The recent Dubai Air Show 2021 saw several export sales of Russian aviation equipment. According to the CEO Sergei Chemezov, the national arms trade dealer Rosoboronexport signed a number of contracts worth over US $1.3 billion. The deals are for combat aircraft, helicopters, drones as well as the supply of the engine, he noted. “For objective reasons, we cannot name the countries”, concluded Mr. Chemezov.
During the event, Rosoboronexport received requests for the supply of various aircraft, helicopters and drones, worth of $ 2.5 billion, Rosoboronexport CEO Alexander Mikheev told reporters on the sidelines of the exhibition. He noted that Rosoboronexport order book contains almost two hundred helicopters:
“To date, our portfolio for the supply of the helicopters counts more than 180 combat vehicles being worth around 4 billion US dollars, and in general, the Air Force share is 42% while air defense part is 31%,” he said.
The Air Show saw the largest ever presence of Russian aircraft including the brilliant Russian Knights aerobatic team piloting 9 Sukhoi Su-27s. The new Sukhoi Checkmate light combat aircraft (LTA) also became a real show sensation. The jet is ambitiously claimed to repeat the MiG-21 success story as the world’s widely produced combat aircraft. The single-engine combat platform is mainly intended for export but once it becomes operational with the Russian Aerospace Forces it will be designated the Su-75.
Among the features of the defence part of the exposition were the Mil Mi-28NE Night Hunter and Kamov Ka-52 attack helicopters. Both gunships feature round-the-clock operation ability being armed with an impressive set of smart weaponry. For the first time, the rotorcraft was shown with the latest guided missiles, namely Vikhr ( Whirlwind ) and A305E with a firing range of 10 and 15 km respectively. The missiles were developed by the High Precision Weapons holding subsidiaries – Tula-based Shipunov KBP and Kolomna-based KBM.
The relatively smaller Russian Helicopters company Ka-226T also made an international premiere in UAE. The rotorcraft is intended for operations at high altitudes and so has been nicked as the “Climber”. It features a new airframe and fuselage design with increased aerodynamic characteristics. Being made of modern lightweight materials the Ka-226T is equipped with an impact-resistant fuel system to meet special safety requirements.
It has also received an up-to-date avionics package to ensure safe and cost-efficient operations. The modular design makes the Ka-226 a multipurpose helicopter, either as a passenger, transport, SAR or medical-evacuation workhorse.
The Ka-226T versatile design drew interest from both commercial and military operators. The helicopters are in serial production at the Ulan-Ude Aviation plant in the Russian Far East and have been chosen for the ambitious light helicopter program of the Indian Army aviation and Air Force, which have 200 units on order.
The Russian product shelf was completed with the Orion-E attack drone. The export version of the UAV was shown with a variety of weaponry. It has been previously announced that the medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned combat vehicle (MALE UCAV) was being tested in the anti-terrorist operations in Syria. According to Alexander Mikheev, Rosoboronexport has already received “several export contracts being currently executed.”
The Orion-E is able to carry a combat payload up to 250 kg and can loiter for 24 hours at altitudes 9,000 m. The Kronshtadt company, its manufacturer, is building a new production facility in the Moscow region to produce “several dozen vehicles annually for both local and foreign customers in military and civilian versions”, as stated in the Company release.
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