Ukraine Navy to buy new vessels
According to Vice Adm. Sergey Hayduk, the commander of the Ukrainian Navy, Ukraine is plannig to sell the Navy’s cruiser Ukraina and use the funds to purchase new military vessels.
"The proceedings from its sale will be used to build new ships," Hayduk said, as reported by local broadcaster Espreso TV.
It is reported that up to 80 percent of the weapons and navigation equipment installed onboard the Ukraina were acquired from Russia, and they are not produced by the Ukrainian defense industry. It has not been disclosed which countries could potentially buy the vessel.
By the end of 2015, the Navy aims to acquire two new vessels. Hayduk also said the Navy’s outdated Be-12 planes will be replaced with new aircrafts. The most likely replacement includes the Antonov An-132, a new multipurpose transport aircraft jointly developed by Ukraine’s Antonov and Saudi Arabia’s Taqnia Aeronautics Co.
Last August, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry announced it was drafting a conceptual document on a special program for acquisitions of arms and military equipment by the Ukrainian military in the years 2015-2020. The procurements are designed to modernize the armed forces as well as replace Russian-built gear with new weapons.