Russia Aims at NATO Weapon Modernization Market

(Source: Rosoboronexport; dated Dec. 5, web-posted Dec. 7, 2006)

The 6th meeting of the Round Table “Weapon System Modernization” is being held these days at the Moscow head office of the Rosoboronexport State Corporation.

On the Russian side the event organized within the Russia-NATO Council is attended by the representatives from the Rosoboronexport State Corporation and several Russian ministries and agencies, including the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Industry and Energy, and the Federal Service for Military and Technological Cooperation.

A representative foreign delegation from the NATO countries includes high-ranking officials of the Alliance, middle managers of leading European companies, Italy’s diplomatic mission, and NATO Information Bureau in Moscow.

The Round Table involves also the representatives of more than 30 Russian defense industry enterprises and leading defense manufacturers from West and Eastern Europe. The keynote speakers are Rosoboronexport Deputy Director General Viktor Komardin, NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General Patrick Arduan and Director of NATO’s Defense Investment Department Richard Williams.

The need to hold such an event stems primarily from the readiness of research and industrial enterprises from Russia and several European countries to cooperate in the technological sphere, including joint modernization of Russian-/Soviet-made armaments and military equipment being operational with some NATO countries.

Second, in relation to the existing practice when such military hardware is upgraded without the participation of the Russian developers and manufacturers, an increase in accidents and crashes of some modernized models is observed. A preliminary study of the problem suggests the need for an equal joint entrance of the Russian and European defense industry enterprises to the market for services linked to modernization of weapons and military equipment supplied previously to the Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, carrying out joint and custom R&Ds, spare part supplies, and rendering other services.

The Round Table will address a wide range of problems related to upgrading aircraft, armored vehicles, ships, conventional weapon systems, communications systems, air traffic control systems as well as disposal technologies for artillery ammunition.

The participants will exchange views on the issues of integration and effective compatibility of engineering systems differing in purpose and national identity, possible joint and custom R&Ds, information collection and processing, after-sales service of armaments and military equipment, weapon system life cycle control, integrated logistic support, etc.

The Rosoboronexport State Corporation believes that NATO expansion through the inclusion of the CEE states opens new opportunities for close and constructive interaction in modernization of the Russian-/Soviet-built weapons which these countries operate. There is common understanding among experts that the full-scale re-equipment of the CEE countries within a short term is hardly possible largely due to high labor input and costs of such an effort. According to specialists, it is cheaper and more technically reasonable to upgrade the existing armaments and military equipment in compliance with NATO standards, while enhancing their capabilities. On average, the upgrading costs are 4 to 6 times less than new armament procurement expenditures.

According to Rosoboronexport, better interaction with NATO in modernization of armaments and military equipment will not only foster the growth of military and technological cooperation with the CEE and other NATO countries, but will also contribute to further progress in protection and realization of intellectual property rights of the Russian developers of defense products.

Within the meeting, the participants of the Round Table will visit the State Demonstration and Testing Center attached to the federal state unitary enterprise CNIIITOCHMASH, the town of Klimovsk, Moscow Reg., where they will be shown Russian-made small arms and close-in weapons.

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More Russian Helicopters to Venezuela

(Source: Rostvertol; issued Dec. 21, 2006)

A batch of helicopters consisting of four combat Mi-35M and one multi-purpose transport Mi-26T helicopters is ready to be sent to Venezuela.

Four Mi-35M helicopters (upgrade of Mi-24(35) type helicopters which have perfectly recommended themselves in more than 30 countries of the world) were delivered to this Latin American country in July 2006.

One of these aircraft participated in Air parade attended by the Minister of Defense of Venezuela. Venezuelan specialists highly appreciated combat and piloting capabilities of the Russian helicopter.

Helicopters produced by Rostvertol Plc (Rostov-on-Don, Russia) will be sent to the Republic of Venezuela according to the earlier signed contracts. In total, ten Mi-35M and three Mi-26T helicopters will be delivered.

Also, Venezuelan specialists passed flying and technical training and obtained appropriate certificates.

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This story would also fit nicely in the BRIC has become VRIC thread.

US Fears More Russian Arms Sales to Latin America

(Source: Voice of America news; issued May 4, 2007)

WASHINGTON, D.C. --- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice raised the issue of large-scale Russian weapons exports to Venezuela during her recent visit to Moscow. But the Kremlin says arms deals with Caracas are in keeping with international agreements.

Russia has bolstered its position in Latin America's arms market in recent years. State-controlled arms exporter Rosobornoexport, which accounts for 85 percent of Russia's weapons sales, says Latin America is its third largest market. And company officials say they are working to expand their business in Latin America.

According to the U.S. Congressional Research Service, between 1998 and 2001, Russia supplied $300 million worth of arms to the region. Between 2002 and 2005, that amount doubled. Last year, Russian arms transfers to Venezuela alone topped $3 billion dollars. Russia's other arms clients in the region include Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Ecuador and Uruguay.

The Washington-based Council on Hemispheric Affairs says Moscow's military sales to Venezuela include air-defense systems and fighter aircraft, along with a joint-venture weapons factory to produce up to 50-thousand rifles a year.

The Council's director, Larry Birns, says Russia's emergence as a major arms supplier to the region coincides with efforts by some Latin American countries to modernize their arsenals.

"In the aftermath of the military regimes in Latin America, the military needs of these countries suffered periods of plummeting budgets and marginal status within society. Now the time has come in a number of Latin American countries to renew their military arsenals. And here is Russia with top-of-the-line military equipment, which is much cheaper than [arms] available from the United States or other international arms suppliers," says Birns.

Birns says increased arms exports will likely provide Moscow with greater influence over a number of militaries in the region. At the same time, he says, the United States is being pushed out of an arms market it once dominated.

"What we are seeing here is an unprecedented and unanticipated undermining of the privileged status that the United States traditionally has occupied in Latin America. The United States has been distracted from Latin America by Iraq. This distraction [has] allowed Latin American countries to diversify their relationships in terms of their trade and political associations," says Birns and argues this shift will likely last for years.

But Riordan Roett, Director of Western Hemisphere Studies at The Johns Hopkins University in Washington, points out that 80 percent of Russia's recent arms sales have been to Venezuela. He says Venezuela's President, Hugo Chavez, is trying to boost his standing at home and abroad.

"Chavez sees a build up of arms as a way of consolidating his position within Venezuela because he is able to win favor with the armed forces, which were divided at the beginning of his term of office, which appears less so at the present time. Second, [this is intended] to intimidate or impress his neighbors [so] that Chavez and Venezuela will be the dominant sub-regional power. And third, what it actually does is reach out and establish ties with important countries like Russia," says Roett.

The Russia-Venezuela arms trade has generated criticism from the United States. Late last year, the Bush administration lodged a formal complaint with Russia for agreeing to provide Venezuela more than 100-thousand Kalashnikov rifles that U.S. officials say could be used to aid guerillas such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or the National Liberation Army -- the United States calls terrorists.

Mark Bromley with the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute says U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pursued these concerns during her recent talks in Moscow with Russia's defense and foreign ministers.

"The U.S. argument is [that] this is completely disproportionate to Venezuelan military needs. And there is a strong likelihood that the weapons being imported or the weapons they're replacing will either deliberately or through omission cross the border and fall in the hands of, for instance, guerillas in Colombia," says Bromley. "The second set of concerns, which the U.S. has raised, has been about the hardware sales, particularly the SU-30 fighter aircraft. This is a much more advanced system than Venezuela needs and will destabilize the military balance in the Andean region."

Most experts agree that Russia's arms trade policy in Latin America is not ideologically driven. On the contrary, it is merely business, says political scientist Riordan Roett.

"I don't think Russians have any particular foreign policy interest in the Western Hemisphere. I think Russia and China are both moving very carefully in the Western Hemisphere precisely so as to not further complicate the bilateral relationship with Washington," says Roett.

Arms transfer specialist Mark Bromley says, "If you look at the relationship Russia has with Venezuela, it is built on natural resources and arms sales. There is not much of an ideological affinity."

"I think [Russian leader Vladimir] Putin doesn't really support Chavez when he goes off on these anti-U.S. tirades. There is no shared agenda between Putin and Chavez. Chavez wants to get away from the United States. Russia, unlike any other country in the world, has the technology and is not under the influence of the United States and is willing to sell to Venezuela," says Bromley.

Some analysts say Venezuela's growing military ambitions could drive more U.S. arms sales to the region. And Bromley warns of a possible regional arms race. "A number of countries in South America fund their military acquisitions from the sales of raw materials and, with the price of those commodities on the rise, those countries have a lot more to spend on purchasing military equipment. You put those two things together - - willing suppliers and ample funds - - you could get into a situation where more advanced technologies are being imported into South America than is necessarily in the best interest of countries there," says Bromley.

Despite the risk of an arms race, Bromley says relations among Latin American states are stable. These ties, he adds, have been reinforced by bilateral agreements between countries, including Venezuela, to exchange information about their arms acquisitions.

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Amnesty Report: Russia, China Violate Darfur Arms Embargo

(Source: Voice of America news; issued May 8, 2007)

Rights group Amnesty International has accused China and Russia of breaching a United Nations arms embargo by letting weapons into Sudan that were then used in the Darfur region.

An Amnesty report published Tuesday expresses dismay that two permanent members of the U.N. Security Council were allowing weapons to flow into Sudan.

Russia and China have dismissed the allegation.

Amnesty International urged the U.N. to strengthen the existing arms embargo on Darfur.

The Amnesty report also accuses the Sudanese air force of operating airplanes and helicopters painted white to resemble U.N. aircraft. A U.N. report that was leaked to the media last month found that Sudan was using disguised airplanes to carry out bombing raids in Darfur. Sudan rejected the charge.

More than 200,000 people have been killed in Darfur since rebels began an uprising against Sudan's central government in early 2003.

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Russia plans to sell submarines to Venezuela

source link

MOSCOW (AP) - Russia is planning to sell at least five diesel submarines to Venezuela, a newspaper reported Thursday _ a deal that would be certain to anger Washington and further strain already chilly U.S.-Russian relations.
The business daily Kommersant said Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was expected to sign the deal during a trip to

Moscow starting June 29. It said that the initial contract would envisage the delivery of five Project 636 Kilo-class diesel submarines, and that Russia could also supply four state-of-the-art Project 677 Amur submarines later.
A spokesman for the state arms-trading monopoly, Rosoboronexport, refused to comment on the report.

Chavez is a fierce critic of the U.S. administration, and Washington has voiced strong concern about previous Russian deals to supply Venezuela with Kalashnikov rifles, Sukhoi fighter jets, M-17 helicopters and other weapons.

Chavez's planned visit comes days before President Vladimir Putin heads to the United States for talks with U.S. President George W. Bush in Kennebunkport, Maine, in early July.
U.S.-Russian relations already have plunged to what is broadly seen as the lowest point since the Cold War, strained by Moscow's anger over prospective U.S. missile defense in Europe and Washington's concerns about Putin's backsliding on democracy and strong-arming ex-Soviet neighbors.

A submarine deal that would modernize Venezuela's capability, allowing it to threaten the U.S. navy, could be expected to fuel U.S.-Russian tensions.

«The deal will certainly vex the United States,» Pavel Felgenhauer, an independent military analyst, told The Associated Press. He said that while Russian diesel submarines' capability is inferior to the latest German and French designs, they can still pose a significant threat.

Russia earlier supplied five similar submarines to China under a contract estimated to be worth US$1.8 billion. Moscow has also angered the United States by selling weapons to Syria and Iran.

Jakarta seals Russian arms deal


source link


Russia has closed a significant military deal with Indonesia, selling Jakarta a package of weapons including helicopters, tanks and submarines worth more than $1bn.


The deal will be signed on Thursday during an historic visit to Indonesia by Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, the first by a Russian head of state in nearly 50 years.


Putin is making a one-day stopover in Indonesia on his way to the summit of leaders from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum in Sydney.


The arms deal, financed by a 15 year loan from Russia, is Indonesia's first major purchase of military hardware in many years.


The country used to buy most of its weaponry from the United States, but that source was cut in 1999 when Washington imposed a military embargo on Indonesia over human rights abuses in East Timor.


Although the embargo was lifted last year, Indonesian military officials have been looking for other sources of arms to replace their increasingly outdated arsenal and decrease their reliance on the US.


Under the deal, Indonesia will buy two Russian submarines, 20 tanks and 22 helicopters.


Expansion


It also plans to buy six more Sukhoi jet fighters on top of the four planes it has already purchased.


The military denies the purchases represent and expansion of it military force and says the new weapons are not for use in internal conflicts like in Papua for example.


But Al Jazeera's Jakarta correspondent, Step Vassen, says military officials admit that Russia has promised never to impose a military embargo nor interfere in domestic affairs.


"There are still hard feelings about the embargo," Marshall Slamet Prihatinio of Indonesia's defence ministry told Al Jazeera.


"But now the most important thing is that we need to be independent - if we buy military equipment we need to be able to use it, that's our right."


During his visit Putin is also expected to witness agreements on billions of dollars of Russian investment to help Indonesia revamp its aging oil and mining industries.

Russia Seen Increasing Weapon Spending

(Source: Forecast International; issued May 5, 2008)

NEWTOWN, Conn. --- In 10 years, Russia's national defense spending has risen by more than 965 percent as its military renews strategic air patrols, reasserts its interests throughout the former Soviet space, and actively pushes back against competing security interests from the U.S. and Europe.

Last year, Russian national defense spending surpassed $32 billion, compared with less than $3 billion in 1998. Looking forward, Russian defense spending is expected to trend upward; however, Moscow's strategic bandwidth may be constrained by a confluence of defense economic factors.

Forecast International projects that between 2008 and 2012, Russia will spend approximately $294 billion on national defense. This projection is rooted in Russia's amended three-year national defense budget, which allocates RUB959 billion ($37.5 billion) in 2008, RUB1.06 trillion ($41.5 billion) in 2009, and RUB1.92 billion ($46.6 billion) in 2010. In the outyears of 2011 and 2012, Russian defense spending is projected to reach $53 billion and $61 billion, respectively.

"Three major trends will define Russian defense spending between 2008 and 2012," notes Matt Ritchie, an analyst specializing in Eurasian defense economics, "increased procurement, increased funding for strategic arms, and a relative decline in research and development." These trends are already being manifested in the national defense budget for 2008 to 2010. Procurement spending is set to increase from $27 billion to over $36 billion, funding for the strategic arsenal to expand from $675 million to $990 million, and allocations for applied research and development to decline from just over $5 billion to less than $4.9 billion.

The shifting trends in defense spending align with Russia's evolving strategic priorities. "Russia's quantitative military advantage has enabled it to push its interests throughout its perceived sphere of influence," suggests Ritchie. "The Kremlin is keen to consolidate these gains and its current level of geopolitical influence, an interest that is driving its acquisition of new military systems (conventional and strategic) in an effort to expand this capability with a qualitative edge."

However, with Russia's power projection capabilities increasingly linked to its national defense budget, a number of defense economic factors threatening the budget's efficacy may undercut Moscow's ability to leverage its influence. Between 2008 and 2010, the share of the national defense budget devoted to procurement is expected to increase from approximately 72 percent to 80 percent, thus placing greater importance on the Russian defense-industrial base to deliver systems at cost and on time – an unlikely probability.

"As Russia attempts to procure its next generation of military systems, it will run up against the same cost overrun and time delay obstacles faced by Western contractors. Moreover, these issues are likely to be exacerbated by the rate of decline in the high-tech sectors of the Russian defense-industrial base," says Ritchie. Similar conclusions have been drawn by officials in the Russian defense industry.

The paramount issue in Russian defense economics is the extent to which the procurement-driven defense budget expansion will offset long-term underinvestment in the defense-industrial base. Ultimately how this dynamic influences Russia's ability to maintain its current level of strategic bandwidth will determine its geopolitical influence in the future.

related...


German Eurocopter Worker Admits Spying for Russia

German Radio | Jun 11, 2008
LINK

A former executive at Eurocopter, the European helicopter manufacturing company, went on trial in Germany for allegedly selling documents about the aircraft to Russian spies.

Werner G. admits he took documents from his employer and passed them on to Russian intelligence. But the 44-year-old engineer claims none of the documents were classified.

"He knows he made a huge mistake," the defendant's lawyer said at the beginning of the trial in Munich on Monday, June 9.

Werner G. was an executive at Eurocopter, a division of the European aerospace group EADS. He allegedly met with a Russian intelligence agent several times between 2004 and 2006 in Germany, Austria and Croatia. In exchange for manuals, files and CD-ROMs, Werner G. was paid 3,000 euros by the SVR, the successor to the KGB.

Prosecutors said he used anonymous webmail accounts to arrange meetings to pass over the information.

All information unclassified

The defense lawyer said his client, who worked for Eurocopter until the late 1990s, only sold unclassified manuals of various civilian Eurocopter helicopters.

Federal Public Prosecutor Hans-Juergen Foerster said the boundaries between civilian and military spying were not always clear. Foerster said such technical documents could allow another manufacturer to save development costs and offer its own aircraft at cheaper prices.

"According to what we know currently, the company was not harmed in any way," an EADS spokesman said.

The defendant, who joined the Franco-German helicopter company in 1992, now runs his own engineering consultancy. He said he had been in debt and hoped the SVR man would help him gain business. He said he was shocked at his arrest in April 2007.

A verdict in the case is expected next week. Spying for a foreign secret service is punishable by up to five years in jail in Germany.

Russia to deliver six Mi-35 attack helicopters to Indonesia

RIA Novosti | Jun 19, 2008
LINK

JAKARTA: The Indonesian Armed Forces will soon receive a delivery of six Russian Mi-35 Hind attack helicopters, the Antara national news said on Wednesday.

Nikolai Kireyev, head of the state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport's office in Jakarta, said 15 Indonesian pilots and technical specialists have been undergoing training at the Kazan helicopter manufacturing plant in Russia's Volga area since March 2008.

He said the delivery of six helicopters was due in July, but that an exact date was yet to be set.

"The delivery date will be established after the parties finalize certain contract terms," he said.

Russia delivered the first two Mi-35 helicopters to Indonesia in September 2003.

Last fall, Vladimir Putin arranged a $1 billion loan for Indonesia to buy 22 Russian helicopters, 20 tanks and two submarines. In addition, Jakarta said it intended to buy six Su aircraft worth a total of $335 million.

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Russia Sees Growing Demand for Its Fighters

(Source: Rosoboronexport; issued June 15, 2009)

The Rosoboronexport State Corporation will demonstrate the latest Russian combat aircraft, military air transports, air defence systems, and space exploration developments to its foreign partners in the course of the 48th International Paris Air Show – Le Bourget to be held from 15 until 21 June, 2009.

“Paris Air Show Le Bourget 2009 celebrates its 100th anniversary, thus, our programme is going to be even more intensive than before,” Rosoboronexport Deputy Director General and head of the delegation Alexander Mikheev said. “We will hold negotiations with our partners from Western and Eastern Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa to discuss crucial issues of bilateral and multilateral defence cooperation”.

Russia is a traditional participant in the Paris Air Show Le Bourget, one of the world’s largest air shows. The Russian exhibition will be sponsored by the Rossiyskie Tekhnologii State Corporation. In addition to Rosoboronexport the air show will also see participation of the Sukhoi Company, the MiG Corporation, the IRKUT Corporation, the Ilyushin Company, the Vertolety Rossii Company, the Moscow-based Mil Helicopter Plant, the Kamov Company, the Kazan Helicopter Plant, the Rostvertol Company, the Ulan-Ude Aircraft Plant, the Avionika Consortium, and other well-known national defence contractors.

Participants in and guests of Paris Air Show 2009 will be able to examine cutting-edge Russian developments, including the Su-35 4++ generation multi-role super-manoeuvrable fighter, designed to establish air superiority and deliver air strikes against ground- and surface-based targets by day and night in adverse weather (the Su-35 boasts flight characteristics similar to those of fifth-generation fighters). The aircraft, fitted with 12 pylons, is capable of carrying a combat load of eight tons, thus, it can be armed with a wide range of guided and unguided weapon systems.

The Russian side will also demonstrate the MiG-35 single-seat and the MiG-35D twin-seat multi-role tactical fighters, featuring a high combat efficiency, an outstanding performance, and remarkable reliability and safety. The operational costs of the aircraft are relatively low. HOTAS (Hands On Throttle and Stick) controls are another crucial feature, inherent in the aircraft.

Visitors of the show will also see the Yak-130 combat trainer, fitted with a re-programmable remote control system, which allows pilots to undergo basic and advanced training in flying all existing and future fighters (Russian Su- and MiG-family aircraft, Mirage 2000, F-16, Eurofighter Typhoon, F-35, etc.). The Yak-130 will enter the inventory of the Russian Air Force as early as 2009.

The Russian exposition will also present a whole scope of helicopters: the Mi-35M combat transport (the world’s only combat helicopter, capable of discharging troop carrier, transportation, and medevac tasks), the Ka-52 attack helicopter, and the Mi-26 heavy-lift transport helicopter, which has proved its worth in the course of various man-caused and natural disasters, as well as other rotary-wing aircraft.

Russia will also have on display the following air defence systems: the S-300VM (Antei-2500) mobile surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, capable of killing stealth-technology targets; the Buk-M2E multi-channel medium-range SAM systems, capable of simultaneously engaging 24 targets, approaching from any direction, at a range of up to 50 km; the cutting-edge Tor-M2E SAM system, capable of simultaneously destroying both air-to-surface precision-guided munitions (PGM), and their platforms; as well as the Igla-S man-portable air defence system (MANPADS), the Nebo-SVU mobile radar (boasting unrivalled capabilities), the Kredo-1E radar, etc.

Experts will undoubtedly be interested in modern Russian aircraft and helicopter engines, avionics laboratory test equipment, flight data acquisition, processing and analysis systems, airfield equipment, and training aids, which reduce flight crew training costs several-fold, cut down the training period 1.5- to two-fold, and husband service lives of expensive aircraft.

Rosoboronexport also attaches much importance to repairing and upgrading arms and materiel exported earlier, including Soviet-vintage weapon systems, and will offer corresponding repair and modernisation programmes at Paris Air Show 2009. The urgency of the issue results from the attempts of a number of foreign operators to upgrade such arms and materiel without the participation of Russian experts. The Russian side is totally against this approach both from the commercial and the legal viewpoint, not to mention the technical aspect. In this light Russia intends to pursue a strict policy of changing the situation at hand. The problem cannot be solved in any other way, which is unfortunately proved by severe accidents and crashes, involving “independently modified” aircraft.

Key lines of defence cooperation include prospects of establishing licensed-production and assembly facilities, building arms and materiel service centres, and cooperating in Earth remote probing and space exploration. For instance, Rosoboronexport has established cooperation in research and development and space exploration with such European states as France, Italy, Germany and Spain. Corresponding bilateral contracts have been signed and are being fulfilled.

Foreign partners have expressed their interest in Rosoboronexport’s proposal, envisioning payments for arms exports in the form of counter purchases of corresponding national products or resource development quotas.

At the present time Rosoboronexport’s short-term contract portfolio exceeds US $25 billion. The corporation actively promotes the entire range of defence-related and dual-purpose products, technologies, and services in the international arms market, but special efforts are focused on aviation (in 2008 aircraft accounted for 56% of the overall arms exports, and air defence system exports amounted to 17%).

“The demand for Russian aircraft and helicopters grows despite the ongoing global financial crunch. It makes us feel special obligations and responsibility both as a supplier, and as a reliable time-tested partner,” head of the Rosoboronexport delegation Alexander Mikheev emphasised. “We take every necessary measure and constantly revise every line of defence cooperation, which nowadays actively expands, among other things due to developing relations with NATO member-states.”

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