According to Rossiyskaya Gazeta, our country is one of the contenders for the victory in the tender promising a rather tense struggle. We are talking about deliveries to the Royal Malaysian Air Force of 18 multifunctional combat fighter aircraft.
At airshows, contracts are signed after years of preparation, but multibillion-dollar deals are being made on them. LIMA is a salon representing the interests of the countries of the Asia-Pacific region and Southeast Asia. All major manufacturers of aircraft and other weapons systems are striving to present their exposition in this promising market.
The Russian manufacturer has recently dominated the LIMA showroom: large funds have been invested in exhibitions of submarines and combat helicopters. These funds were not in vain.
In the mid-90s, our country signed a contract for the supply of 16 MiG-29N fighters and 2 combat training MiG-29UB to Malaysia. For fifteen years, Russian fighters have served as reliable air defense for Malaysia, but now the Su-30MKM are replacing. It is thanks to LIMA salons that Russian military equipment and weapons appeared in many countries.
In case of winning in the upcoming tender, Russia will face not only multibillion-dollar budgetary receipts, but also further favorable development of friendly relations with Malaysia. The list of the main contenders includes Western European: "Grippen", "Rafale", "Eurofighter Typhoon", the American "Super Hornet" F / A-18, as well as the domestic Su-30MKM.
In principle, Malaysia owns a fairly modern fleet of combat aircraft: light fighters F / A-18D Hornet and attack aircraft Hawk Mk.208, MiG-29N, heavy Su-30MKM. The Royal Air Force includes 4 air divisions. One of them provides air defense. The second serves as a military transport. The third defends the rear. The latter are scouts, combat control aircraft, and air command posts. The Air Force contains about two hundred helicopters and airplanes, therefore for Russia the Malaysian market is a very promising field of implementation. In addition to fighters, our helicopters and military transport aircraft are also of interest.
It would not hurt our country to develop advertising and exhibition projects at LIMA-salons, but this, for some reason, is not happening. But we provided assistance to a young salon operating only since 2001 in Langkawi. And when Russia began to reduce the scale of the exposition, the exhibition lost its former importance.
The activities of the salon are defined as maritime and aerospace. It is a pity that this time there were no space divisions, since our country did not present them. But at one time it was here that Russia presented various "peaceful" spacecraft and offered the latest launch services: the Air Launch project expositions once became especially popular.
The project involved a new way of launching missiles - with the help of heavy An-127 Ruslan transports. In the area of the equator, containers with rockets capable of launching various satellites into orbit are being dropped. But, despite the fact that it was possible to reach an intergovernmental Russian-Indonesian agreement on the construction of a "space" airfield, the project was never launched. It's a pity, Roskosmos regarded it as promising. After the termination of the propaganda of this innovative idea at the LIMA showrooms, the "space" component of the section ended its existence, leaving behind only the loud name of the section: "aerospace".
But Western gunsmiths are not asleep and are actively expanding their expositions at Malaysian exhibitions. In the late 90s, a full-size wooden model of the Eurofighter fighter was presented at the exhibition. Today it is exhibited as a full-fledged combat vehicle. The Rafale, designed by the French, is also on display at the airfield and takes part in demonstration flights.
Several European countries have demonstrated individual radar-guided artillery shelling systems. Although the world's first radar sights were invented back in the USSR, 30 years ago, they were even in service with the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany. However, after the dissolution of the Group, the unique weapons disappeared without a trace. "Breeze" was picked up and implemented by nimble European gunsmiths.
The Turkish company presented electronic systems capable of "dazzling" radar surveillance devices and hitting cannon and anti-aircraft missile systems of ground air defense with special missiles. It is curious that to demonstrate the capabilities of their complexes, the Turks chose Soviet-made systems as "enemy" ones.
And in Russia there are means of protecting air defense systems from such influences. They are allowed for export, but for some reason they are not shown at exhibitions.
According to representatives of Rosoboronexort, the potential of the Russian manufacturer in the arms market is quite high. We can offer a potential buyer truly unique designs. However, it is important to have a high-quality, bright exposition at salons such as LIMA. Moreover, samples of military equipment should be presented not only in the form of plastic models, but also in full size.
