Pakistan is planning to dispatch 159 containers of ammunition including projectiles and primers to Ukraine via a port in Poland this month, according to people aware of the matter.
A Pakistani shipping and brokerage firm, Project Shipping, is planning to ship 159 containers of ammunition meant for Ukraine from the Karachi Port to Gdansk Port in Poland in the second half of January, said the people.
A vessel named BBC Vesuvius will carry 155 mm projectiles, M4A2 propelling bag charges, M82 primers and PDM fuses, said the people. Earlier, Pakistan played a critical role in transfer of arms on behalf of the UK to Ukraine.
Defence firms located in some eastern European states bordering Ukraine have also emerged as a gateway for transferring Pakistan-manufactured military equipment, ET had earlier reported.
In return, Pakistan may receive Ukrainian assistance to upgrade its Mi-17 helicopters. A Ukrainian firm engaged in manufacturing aircraft engines as well as industrial marine gas turbines is reportedly assisting in upgradation of Pakistan helicopters, according to people familiar with the matter, ET had earlier reported.
Islamabad-based arms supplier DMI Associates is working in collaboration with defence firms in eastern Europe for transferring orders placed by the Ukrainian military.
Ukraine and Pakistan share close military and industrial ties. Pakistan had purchased more than 320 Ukrainian T-80UD tanks in service with a fully formed ecosystem for their upkeep, use, ammunition and spare parts.
Between 1991 and 2020, Ukraine concluded arms contracts worth nearly $1.6 billion with Pakistan. Islamabad has reportedly clinched a deal with Kyiv for the repair of its T-80UD fleet at a cost of $85.6 million.
Last year, Pakistan and Ukraine agreed to optimise military ties, particularly in the defence production, training, counter-terrorism activities, and intelligence domains, ET had earlier reported.
The Nur Khan air base in Rawalpindi was part of the air bridge reportedly used by the UK for military aircraft flights to Avram Iancu Cluj International Airport in Romania via a British air base in the Mediterranean to transfer arms to Ukraine, ET had earlier reported.
The air bridge had avoided Iran and Afghanistan airspace and used the West Asian air space to transfer arms between August 6-15, according to those in the know. A Globemaster plane was used to transfer the arms. A British Air Force C-17A Globemaster III (call sign ZZ173) is also said to have been used for daily sorties between the aforementioned period using the Pakistan air bridge, ET had reported in September 2022. Artillery ammunition for the Ukrainian army may have been ferried via this air bridge.
