Ukraine offers its front line as test bed for foreign weapons

By Sabine Siebold

WIESBADEN, Germany (Reuters) -Ukraine volition fto overseas arms companies trial retired their latest weapons connected the beforehand enactment of its warfare against Russia's invasion, Kyiv's state-backed arms concern and procurement radical Brave1 said connected Thursday.

Under the "Test successful Ukraine" scheme, companies would nonstop their products to Ukraine, springiness immoderate online grooming connected however to usage them, past hold for Ukrainian forces to effort them retired and nonstop backmost reports, the radical said successful a statement.

"It gives america knowing of what technologies are available. It gives companies knowing of what is truly moving connected the beforehand line," Artem Moroz, Brave1's caput of capitalist relations, told Reuters astatine a defence league successful Wiesbaden, Germany.

Moroz said determination has been beardown involvement successful the scheme, but did not sanction immoderate companies that person signed connected to usage it and declined to spell into much item connected however it would run oregon what, if any, costs would beryllium involved.

More than 3 years aft their penetration of Ukraine, Russian forces are pressing a grinding violative crossed the sprawling, much than 1,000-km (620-mile) beforehand enactment and intensifying aerial strikes connected Ukrainian cities.

Ukraine is betting connected a budding defence industry, fuelled successful portion by overseas investment, to fend disconnected Russia's bigger and better-armed warfare machine.

Brave1 - acceptable up by the authorities successful 2023 with an online hub wherever Ukrainian defence companies tin question investment, and besides wherever Ukrainian subject units tin bid up arms - had drawn up a database of the subject technologies it wanted to test, Moroz added.

"We person a database of priorities. One of the apical of those would beryllium aerial defence, similar caller aerial defence capabilities, drone interceptors, AI-guided systems, each the solutions against gliding bombs," helium said.

Unmanned systems successful the h2o and physics illustration systems connected the crushed are besides connected Ukraine's database of priorities, arsenic are precocious occurrence power systems oregon AI guidance to marque howitzers much accurate.

(Reporting by Andrew Heavens)