High export potential: how Russia is fighting for leadership in the global arms market

Over the course of 5-7 years, Rosoboronexport can present to foreign importers about 50 modern defense products.

The state company announced this on the eve of its 20th anniversary, which will be celebrated on November 4.

“Among the potential bestsellers, it is worth mentioning the developments and products of companies belonging to Rostec: armored vehicles on the Armata platform assembled at UVZ enterprises, the 5th generation Su-57E aircraft from the UAC, the Ka-52K ship-based helicopter, the modernized Mi-28NE holding Russian Helicopters.

Among the products of other companies, it is impossible not to mention the Antey-4000 air defense missile system of the Almaz-Antey VKO Concern, - the statement of Rosoboronexport says.

As the company clarified, since its inception, Rosoboronexport has achieved significant success in promoting Russian weapons on the world market.

“Since 2000, the main financial indicators of the company - the order portfolio and the volume of deliveries - have grown fivefold,” the statement says.

• Russian military equipment at the Army-2020 forum

• © Rosoboronexport

Since 2000, more than 26 thousand contracts have been concluded with partners from 112 countries of the world.

The total value of exports amounted to more than $ 180 billion. For $ 85 billion, equipment for the Air Force was supplied abroad, the share of air defense amounted to $ 30 billion, and weapons for the ground forces were sold for the same amount.

Over the past two decades, Russia has sold naval products overseas worth more than $ 28 billion.

Chairman of the Board of Directors of Rosoboronexport Sergei Chemezov also noted that the company has good prospects for expanding the geography of supplies.

According to Rosoboronexport, Russia now ranks second among the largest arms exporters.

According to experts, Russia has an extensive range of weapons that can be supplied and exported.

In an interview with RT, the editor-in-chief of the Arsenal of the Fatherland magazine Viktor Murakhovsky did not rule out that in the future an export modification of the Okhotnik UAV, as well as the GLONASS system, would be created.

“We have excellent electronic warfare systems, highly reliable and modern digital communication systems that may also be of interest to foreign buyers.

The greatest demand in the world is for Russian aviation equipment, aerospace defense equipment, and equipment for arming the ground forces.

The fleet has been lagging a bit lately, but with the advent of new systems it will take its rightful place, ”the expert noted.

A similar point of view is shared by Sergey Modestov, a professor and vice-president of the Academy of Military Sciences.

According to him, electronic warfare means are of particular importance today, which complement air defense in the fight against combat drones and can paralyze the enemy's communications and reconnaissance control systems.

• Fighter Su-57

• RIA News

• © Vladimir Astapkovich

"Today, the arms market is growing, in particular, the demand for short- and medium-range air defense systems capable of fighting UAVs," the expert noted in a comment to RT.

Note that the consistent growth of Russian arms exports was noted in the period from 2010 to 2014.

Thus, according to Rosoboronexport, in 2010 the country exported military products worth $ 8.7 billion, in 2011 - $ 10.7 billion, in 2012 - $ 12.9 billion, in 2013 and 2014 - already about $ 13.2 billion.

In 2019, Russia exported military-industrial complex products worth over $ 15.2 billion.In early 2020, Deputy Defense Minister Colonel-General Alexander Fomin named this figure.

He also said that about 50 countries became customers of the equipment last year.

In the first eight months of 2020, Russian military-industrial complex enterprises sold overseas weapons worth over $ 7 billion, about 40 states became buyers.

This was announced at the end of August by the head of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation Dmitry Shugaev.

These results were achieved despite the US sanctions against Russia and the coronavirus pandemic. 

As an example, Shugaev named the delivery of Pantsir complexes to Serbia, and also spoke about negotiations on the sale of air defense systems to Belgrade.

In addition, several states are now showing interest in joint Russian-Indian development - BrahMos missiles, he added. 

A contract with Indonesia for the supply of Su-35 aircraft is also being worked out.

By August, the parties had to clarify some of the technical details of the contract.

Note that Beijing was the first buyer of the Su-35.

In 2015, the PRC and the Russian Federation signed a contract worth $ 2.5 billion, the Russian side undertook to supply 24 aircraft to the Chinese military.

The deal was completed by early 2019.

At the same time, Russia is already preparing to present a new multifunctional fifth-generation fighter Su-57 on the world arms market.

The aircraft is designed to destroy all types of air targets, as well as defeat ground and surface targets with overcoming air defense systems.

The fighter is in the final stages of testing. 

In August 2020, the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation said that several countries had already sent official applications for the purchase of Su-57 aircraft.

In addition, in the near future, it is planned to begin mass production and export of the new Mi-35P transport and combat helicopter.

RT was previously told about this by Viktor Litvinov, a representative of the Rostvertol plant of the Russian Helicopters holding.

Another novelty of the Russian military-industrial complex, attractive for foreign buyers, may become the world's first tank of the latest generation "Armata" (T-14).

As the head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov said at the beginning of 2020, Moscow has already received preliminary applications for the supply of "Armata" abroad. 

Other Russian armored vehicles are also of great interest to foreign buyers.

For example, earlier it became known about the first delivery abroad of a new multipurpose armored vehicle "VPK-Ural".

At the request of the customer, the developers from the Military Industrial Company (MIC) changed the dimensions of the vehicle, making it smaller than the original samples.

The 5901 snow and swamp-going vehicle, recently developed by the company's designers, has a high export potential - the machine has very good cross-country ability with a carrying capacity of five tons.

Also of interest to potential importers may be the new light armored vehicle "Strela", the car is made both in the classic version and in the form of an amphibian.

• Tank T-14 "Armata"

• RIA News

• © Vladimir Song

“This machine also has a high export potential.

It is cheap, with good ballistic protection, it can withstand an explosion of a device with a capacity of up to 2 kg in TNT equivalent under the wheel and under the bottom, "Alexander Krasovitsky, general director of the Military Industrial Company LLC (MIC), explained earlier in an interview with RT.

At the same time, Russia has already received an application from a foreign customer for the supply of the world's only light amphibious tank "Sprut-SDM1".

This was announced to reporters in August by the chief designer of the Special Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering Sergei Abdulov.

He did not disclose which country made the application, but clarified that we are talking about a Middle Eastern state.

Russian air defense systems are also famous throughout the world.

Earlier, the Turkish authorities acquired from Russia the S-400 Triumph air defense system, Ankara was not stopped from this step by the protest of its NATO partner - the United States. 

Now Russia is preparing to bring the new Antey-4000 air defense system to the market.

It was first demonstrated to the public at the Army-2020 exhibition.

As stated in the Almaz-Antey concern, the system is “significantly superior” to its predecessor, the Antey-2500 air defense missile system, in a number of characteristics.

Generation change

According to experts, Russia retains its second place in the world arms market due to reasonable prices and good tactical and technical characteristics of weapons.

“Russia promotes to the world market only equipment that is in demand, since it has real combat experience in various theaters of military operations,” explained Sergey Modestov.

Speaking about the traditional sales markets for Russian defense products, the expert noted the countries of the Middle East and Africa - Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Egypt, Algeria and Libya.

• Anti-aircraft missile system "Antey-2500" and anti-aircraft missile system "Buk-M2E"

• RIA News

• © Alexey Filippov

“Over the past decades, we have also managed to find importers in the face of Turkey and the monarchies of the Persian Gulf.

Another partner of Russia is Venezuela.

The expansion of the arms cooperation market brings not only financial benefits.

Arms deliveries are seriously changing the system of political relations with the buying country, since there are related ties due to the need to maintain equipment, carry out modernization, and train personnel, ”the expert noted.

Also, such a partnership makes the countries once again think about how their steps will affect relations with the supplier of military equipment, Modestov added.

A similar point of view was expressed by Viktor Murakhovsky.

“Russia offers buyers the best price / quality ratio for weapons.

In addition, an important argument for the countries is the fact that Russia is also putting these developments into service with its army.

And many samples have already passed practical testing, in Syria, for example, ”the expert explained.

According to Murakhovsky, the fact that Russia manages to maintain its position in the arms market, despite all the US efforts to oust Russian competitors, speaks of the high attractiveness of Russian products.

“Today in the advanced developed countries there is a change in the generation of weapons.

Russia is actively involved in this process, creating new generation weapons and systems.

There are many such developments, these are air defense systems, and UAVs, and submarines with anaerobic power plants, etc. Therefore, Russia will continue to remain one of the main players in the global arms market, "the expert summed up.