Ukraine to dispatch 40 BTR-4 armored personnel carriers to Iraq
KYIV. Feb 8 (Interfax) - Ukraine is preparing to dispatch 40 BTR-4 armored personnel carriers (APC) to Iraq. The APCs were assembled in Kharkiv under the contract concluded in 2009.
Iraqi Defense Ministry representatives signed the armor acceptance report in Kyiv on Thursday, the Ukrspetsexport state company told Interfax.
The Iraqi officials said they were satisfied with bilateral cooperation and parameters of the new Ukrainian armored vehicles.
"[The hardware] has been tested successfully. There are no serious problems. We are satisfied with cooperation with Ukraine. Iraq is using the Ukrainian BTR-4 APCs delivered earlier under extreme conditions. This is a new advanced vehicle built for the Iraqi Army," the state company quoted an Iraqi delegation member.
Ukroboronprom pledged further fulfillment of the contract.
Ukraine signed the contract of over $550 million in 2009 to deliver six multirole Antonov An-32 aircraft and 420 BTR-4 armored personnel carriers to Iraq. The Kharkiv Malyshev Plant and the Kharkiv Morozov Machine Design Bureau of Ukroboronprom and the Kyiv Antonov state company are executing the contract.
The aircraft delivery was completed in 2012. The first APC shipment (26 pieces) was made in spring 2011, and 62 more APCs were supplied in fall 2012.
Iraqi Ambassador to Ukraine Shorsh Khalid Said told Interfax earlier that Baghdad and Kyiv were preparing to sign an intergovernmental military-technical cooperation agreement.