FFG is building an armored vehicle repair center in Ukraine

The German defense company Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft has started construction of an armored vehicle repair center in Ukraine. German MP Markus Faber announced this. "In the west of Ukraine, Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft is developing a repair center for armored vehicles that need repair, such as Leopard 1, which it supplied," the politician shared.

Faber noted that deploying repair facilities domestically will significantly increase efficiency and reduce the time needed to repair equipment, as expensive and time-consuming transportation abroad will no longer be necessary in the future, and the armed forces will be able to train their mechanics on-site. FFG will become the second German defense company after Rheinmetall to set up its facilities in Ukraine. In October 2023, Oleksandr Kamyshin, Minister of Strategic Industries, told Morning Defense that German military equipment manufacturer Flensburger Fahrzeugbau would cooperate with a "private Ukrainian defense industrial company."

Together, the two joint ventures "will cover the entire range of German weapons that come to Ukraine and can be serviced in Ukraine." FFG is one of the largest suppliers of armored vehicles to Ukraine. The company specializes in the repair of military equipment and the creation of specialized vehicles.

In particular, this refers to Leopard 1A5 tanks, WiSENT 1 MC engineering vehicles, Pionierpanzer 2A1 Dachs, and IRIS-T SLS air defense systems.

Leopard 1A5DK at FFG warehouses in Germany. Photo credits: NDK.

According to public sources, the FFG Industries Ukraine joint venture was registered on October 12, 2023. A day later, on October 26, Dennis Burjes, a member of the management board at arms manufacturer Flensburger Fahrzeugbau (FFG), also told DW that business with Ukraine "is growing."

According to him, FFG is in the process of contributing nearly 700 armored vehicles to the Ukrainian army, including bridge-laying tanks, recovery tanks, and engineer tanks.

"The company was already involved in arms deliveries "when it was not yet politically opportune to deliver combat tanks," Burjes noted.