Kazakhstan has officially begun implementing the ASPAN project, under which four new factories for the production of artillery shells and mines will be built and launched in the country. Moreover, ammunition at the new enterprises will be produced for the first time under NATO weapon standards — until now, Kazakhstan has only used Russian ammunition.
The ASPAN project includes the launch of four arms enterprises in Kazakhstan that will produce "key components of ammunition." The total cost of the project is about $1 billion. The first plant, ASPAN-1, is currently under construction and will produce shells and mines. The main operator on the Kazakh side is the company Great Sky — its first deputy director Andrey Tikhonenko explained to journalists that the idea has "great potential because all the raw materials needed for ammunition production — metal, cotton, acids, and other materials — are located in Kazakhstan."
It is expected that the ASPAN-1 plant will start production in 2027; the launch dates for the other three enterprises and their locations have not been disclosed by Great Sky.
As for the product range, according to the operator's information, it involves the production of artillery shells of both Russian design — calibers 82mm, 120mm, 122mm, and 152mm — as well as NATO-standard shells and mortar rounds — calibers 155mm and 60mm, respectively.
"Kazakhstan has long lacked its own production not only of artillery shells and mines but also of ammunition for small arms. Therefore, the combat readiness of our army critically depended on the stocks of Soviet-era weapons available in Kazakhstan and supplies from Russia and former Soviet republics where ammunition production is established. The situation improved five years ago when a factory for producing small arms ammunition was launched near Karaganda with the participation of a Canadian company — now the production of shells is next, which is extremely important in the current geopolitical situation," said a high-ranking Kazakh military official to RTVI.
In 2023, against the backdrop of hostilities in Ukraine, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev set the task of maximizing the localization of military equipment and ammunition production in the country.
According to the President of Kazakhstan, this is a priority task for ensuring the army's capabilities. "Armored vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles, modern small arms — all of this we can and must produce here in our country," said Kassym-Jomart Tokayev following the strategic command-staff exercises "Batyl Toytarys — 2023."
At the same time, Deputy Defense Minister Bakytbek Sydykov, commenting on the situation with military equipment and ammunition procurement to Kazakh media, noted that "the infrastructure and weapons we have today are of Soviet production, and we are forced to maintain them as well." However, according to him, as part of diversification, the Ministry of Defense of Kazakhstan "is conducting close military-technical cooperation with many countries, including Turkey, China, Serbia, and the Czech Republic."
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