The Myanmar Directorate of Defence Industries (Burmese: ကာကွယ်ရေး ပစ္စည်းစက်ရုံများ ညွှန်ကြားရေးမှူးရုံး; BGN/PCGN: Kagwèye Passizetyônmya Hnywan-Gyayehmuyôn; abbreviated DI), commonly known as Directorate of Defence Industries,[1] Karkweye Pyitsu Setyoun,[2][3] or its Burmese abbreviation, Ka Pa Sa,[4][5][6] is a state-owned enterprise that is officially part of the Tatmadaw.[2] DI is responsible for producing military equipment throughout the country for the Myanmar Army, the Myanmar Navy and the Myanmar Air Force. It is the only company that has monopolized firearms production.[7]
As of 2021, Lieutenant General Thein Htay is said to head the Directorate.[8]
History
The DI was established in the 1950s under the General Staff Office.[9] The first indigenous firearm produced in Myanmar is the TZ-45, made under license as the BA52.[10][11] In 1953, Heckler & Koch and Fritz Werner Industrie-Ausrüstungen GmbH cooperated with Myanmar to create a production line to made G3 battle rifles under license.[11][12] The first Myanma-made G3, known as the BA63, was first produced in 1957.[11] The use of the BA rifles ended in the 1990s when the MA-based rifles were being developed and brought into service.[13]
After a worldwide arms embargo was enacted against Myanmar after the establishment of the State Peace and Development Council in the 1980s, they turned to Chinese assistance to improve its technological base.[14] The SPDC has received covert assistance from Singapore while working with Israeli consultants by providing factory-built equipment to produce small arms.[15] From 1983 to 1991, the country made indigenous APCs due to budgetary reasons, which consist of the BAAC-83 APC, BAAC-84 SC, BAAC-85 SC, BAAC-86 SC, BAAC-87 APC, and BAAC-87 CCC.[14][16]
Israel assisted Myanmar in developing its indigenous firearms manufacturing capabilities.[17] They previously sold Uzis to the SPDC in 1991, being made locally as the BA94.[13] Serial production of the Galils, known locally as the MA-1, MA-2, and MA-3, started in 2002 after an agreement with IMI.[18] Production was located at Ka Pa Sa No 1 or DI-1, a factory located near Inya Lake.[19]
Ukraine signed an agreement with Myanmar in 2004 under a $US500 million contract to provide 1000 BTR-3Us.[20]
On April 30, 2008, Washington DC place sanctions on DI under Executive Order 13464 (Blocking Property and Prohibiting Certain Transactions Related to Burma).[1]
In 2014, DI has constructed the BTR-3U with spare parts provided by Ukraine.[21] According to the Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau, Deutz-made engines are used in BTR-3Us in Myanma service.[22]
On July 2, 2013, Lt. General Thein Htay was sanctioned under Executive Order 13619 in targeting people closely connected between Myanmar and North Korea by the Department of the Treasury.[1] On December 17, 2013, the Department of the Treasury placed Asia Metal Company Ltd., Soe Min Htike Co. Ltd., and Excellence Mineral Manufacturing Co. Ltd. under Executive Order 13619 because of its connections to North Korea in assisting DI to acquire construction materials to build additional facilities.[1]
In March 2019, Ukrspecexport has signed an agreement with Myanmar to deliver equipment for a production line assembly to assemble the BTR-4U APC and the 2S1U howitzer.[23]
It's reported in November 2019 that the Tatmadaw has plan to market Myanma-made military hardware for overseas sales in an appearance at the Defense & Security (D&S) show in Bangkok, Thailand.[24][25]
In October 2021, it's reported that a Myanma businessman named U Tun Hlaing is involved in purchasing materials that are needed for military production.[8]
DI was placed under British sanctions due to the 2021 coup as of 2022.[2] On 20 February 2023, the European Union imposed sanctions on DI for enabling the Burmese military to carry out violence against civilians.[26][27]
Officially, Myanmar has not disclosed how many factories it has. Estimates suggest that it has less than six prior to 1988 to “more than 20” in 2011 and 25 in 2022.[29]
2-inch(50.8 mm) light mortar : Copy produced mortars based on British Two-inch mortar.Produced between 1950s and 1960s.Substituted with BA-series motars in 1990s.
3-inch(81 mm) mortar : Copy produced mortars based on British ML 3-inch mortar.Produced between 1950s and 1960s.Substituted with BA-series motars in 1990s.
BA-90 81 mm mortar(400 units per year) : Production started in late 1980s.Now the production was stopped and the production was substituted with MA-8.
BA-97 (MA-6 MK-II) 120 mm mortar(50 units per year) : Production started in late 1980s. Produced as the BA-97 mortar to early 1990s. Name changed to MA-6 MK-II in the late 1990s. The only BA-series mortar still in production.
BA-100 60 mm commando mortar (400 units per year) : Production started in the late 1980s. No longer produced. Substituted with MA-9.
MA-6 120 mm extended range mortar (50 units per year) : Production started in the late 1990s.
MA-7 60 mm extended range mortar (400 units per year) : Production started in the late 1990s.
MA-8 81 mm extended range mortar (400 units per year) : Production started in the late 1990s.
MA-9 60 mm commando mortar(400 units per year) : Production started in the late 1990s.
Air Defence
MADV : Self-propelled short range air defence system. Igla turret with 4 SA-16 missiles and a 14.5 mm AA gun fitted on a Naung Yoe. 180 units had been produced as of 2013.
KS-1M : Medium air defence system. Licensed production of HQ-12. Two GYD-1B surface-to-air missiles are fitted on the locally made Mil-truk. Production began in 2015 and one battery of KS-1M air defence system was unveiled at the 71st Armed Force Day Parade(2016).
Hwasong-5 : Short range tactical ballistic missile based on R-17 Elbras (Scud-B). In 2008, North Korea transferred Hwasong-5 (Scud-B) missile technology to Myanmar. In December 2006, South Korean press reported that Daewoo signed a deal with the Myanmar government in May 2002 to build an arms factory near Pyay, worth US$133.8 million. Some analysts believed that this deal included the supply of some parts for missile development in Myanmar. In 2014, China told UN monitors that North Korean-made ballistic missiles and missile-related alloy rods destined for Myanmar had been found on a ship docked in China.[31][32]
Small Arms
BA-52 : 9 mm machine gun. Produced with the Italian technical assistance. Design similar to TZ-45. Also known as Ne Win Sten. Production started between 1952 and 1953.
BA-93 (Grenade launcher) : Rifle grenade launcher. 93 refers to production started year, 1993.
BA-93 (submachine gun) : 9 mm submachine gun. Licensed production of Uzi. Early version of BA-94 (MA-13) with wooden stock. 93 refers to production started year, 1993.
BA-94 (MA-13) : 9 mm submachine gun. Upgraded variant of BA-93 (machine gun).[10] 94 refers to production started year, 1994.[10] The name was changed as MA-13.[17]
^"Archived copy". www.amnesty-eu.org. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 19 April 2022.((cite web)): CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
Tatmadaw