On March 9, at the central office of the Interfax news agency in Moscow, a press conference was held by FSUE Rosoboronexport Director General Anatoly Isaykin, where he answered a number of topical issues of Russia's military-technical cooperation with foreign states.
Aircraft are needed and will be built
The production of the An-148, including the military transport version, will not stop, despite the crash of this type of aircraft in the Belgorod region, Anatoly Isaikin said. “I propose to wait for the official conclusion of the commission that is conducting the investigation. There may be many reasons, and it is better not to guess on this topic,”he said.
"The plane itself is in demand, and many countries are interested in this particular model, therefore, after the completion of the investigation and the conclusion of the commission, in any case, this cooperation will continue," the head of Rosoboronexport stressed.
Voronezh Aircraft Manufacturing Plant has been producing An-148 aircraft together with the Ukrainian Aviation Scientific and Technical Complex O. K. Antonova since 2008. This year, it is planned to build nine An-148s, and since 2013, 24 such aircraft will be produced annually.
Nearly four dozen billion
Talking about the results of the work of Rosoboronexport, Anatoly Isaikin said: “In 2010, more than 1,300 contract documents were concluded with foreign customers. We have submitted 790 commercial offers. All this made it possible to form an export portfolio of orders, which at the beginning of 2011 amounted to $ 38.5 billion”.
If not for the civil war …
Anatoly Isaikin commented on the sum of Russia's financial losses from weapons not supplied to Libya ($ 4 billion) previously named by the head of Russian Technologies Sergei Chemezov: "I think that Sergei Viktorovich was referring to the lost profit for several years ahead." According to the general director of FSUE Rosoboronexport, "these are topics that are under negotiation, and not only on the signed contracts, those prospects that could result in real contracts." He noted that "most likely, such a figure could have formed for years to come, if we had agreed on all positions with Libya."
We will stand behind the price
Anatoly Isaikin said that Russia and France have begun detailed negotiations on the acquisition of Mistral helicopter carriers. “Negotiations are underway. They began officially only in December last year, when a state contract between Rosoboronexport and the Ministry of Defense was signed,”said the general director of the FSUE. He stated that the price parameters of the deal are being discussed.
“I would not say that these are difficulties. This is a normal process. Such big deals are never closed over several months. There are hundreds of parameters. Moreover, for many, the legislation may not coincide, the financial support of these contracts may not coincide. All this needs to be discussed. Find a compromise. Go towards each other. Such work is now being carried out with the French side, Isaikin explained.
“Naturally, the price is carefully reconciled. Any buyer is interested in knowing the price structure in order to determine whether the people's money is invested there,”the head of Rosoboronexport said. According to him, there is a long process of reconciling each item, including the price issue.
Import at the request of the customer
Anatoly Isaikin does not think that one can speak of a sharp increase in the export of components for the Russian "defense industry", since the last few years for their purchase abroad has been spent "in the range of one hundred million dollars."
Answering the question how the ratio of Russian arms exports and imports is changing, he said: "I would not say that there is a sharp increase in purchases." At the same time, the ratio between arms exports and imports could change dramatically if helicopter carriers are acquired in France. “If Mistral is purchased, the amounts will be completely different,” Isaikin said.
According to him, mainly imported components are purchased at the request of customers of Russian weapons, in particular, some avionics elements for exported aircraft and helicopters, thermal imagers for aircraft and armored vehicles. “These components are purchased not because they are not produced in Russia, but because they are ordered by the customer,” Isaikin said.
Perhaps a matter of the near future
FSUE Rosoboronexport is negotiating with the US military department on the supply of Russian helicopters to Afghanistan and Iraq, Anatoly Isaikin said. “Here, I would say, we are at the discussion stage. There are no contracts yet, but nevertheless there is a desire to purchase helicopters,”he said.
The negotiations, he said, turned into a practical channel. Representatives of FSUE Rosoboronexport are negotiating the terms of the contract with the US Department of Defense. “While these negotiations are continuing,” Isaikin added, stressing that the supply of helicopters to Afghanistan is one of the areas that can be implemented in the near future.
He also said that Russia is conducting military-technical cooperation with a number of NATO countries, for example, it is participating in tenders for the supply of military equipment to Greece and Turkey. In addition, enterprises of the military-industrial complex are being created on the territory of Russia together with France. “We are ready both to consider purchases of certain weapons from the NATO bloc countries, and to supply military products to these countries if they are in demand,” Isaikin said.
Ready to fight
Anatoly Isaikin said that Russia may take part in a new Brazilian tender, which provides for the purchase of 36 multifunctional fighters for the Latin American country's air force.
“The tender has indeed been suspended. We are waiting for it to be announced again. We are waiting to see if there will be new additional conditions. Most likely no. But, naturally, we would like to continue participating in this tender. And naturally, we have additional proposals ready,”said the general director of Rosoboronexport. He clarified that these proposals relate primarily to the "offset program, which includes the transfer of technology," and were developed jointly with the Sukhoi company.
At the same time, Isaikin noted that the suspension of the tender, the postponement of the consideration of the terms of the tender is not such a rare thing. And at the same time he lamented: "But sometimes the organizers of the tender set such conditions for participation in it that none of the participants can fully satisfy them one hundred percent."
Earlier it was reported that Brazil does not exclude the possibility of resuming the participation of the Russian Su-35 in the FX2 tender. Initially, in addition to our aircraft, the French Rafale 3 (Dassault concern), the American F / A-18E / F Block II (Boeing company) and the Swedish light fighter Gripen NG (SAAB Corporation ). The tender envisaged at the first stage (until 2015) the purchase of 36 multifunctional fighters, at the second (until 2024) - the joint assembly of another 84 machines in Brazil. Thus, the total number of aircraft was supposed to be 120 units.
According to foreign media reports, the Russian Su-35 was not included in the so-called short list of the tender. Rosoboronexport nevertheless notes that the Su-35 has a number of undeniable advantages over other participants in the competition and meets the needs of Brazil to the greatest extent. The Su-35, in particular, is the fastest (2,400 kilometers per hour at an altitude of 11 kilometers), it has a higher thrust-to-weight ratio, it is almost twice the range of French and Swedish aircraft (3,600 kilometers without outboard tanks). The "Gripen NG" has only one engine, that is, less combat survivability and reliability. F / A-18 is inferior to the Russian car in altitude.
The Su-35 is a multipurpose super-maneuverable 4 ++ generation fighter. It uses technologies of the fifth generation (in particular, reducing radar signature), providing superiority over aircraft of a similar class. This is a brand new car. It is designed to destroy air targets (in free space and against the background of the earth), as well as ground and surface targets using guided and unguided air weapons.
The fighter received an improved airframe, which made it possible to achieve a significant increase in the aircraft's resource - up to 6000 hours or 30 years of operation. It is equipped with an in-flight refueling system and can be used to refuel similar aircraft.
Our partner is China
In the total volume of Russian arms sales abroad, China is far from the last place, said Anatoly Isaikin.
“For the past three years, our numbers have been approximately the same: China has purchased from Russia from 5 to 10 percent of the total volume of arms sold,” said the head of Rosoboronexport. According to him, negotiations are underway to increase the supply of weapons to the PRC, which should increase the share of this country in the total sales of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise. “A number of contracts are still under negotiation,” Isaikin added.
He also noted that the Russian Federation does not purchase military products from the PRC. “China is not supplying us with anything yet,” the general director emphasized.
At the same time, Isaikin is convinced that the potential of the Russian-Chinese military-technical cooperation has not been exhausted: “The last meeting of the intergovernmental commission on military-technical cooperation showed that there are promising directions. It's just that the very form of interaction in the area of military-technical cooperation with the People's Republic of China is changing."
Anatoly Isaikin said that more topics began to appear on the conduct of experimental design and research work. In addition, there are types of finished products that China continues to buy from us. “These are primarily aircraft engines, a number of other products,” said the CEO. He noted that the PRC is still showing interest in purchasing finished products and there is a good prospect here.
So far only one small contract
FSUE Rosoboronexport is awaiting a response from Saudi Arabia to the proposal for the supply of Russian military equipment, Anatoly Isaikin said. “There was only one small contract for several tens of millions of dollars. The rest are under discussion,”he said.
“We have submitted our commercial proposals for the types of weapons that Saudi Arabia would like to buy from us, and now we are waiting for a response,” the Director General said. According to him, the kingdom, like other states that have been buying American weapons for a long time, has been evaluating the capabilities of this or that technology for a very long time. "The final answer has not yet come," Isaikin emphasized.
Planned nothing
The head of Rosoboronexport said that US Vice President Joseph Biden was not preparing to conclude any agreements between Russia and the United States in the field of military-technical cooperation for the trip to Moscow.
"During the visits of officials, it is very rarely planned to sign any contracts in the area of military-technical cooperation," explained Anatoly Isaikin.“We have no specific plans to prepare any document by this date. The usual routine work is going on,”said the CEO.
Since there are no sanctions, cooperation continues
Rosoboronexport does not intend to curtail military-technical cooperation with the Arab Republic of Egypt, Anatoly Isaykin said.
“We have no reason to freeze any relations with Egypt, where, as a result of the unrest, the government of Hosni Mubarak was removed from power,” the head of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise emphasized, noting that no sanctions are in force against Egypt.
“There really was a change of government in this country, but if we suspended military-technical cooperation with all countries that found themselves in such a situation, such cooperation would stop,” Isaikin said. According to him, contacts and cooperation continue with those states against which UN sanctions do not apply. “We continue to fulfill our obligations to them,” the head of Rosoboronexport assured.
On the personal initiative of the King of Jordan
The contract for the supply of the RPG-32 "Hashim" grenade launcher to Jordan will be completed on time, said Anatoly Isaykin. Commenting on the state of this contract, the general director of Rosoboronexport said that it was in an "advanced state."
Earlier it was reported that the RPG-32 "Hashim" is a joint Russian-Jordanian development and is intended for arming primarily the Jordanian army. It was created by GNPP "Basalt" in the interests of a foreign customer - on the personal initiative of King Abdullah II of Jordan.
RPG-32 is the world's first multi-caliber grenade launcher, firing 105-mm and 72-mm grenades (firing range - up to 700 meters). Thus, based on a specific combat mission, it can be used in the most optimal way.
"Hashim" is a reusable weapon: the launcher can withstand up to 200 rounds. Weighing only three kilograms, it is capable of striking almost all modern and promising armored vehicles, as well as fortifications and enemy manpower. The thermobaric warheads used in the configuration of the grenade launcher have no analogues. In addition, a universal armor-piercing action was added to the powerful high-explosive fragmentation action. Thermobaric ammunition has acquired the function of versatility for use.
old friend
Russian military-technical cooperation with Vietnam has good prospects, Anatoly Isaykin emphasized.
“I think that Vietnam will soon be one of our largest partners in the field of military-technical cooperation,” he said, noting that in recent years a number of large contracts have been signed not only for the supply of ready-made types of weapons.
The general director of Rosoboronexport announced the transfer of certain types of technologies to the SRV, the possibility of creating joint ventures, and the training of Vietnamese military personnel in the higher institutions of the RF Ministry of Defense.
How to eliminate losses
Russia is finishing work on a draft law that will make it possible to more effectively protect the intellectual property rights of the Russian Federation when selling weapons, said Anatoly Isaykin.
"The preparation of amendments to the law on military-technical cooperation of the Russian Federation with foreign states is nearing completion, which will add intellectual property protection for the weapons sold to other goals of the state in the field of military-technical cooperation," said the head of Rosoboronexport. According to him, this bill, in particular, prohibits the transfer of the results of intellectual activity to foreign customers without defining the conditions for their use or ensuring their legal protection.
Isaikin noted that the amendments to the law on military-technical cooperation will also determine what subjects of military-technical cooperation to the Russian Federation can transfer from the results of intellectual activity and under what conditions.“So far, unfortunately, there are no legislative rules in this area. This is our disadvantage,”the CEO admitted. He stressed that Russia suffers heavy losses due to the sale by unscrupulous foreign manufacturers of counterfeit weapons and military equipment of Soviet and Russian design.
Plus "Ukroboronprom"
Russia and Ukraine are negotiating the implementation of major projects in the field of military-technical cooperation with third countries, Anatoly Isaikin said.
“After the creation a few months ago of Ukroboronprom, a powerful corporation that unites almost all the leading enterprises of the defense-industrial complex of Ukraine, there are intensive contacts between our defense-industrial complex and this organization,” the director general said.
“Several large projects are being worked out,” Isaikin added. At the same time, he noted that he was not familiar with the plans to assemble the Mi-2 and Mi-8 rotorcraft on the territory of Ukraine, as reported in a number of media outlets. “As for the construction of helicopters, I cannot comment on anything, because I don’t know anything yet,” he stressed.
Taken from the ceiling?
Anatoly Isaikin considers unfounded information in foreign media that the lost profit of Russia in connection with the probable cessation of the supply of weapons and military equipment due to the events in the Middle East and North Africa could reach tens of billions of dollars.
“As for the losses of $ 10 billion, I would like to talk to the one who named this figure: where did he get it, scraped up such a figure,” said the head of Rosoboronexport.
Second after the USA
Rosoboronexport intends to increase arms sales this year, Anatoly Isaykin said. He told reporters: “Our plans for 2011 will exceed those of 2010. I think this will be significant progress - in the region of $ 9.4–9.5 billion, these are the plans of Rosoboronexport alone."
In 2010, FSUE exported products worth $ 8.6 billion. Isaikin noted that aviation equipment, including Sukhoi aircraft of various modifications, will continue to dominate in the structure of Russian arms exports. In addition, according to him, Russian helicopters are in great demand. An increase in the supply of air defense systems is also expected.
Russia firmly holds the second place among exporters of weapons and military equipment in the world and is not going to lose it, Anatoly Isaykin emphasized. “For the past five years, we have firmly occupied the second place among the main supplying countries of weapons after the United States,” he said. - We are still holding this place firmly and do not intend to lose this position. So far, all objective indicators speak in favor of this."
