The existing portfolio of export orders for the supply of Russian military equipment abroad is approximately $ 47-50 billion. Dmitry Shugaev, Director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) of Russia, told reporters about this at the very end of August 2017. It should be noted that interest in Russian weapons and military equipment in the world is consistently high, as is the estimated value of the export portfolio.
The volume of the export portfolio of Russian arms has been at a high, good level for quite a long time. Summing up the country's arms exports in 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a meeting of the Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation (MTC), noted that in terms of arms supplies, Russia confidently ranks second in the world, second only to the United States in terms of this indicator. Russian military equipment is in steady demand on the market and is already supplied to 52 countries of the world. At the end of 2016, the export deliveries of Russian weapons exceeded $ 15 billion (against $ 14.5 billion in 2015). According to the president, the total volume of orders remains at the level of $ 50 billion, which was achieved, among other things, by signing new contracts worth about $ 9.5 billion in 2016.
Of the contracts that were concluded in 2016, one could single out an agreement with the PRC for the supply of AL-31F and D-30KP2 aircraft engines for a total amount of more than $ 1.2 billion. In general, 2016 was not remembered for the signing of especially large contracts. Russia mainly focused on the implementation of previously signed agreements, many of which were successfully closed, while our partners are generally satisfied with the implementation of contracts - both in terms of the pace of their implementation and in terms of claims. At the same time, 2017 promises to be more successful in terms of concluding new contracts, the success of the Russian military in Syria plays an important role in this, where more than 600 different types of Russian weapons, especially aviation equipment, have already been tested in combat conditions.
MiG-29M2 for the Egyptian Air Force
According to Shugaev, the trend observed today will continue in the future. He stressed that the order book is a very important concept, because it speaks about the obligations of our suppliers. He made this statement at a press conference that took place after the closing of the Army-2017 forum and was dedicated to the results of its work. Dmitry Shugaev noted that in the total volume of deliveries of Russian weapons there is a very large share of combat aviation, which accounts for about 50% of the total portfolio, respectively, about 30% falls on equipment intended for ground forces, about 20% on air defense systems and 6-7% to the naval forces.
At the same time, Russia hopes to bring its share of the world combat aircraft market to 27% in the coming years. The head of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation told about this to the Internet edition "Lenta.ru". He named the countries of Asia, North Africa and Latin America as the main promising markets for Russia in this area. Today, among the largest customers of Russian military aircraft are India (the contract for the supply of MiG-29K fighters for the fleet has ended, the MiG-29 for the Air Force is being modernized, and participation in the assembly of the Su-30MKI is being carried out), China (the supply of the latest Su-35SK fighters), Algeria (delivery of a batch of Su-30MKI (A) fighters under a new contract and Mi-28NE attack helicopters), Egypt (purchased 46 MiG-29M fighters and about 50 Ka-52 reconnaissance and attack helicopters, both in land and sea versions for helicopter carriers "Mistral"), Iraq (supply of attack helicopters Mi-28NE). In addition, domestic multipurpose helicopters of the Mi-8/17 family are in great demand on the international market. Buys Russian military equipment and Kazakhstan. As part of the Army-2017 forum, this state signed a framework contract for the supply of 12 Su-30SM multipurpose fighters. Russia plans to transfer the new aircraft to the buyer within three years from the date of the first delivery.
Today Russia supplies abroad "the entire palette of fighters", which are widely known on the international market. These are modernized MiG-29 fighters and two-seat multipurpose Su-30 and the latest Su-35 and MiG-35, Yak-130 combat training aircraft, Mi-28, Ka-52, Mi-35 combat helicopters and multipurpose Mi-17. In terms of air defense technology, foreign customers show the greatest interest in the S-400 Triumph system and the Buk, Tor complexes, Igla MANPADS, and Russian armored vehicles are also in demand, for example, various versions of the T-90 main battle tank, and also means of electronic warfare, noted Dmitry Shugaev.
Launchers SAM S-400 "Triumph"
It should be noted that the share of aviation technology in the total volume of Russian arms exports has remained stably high over the past several years. According to Alexander Mikheev, General Director of Rosoboronexport, this figure has averaged about 40% over the past 5 years. Over the same 5 years, the average annual volume of exports of Russian-made military products exceeded $ 15 billion, Mikheev spoke about this on June 15, 2017.
Today, the Russian military-industrial complex is witnessing a growing demand for the S-400 Triumph air defense system, which is rightly considered the best in the world at the moment. According to some reports, requests from 10 states interested in purchasing this complex are currently being processed. One of the most notorious contracts of recent times was the contract for the supply of S-400 air defense systems to Turkey. According to Vladimir Kozhin, aide to the President of Russia for military-technical cooperation, the contract with Turkey has already been signed and is being prepared for implementation. He especially noted the fact that the S-400 complex is one of the most complex systems, which consists of a huge set of technical means, therefore there are a large number of nuances in the supply of the complex. He also guaranteed that all decisions made under the contract with Turkey are in line with Russia's strategic interests.
According to Kozhin, there is a real queue for the S-400 systems today. The countries of Southeast Asia, the Middle East, as well as some of our allies, members of the CSTO, are showing a substantial interest in this air defense complex, there are a huge number of applications for it. It should be understood that the "Triumph" is a very expensive military equipment, so not all countries of the world can afford to buy it. Currently available contracts for this system have fully loaded the industrial enterprises that are engaged in its production.
Launch of the Kalibr cruise missile from a Russian submarine, photo: Russian Ministry of Defense
Today, Russian government committees work in parallel with the UAE, Bahrain, Jordan, Morocco, Algeria, Iraq, Egypt, Lebanon and other states. So in Iran, Russian experts are engaged in the maintenance of equipment designed for the needs of air defense, which was sold to the country earlier. It is assumed that in the future an agreement may be reached between Russia and Iran on the supply of the S-400 Triumph system. At the same time, the Russian military-industrial complex seeks to regulate the after-sale service of sold military equipment and overcome barriers to such service by opening new service centers abroad. For example, such organizations for servicing helicopters have already appeared in Peru and Brazil, which only indicates that our country is interested in maintaining and strengthening its positions in the field of international military-technical cooperation.
Recently, the development of the navy has slowed down due to its labor-intensive and expensive production, but in the future, experts predict an increase in demand for domestic submarines, corvettes and other warships. So Vladimir Kozhin, in an interview with TASS, noted that Russia's revenues from the sale of naval equipment by 2025 could grow to $ 40 billion. According to him, negotiations are currently underway in this area with Russia's traditional partners: China, India, Indonesia, Thailand and a number of other African states. Today, the Russian Federation offers a full range of warships and weapons designed to guard state borders, combat piracy and poaching. Today, foreign customers are especially actively interested in the Russian Kalibr missile system, Kozhin emphasizes. Foreign experts are closely monitoring the use of this weapon against various targets of terrorists in Syria, which contributes to the rapid growth of orders for it.
Also, more than fifty applications for the sale of Russian-made unmanned systems are currently being considered. Of course, in this market, Russia is still seriously ahead of the United States and Israel, and drones occupy no more than 2-3 percent of the Russian order book. But new developments are being prepared for serial production, plus Moscow and Jerusalem are negotiating the joint creation of new unmanned aerial vehicles. Therefore, in the future, the share of robotic technology in Russian arms exports will have to increase.
