An Arizona company signed a letter of intent on Monday with Ukraine’s Ministry of Strategic Industries to produce 3D-printed bunkers for Ukraine’s war effort.
Representatives from Ukraine, Phoenix-based Diamond Age, and the Arizona Defense and Industry Coalition met with Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma at the state Capitol to discuss the deal.
Diamond Age’s automated, concrete 3D-printing process has largely been used in home building so far, but CEO Jack Oslan said the technology is adaptable. Oslan said the company can create bunkers for Ukraine but that the technology could also be used in the future to rebuild communities there.
“We’re excited about the opportunity to help in a very short period of time, but yet have technology that transitions into a greater need, which is the rebuilding of communities,” he said.
The letter of intent comes after Ukraine signed a memorandum of understanding with the Arizona Defense and Industry Coalition in September that laid out a plan to establish relationships between Ukraine and over 1,200 defense and non-defense industry companies in Arizona.
An Arizona Defense and Industry Coalition delegation, including state Rep. David Cook (R-Globe), traveled to Ukraine in June to learn more about the country’s needs.
“What we found in those conversations was — as I mentioned, yes, there’s a lot of need for immediate defense technologies,” said Lynndy Smith, the coalition's president. “But Ukraine is very innovative in the way that it's looking at its future, and it’s saying, ‘How do we build back right now while actively at war?’”
As part of the agreement, the coalition created a 170-page document detailing proposed projects, including those dealing with munitions development and de-mining, according to a press release.
Rick Stilgenbauer, a senior policy adviser with law firm Squire Patton Boggs, said the memorandum of understanding allowed Ukrainian officials to vet those proposals before deciding which projects they are interested in.
The letter of intent is the next step in finalizing one of those deals, though there are still details that need to be worked out before Diamond Age’s technology will produce bunkers in Ukraine.
Stilgenbauer said the letter signed Monday is a “stamp of approval” by Ukraine’s Ministry of Strategic Industries showing it is interested in Diamond Age’s proposal. The letter now allows the company to seek funding to produce the bunkers.
Where that funding will come from is not yet known. Stilgenbauer said it could come from a variety of sources, including sovereign wealth funds or American organizations like the United States Agency for International Development.
The deal comes as the debate over whether the U.S. should continue to provide aid to Ukraine rages in Washington, D.C., with congressional Republicans split over the issue.
Toma, a Republican who is running for Congress in a West Valley district, had no official role in the deal but said he supported it.
“In this case, we’re talking about funds that are really being spent on an Arizona company, so we know exactly where the money is going and that to me makes a lot of sense,” Toma said. “I understand there is some debate about whether there is enough transparency; to me, I’m supportive of transparency and also supportive of Ukraine. I don’t think those two things are actually in conflict.”
Oslan says it will take Diamond Age six to nine months to produce the bunkers once it receives specifications from Ukraine. The company will then test the new bunkers at the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground.
