July 2018 brought new contracts to the Russian defense industry. For example, there was information about the conclusion of a contract between Russia and Qatar on the supply of ATGM "Kornet-E", grenade launchers and small arms. India is close to buying 48 Mi-17V-5 multipurpose helicopters, and Laos has received the first batch of refurbished Mi-17s. Also in July, Rosoboronexport announced the launch of unique naval equipment on the international market, including torpedoes, sea bottom and shelf mines, and divers' delivery vehicles.
Qatar acquired Russian ATGM "Kornet-E"
Russian Ambassador to Qatar Nurmakhmad Kholov, in an interview published by TASS on July 21, 2018, said that the Russian Federation and Qatar signed contracts for the supply of small arms, grenade launchers and anti-tank missile systems (ATGM) Kornet- NS . The ambassador noted that in October 2017, our countries signed an agreement on military-technical cooperation, after which work was initiated to fill this agreement with specific orders. So far, Qatar is limited to the purchase of traditional weapons.
The ambassador also commented on the information about Qatar's interest in Russian air defense systems, in particular the S-400 Triumph complex. According to him, the possibility of buying this system is being discussed, but so far there is no further talk, there is no specifics on this deal. The deal has not acquired any specific outlines, but the ambassador does not rule out that it may be completed in the future. At the same time, Saudi Arabia is categorically against the possible purchase of the S-400 by Qatar.
The Kornet-E ATGM is an export version of the anti-tank missile system developed by the Tula Instrument Design Bureau. This complex is in stable demand in the international arms market. The complex is designed to destroy tanks and other armored targets, including those with modern reactive armor. ATGM "Kornet" allows you to hit targets at a distance of up to 5500 meters in the daytime and up to 3500 meters at night (maximum firing range). Among the operators of the complex are such countries as Armenia, Greece, India, Syria, Turkey and others.
India is close to buying 48 Mi-17V-5 multipurpose helicopters
According to the authoritative American weekly magazine Jane, the Indian Ministry of Defense is currently at the final stage of negotiations with Russian partners on the supply of additional 48 Mi-17V-5 multipurpose helicopters to the country in the amount of about $ 1.1 billion. Of these, 38 helicopters will have to receive the Indian Air Force, the remaining 10 will be transferred to the country's Interior Ministry. According to official Indian sources, the contract for the purchase of 48 Russian helicopters is likely to be signed during the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to India. The visit is scheduled for early October 2018, it will take place within the framework of the annual bilateral summit of the leaders of the two states.
Jane's Defense Weekly writes that the Indian Ministry of Defense approved the purchase of an additional 48 Russian-made Mi-17V-5 helicopters in September 2015, but since then negotiations on this issue have continued, the lengthy negotiations are associated with the discussion of the cost of this transaction. The proposed contract is also slated to include Russian offset obligations as required by India. Specifically, Delhi wants all suppliers to invest 30 percent of the total contract value of all military purchases, worth more than Rs 20 billion (about $ 290 million), in the Indian defense and aircraft sector.
It should be noted that India is a major operator of Russian Mi-17 helicopters. Under two contracts with a total value of $ 2.87 billion, the country in the period from 2008 to 2016 received 151 Mi-171V-5 helicopters produced by JSC Kazan Helicopter Plant (part of JSC Russian Helicopters). 139 Mi-17V-5 helicopters went to the armed forces, and the remaining 12 were transferred to the Indian police, border guards and other paramilitaries.
Despite the fact that US opposition to the implementation of the CAATSA sanctions legislation against Russia could potentially negatively affect the new defense contract between Russia and India, senior Indian officials are confident that their country will be able to bypass this embargo. On September 6, 2018, the foreign ministers of the United States and India are scheduled to meet in New York. Within the framework of this meeting, among other topics, the issue of CAATSA implementation and potential exceptions for Delhi could be considered.
Russian Helicopters delivered a batch of repaired Mi-17s to Laos
The Russian Helicopters holding has completed the first service contract in the interests of the Lao Defense Ministry. As part of the ceremony, a foreign customer was handed over a batch of four Mi-17 multipurpose helicopters, which were repaired by an on-site team of employees of one of the holding's enterprises. The helicopter handover ceremony took place at the Vientiane air base. The Mi-17s repaired by Russian specialists were examined by the Chief of the General Staff and the Deputy Minister of Defense of Laos. At the same time, as part of the solemn event, the crew of the Lao Air Force performed a demonstration flight on the repaired aircraft, the press service of Russian Helicopters reported.
The general director of the holding, Andrey Boginsky, noted that Russian Helicopters are always ready to offer the most comfortable conditions for their customers, both in terms of the supply of various helicopters and in the provision of high-quality after-sales services for helicopters. According to him, the holding has already prepared a proposal for the repair of another batch of Lao Mi-17 helicopters, and a decision on this deal may be made in the near future.
It should be noted that the Laos aviation fleet already includes more than 20 military and civilian helicopters, which are produced by the enterprises of JSC Russian Helicopters. In addition to the Mi-8/17 multipurpose helicopters, the Ka-32T medium multipurpose helicopters are also actively operated in Laos. At the end of the events related to the transfer of four repaired Mi-17s, the parties discussed the issue of supplying new helicopters to Laos and the continuation of cooperation in the framework of servicing the already delivered helicopters.
Rosoboronexport introduces unique naval equipment to the international market
The Rosoboronexport company, which is part of the state corporation Rostec, together with the Marine Underwater Weapons - Gidropribor Concern, begins work as part of a program to promote Russian naval technology and special equipment on the international market. “The wide range of tasks solved by the navies of different countries determines the need to equip them with a variety of naval equipment, as well as special equipment. Currently, there are 225 Russian-built ships in the naval forces of different countries. Of these, more than 100 ships and submarines are carriers of naval underwater weapons. Rosoboronexport is ready to offer its partners unique solutions that will help modernize the armament of these vessels,”said Alexander Mikheev, who is the CEO of Rosoboronexport.
Among the products offered are MDM-1 and MDM-2 sea bottom mines, which are designed to destroy submarine and surface ships both underwater and on the surface when using these mines as part of minefields. The proposed MDM-3 mine is also capable of hitting surface ships of even small displacement, including enemy landing craft, this mine can be used as part of defensive minefields. The designated naval mines are equipped with fuses, which, in combination with the use of urgency and multiplicity devices and the logic of operation of anti-sweep devices, provide effective protection against being exhausted using modern non-contact trawls and natural interference.
Separately, it is possible to single out the sea shelf mine MShM Shelf, which has no analogues in the world. This mine can be installed on board surface and submarine ships, as well as from aircraft carriers. The mine is equipped with hydroacoustic passive-active detection and target designation equipment, which allows detecting any enemy surface and submarine ships, regardless of their speed and noise level. MShM Shelf is also protected from triggering when using non-contact trawls and natural interference. Due to the unique Shelf device, the target is very difficult to evade and use various countermeasures.
As noted in Rosoboronexport, naval mines are not rigidly tied to any specific project of a warship. States whose naval doctrine provides for the laying of minefields are showing interest in their purchase; interest in such products from the countries of Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa is predicted.
In the segment of self-defense means of ships against underwater weapons and anti-mine weapons, the Russian company is ready to offer customers hydroacoustic stations - SJSC Mayak-2014, small self-propelled anti-torpedo protection devices, self-propelled hydroacoustic countermeasures MG-74ME, as well as the deep-water contact trawl GKT-3M and broadband acoustic trawl SHAT-U. Numerous configuration options for the GKT-3M trawl make it possible to use it in a single helicopter, shipborne, twin net and bottom versions.
In addition, Rosoboronexport considers modern divers' delivery vehicles to be promising for promotion on the international market. These devices can be used from the world's most popular Russian submarines of projects 877 and 636, as well as small submarines of the Piranha type.
India, Vietnam and Indonesia will not be affected by US sanctions
The key intrigue associated with US attempts to persuade other states to abandon military-technical cooperation with the Russian Federation may have been resolved for a long time. According to the newspaper "Kommersant", Democrats and Republicans in Congress have found a compromise solution with respect to the countries acquiring Russian weapons. Agreed on the night of Tuesday, July 24, the version of the law on appropriations for national defense for 2019 allows not to impose restrictive measures against three states acquiring Russian weapons and military technology - India, Indonesia and Vietnam. At the same time, for other partners of Russia, the Americans are not going to make any concessions, and it was decided to increase the pressure on Turkey preventively.
According to SIPRI (Stockholm Peace Research Institute), in 2013-2017, Washington's share in the world arms export market reached 34 percent, and Russia - 22 percent. The three most important buyers of Russian weapons and military equipment are India, China, Vietnam; the three main buyers of weapons and military equipment from the United States are Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Australia.
The American authorities were obliged to impose various restrictions on states acquiring weapons from Russia by the Act on Countering US Adversaries Through Sanctions (CAATSA), passed in 2017 at the initiative of Congress. At the same time, the administration of American President Trump for several months tried to defend the right to independently make decisions about who exactly to punish for deals with Russia and who not. Among the states, the punishment of which is considered counterproductive in Washington, the head of the Pentagon James Mattis has repeatedly named Vietnam, India and Indonesia. The American authorities themselves are trying to actively develop relations with these countries, including in the field of military-technical cooperation. Therefore, the White House seriously fears that sanctions against these countries could significantly undermine the whole process.
Ultimately, the Trump administration was able to reach some kind of compromise. The version of the National Defense Appropriations Act for 2019, agreed by the relevant committees of the House of Representatives and the Senate on Tuesday night, allows not to impose any restrictions on the three states named above. At the same time, these restrictions will be temporary, they can be revised at any time, especially if these states do not begin to "reduce their dependence on the Russian military-industrial complex."
At the same time, the approved appropriation law, in fact, provides for the punishment of Turkey, which expects to acquire the Russian S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile systems. Earlier, representatives of Washington have already made it clear several times that the deal between Ankara and Moscow on the S-400 complexes jeopardizes the receipt by Turkey of the American fifth-generation F-35 fighter-bombers. In the latest draft of the defense budget, Congress codified these threats.
