In the photo: Oleg Vysotsky, Chairman of the Board of the League of Defense Enterprises of Ukraine, congratulates the participants of the Forum

The opening of the Forum and acquaintance of the participants with the exhibition of full-scale samples of defense products, manufactured at enterprises of private ownership, as well as promising developments in military equipment, took place on the eve of the 28th of September. The events took place on the territory of Private Joint-Stock Company RPA «Practika» – an enterprise that produces military armored vehicles, which is already supplied to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the National Guard. 36 enterprises and organizations presented their products. The National Technical University of Ukraine «Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute», which, together with the League of Defense Enterprises of Ukraine, made the organizer of this Forum, presented nine of its designs at this exhibition, some of which are already in service. Participation in the opening ceremony of the Forum and exhibition was taken by Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchinov, representatives of the Department of Defense Investment of the International Staff, Presidential Administration, Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine, heads of private defense enterprises and research and academic institutions.

The second day of the Forum, events within the framework of which was held at the NTUU «Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute», was devoted to discussing the most urgent issues of the organization of the development and production of equipment and weapons. Therefore, the high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Defense and other law enforcement agencies, the State concern “Ukroboronprom”, top managers of private defense companies, leading Ukrainian scientists and engineers took active part in it.

On behalf of the President of Ukraine, the Forum’s participants congratulated the Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Valery Kondratyuk. “Under conditions of Russian aggression, the provision of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations and law-enforcement agencies with modern weapons, military equipment, and ammunition is carried out not only by Ukroboronprom’s enterprises, but also by private-ownership enterprises,” he said. “Private defense companies, in close cooperation with leading scientific institutions, play an important role in the development of modern weapons”. The participants were also congratulated by Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine Yuriy Brovchenko, head of the Department of Defense Investment of the International Secretariat of NATO Tim Web, chairman of the Board of the League of Defense Enterprises of Ukraine, Chairman of the Board of Directors of PJSC “Scientific Production Association «Practika» Oleg Vysotsky.

“The defense industry’s activities on the creation of modern weapons are impossible without the use of the achievements of advanced science and practical knowledge, without the support of such projects by scientists,” said Mikhail Zgurovsky, the academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, rector of the «Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute».

For these reasons, the first set of issues discussed in the framework of the Forum program, the organizers raised the question of using domestic scientific potential in the development of new types of weapons and products for the needs of security structures. This panel was called “OPK and Science”. The first at its meeting was the vice-rector for the scientific work of the «Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute», academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Mikhail Ilchenko. He spoke about the traditions, experience, current state and opportunities of cooperation of Kiev Polytechnic with enterprises of the military-industrial complex, as well as on the most important developments on the defensive themes of specialists of the «Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute» in recent years. Then we talked about the specific areas in which university researchers work, their achievements, and the challenges they face when working on projects and implementing their results.

The problems, from which the defense capabilities of the state depend, were discussed in two sections-panels – “Stages of development (modernization) and acceptance (delivery) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine of samples of armaments and military equipment” (this was a question of the organization of development and production the latest weapons from the preparation of a technical task to state tests and arming, etc.), “Export of defense products” (it referred not only to export procedures, but also the creation of Ukraine system certification standards such STANAG requirements for the transition to NATO standards). The moderator of the first of these meetings was the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the League of Defense Companies of Ukraine, the eleventh Prime Minister of Ukraine (2005-2006), the ninth Minister of Defense of Ukraine (2007 – 2009) Yuriy Yekhanurov, the second – Deputy Minister of Economic Development and trade of Ukraine Yuriy Brovchenko.

Before the Forum participants were the leaders and representatives of the State Export Control Service of Ukraine, the National Standardization Body, the Central Research Institute (TSNDI) of the Armed Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Office for Scientific Research and Testing of Arms and Military Equipment of the State Research and Test Center of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Office of Scientific Research and testing of weapons and military equipment of the State Scientific and Testing Center of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Office of Military Representations of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Department skovo and technology policy, development of weapons and military equipment of Ukraine, State Service of Export Control of Ukraine and the State Concern “Ukroboronprom.”

Consequently, the Forum became a platform where representatives of science, industry and government discussed ways to overcome common problems of scientific institutions and defense enterprises, both state and private, and to ensure their capacity at all levels inside and outside the country. This, in turn, will strengthen the potential of the domestic military-industrial complex and provide real prerequisites for establishing a public-private partnership in this vital area for Ukraine.

According to the official website of the National Technical University of Ukraine «Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute»:

http://kpi.ua/2017-09-29-defense