Zimbabwe Defence Industries (ZDI) manufactures small arms ammunition, both ball and blank in 7.62 x 39 mm and 7.62 x 51 mm calibres. At its filling plant outside Harare, ZDI fills mortar shells in the calibres of 60 mm, 81 mm and 120 mm and has the capacity to fill artillery shells up to 155 mm, rocket launchers (RPG-7), and fragmentation hand grenades. ZDI also trades in military-related products that it does not manufacture, such as uniforms, footwear, head-dress, ration packs and tents. Although ZDI's primary aim was the reduction of government expenditure, lack of economies of scale has meant that ZDI has found itself competing with other international suppliers on the open market.
While details of ZDI's exports and collaborative contacts have not been divulged publicly it is believed that its activities have included contacts with the following countries (the list is not meant to be exhaustive):
Algeria (ration packs offered)
Angola (ammunition offered)
Australia (offer of small arms ammunition and peacekeeping rations)
Burundi (ammunition offered)
China (possible importation of a further batch of F-7s, this time a squadron of F-7MGs; spares for air defence system and general spare for Chinese equipment in the army and air force inventories)
DRC (ZDI opened its first overseas office in Kinshasa. Called Congo-Duka, its acts as a clearing house for import and exports between Zimbabwean and Congolese companies)
Finland (artillery and mortar calibration equipment, fuses)
France (import of mortar fuses, mortar bomb castings and mortar bomb fins)
Greece (aircraft maintenance)
Israel (import of mortar fuses and mortar bomb castings & fins)
Italy
Lesotho (ammunition offered).
Mozambique (uniforms and ammunition offered)
Poland (exploratory talks for the importation of armed trainer aircraft)
Russian Federation (supply of ration packs for peacekeepers; possible purchase of unspecified military equipment, probably armed river craft for the Democratic Republic of Congo Navy/river force)
Rwanda
South Africa (negotiations reported with a large South African manufacturer of mortar rounds for ZDI to manufacture both Zimbabwe's and South Africa's reduced peacetime needs of mortar rounds. In return, ZDI suggested the possibility of purchasing unspecified military equipment from South Africa. These might have been mine-proof refurbished vehicles from the South African Army)
Spain (exploratory talks for importation of many items including armed trainer aircraft, light tactical transport aircraft and other unspecified projects)
Sri Lanka (supply of 120 mm mortar bombs in 1997 - original consignment was hijacked on the high seas by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) - a second consignment was supplied to the Sri Lankan government by air and reportedly arrived safely. ZDI remains out of pocket for the first consignment)
Swaziland (ammunition offered)
Tanzania (small arms ammunition and mortar rounds offered)
Uganda
Ukraine (possible purchase of Mi-24 'Hind' combat helicopters for DRC forces)
United Nations (ration packs, tents and other miscellaneous goods offered to UN Peacekeepers at an exhibition of non-lethal military equipment held in New York)
Nominally a private concern, all the shares in ZDI are held by the Ministry of Defence. Directors include the secretary of defence, the minister of defence, commanding officers of the services and other government and party officials.
