Results from the defense industry in Republika Srpska are becoming increasingly visible worldwide, as confirmed by the company “Technical Overhaul Bratunac” (TRB), which plans to deliver the first two modernized “Vihor” combat vehicles to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the end of January for its military.
The majority owner of “Technical Overhaul Bratunac,” Slavenko Ristić, told “Glas Srpske” that if the specifications for these combat vehicles are confirmed by the UAE, the plan is to deliver several hundred “Vihor” vehicles in the next four years.
He emphasized that these are lightly tactical vehicles, with a market price of around 500,000 euros, depending on the equipment. They are not on a commercial platform.
“Our production capacity is 50 vehicles per year, so our capacities of this type of production will be filled in the next four years. The UAE military is serious, and we are pleased that they have decided to buy our vehicles. This is a fantastic reference, primarily for ‘Technical Overhaul Bratunac.’ It is not the same to sell a vehicle, for example, to Africa or the Emirates, considering that they can afford the best of the best. This particularly encourages us,” said Ristić. He added that these vehicles were in the testing phase for almost a year in the Special Anti-Terrorist Unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of RS, where they passed all tests.
The vehicles were presented at the end of September at the Belgrade Fair of Armaments and Military Equipment “Partner 2023.” Following that, they were offered on the international scene.
Due to the global situation and increased demand, the defense industry is in expansion, and TRB is inundated with orders from around the world.
They are also planning to offer a new pistol called “šejtan” (devil) to clients by the end of the year. Several other projects are in progress, but Ristić did not want to reveal more details.
“The Middle East, South and North Africa are our main markets, and lately, we have received many inquiries from South America and Colombia. Currently, we are focusing on certain projects, such as the production of lighters, combat vehicles, ammunition production lines, and demining machines. These are things that are in demand in the market,” said Ristić.
He added that, although they have had cooperation with Israel for years, they do not export weapons to that country, nor have they sold anything of their products to Ukraine so far.
“Our intention is to stay on the sidelines; we don’t want to add fuel to the fire. We stick to our markets and areas that are not in conflict. That is enough for our company to operate and achieve enviable results,” emphasized Ristić.
As for plans, they are currently preparing for the fair in Egypt, which takes place at the beginning of December. Next year, they will go to Abu Dhabi, and Indonesia is also on their agenda.
“Every fair is an investment in itself, which is why we only go to the strongest ones. Our goal now is to use the capital the company has to invest in new products and additional equipment,” said Ristić.
Saint’s Day Celebration
The company “Technical Overhaul Bratunac” is celebrating its patron saint, Saint Demetrius, on St. Demetrius Day. The company, founded in 1953, currently employs 1,000 people, while 11 years ago, only 80 workers were employed. Slaven Ristić says that after taking over this company in 2012, the company was in a severe crisis, and in the past period, they managed to repay more than 20 million convertible marks in debts and invest almost 60 million KM.
“We will strive to continue to justify the trust of all people who believe in what we do,” said Ristić. He added that last year, the company hired 50 women and introduced a practice of providing an additional salary to each woman who gives birth.
