MOSCOW, January 21. /TASS/. The aircraft order book of Russia’s official arms exporter Rosoboronexport is worth more than $22 billion, the exporter’s press office told journalists on Thursday.
"The worth of the aircraft orders landed by Rosoboronexport is over $22 billion. Foreign customers, including those in the Middle East and North Africa, have displayed increasingly keen interest [in Russian warplanes]," Rosoboronexport Air Force Materiel Export Department Chief Sergey Kornev was quoted by the press office as saying.
According to Kornev, this is owing to Russia having brought advanced aircraft models onto the global market and to the high effectiveness of the latest Russian combat aircraft. "The increase in demand has been facilitated by the [Russian aircraft’s] cost effectiveness and by Russia’s reputation as a reliable and responsible partner in military technical cooperation," he said.
The press office reminded that Rosoboronexport would take part in the 4th Bahrain Airshow (Bahrain Airshow 2016) slated for January 21-23 at Sakhir air base. The arms exporter is planning a discussion of the feasibility of Russian aircraft sales, and its delegation will negotiate with representatives of the Middle East and North African militaries interested in Russian fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft and air-launched weapons.