At the end of 2018, the Republic of Belarus exported various weapons worth more than one billion dollars. This allows the small country to confidently hold its place in the twenty largest exporters of various weapons systems and military equipment in the world. The main markets for Belarusian weapons, in addition to Russia, are the countries of the former USSR, as well as the states of Africa and Asia, that is, those countries that inherited from the Soviet Union a huge amount of military equipment, which does not become newer from year to year.
In 2017, Belarus also managed to break the $ 1 billion arms export mark. At the same time, the main problem of the military-industrial complex of this country is that it is focused primarily on Russia. For example, in 2018, military products from Belarus to Russia were supplied for $ 600 million. According to Roman Golovchenko, who holds the post of chairman of the State Military-Industrial Committee of the republic, the main task facing the Belarusian military-industrial complex is to diversify supplies. In conditions when the main peak of orders from the Russian Federation is already coming to an end (the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation have gone through a serious path of modernization and the purchase of various weapons for the ground forces will gradually only decrease), it is necessary to look for new sales markets. Such markets for the military-industrial complex of Belarus can be the countries of the third world, including in Africa and Asia, which at one time became the owners of solid arsenals of Soviet-made equipment. These markets should serve as a kind of safety cushion for the Belarusian military-industrial complex. At the same time, Belarus has very good prospects in the niche of modernizing old Soviet weapons.
The structure and characteristics of the modern Belarusian military-industrial complex are determined by the legacy of the Soviet Union, where it comes from. By the time of the collapse of the USSR, there were about 120 enterprises and organizations of the military-industrial complex on the territory of the modern Republic of Belarus, including 15 research institutes and design bureaus. At the same time, unlike neighboring Ukraine, there were almost no enterprises on the territory of Belarus that would be engaged in the production of military products for final use, the only exception to this rule are military vehicles, especially multi-axle equipment. This situation was explained by the proximity of the republic and the military-industrial complex to potential adversaries - the European countries that are members of the NATO bloc. The development and deployment of military-industrial complex enterprises on the territory of Belarus was explained by the peculiarities of strategic planning.
Acceptance tests of the next medium-range air defense system S-125-2TM
Naturally, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, this state of affairs was preserved in full. The only difference is that the republic's military-industrial complex played a very important role in the supply of various components for military equipment to other enterprises of the military-industrial complex of the Soviet Union, and now for the Russian Federation. The simplest example is the Sosna-U multichannel gunner's sight, which, in particular, is installed on the Russian T-72B3 main battle tanks and other armored vehicles. The developer of this sight is the Belarusian company Peleng OJSC. At the present stage of its development, the military-industrial complex of the Republic of Belarus continues to specialize mainly in the creation and production of various military optics, radio-electronic equipment, weapons control systems and software systems for military information systems.
This specialization largely determines the niche of the Belarusian military-industrial complex in the modern world market of arms and military equipment. Minsk is ready and able to carry out the modernization of numerous Soviet military equipment, which was supplied to a huge number of countries around the world. Today Belarus has all the possibilities for such modernization. A strong base for the production of electronic equipment and computer systems makes it possible to successfully modernize Soviet air defense systems. At the same time, after the collapse of the USSR, new private enterprises of the military-industrial complex appeared in the country, to which, in particular, the "Tetrahedron" belongs. The multidisciplinary research and production private unitary enterprise "Tetrahedr" specializes primarily in the creation and production of advanced radio-electronic weapons systems, the development of software and hardware, which are widely used in control systems for radio-electronic and radar systems, which allows this Minsk enterprise to successfully engage in modernization of anti-aircraft - Soviet-made missile systems.
One of the buyers of the modernized Soviet equipment was the Angolan army, which is ready to implement a major contract aimed at modernizing the air defense system. It is worth noting that just the modernization of outdated Soviet-made air defense systems, according to experts, will bring Minsk hundreds of millions of dollars in the next few years. So the deal with Angola alone, which has a fairly large armed forces (especially by the standards of Africa), is about $ 200 million. According to the Belarusian and Angolan mass media, the main executor of the contract will be the research and production enterprise "Tetraedr", located in Minsk.
Sighting complex "Sosna-U"
According to the Belarusian edition naviny.by, it is Tetrahedron that will modernize Angolan air defense systems. Also, the state-owned enterprise ALEVKURP OJSC, which is also engaged in deep modernization of Soviet-made air defense systems, including the Cube air defense system (export designation "Square"), can also join the work. According to the annual collection The military balance 2018, which is prepared by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), about 37 short-range air defense systems may remain in service with the Angolan army, including 12 C-125 Pechora air defense systems (SA-3 Goa) and 25 SAM "Cube" (SA-6 Gainful). The facility air defense is armed with 15 9K33 Osa (SA-8 Gecko) installations, as well as up to 10 9K35 Strela-10 (SA-13 Gopher) systems, which, being mobile air defense systems, are capable of covering units of the Angolan ground forces.
It is expected that the subject of the deal will be the modernization of the Osa and S-125 Pechora short-range anti-aircraft missile systems. At the same time, some experts believe that the modernization may also affect the Angolan air defense systems "Kvadrat". Earlier, Belarusian enterprises have already upgraded the Kvadrat air defense system to the level of the Kvadrat-M air defense system for the Armed Forces of Myanmar. What can enterprises of the Belarusian military-industrial complex offer Angola?
SAM 9K33 "Osa-1T"
The old Soviet air defense system "Osa" after modernization by the Belarusian company "Tetraedr" received the designation 9K33-1T "Osa-1T". This mobile autonomous air defense system is designed primarily to provide cover from air attacks for ground forces, as well as various military and industrial facilities. After modernization, the complex can be used to combat all modern and promising air attack weapons of a potential enemy, including those flying at ultra-low altitudes and having a low effective reflective area - from 0.02 m2 and more. The transfer of old Soviet weapons into a modern product of the Belarusian military-industrial complex is ensured due to the fact that in version 9K33-1T "Osa-1T", almost 80 percent of all radio equipment of the air defense missile system is transferred to a modern element base, which increases the reliability of the air defense missile system, at the same time increases the automation of its operation and noise immunity complex. At the same time, the Osa-1T combat vehicle receives at its disposal a new optoelectronic system with a laser rangefinder and a heat direction finder.
SAM 9K33-1T "Osa-1T" on different wheeled chassis
In the event that this mobile complex, which can also be based on the new MZKT-692230 6x6 all-terrain wheeled chassis, includes a T382 anti-aircraft guided missile, the complex receives the designation T38 Stiletto. This missile significantly expands the combat capabilities of the complex (the height of the targets hit is up to 10 km, the range is 20 km, the maximum target speed is up to 900 m / s). In the version of the 9K33-1T Osa-1T modernization, the range of destruction of air targets is limited to 12.5 km, the height - 8 km, and the maximum speed of the targets hit should not exceed 700 m / s.
SAM S-125-2TM "Pechora-2TM"
The Belarusian version of the modernization of the Soviet S-125 air defense system received the designation C-125-2TM air defense system "Pechora-2TM". This modernization actually brings the complex into the category of medium-range air defense systems. According to the development company, this complex is able to fight not only modern, but also promising air attack weapons, including small drones, even in a difficult jamming environment. The declared noise immunity ensures the effective operation of the complex even when the enemy is jamming with a power of 2700 W / MHz. The modernized air defense system is able to deal with small-sized and low-flying targets, including when setting up all types of radio interference. According to the site of the Tetrahedr company, the complex is able to detect air targets with an effective reflective area of only 0.02 square meters. In this case, the probability of hitting a target with one missile released is estimated at 0.85.
SAM S-125-2TM "Pechora-2TM"
UNK-2TM control center from ZRKS-125-2TM
Due to the use of a modern optoelectronic system in the S-125-2TM Pechora-2TM complex, as well as new methods of guiding anti-aircraft missiles to the target and new principles for processing radar signals, Belarusian developers managed to create a complex that can serve in the 21st century, meeting all the basic requirements for air defense systems today. In terms of operational reliability, combat efficiency and noise immunity, the complex can compete with some modern models. At the same time, the operational life of the air defense system is extended by 15 years, and all modernization work can be performed directly on the territory of the customer country, which is one of the competitive advantages. According to the company "Tetraedr", the range of destruction of air targets was increased to 35.4 km (that is, almost twice as compared to the Soviet complex), and the maximum height of targets hit increased to 25 km (an increase of 7 km). At the same time, the anti-aircraft guided missile of the Pechora-2TM complex was able to effectively hit air targets flying at speeds up to 900 m / s (versus 700 m / s for the Soviet counterpart).
SAM "Kvadrat-MA"
The Belarusian modernization of the old Soviet short-range air defense system "Cube" (Square) involves almost complete replacement of the entire filling of the complex with modern digital equipment and a new component base with minimal use of old blocks and units of the complex. As noted in the "ALEVKURP" company, in fact, during the modernization work, only the mechanical parts of the drive systems, the original parts of the housing of the antenna columns, antenna-waveguide systems and the terminal blocks of the transmitters remain from the old "Square". At the same time, the Belarusian manufacturer is replacing all the equipment for processing and controlling the radar. The modernization affects the reconnaissance and target designation system of the complex, the guidance station, the modernization of the launcher itself with the transition from the tracked chassis to the wheeled chassis of Belarusian production - MZKT-692230 with a 6x6 wheel arrangement, while the transport-loading vehicle and the self-propelled reconnaissance and guidance unit are also being modernized. The official website of the unitary enterprise OJSC ALEVKURP does not provide any tactical and technical characteristics of the modernized complex "Kvadrat-MA".
Self-propelled launcher SAM "Kvadrat-MA" on the chassis MZKT-692230
Self-propelled reconnaissance and guidance air defense system "Kvadrat-MA" on the chassis MZKT-692230
