August 19, Pozirk. Belarus is seeking to expand its firearms industry and fill a gap in the international arms market that it says has emerged after Russia and Iran withdrew from it, state media reported following Alaksandar Łukašenka’s visit to a Kidma Tek plant in Dziaržynsk on August 18.
Belarusian arms companies have designed five types of firearms, four of which have already been adopted by the country’s armed forces and security services.
The reports mentioned the Stilet sniper rifle and the PP-919 submachine gun. The plant is preparing to launch mass production of the VSK-100B automatic rifle.
“Our key task is to design a machine gun,” state media quoted Dźmitryj Pantus, chairman of the State Defense Industry Committee, as saying. “We will spend our energies and use our experience to create this product in the next two years.”
The Kidma Tek plant achieved 100 percent localization in 2023, he said, noting that Belarusian companies have been designing firearms since 2018.
Pantus said Kidma Tek is working “in the interests of foreign partners” but did not specify which ones.
Łukašenka told officials “to spare no expense” on firearms development.
“Now it is time of great opportunities,” said Andrej Anisimaŭ, deputy director for production. “The Russian Federation has withdrawn from the arms market for one reason or another, Iran has withdrawn. There is a vacuum on the external market. It is only fitting that we fill it with our products.”
Two weeks ago, Kyiv added Kidma Tek, formerly known as BSVT Novyja Technalohii, and Tissa, based in Maladziečna, Minsk region, to its sanctions list for supplying weapons and parts for ballistic munitions to Russia.
Kidma Tek manufactures sights for firearms and armored vehicles, television and infrared systems, the Berserk unmanned anti-UAV system, the anti-aircraft system Trio that consists of the Strela-10 and Shilka anti-aircraft guns and a fire control vehicle and the Fleita multiple rocket launch system. It also repairs surface-to-ground and anti-tank missiles.
Kidma Tek has been sanctioned by Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United States and the UK.
