Russia’s weapons sales up by $2Bln in 2011

Πηγή: The Moscov News
By Alina Lobzina
April 10 2012

Russian leading arms exporter Rosoboronexport's weapons sales were up by $2 billion in 2011, Anatoly Isaikin, head of the state-run agency, said. 

"Last year we shipped military equipment worth $10.7 billion abroad, and I mean exports through Rosoboronexport solely," Newsru quoted him as saying.

 
Rosoboronexport, which is in charge of 90 percent of Russia's arms export, worked in 57 countries in 2011, Isaikin said in an interview published by Voenno-Promyshlenny Kuryer on Tuesday. 

The main importers of the Russian weapons were countries in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the Middle East and North Africa, which have been struck by ongoing unrests, according to Isaikin.

Revolutions hurting business

But the recent series of revolutions, especially in North African countries, were a problem for Russian arms sellers, rather than an opportunity to cash in. 

"We couldn't deliver some of the planned supplies over the past two years, but we are trying to compensate for it by working more intensively in other regions of the world," Isaikin said.

According to Rosoboronexport's boss, 24 percent of its exports were planned for North African and Middle Eastern states, including Syria. 

The agency, however, maintains contacts with the new governments of North African countries. "I'm sure the outlook for developing our relationships in the future is good," he said.

Asia-Pacific is Russia's largest customer

Latin America received 14 percent of all Russian arms supplies last year, and 10 percent and 7 percent was destined for the CIS and countries in the south Sahara area respectively. 

The largest share - 43 percent of arms supplies - was for the Asia-Pacific region, and Europe and the US together took only 2 percent, Isaikin added.

Aviation brings the biggest sales

The structure of arms supplies has seen no changes recently, according to Isaikin. Air force equipment is the most popular products, making up 51 percent of all Russia's military exports.

Twenty-one percent of exports is for ground forces equipment, and over 11 percent is for navy and air defense, according to Isaikin.

 

"This range of the type of products supplied by Rosoboronexport correlates in general with the trends on the world's arms market and figures demonstrated by other major arms manufacturing countries," he concluded.