Reference Message Network reported on April 9 that according to a report from the website of The Economist weekly of the UK on April 6, a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine still seems distant; Europe plans to establish a "security assurance force" to assist in supporting the ceasefire, but progress has been slow; U.S. military aid is decreasing and will soon run out unless Donald Trump extends the aid period, which is unlikely. Supporters of the ceasefire argue that the best way to ensure Ukraine's security is to make sure it is fully armed, regardless of whether there is a ceasefire. For this reason, on March 19, the European Commission formulated a two-part "porcupine strategy" for Ukraine.

Firstly, Europe will procure more ammunition and weapons systems on behalf of Ukraine, including critical air defense missiles. Secondly, it will promote Ukraine's own defense industry, which the EU calls "the most effective and cost-efficient way to support Ukraine's military operations." This plan is an idea from Kaja Kaljulaid, the former Prime Minister of Estonia and current High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the EU. She hopes to double the military aid to Ukraine this year to reach 40 billion euros.

The reasons for investing in Ukraine's domestic arms industry are compelling. Andriy Zagorodnyuk, former Ukrainian Defense Minister and current chairman of the Kyiv-based Defense Strategy Center, said that Ukraine has the necessary foundation: a solid manufacturing base and numerous engineering colleges and universities, with highly skilled professionals transitioning into the defense sector from these schools.

According to a report published by another think tank, the Institute of Future Ukraine, in March this year, last year Ukrainian arms companies produced equipment worth 10 billion US dollars, three times that of 2023 and ten times that of 2022. The defense sector's 800-plus private and state-owned enterprises employ 300,000 skilled workers.

It is unclear how large a proportion of the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been met through domestic production. Undoubtedly, despite constant attacks on Ukraine's factories by Russia, production continues to grow steadily. Zagorodnyuk said, "Some facilities have been attacked five times or more, but they still managed to survive."

This year, Ukraine is expected to produce 5 million first-person view (FPV) drones dominating the battlefield, compared to 2 million last year. Another plan is to produce 30,000 large long-range drones to strike deep into Russian territory. President Zelenskyy set a goal of having 3,000 advanced cruise missiles and drone missiles, such as the new "Long-Range Neptune" missile with a range of 1,000 kilometers (recently used to attack a refinery in southern Russia) and the "Baguette" drone missile with a range of up to 800 kilometers.

Ukraine's electronic warfare technology is leading due to innovation. Nico Lang, a former official at the German Ministry of Defense, believes that Ukraine's electronic warfare capabilities now surpass those of Russia and Western systems. A recent success case was the "Lima" jammer, which disrupted the guidance system of Russian glide bombs that had severely damaged Ukraine's defensive positions.

Ukraine is also improving the production of traditional weapons. Last year, with the help of cooperation with Nammo Norway and the Franco-German joint venture KNDS Defense Systems, Ukraine delivered over 2.5 million artillery and mortar rounds to the front lines. The monthly production of the highly praised "Bogdana" self-propelled howitzer made by Kramatorsk Heavy Machine Tool Plant in Ukraine has increased from six to around 20, which is three times the production of the more expensive "Caesar" self-propelled howitzer produced by Nexter of France. With more European funding, the production of "Bogdana" self-propelled howitzers is expected to double.

However, Ukraine still faces significant gaps in production, with many domestically produced mortar rounds having serious quality issues. Therefore, partnerships with European and American companies are crucial. Armored vehicle chassis needed to transport troops to the front lines still need to be imported. Rheinmetall, a major German arms company, recently opened its first factory in Ukraine to produce "Lynx" infantry fighting vehicles.

Another important challenge is reducing Ukraine's reliance on Western air defense systems, particularly those from the United States. Zagorodnyuk said that the number of air defense systems Ukraine needs is too large to be met through imports. (Compiled by Zheng Guoyi)

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7491173870225981987/

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