Gunsmiths are strong in partnership

By creating a joint venture with foreigners, the Kazakhstani defense industry plans not only to satisfy its own state defense order and the domestic market for dual-use products, but also to send something for export.

Over the past year, Kazakh companies of the military-industrial complex (MIC) have concluded several agreements on the creation of joint ventures for the production of equipment and weapons in the Republic of Kazakhstan. This activity of gunsmiths is stimulated by the annually growing state order. Without its own technologies, Kazakhstan has no choice but to cooperate with more advanced partners. On the other hand, our defense industry is not only trying to weaken its dependence on foreign (primarily Russian) weapons, but also to compete with it, at least locally and in some areas.

In 2003, most of the enterprises of the military-industrial complex were merged into the state holding JSC National Company Kazakhstan Engineering (KI), the sole shareholder of which was NWF Samruk-Kazyna. Today, KI includes 24 subsidiaries, 17 of them are factories focused on the production of dual-use products.

In addition to KI, which is the largest player, there are several other enterprises on the market. For example, West Kazakhstan Machine-Building Company JSC (ZKMK, produces the NSV-12.7 Utes machine gun, 30-mm cartridges, as well as equipment for the oil and gas sector) and SKTB Granit LLP (repairs, modernizes and maintains various air defense systems).