Russian producers of the Oreshnik supermissile used Western instruments

Vladimir Putin’s experimental “Oreshnik” missile fired towards Ukraine final month was made by Russian firms that also depend on superior Western manufacturing tools, in response to the FT evaluation.

Two main Russian arms engineering institutes, named as builders of the Oreshnik missile by Ukrainian intelligence, each marketed for staff acquainted with metalworking methods made by German and Japanese firms .

The job gives from the Moscow Institute of Thermal Expertise and Sozvezdie, which have been adopted by the Monetary Occasions, illustrate how the Kremlin’s warfare machine stays extraordinarily depending on overseas applied sciences lined by Western sanctions.

This reliance is especially pronounced within the space of ​​laptop numerical management (CNC), a significant know-how for Oreshnik manufacturing that permits factories to shortly form supplies with excessive precision utilizing computer systems to regulate instruments.

Putin thought-about using the ground-launched missile, which analysts mentioned was based mostly on the RS-26 Rubezh, a nuclear-capable ballistic missile that has been examined however not deployed, as a response to NATO allies Ukraine authorizing using superior Western weapons. towards targets in Russia.

“We’ve got a inventory of such merchandise, a inventory of such methods prepared to be used,” Putin warned after the assault on a Dnipro manufacturing unit, which was as soon as the top-secret manufacturing facility for rockets of the Soviet Union.

MITT, one of many firms concerned within the Oreshnik mission, in response to Ukrainian intelligence, is the principle establishment accountable for the event of Russian solid-fuel ballistic missiles. In bulletins printed in 2024, the corporate notes “we adhere to FANUC, SIEMENS, HAIDENHEIN methods”.

Fanuc is Japanese, whereas the opposite two are German. All three firms manufacture management methods for high-precision CNC machines.

The identical three Western firms are named in ads printed by Sozvezdie, which cited one in every of its specialties as “automated management methods and communications methods” for army use. Their show requires “data of CNC methods — Fanuc, Siemens, Haidenhain [sic]“.

A video launched earlier this yr by Titan Barrikady, a 3rd protection firm concerned in producing the Oreshnik, additionally exhibits a employee standing in entrance of a Fanuc-branded management gadget.

Russia has lengthy relied on foreign-made machine instruments, regardless of efforts to create home alternate options. Whereas the Kremlin sources giant portions of high-precision metalworking machines from China, the controls mandatory for his or her operation proceed to return from the West.

In 2024, at a serious Russian exhibition, eight Chinese language firms introduced 12 fashions of CNC gadgets. In line with an evaluation by the Financial Safety Council of Ukraine, 11 of the fashions have been outfitted with controllers made by Japanese or German firms.

Denys Hutyk, Govt Director of ESCU, mentioned: “The event of the Oreshnik exhibits the extent to which the Russian military-industrial advanced nonetheless will depend on high-end Western tools. Western governments ought to push to stem the move of those items, which we noticed final month in Dnipro immediately contribute to the Russian assault on Ukrainian life.”

Job postings even present that Stan, the corporate main Russia’s effort to create a home CNC manufacturing business, makes use of Heidenhain tools.

Stopping the move of CNC controllers and machines to Russia is a precedence for kyiv’s allies. CNC gadgets and parts are on the so-called “excessive precedence joint product checklist” of things they’re significantly eager to disclaim to Moscow.

Nick Pinkston, managing director of Volition, an industrial elements firm and an skilled in automated tooling, mentioned: “When you may limit entry to those Western CNC management models, you would decelerate Russian manufacturing. »

“A few of these high-end management methods mean you can lower quicker whereas sustaining precision. And if you happen to have been to improve to a brand new management system, you would need to reconfigure the machine’s bodily {hardware} and instruments, in addition to utterly reprogram every half, which might price money and time and will additionally scale back half high quality .

Whereas export controls have slowed the move of those items to Russia, the FT’s evaluation of Russian data means that a minimum of $3 million in shipments, which embrace Heidenhain parts, have flowed to the Russia since early 2024. A few of their consumers are deeply concerned within the army. manufacturing.

One of many shipments was for a system together with a brand new Heidenhain TNC640 management unit, listed as produced in 2023. In line with the Heidenhain web site, the TNC640 “defines the high-end spectrum of management know-how in its area” and ” permits mixed milling, turning and grinding operations.

Priced at $345,000, the unit was shipped through China to the Baltic Industrial Firm, a Russian firm sanctioned by america and which has lengthy provided CNC machines to the protection business.

Diana Kaledina, director of the Baltic Industrial Firm, was arrested on the time of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine on costs of fraud in a army contract. She was accused of importing CNC machines from China after which passing them off as Russian-made elements so they might qualify for financing.

The case towards Kaledina was dropped on the finish of 2022 after a mediator dominated that his lawsuits “may trigger undue injury to the Russian machine device business,” which was “of essential significance to the economic system.”

Heidenhain and Baltic didn’t reply to requests for remark.

Siemens said that they “make no compromise on [sanctions] compliance” and examine “any indication of circumvention.” . . and contain the mandatory and competent authorities.”

Fanuc acknowledged that the machine photographed at Titan Barrikady seemed to be theirs, however famous that it appeared outdated.

They mentioned that they had “elevated vigilance and controls inside our export management processes to forestall any potential diversion of know-how or tools to Russian entities.”

Missile illustration by Cleve Jones