ROSOBORONEXPORT
AT AFRICA AEROSPACE AND DEFENCE 2008
The Africa Aerospace and Defence 2008 (AAD) international arms show will be held at Air Force Base Ysterplaat, Cape Town, South Africa, from 17 until 21 September, 2008. A scientific conference will be convened within the framework of AAD 2008.
The AAD show, held once every two years, has established a reputation of Africa’s largest aerospace, defence, military, and dual-purpose product exhibition. This is proved by the results of the last show, AAD 2006, which saw participation of over 430 companies from Australia, Belgium, the UK, Germany, India, Spain, Italy, Canada, Malaysia, Namibia, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, the USA, Ukraine, France, and other states.
It is the fifth time Russia has taken part in the AAD show. The Rosoboronexport State Corporation is the traditional sponsor of the Russian exposition, displaying a wide range of products, manufactured by the Russian defence industry. The Rosoboronexport delegation is headed by Sergei Svechnikov, a Rosoboronexport department head.
The Russian exhibition is based on the most promising trends of defence cooperation between Russia and South African, as well as other African countries. Russian defence manufacturers display in excess of 250 items of arms and materiel in the form of mock-ups, models, posters, digital presentations, video clips, and advertising booklets.
Cheap, reliable, and high-quality Russian arms are in demand in the African market at the present time. The most popular types of materiel are aircraft, armour, artillery systems, air defence systems, integrated littoral area monitoring systems, and simulators for various types of hardware. Russia offers competitive arms and materiel delivery, repair, overhaul, and modernisation projects to her partners.
For instance, Rosoboronexport promotes the following systems in the African market:
- cutting-edge Su-30MK, MiG-29, and Su-27SKM multi-role fighters, and the Yak-130 combat trainer;
- the Ka-50 attack helicopter and its modifications, Mi-24/35 combat transports and their upgraded versions, Mi-17 transport helicopters, Mi-26 heavy-lift helicopter, Ka-31 airborne early warning (AEW) helicopters, Ka-28 shipborne anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters, Ka-226 and Ansat light utility helicopters;
- Il-76MF/MD and An-38 military air transports
- armour – the T-90S main battle tank (MBT), the BTR-80A armoured personnel carrier (APC), and the BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV);
- Msta-S self-propelled howitzers, automated artillery fire control systems;
- Metis-M and Konkurs-M anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM), Krasnopol cannon-launched guided projectiles (CLGP), Grad and Smerch multiple rocket launcher systems (MRLS);
- S-300PMU2 and Buk-M2E air defence systems, Igla man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS), upgraded Kvadrat, Osa-AKM, and S-125 Pechora air defence systems, ZU-23/ZOM1 anti-aircraft guns, as well Nebo-SVU, Kasta-2E2, and Podsolnukh radars, modernised P-18 and P-19 radars;
- various types of small arms and ammunition, including RShG-1/2 assault rocket launchers;
- naval materiel – Project 11541 Korsar frigate, Project 11661 Gepard-3.9 frigate, Project 12418 Molniya missile boat, Project 12061-E Murena-E landing craft, air cushion (LCAC), as well as littoral area monitoring systems;
- teaching aids for various types of weapon systems.
There is a considerable market demand for upgrading Russian-made helicopters, delivered to Africa earlier. A total of over 700 rotary-wing aircraft, including about 150 Mi-24/35 attack helicopters, have been delivered to Africa over time. Comprehensive modernisation programmes, offered to foreign customers, are based on the block structure approach. They envision adapting helicopter lighting equipment for night vision goggles (NVG), mounting new power plants and main rotors to improve helicopter flight characteristics, and fitting helicopters with state-of-the-art armament and avionics, enabling them to operate by day and night. Upgrades can be introduced directly on the territory of the customer, and can see participation of the customer’s representatives, given the technical facilities required. At the same time, Rosoboronexport is ready to consider projects, aimed at establishing repair and maintenance centres for Russian arms and materiel.
In addition to that, Rosoboronexport offers various options for overhauling and upgrading Russian-made arms and materiel, in particular, such hardware as:
- MiG-23, MiG-27, MiG-29, and Su-24 aircraft;
- T-72, T-55, and T-62 MBTs, BTR-60, BRDM-2 APCs, BMP-2 IFVs, Akatsiya and Gvozdika self-propelled gun systems, Grad and Smerch MRLS, RPG-7 rocket launchers, and Mashina automated control systems;
- S-125 Pechora air defence systems, S-60 (mounting surface-to-air versions of the RVV-AE missile) and ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft guns, and P-18 and P-19 radars;
- Project 1234E and 1159T vessels, and Project 877EKM submarines
Rosoboronexport jointly with Russian designers, and if required in partnership with South African and other foreign companies, is ready to extend service lives of Soviet- and Russian-made pieces of arms and materiel, including fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, as soon as possible.
According to experts, the integrated water area monitoring system, designed to provide security to and defend shelf- and coast-based military and economic installations and offered by Rosoboronexport depending on specific conditions of each country, may be one of the most cost effective options for African states. The aforementioned system features a sufficient flexibility both with regards to the hardware composition and its range, and the nature of tasks discharged. The system boasts a unique performance when fitted with the Podsolnukh-E over-the-horizon surface wave stationary radar, capable of monitoring areas even outside the economic zone. According to Russian defence establishments, the integrated water area monitoring system increases the efficiency of forces under command 1.7-3-fold depending on the nature of the task to be discharged.
Russian arms and materiel, exported by the Rosoboronexport State Corporation (in particular, helicopters, small arms, and APCs), demonstrate outstanding performance and reliability in adverse African weather conditions. Russian weapon systems have repeatedly provide their superiority in the course of international peacekeeping operations, first and foremost, UN peacekeeping missions in Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and other countries.
Rosoboronexport constantly strives to assist its partners in minimising defence expenditures, basing its recommendations, concerning Russian arms and materiel, on the cost-efficiency ratio, while looking for new ways to streamline weapon systems. The corporation is ready to embrace alternative and flexible approaches to settlements. For instance, one of the options may consist in payments by counter deliveries of traditional African export products, such as diamonds, timber, cotton, palm oil, and coffee. Another option may envision quotas on developing natural resources and seafood; establishment of joint ventures in fishing, mineral resource, and oil industries; mine-clearing operations.
“As far as its marketing strategy is concerned, Rosoboronexport attaches much importance to expanding the geography, the range, and the scope of Russian arms and materiel exports. Russia has made tangible progress in the sphere of defence cooperation with African states in the past few years. Rosoboronexport has significantly stepped up cooperation with such traditional importers of Russian weapons as Algeria, Libya, Angola, Ethiopia, and Uganda. Certain progress has been made in relations with Morocco, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Mozambique, and Burkina Faso. We offer competitive Russian arms and materiel delivery, repair, overhaul, and modernisation projects to our African partners,” head of the Rosoboronexport delegation at AAD 2008 Sergei Svechnikov said.