At the Dubai Airshow 2019, which will be held from 17 to 21 November in Dubai, Rosoboronexport (part of the Rostec State Corporation) is presenting the latest Russian systems for combating unmanned aerial vehicles and other air attack weapons.
“The widespread use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) presents new security challenges. Rostec enterprises produce a wide range of modern hard- and soft-kill counter-drone systems. The hard-kill systems include effective air defense systems, such as the Pantsir family of anti-aircraft missile/gun systems, the Sosna SAM system, the Igla and Verba man-portable air defense missile systems, etc.,” said Rostec CEO Sergei Chemezov.
“The soft-kill systems encompass electronic warfare (EW) systems capable of countering individual UAVs as well as providing comprehensive protection for transport hubs, industrial, military and other critical facilities. Among them are the Sapsan-Bekas, Ataka-DBS, and Solyaris-N, Pischal-PRO, Taran-PRO and other systems,” Chemezov added.
Today, the Middle East arms market is essential to the Russian defense industry. The countries of this region traditionally equip their armies with the most advanced types of weapons and military equipment, paying great attention to Russian systems, including those that are in use in Iraq, Syria and other countries of the region.
“Recent events in the world have shown that the effective fight against reconnaissance and strike UAVs, as well as other air attack weapons is becoming increasingly important to ensure the protection of high-priority facilities, including strategic transport hubs and infrastructure of major oil/gas and nuclear power companies. In fact, the formation of a new niche in the global arms market, the counter-drone market, whose capacity is estimated at billions of dollars, while the damage from ignoring such a threat may be many times greater, is being finalized,” said Rosoboronexport’s Director General Alexander Mikheev.
“In this regard, at the Dubai Airshow, we will not only discuss with our Arab partners the implementation of existing contracts but will also hold talks on the latest Russian counter-UAV systems, highlighting them as a distinct area of work,” Mikheev stressed.
At the Dubai Airshow, one of the top 5 airshows in the world, Rosoboronexport will traditionally act as the organizer of Russia’s single display. Among the displayed air defense systems, the S-400 Triumph air defense missile system, Pantsir-S1 (S1M) anti-aircraft missile/gun system, Buk- and Tor-series SAM systems, Igla-S and Verba MANPADS, electronic warfare systems like the Repellent for countering small-sized UAVs and others are expected to attract special attention.
“Rosoboronexport offers foreign partners the supply of all types of Russian AD and EW equipment, as well as the formation of a single layered and automated AD grouping, which will include also the air defense assets already available to the customer State. We build all required infrastructure on the territory of the purchasing country, including service centers,” Alexander Mikheev added.
Through a comprehensive approach and the highest possible adaptability of Russian proposals, Rosoboronexport has supplied foreign countries with Russian AD and EW equipment worth over $25 billion since 2000, and Russia’s exports in this segment have increased 4-5 times over the past 10 years,” he noted.
Russia’s military-technical cooperation with the Middle East countries has a very long history. Today, Russia continues to develop and maintain existing ties. Weapons under the "Made in Russia" brand have proven effective and reliable in the challenging climatic conditions of the region, including in the course of actual hostilities. Global and local demand for Russian weapons continues to grow, including in such niches as safeguarding state and infrastructure security.
