You're reading: Ukrainian plant to make second shipment of BTR-4 vehicles to Iraq on time

The second shipment of BTR-4 infantry combat vehicles to Iraq will be done on time despite problems in the delivery of parts, Acting Director of the Malyshev Plant Valeriy Predko said.

He said the problems were purely technical and expressed the assuredness that they would not delay the delivery of vehicles to the client. "I must express this confidence, and our client must feel it. We will do the utmost," he said.

Iraq has fully paid for 26 infantry combat vehicles supplied in April-May 2011, Predko said.

"The client had no problems in paying for the first shipment of 26 BTR-4 vehicles. The money was transferred to Kharkiv this week, and we paid salaries [to the plant workers]," he said.

Ukrspecexport subsidiary, the Progress specialized foreign trade company, signed a contract with Iraq in 2009. The contract value exceeded $550 million. It is supposed to start a series of military-technical cooperation agreements with Iraq.

It is planned to supply over 400 armored vehicles, among them BTR-4, and six light transport planes Antonov An-32 and to repair aircraft within 3-3.5 years.

The first shipment, which included 26 BTR-4 infantry combat vehicles, two maintenance and repair vehicles and two armor trainers, was made on April 20. Ukraine said that the shipment reached the Iraqi seaport of Umm Qasr on May 29.

The second shipment, 62 infantry combat vehicles, will be sent by the end of the year.