MOSCOW, January 19. /TASS/. The general designer of Russia’s Machine-Building Design Bureau, which designed the missile complex Iskander-M, Valery Kashin, doubts the Ukrainian defense-industrial complex will be able to come up with its own counterpart of this weapon system in the near future.

Some media said last autumn Ukraine was working on its own system Grom-2, described as a "close analogue" of Iskander. President Pyotr Poroshenko later said Ukraine had successfully tested another missile, being developed under the program for restoring the country’s nuclear shield, declared at the beginning of 2016. He did not specify what missile he was referring to.

"There have been quite a few reports Ukraine all of a sudden developed hectic activity in this field. The media said Ukraine wished to develop its own system of this class on foreign money. By the look of it, it is very much like Iskander. But I have big doubts their industry will be able to cope with all issues related with making such weapons within tight deadlines. The more so, since many industrial facilities possessing the required capabilities are in Donbass. Also, the financing should be systematic and plentiful," Kashin said.

Also, he recalled that the Ukrainian defense-industrial complex has problems with human resources.

"As far as I understand, the people who were still working back in 1991 - I’m talking about missile industry workers - have grown old and are on retirement," Kashin said.