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Le Bourget air show: Russia clinches contracts for military hardware deliveries

The Russian exposition’s military component is present in the form of scale models and promotional materials

LE BOURGET, June 22. /TASS/. The business program of the 52nd Le Bourget international aerospace show came to an end on Thursday. The exposition will be open for the public during the next three days.

Owing to the position of the French authorities, Russia has not brought any full-scale models of its military hardware to the air show. However, this did not prevent Russian defense producers from actively participating in it.

Russian defense contractors at Le Bourget air show

The Russian participants include state arms seller Rosoboronexport, the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), Irkut Aircraft Company, Russian Helicopters rotocraft manufacturer, the United Engine-Making Corporation, the aircraft companies Sukhoi, MiG, Ilyushin and Beriev, the titanium and aluminum producer VSMPO-Avisma and others. All the Russian companies are demonstrating 190 promising aircraft and space technology items.

Combat aviation and air defense

Russia was unable to deliver armaments and military hardware items to the aerospace show. As Rosoboronexport explained, the Le Bourget aerospace show organizing committee had not imposed any restrictions and had guaranteed Russia the safety of its exhibits and its exposition; "however, the French customs bodies banned delivering full-scale items of military products to the country."

That is why, the Russian exposition’s military component is present in the form of scale models and promotional materials. Specifically, Rosoboronexport demonstrates at the Le Bourget aerospace show the Mikoyan MiG-29M/M2 multipurpose frontline fighter jet, the Sukhoi Su-35 multirole fighter, modifications of the Su-30MK plane, the Yak-130 combat trainer, the Yak-152 training plane, the Kamov Ka-52 reconnaissance and attack helicopter, the Mil Mi-28NE combat rotocraft, the Mi-35 combat transport helicopter, the Ka-226T lightweight multirole round-the-clock helicopter, the Mi-26T2 heavy transport helicopter, and also the Russian-Indian project of a perspective multipurpose fighter (PMF).

Rosoboronexport’s products also include Russia’s advanced air defense systems: the Antey-2500 surface-to-air missile complex, the Buk-M2E antiaircraft missile system, the Pantsyr-S1 air defense missile/gun complex and the Verba portable surface-to-air missile system.

Civil aircraft

The sole Russian-made aircraft exhibited at the Le Bourget aerospace show is the Sukhoi Superjet 100 short-haul airliner. The aircraft is painted in the colors of Mexico’s Interjet, the largest operator of this airliner abroad.

Russia’s newest medium-haul airliner MC-21 (it performed its debut flight on May 28, 2017) is represented by a training simulator for flight crews.

The United Aircraft Corporation demonstrates at its stand the models of the MC-21-300, Il-114-400 airliners and the MTA (the Multipurpose Transport Aircraft, which Russia is developing jointly with India), the Be-200 and the Be-103 amphibious aircraft, and also conceptual developments for the perspective cargo and passenger plane (M-60).

Rosoboronexport’s stand also demonstrates the model of the Ansat lightweight multirole helicopter produced by the Kazan Helicopter Enterprise.

Space industry

The exposition of Russia’s State Space Corporation Roscosmos is devoted to the 60th anniversary of the launch of the first artificial Earth’s satellite and the projects the corporation is implementing as part of international cooperation.

Pavilion No. 4 that covers an area of 215 square meters features the products of the Energiya Rocket and Space Corporation, the Progress Rocket and Space Center, VNIIEM Corporation, the Lavochkin Research and Production Association, the Center for the Operation of Ground-based Space Infrastructure Facilities and the Khrunichev Space Center.

These products include, in particular, the full-size mock-up of the Sputnik-1 satellite, the mock-ups of the International Space Station, the perspective piloted transport spacecraft Federatsiya, the family of Angara and Soyuz rockets and other space vehicles.

New contracts

It emerged at the Le Bourget aerospace show that Russia had won a tender for the delivery of shipborne helicopters for Egyptian Mistral-class amphibious assault ships. As Director of Russia’s Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation Dmitry Shugayev said, "we can state with pleasure that Russia has won this tender" and will deliver its Kamov Ka-52K helicopters to that country.

According to him, Russia and Egypt are now approving the technical concept of the helicopter and the contract’s financial terms. The work carries on and the contract is quite outstanding and significant, Shugayev noted.

It was also announced at the Le Bourget aerospace show that Russia had signed a three-year contract with Belarus for the delivery of Sukhoi Su-30SM fighter jets.

"The contract to supply a batch of Su-30SMs has been signed. It will take a few stages to be completed within the established timeframe," Shugayev told TASS.

The head of Russia’s Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation also said that Russia had delivered the first two out of 12 Mil Mi-35M helicopters to Nigeria under a contract to be implemented by 2018.

Russia’s advanced S-400 Triumf air defense missile systems for India and Turkey

As Rosoboronexport Head Alexander Mikheyev said at the Le Bourget international aerospace show on Wednesday, Russia’s weapons exporter Rosoboronexport expects to sign a contract with India soon on the delivery of S-400 Triumf air defense missile systems. "Rosoboronexport is carrying out pre-contractual work with Indian partners. We are discussing the technical issues of the deliveries. I can assure you that both our company and the Indian side are set to sign the contract soon," the chief executive told journalists.

An agreement on the delivery of S-400 antiaircraft missile systems to India was signed by the Russian and Indian governments in October 2016.

The Rosoboronexport chief also said that the deliveries of S-400 surface-to-air missile systems to China would begin in compliance with the schedule.

"The S-400 Triumf long-range air defense missile systems will be delivered to China in strict compliance with the contract concluded between Rosoboronexport and the Chinese side. There are no causes to doubt the timely and qualitative fulfillment of the accords," the company’s head said.

The Rosoboronexport chief also said that Russia was holding contractual negotiations with Turkey on the delivery of its most advanced S-400 Triumf long-range surface-to-air missile systems.

"Turkey is, indeed, showing high interest in Russian long-range air defense missile systems. Contractual negotiations are currently underway," the chief executive said.