaliyev at a Feb 8. visit to production factories.
Askar Zhumagaliyev (L) visiting Kazakhstan Paramount Engineering. Photo credit: inform.kz.
Zhumagaliyev visited defence-industrial firms Sergey Kirov Machine Building Plant, Aircraft Repair Plant No. 405, SKTB Granit, Kazakhstan Aviation Industry, Eurocopter Kazakhstan Engineering, Kazakhstan Aselsan Engineering and Kazakhstan Paramount Engineering (KPE). He surveyed the firms’ production lines and industrial capacities and was briefed on their development plans. In meeting with the firms’ staff, he emphasised the role of the newly introduced Key Performance Indicator system in ensuring effective control over production in the defence-industrial sector.
Today, Kazakh firms produce ships, combat vehicles, helicopters, communications and radar reconnaissance systems and salvo fire systems used by the Kazakh army and abroad.
Aircraft Repair Plant No. 405 specialises in overhauling and repairing military and civil helicopters and aviation technical equipment. Sergey Kirov Machine Building Plant manufactures hydraulic items and specialises in modernising and restoring certain products. SKTB Granit manufactures systems and devices for radio-electronics, communications, telecommunications and information technology. Eurocopter Kazakhstan Engineering trains flight personnel and sells and repairs helicopters. Kazakhstan Aviation Industry manufactures, assembles, repairs and sells aviation equipment. Kazakhstan Aselsan Engineering manufactures, distributes, repairs and sells electronic and electro-optical products. KPE manufactures advanced armoured vehicles, such as the Alan 4×4, Arlan 4×4, Nomad 4×4, Barys 6×6 and Barys 8×8.
Notably, KPE began expanding its land, maritime and aerial production line in September, given that its Astana factory had quickly become one of the world’s most advanced military equipment factories and part of global defence and aerospace company Paramount Group’s global supply chain. The factory’s increased production capacity allows it to serve both domestic and international demand, meaning that Kazakhstan is becoming a more competitive exporter in the global defence and aerospace industry. For example, KPE currently produces the Arlan 4×4, a localised version of Paramount Group’s Marauder 8×8 used by defence and peacekeeping forces worldwide and will become one of the primary production vendors of the Marauder 8×8 in global sales.
