Russia will present several full-scale weapon systems together for the first time at the international arms exhibition Africa Aerospace and Defence 2012 (19-23 September 2012, the Republic of South Africa). The demonstration of the BMPT tank support combat vehicle and upgraded T-72 main battle tank is expected to be the centre stage of the show. In addition, Rosoboronexport, JSC has prepared for this exhibition a special presentation of the Pantsir-S1 air defence missile/gun system (ADMGS).

The presentation will be shown to foreign delegations on screens of the Rosoboronexport’s Interactive Exhibition System, which has been actively developed since 2011 and enjoyed great success at a number of international arms exhibitions. The presentation will represent realistic scenarios of the Pantsir-S1 ADMGS combat employment and give technical and tactical characteristics of this world famous weapon system.

Russia has been taking part in Africa’s largest arms exhibition since 2000. At this exhibition in the Republic of South Africa Rosoboronexport will present information about more than 200 defence products overall including air defence, air, land and sea systems and simulators.

"The exhibition in the Republic of South Africa is the largest one on the continent, and it plays an extremely important role in strengthening our positions in Africa. We have planned a very tight schedule of meetings at this exhibition on many issues concerning air defence, air, land and sea systems. And we expect it to be very fruitful", - says Aleksander Mikheev, deputy director general of Rosoboronexport, JSC and head of the joint delegation of the Russian Technologies State Corporation and Rosoboronexport, JSC to the exhibition.

Many countries of the continent have vast experience in operating Soviet and Russian-made defence systems, which is a major contributing factor for arms promotion. These systems showed themselves to good advantage in harsh climatic and combat conditions. In addition, a considerable number of local specialists, including commanding officers, either have graduated from or continue training in military colleges of the Russian Ministry of Defence.

The Rosoboronexport delegation expects that visitors to the exhibition will pay special attention to advanced Russian-made defence products. In the air systems segment they are the Mi-17 and Mi-35 type helicopters, MiG-29M/M2 and Su-30MK2 fighters as well as the new Yak-130 combat trainer aircraft. The land systems, small arms and close combat weapons will be presented by the T-90S and upgraded T-72 main battle tanks, BTR-80/80A armoured personnel carriers, Ural trucks, Kornet-E antitank missile system, Kalasnikov assault rifles of the hundredth series. Rosoboronexport specialists also anticipate that special attention will be paid to specific air defence weapons and equipment including the Tor-M2E air defence missile system, Pantsir-S1 air defence missile/gun system, Igla-S man-portable air defence missile system, radars of various types. As for the naval systems, African countries might be interested in acquiring various patrol boats, the Tigr corvette, Tornado small missile/gun boat, Project 22356 and Gepard 3.9 frigates.

Rosoboronexport gives extra attention to upgrading earlier supplied defence equipment, especially armoured vehicles and air defence systems. It offers integrated upgrading programmes providing a substantial increase in combat capabilities of the equipment at a relatively low cost.

Another not least topical subject concerns setting up defence equipment servicing centres, for instance those intended for helicopters. Setting up such centres not only increases work efficiency but also helps to create new highly qualified jobs. The issue of setting up helicopter servicing centres is discussed with many African countries.

With a few states, including the Republic of South Africa, Rosoboronexport is working out projects for research and development as well as joint manufacturing of new defence products. There is a great potential, for instance, for the development of radar systems and rocket engines.

"We are among few countries that are able to offer cooperation along different lines, be it space technologies, supplies of any types of weapons and military equipment or joint development and manufacturing of new products. Our solutions for the region are among most optimal if judged by cost-effectiveness", - noted Aleksander Mikheev.

Military technical cooperation of Russia with African states was given fresh momentum by visits of the President of the Russian Federation to the Republic of South Africa in September 2006, to Egypt, Angola, Namibia and Nigeria in July 2009. Russia also was visited by Presidents of Angola in October 2006, of Uganda in August 2009, of Namibia in May 2010, of the Republic of South Africa in August 2010, and of Equatorial Guinea in June 2011. Countries of the region were regularly visited also by the Special Presidential Representative in Africa M.V. Margelov.

At the Africa Aerospace and Defence 2012 exhibition Rosoboronexport will present information about more than 200 Russian-made defence products. They include:

Air systems: Il-76MD-90A military transport aircraft, Il-78MK-90 air tanker, Yak-130 combat trainer aircraft, Su-35 and Su-30MK2 multirole fighters, MiG-29M/M2 frontline fighter, Ka-52 and Mi-28NE attack helicopters, Mi-171Sh military transport helicopter, Mi-35M and Mi-35P combat transport helicopters, Mi-26T2 heavy-lift transport helicopter, Ka-226T light multi-purpose helicopter, a wide range of airborne munitions.

Air defence systems: Antey-2500, Buk-M2E and Tor-M2E (three versions: Tor-M2E on tracked chassis, Tor-M2K on wheeled chassis, Tor-M2KM in modular configuration) air defence missile systems, Pantsir-S1 and Tunguska-M1 air defence missile/gun systems, Igla-S man-portable air defence missile system, Strelets launch modules and equipment set, radars of various types.

Land systems: T-90S main battle tank and its latest upgrade, BMPT tank support combat vehicle, BMP-3M/F infantry combat vehicles, BTR-80A armoured personnel carrier, Smerch and Grad multiple launch rocket systems, Khrizantema-S self-propelled antitank system, 152-mm Msta-S self-propelled howitzer with automated aiming and fire control system and its upgraded 155-mm version, D-30A howitzer, BREM type armoured recovery and repair vehicles, various engineer equipment.

Close combat weapons: Kalashnikov assault rifles of the hundredth series, AK-74M, AN-94 assault rifles; RPK-74M, RPK-201, RPK-203, Pecheneg, PKMS machine guns; SV-98, 6S8, 6V7, OSV-96, VKS sniper rifles; PM, PMM, PSM, Yarygin pistols; AGS-17, RPG-32, RPG-7V1, RPG-26, RPG-27, RPG-28, RPG-29 grenade launchers; Kornet-EM, Kornet-E, Metis-M1 antitank missile systems; RPO-A, RPO-D, RPO-Z, Shmel-M hand-held flame throwers; 2B25 silent mortar system.

Sea systems: Amur-1650 and Project 636 diesel-electrical submarines, Gepard 3.9 frigate, Tigr small patrol ship, Sobol, Mirage, Mangust boats, a wide range of shipborne weapons, equipment sets for integrated littoral sea control system.

In addition, Rosoboronexport presents a wide range of simulators and trainers for various types of weapons and military equipment.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT:

Pantsir-S1. The Pantsir-S1 ADMGS is capable of defeating any type of modern manned and unmanned air systems including air-launched high precision munitions. The Pantsir-S1 main feature is a combined missile/gun armament set capable of creating a continuous engagement zone and conducting steady fire within the range of 200 m (min) up to 18-20 km (max) and the altitude from 5 m to 15 km. One battery comprising six combat vehicles can engage up to 24 targets simultaneously. The Pantsir-S1 can be also employed to defeat enemy light armoured ground and above-water targets as well as manpower. Thanks to system’s modular design it can be supplied on various types of chassis.

Yak-130 combat trainer aircraft. The Yak-130 trainer aircraft can be employed not only as an efficient pilot training facility but also as a light combat aircraft which fully meets local operation requirements for suppressing guerrilla and terrorist groups. The Yak-130 trainer is distinguished by efficiency and high flight safety level as well as the ability to simulate flight of different types of fighters for training purposes provided by its flight control system. The Yak-130 combat trainer has a glass cabin fitted with large-size multifunctional colour displays and HOTAS-compliant controls. The Yak-130 has a combat payload of three tonnes. The aircraft is armed with various types of guided and unguided weapons.

BMPT. The BMPT tank support combat vehicle features a combination of powerful weapons with heavy armour which allows it both to support tanks, in particular to defeat antitank missile systems and their crews, and to operate autonomously, for instance to reinforce infantry units, protect troop columns and installations, and suppress terrorist groups. The BMPT arsenal includes two 30-mm 2A42 automatic guns, two Ataka-T supersonic antitank missile launchers, two AG-17D automatic grenade launchers, and one 7.62-mm machine gun. The BMPT fire control system includes a multichannel sight and a panoramic low-level light television sight enabling the crew to detect and identify small-size targets at a long range by day and night in adverse weather conditions.

Littoral sea control systems. Rosoboronexport also offers its foreign customers integrated sea area control systems, offshore and coastal military/economic installations defence systems with due account of regional requirements. These are open-architecture systems integrating a variety of monitoring facilities (radars, television and optical means) and weapons (boats, helicopters, coastal fire assets) and enhancing effectiveness of assigned forces and assets by 1.5-2 times, depending on the type of mission performed. It is also of paramount importance that they can be employed in the interests of not only armed services but also civilian organisations which allows saving considerable funds.

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