Rosoboronexport Targeting Asian, Middle Eastern Markets
ON the eve of upcoming Dubai Airshow, the Russian national pavilion organiser – Rosoboronexport – summarised results of its activities for the last 25 years. In the heart of the Middle East, the company is going to present the latest national achievements in the field of aviation industry, including Su-57E 5th generation multipurpose fighter and a deeply modernised version of the Yak-130 combat-training aircraft.
Since its foundation in 2000, Rosoboronexport has been the only state intermediary for the export and import of weapons, technologies and military and dual-use services. The company counts its portfolio of orders as over US$60 billion, marking the best result in the company’s history.
The creation of Rosoboronexport has brought strategic advantages. The country regained its position in the traditional markets since the Soviet era and entered new ones. The volume of arms shipments has doubled in five years, tripled in 10, and increased more than fivefold by 2021. Export orders have become a lifeline for the defence industry at a time when domestic orders were low.
Today, Rosoboronexport ensures Russia’s presence in all regions of the world. So far, the company has concluded over 30,000 contracts with 122 countries, and exported products worth more than US$230 billion. Rosoboronexport has delivered 900 aircraft, 1,300 helicopters, 1,400 air defence systems, 1.7 million small arms, over 4,300 combat armored vehicles, over 9,500 automotive vehicles, more than 40 submarines and ships, and other equipment, the company official statement claims.
“Rosoboronexport today is a unique company, drawing on the extensive experience of its predecessors in the domestic sphere of military-technical cooperation with foreign countries,” said company CEO Alexander Mikheev.
“We utilise the best practices of foreign economic activity, scaling them up in today’s rapidly changing environment,” he added.
To meet modern requirements, Rosoboronexport will continue to strengthen its status as a global technology leader in military-technical cooperation and expand its supply geography to promising markets in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The company has everything it needs for success – a powerful industrial base, a professional team and government support.
Recent years have confirmed the high efficiency of Russian technology in real combat conditions. “Today, most of the samples being offered by Rosoboronexport have sufficient experience of use in real combat conditions. Our customers study this experience and draw conclusions in favour of our products,” emphasised Mikheev. Besides, the Russian industry has demonstrated its ability to respond promptly to new challenges and introduce technological improvements into mass production as soon as possible.
The company’s activities have long gone beyond simple arms supplies. An important area was the organisation of licensed production of Russian aircraft, helicopters, armoured vehicles and small arms abroad. Such projects allow partners to create their own enterprises and adopt technologies, while maintaining Russian control over quality and safety.
The modernisation of previously supplied equipment also plays an important role. Russian designers have developed comprehensive programs to extend the service life and improve combat performance for all classes of weapons. A separate area is the training of foreign specialists. With the assistance of Rosoboronexport, foreign customers train crews under the guidance of the best Russian instructors.
Rosoboronexport is developing other directions of its business. According to Mikheev, the company plans to develop solutions in the space sphere and also offer customers the latest high-tech, particularly in the field of laser armament and cybersecurity.