In March 2018, there was no news that would relate to the concluded contracts or export deliveries of Russian weapons to various countries of the world. At the same time, news directly related to the export of Russian weapons was present. In particular, the amount of Russian arms exports in 2017 was officially announced. Also, details appeared on the possible production of T-90S / SK tanks in Egypt, and Rosoboronexport announced the promotion of a new Russian anti-aircraft missile system Viking (Buk-M3) on international markets.
The Kremlin named the volume of exports of Russian arms and military equipment in 2017
In early March, Russian President Vladimir Putin chaired the first in 2018 meeting of the Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation between the Russian Federation and Foreign States. Traditionally, at the beginning of the meeting, the results of the work for the previous year were summed up. Vladimir Putin noted that Russia still maintains a high brand, confirming its status as one of the leading supplying countries on the international arms market. According to him, the volume of foreign supplies of Russian-made arms and military equipment is growing for the third year in a row, in 2017 it amounted to more than $ 15 billion, according to the official website of the President of Russia.
The President stressed that the ability to work effectively even in the face of economic sabotage and political provocations underlines the strengths of the Russian system of military-technical cooperation (MTC), its stability and very great potential. This assessment belongs to the buyers themselves and potential purchasers of Russian arms and military equipment. At the same time, the geography of Russian military-technical cooperation is constantly expanding, and the number of our partners already exceeds 100 countries.
It was noted at the meeting that at the end of 2017, the volume of signed contracts almost doubled, exceeding $ 16 billion. Currently, the portfolio of orders for Russian weapons and military equipment is estimated at more than $ 45 billion. This means that the Russian military-industrial complex for several years ahead is provided with orders for the supply of various types of weapons and military equipment.
During the meeting, it was noted that the experience of modern wars and conflicts demonstrates to us that it is unacceptable to neglect the means of protecting people and protecting state sovereignty. Therefore, the Russian Federation will actively develop military-technical cooperation with all interested states, including in the most high-tech segments for those types of weapons - air defense systems, aviation equipment, the Ground Forces, the Navy - which have shown exceptional efficiency during military operations. in Syria.
New details on the assembly of T-90S / SK tanks in Egypt have become known
According to the Algerian Internet resource menadefense.net, licensed assembly of Russian T-90S / SK tanks in Egypt should begin in the 4th quarter of 2019, after deliveries of vehicle kits begin from Russia. The supplies will be carried out by Uralvagonzavod Scientific and Production Corporation JSC. According to the Algerian publication, according to the agreement reached between Moscow and Cairo, Egypt will receive and assemble at its enterprises 400 main battle tanks T-90S / SK, of which 200 vehicles will be delivered in the form of ordinary vehicle kits (SKD), and another 200 in the form of kits SKD, which provide for welding and assembly of some elements (towers and hulls). The assembly program for Russian tanks in Egypt is designed for 2019-2026 with a planned rate of 50 combat vehicles per year.
As noted by the specialized blog bmpd, in the previously published annual report of Uralvagonzavod for 2016, the list of priority areas of the military-technical cooperation indicated “work on a project to create an enterprise for licensed assembly of T-90S / SK (SK - commander's version) tanks at the customer“818 "(Egypt)". Financial details of the deal with Egypt were not disclosed. At the same time, in 2018, Russia has already begun deliveries of T-90S / SK to Iraq, which ordered 73 tanks. The first part of 36 combat vehicles was handed over to the customer in February of this year, the rest of the tanks are planned to be delivered to Iraq by the end of April. In addition, Vietnam also bought similar tanks.
It is worth noting that since 1992 in Egypt at tank plant No. 200, located in Helwan, licensed assembly of American M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks from vehicle kits supplied directly from the United States as part of military assistance has been carried out, the tanks assembled here are in service with the Egyptian army … The plant itself was built back in 1984 as part of an agreement with General Dynamics. The construction cost was $ 150 million, and the work was also funded by American military aid to Cairo. In total, from 1992 to the present, the United States has already financed the supply of 1105 vehicle kits for M1A1 Abrams tanks to Egypt in addition to 25 ready-made Abrams delivered in the same 1992 year. At the same time, the first 75 car sets of the SKD level, the rest of the CKD level of varying degrees of localization. Earlier, Egypt planned to produce 1,300-1500 M1A1 tanks in the country, however, at present, the prospects for the production of these tanks at the Egyptian plant No. 200 do not look as certain as before, although the assembly of Abrams tanks here will apparently continue.
Rosoboronexport has started promoting the Viking air defense system to foreign markets
At the end of March, Rosoboronexport announced the start of the promotion of the newest Russian air defense system Viking (Buk-M3) to foreign markets. According to Sergei Ladygin, General Director of Rosoboronexport, the Viking anti-aircraft missile system is simply unmatched in the global arms market. “This complex has retained all the best qualities that were inherent in the Buk air defense missile system, it represents a new word in the development of medium-range air defense systems. The manufacturer endowed the new complex with a set of unique characteristics that meet modern requirements in the field of protecting infrastructure and troops from air strikes made by modern and promising air attack weapons, including in conditions of fire and electronic countermeasures from the enemy, said Sergei Ladygin.
According to Rostec, the highly mobile, multi-channel medium-range air defense system Viking is a further development of the world-famous line of air defense systems of the Cube - Buk series. Compared with the Buk-M2E air defense missile system, the firing range of the new complex has been increased by almost 1.5 times - up to 65 kilometers. In addition, the number of simultaneously fired targets was increased by 1.5 times - 6 air targets for each self-propelled firing unit (SPU). At the same time, the number of ready-to-launch anti-aircraft guided missiles in a firing position, consisting of two combat units, increased from 8 to 18.
“The Buk-M3 air defense system adopted by the Russian army and its export version called“Viking”demonstrated a very high level of combat effectiveness during exercises and operation. The Viking complex has the ability to defeat, with a very high degree of probability, not only aviation targets, attacking elements of high-precision weapons, but also tactical ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as land and sea targets, Ladygin emphasized. At the same time, the Viking anti-aircraft missile system received a number of unique features, previously they were not implemented in any air defense system.
For example, the Viking air defense system now has the ability to integrate a launcher from another Russian anti-aircraft missile system Antey-2500, which provides the ability to engage air targets at a distance of up to 130 kilometers. The command post of the new air defense system has the ability to interface not only with the standard radar, but also with other radar stations, including those of foreign production. In addition, the Viking air defense system provided for the possibility of autonomous use of firing units and even separate SDUs, which increases the total defended area and the number of objects covered from air strikes, and also allows foreign customers to minimize the cost of organizing a full-fledged air defense system.
Stuffing about Azerbaijan's dissatisfaction with the quality of Russian weapons
At the end of March, the Belarusian opposition newspaper "Belarusian Prada" (based in Poland) published a large piece by Yuri Baranevich entitled "Deliveries of Russian weapons to Azerbaijan cause discontent in Baku and indignation in Armenia." Regardless of the level of information submission and its reliability, it can be noted that for the Republic of Belarus (for quite official Minsk) such material would also be beneficial in the sense that Azerbaijan is traditionally a buyer of Belarusian weapons, including a potential buyer of the Polonez missile system. ", Which is positioned as a counterbalance to the Russian Iskander-E OTRK, which were previously supplied to Armenia. At present, Belarus is a fairly large player in the international arms market, selling military products for about $ 1 billion a year. The result for a country with a population less than the population of Moscow is more than worthy.
The above article said that Azerbaijan is dissatisfied with the quality and state of military-technical cooperation with Russia and is trying to find an alternative to such cooperation. It is reported that at the end of 2017, within the framework of a closed meeting of the Russian-Azerbaijani commission on military-technical cooperation, official Baku raised the issue of Moscow's fulfillment of its obligations to supply various military equipment within the framework of existing and already completed contracts. It is reported that during the commission, Baku made a fairly large number of claims.
First, Azerbaijan outlined its dissatisfaction with the fulfillment of the terms of contracts for the supply of BMP-3, BTR-82, T-90S, Msta-S self-propelled guns, Tor-M2 air defense systems, Smerch MLRS, and other types of weapons to the country. Russian production. It is noted that the main claims of Baku are related to the inconsistency of the supplied military equipment with the lists of technical equipment specified in the contracts, the lack of technical documentation for the equipment, the failure of some samples of military equipment due to an obvious factory defect, as well as the lack of components necessary for the current repair of the supplied equipment. to the land of technology.
Secondly, Baku complains about specific problems: missiles for the Smerch MLRS do not explode when fired, and ammunition for the BTR-82A machine guns does not reach the target at all; On Mi-35 helicopters, breakdowns of thermocouples are constantly noted, which prevent the engine from starting, the systems of automatic fire and firing of Shturm-V and Ataka-M missiles do not work properly, as well as malfunctions of the onboard equipment.
In addition, despite the fact that the Azerbaijani side categorically insists on eliminating all identified problems during the current year, Russia points out the impossibility of these requirements and proposes to ensure that the issue is resolved until 2021.
The above passages were officially denied by the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan, the website of the local news agency 1news.az reported. The Ministry of Defense of the country noted that the messages that appeared in the media do not correspond to reality and are provocative in nature. The Defense Ministry especially emphasized the fact that Azerbaijan pays special attention to the issue of acquiring various types of weapons and military equipment in certain manufacturing countries, choosing the best, highest quality and most effective military products that the Azerbaijani army needs to increase its combat potential.
At the request of 1news.az, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan noted: "New Russian-made weapons meet the increased requirements for modern weapons systems, and also significantly increase the fire and maneuverability of units, and especially those that perform combat missions on the front line of defense of our troops." …
