How Russia Is Trying to Convince Other Countries to Buy Their Weapons

Warrior Video Above: USS Zumwalt Commander Capt. Carlson Describes Riding the Stealthy Ship in Stormy Seas

By Mark Episkopos,The National Interest

Since 2010, Rosoboronexport– Russia’s state defense export agency– has made great strides in breaking into the Southeast Asian arms market. However, parts of the Middle-East present a much more challenging landscape. In particular, Rosoboronexport has yet to make meaningful headway in the lucrative Persian Gulf market where major defense system contracts still tend to go to the United States.

As Russian arms exporters make a concerted push into the Gulf states, there is no better opportunity for them to give their sales pitch than at the largest arms show in the Middle East: IDEX, a biennial exhibition organized by the United Arab Emirates. 

From tanks to air-defense systems, Russia entered IDEX 2019 with one of their most ambitious lineups in years. Will Russia succeed in wooing Gulf state importers? Here is what they showed.

The centerpiece of Russia’s exhibition was the unveiling of their new Pantsir-ME shipborne air defense system. Rosoboronexport executive Alexander Mikheev expressed optimism about its market competitiveness: “Pantsir-ME can be installed on most Russian warships and is very well fit for ships manufactured by other countries… I am confident that it has very good export prospects in the Arab countries, southeast Asia and Latin America. Boasting a unique, “completely automated” dual missile-artillery system with a range of up to 15 kilometers, the manufacturer claims that Pantsir-ME is the first seaborne defense system of its kind.

A more traditional artillery solution comes in the form of the AU220M “Burevestnik” 57 mm cannon, capable of firing 80 high-explosive (HE) or armor-piercing (AP) rounds per minute. In a reflection of where Rosoboronexport thinks the Middle-Eastern and Latin American markets are going, the manufacturer made a point of stressing that Burevestnik can also be fitted on certain Russian military vessels.