News on the export of Russian arms in March 2017 is mainly related to the supply of various helicopter equipment. Therefore, the main newsmaker of the month was the Russian Helicopters company, which is part of the state corporation Rostec. In particular, it was reported that 30 Indian Mi-17-1V helicopters would be repaired in Novosibirsk by mid-2018; this year the first deliveries of Ka-52 combat helicopters to foreign customers (Egypt) will begin; Belarus will receive 6 Mi-8MTV5 helicopters ahead of schedule; and Iran is interested in a joint venture that would assemble light Ka-226 or Ansat helicopters.
In 2017, the Arsenyev Aviation Company Progress of the Russian Helicopters holding will for the first time begin to export the Ka-52 Alligator combat reconnaissance and attack helicopters. Combat helicopters are planned to be transferred, in particular, to Egypt. Earlier, back in December 2015, Alexander Mikheev, who then headed the Russian Helicopters holding, spoke about the upcoming deliveries of 46 Ka-52 helicopters to Egypt. The implementation of this contract will begin this year. It should be noted that earlier the Ka-52 helicopter was also tested in Algeria. It should be noted that this African country has long been actively purchasing products of the Russian military-industrial complex.
Also in March, information appeared that India was ready, in accordance with a previously concluded contract, to repair 30 of its Mi-17-1V helicopters at the Novosibirsk Aircraft Repair Plant (NARP). The Indian delegation arrived at the plant with an inspection at the end of February and was pleased with what they saw. Currently, the enterprise is repairing the first batch of Indian helicopters (5 vehicles), they will be handed over to the Indian side in the summer of 2017. In total, the repair was divided into 6 batches of 5 vehicles, the last repaired helicopters will be handed over to the Indian military by mid-2018.
Russia and Iran plan to organize a joint venture to produce light helicopters
At the end of March 2017, information appeared that the Russian Helicopters holding, the Rostec state corporation and the Iranian Industrial Development and Reconstruction Organization (IRDO) announced cooperation in the field of potential creation in Iran of a joint venture focused on the assembly of light Russian helicopters. production. According to Rostec, the memorandum of understanding was signed by Andrey Boginsky, General Director of the Russian Helicopters holding, and Mansur Moazami, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Iranian Industrial Development and Reconstruction Organization. The document signed by the parties is aimed at developing cooperation between the two countries within the framework of the program to modernize the helicopter fleet of the Islamic Republic of Iran. In addition, the Russian Helicopters holding intends to use the potential of cooperation with IDRO to develop its presence in the Middle East region as a whole.
According to Andrei Boginsky, Russia notes Iran's high need for light helicopters, including for their operation by various civilian departments of the country. The joint Russian-Iranian venture is supposed to assemble light Ka-226 or Ansat helicopters. Currently, negotiations on this issue are ongoing. The memorandum signed at the end of March assumes that a full cooperation agreement will be concluded between the parties in the very near future.
It is worth noting that two ship-based Ka-226T helicopters were recently tested in Kumertau. It is reported that the helicopters are made in "sea performance". It assumes the presence of folding rotor blades during parking, and all the components and assemblies of the helicopter are specially adapted to work in a rather aggressive marine environment. This light helicopter is distinguished by excellent controllability and maneuverability, has a high power-to-weight ratio and is unpretentious in operation. The helicopter is capable of solving a wide range of tactical tasks. All this contributes to the great demand for this model both in Russia and abroad.
More than 50 Russian-made helicopters are registered in Iran today. The Mi-17 remains the most demanded here. At the same time, almost the entire line of helicopters of this type is actively operated in Iran: these are the Mi-17, and the Mi-171, and the Mi-171E, and the Mi-17V-5, as well as the Mi-8MTV. These middle-class helicopters are used in Iran to fight organized crime and protect law and order. As in other states of the Middle East region, domestic helicopters have established themselves primarily as excellent, reliable and unpretentious equipment in operation, which allows solving problems in high mountains and high air temperatures.
Belarus will receive the second batch of Mi-8MTV-5 helicopters ahead of schedule
The Russian Helicopters holding within the framework of the contract concluded with the Ministry of Defense of Belarus for the supply of 12 Mi-8MTV-5 helicopters will deliver the second batch of 6 aircraft to the Belarusian military ahead of schedule. Initially, the delivery of 6 helicopters of the second batch was planned for May 2017, but the Kazan Helicopter Plant is ready to transfer the machines to the Belarusian military in April this year, the press service of the Russian Helicopters holding reported on March 22.
The report says that the delegation of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Belarus, headed by Deputy Defense Minister Igor Lotenkov, visited the Kazan Helicopter Plant. The official visit of the Belarusian military to the Russian enterprise was associated with the completion of the contract for the supply of 12 Mi-8MTV-5 helicopters. During their visit to the enterprise, representatives of the Belarusian delegation, accompanied by Andrey Boginsky, general director of the Russian Helicopters holding and the management of the Kazan Helicopter Plant, got acquainted with the progress of the work performed on the delivery of the second batch of Mi-8MTV-5 multipurpose military transport helicopters to Belarus. According to Andrei Boginsky, Belarus has always been and will be an important strategic partner for Russia.
During their visit to Kazan, the Belarusian military visited the workbench and slipway assembly of fuselages and units for the Mi-8/17, Mi-38 and Ansat helicopters. They also examined the large series section in the final assembly shop, where the Mi-17V-5 and Mi-8MTV-1 multipurpose helicopters were presented, as well as the small series section where the Ansat light multipurpose twin-engine helicopters are assembled today. The Belarusian delegation has shown a genuine interest in these new Russian light multipurpose helicopters. At the end of the visit, the delegation of the Belarusian military handed the management of the Kazan Helicopter Plant a gratitude for their high professionalism, creative initiative, as well as the provision of comprehensive assistance in the development of the new Russian Mi-8MTV-5 multipurpose helicopter by the flight personnel of the Air Force and Air Defense Forces of the Republic of Belarus.
The Mi-17V5 helicopter reaches Kenya
Russian Helicopters holding delivered a multipurpose Mi-17V-5 helicopter to Kenya. According to the press service of the Rostec state corporation, the helicopter will be used for the needs of the national police of this African republic. The ceremonial handover of the new helicopter to the Kenyan police took place in the capital city of Nairobi in the presence of the Minister of the Interior of Kenya. In addition to the delivery of the helicopter in accordance with the terms of the concluded contract, the Russian side also trained the customer's specialists.
According to Alexander Shcherbinin, Deputy General Director for Marketing and Business Development of the Russian Helicopters holding, this is the first helicopter of this type delivered to Kenya. At the same time, the total fleet of Soviet / Russian-made helicopters in African countries currently exceeds 700 units, it needs constant updating. Domestic helicopters have proven themselves excellently when performing a very wide range of tasks in Africa. Therefore, the Russian company hopes for further fruitful cooperation.
Traditionally, African states are among the largest operators of Russian helicopters. “High flight performance, the ability to operate in a wide range of conditions and temperatures, reliability, versatility, as well as ease of maintenance and operation make domestic helicopters one of the best offers for the African market,” the holding said. Currently, the multi-purpose helicopters of the Mi-8/17 family offered to African customers are intended mainly for use in the field of civil aviation - the transportation of passengers and cargo, as well as VIPs, such helicopters are in demand by the law enforcement agencies of African countries.
Techmash donated equipment to India and trained specialists to organize the production of Mango tank ammunition
The Tekhmash concern, which is part of the Rostec state corporation, has entered the final stage of transferring a license for the serial production of tank rounds with an armor-piercing sub-caliber projectile intended for T-90S tanks. The contract for the transfer of a license to India for the production of Mango sub-caliber projectiles was signed by Rosoboronexport back in 2014, the press service of the Techmash concern reported on March 16.
According to Sergei Rusakov, general director of the Tekhmash concern, this is a particularly significant project for the company to transfer licenses for the production of its ammunition to other countries. Currently, Techmash has produced and delivered to India the bulk of the equipment for the production of sub-caliber projectiles, and also completed a training program for Indian partners. Now the specialists of the Russian concern, together with their Indian colleagues, are engaged in the installation and adjustment of production lines directly on the spot. The head of the Tekhmash Concern also stressed that “a tank shot with an armor-piercing sub-caliber projectile is one of the most high-tech types of ammunition that is in demand in other states today. Today the concern is supplying these shots to several foreign customers."
It is worth noting that India is the main operator of T-90S tanks, as of 2017 there are about 950 main battle tanks of this model in the country, respectively, they need a large amount of ammunition. Therefore, the concluded agreement on licensing and transferring the line for the production of tank sub-caliber projectiles "Mango" seems to be a completely logical decision of the Indian military.
In March, the first photographs of the MiG-29M2 appeared in the livery of the Egyptian Air Force
According to the Algerian resource MenaDefense, on March 31, 2017, the first sample of the MiG-29M2 multipurpose fighter (tail number 811), which was built by an Egyptian order, was seen. The photo of the fighter was taken in Zhukovsky on the territory of the Gromov Flight Research Institute. It is assumed that Egypt will receive the first fighter of this model in the second quarter of this year.
The first MiG-29M2 fighter manufactured for the Egyptian Air Force (tail number "811"), 2017-31-03 (c) Dmitry Terekhov / MenaDefense
According to a specialized military blog bmpd, for the first time in open sources information about the agreement of a contract for the supply of 46 MiG-29M / M2 multipurpose fighters to the Egyptian Air Force appeared in May 2015. In particular, Alexei Nikolsky wrote about this in an article in the Vedomosti newspaper. On February 5, 2016, the RIA Novosti agency reported that Rosoboronexport in April 2015 entered into a contract with one of the North African countries (Egypt) for the supply of more than 50 new MiG-29M / M2 fighters (single and double options). Aleksey Beskibalov, deputy general director of Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG, spoke about this. At the same time, it was said that the first two fighters could be handed over to a foreign customer by the end of 2016, and it is planned to fully fulfill the contract by 2020. Considering the size of this contract, its value was also determined - more than two billion US dollars.
The MiG-29M / M2 are multipurpose fighters of the 4 ++ generation with an increased combat load, increased flight range and an expanded range of onboard weapons used. The fighters are part of a new unified family of combat aircraft, which was created on the basis of the MiG-29K / KUB naval fighters.
The Mexican Federal Protection Service rented an armored car "Highlander-M"
According to the Mexican media, the country's Federal Protection Service (SFP - Servicio de Protección Federal) has leased a special Russian-made Highlander-M armored car for trial operation for a period of one year. This armored vehicle is produced by the Moscow-based OKB Tekhnika LLC at the Institute of Special Technics. The vehicle is based on the KamAZ-43502 chassis with a 4x4 wheel arrangement. The Mexican SFP Service is subordinate to the National Security Commission (CNS - Comisión Nacional de Seguridad) of the Mexican Ministry of Internal Affairs. She is responsible for the protection of courts and government agencies, the transport of important prisoners and valuable goods, performs the functions of bailiffs, etc., and is also involved in the fight against organized crime in highly criminalized areas of Mexico.
Special armored vehicle "Highlander-M" in operation of the Mexican Federal Protection Service (SFP) (c) Agencia Reforma
It is reported that in Mexico the Russian armored car will be used under the designation Mamut ("Mammoth"). It is planned to be used to transport especially dangerous and important prisoners. Also, as part of the lease, an assessment will be made of the use of this armored car as a patrol in the zone of armed conflicts. According to the bmpd blog, in 2016, the Angolan border service has already acquired a batch of Highlander-M armored vehicles.
For the first time, this armored car was presented within the framework of the Army-2015 forum. The weight of the "Highlander-M" is about 12 tons. The armored vehicle is equipped with a 250 hp engine, which allows it to reach speeds of up to 100 km / h, while the cruising range on the highway is up to 1250 km. According to Alexander Savostyanov, chief designer of the Institute of Special Equipment, Gorets-M is an all-terrain vehicle, armored in class 6a, its armor is able to withstand being hit by 7.62 mm bullets with a red-hot core.
