Kazakhstan reports 36.8% increase in defense procurement

In 2024, Kazakhstan’s defense procurement increased by 36.8% compared to 2023, according to the country’s Ministry of Defense. However, Kazakhstan hasn’t received all the equipment it bought due to the geopolitical situation.

«This year, procurement of military equipment increased by 36.8% compared with the previous year,» the agency said.

On Aug. 7, authorities revealed that the country had purchased more than 500 units of military equipment, including Kazakhstani-made Arlan armored vehicles and Sunqar tactical unmanned aerial systems; Turkish COBRA II armored vehicles and ANKA heavy-duty unmanned aerial systems. Moreover, the list features EVOMax unmanned aerial systems, allegedly produced in China, according to some media reports.

For the needs of its Air Defense Forces, the government of Kazakhstan has purchased state-of-the-art fighter jets, anti-aircraft missile installations, and A400M heavy military transport aircraft assembled in Spain. All this equipment still hasn’t arrived in the country.

“The purchase of this equipment is carried out within the government’s defense procurement. The timeline for delivery is yet to be clarified as the deadline changes because of the geopolitical and economic situation in the world,” the Ministry of Defense explained.

The agency hasn’t clarified how much it spent on this equipment, citing that this information is related to state secrets.

According to the January annual rating of countries by their military power prepared by Global Firepower, Kazakhstan was ranked 58th out of 145 countries, outperforming nearly all its allies under the Collective Security Treaty Organization – Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – and falling behind only Russia.

In 2023, Kazakhstan was ranked 63rd, 64th in 2022, and 62nd in 2021, slipping behind Uzbekistan and Belarus at the time.