MOSCOW, June 7. /TASS/. Russia’s Rosoboronexport state arms seller has signed contracts worth $1.7 bln with sub-Saharan Africa, the company’s press service reported on Monday.
Rosoboronexport is a subsidiary of Russia’s Rostec state hi-tech corporation.
"Rosoboronexport is successfully continuing to foster military-technical cooperation with Sub-Saharan African countries, which received a strong impetus during the Russia-Africa Forum in 2019. In 2020 and early 2021 alone, we signed contract documents worth over $1.7 billion in this region and brought the number of countries in Central, Western and Southern Africa in our order portfolio to 17," said Alexander Mikheev, Director General of Rosoboronexport, as quoted by the press service.
According to him, Rosoboronexport is marketing "helicopters, air defense systems, naval products, armored vehicles, equipment for law enforcement agencies, airport, and critical infrastructure security equipment, small arms, including special weapons, in the region."
According to the press service, the delegation of Rosoboronexport will be attending the Shield Africa 2021 International Security and Defense Exhibition, which will be held from June 8 to 10 at the Police Academy in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire.
"Among Russian products that the company's specialists will tell about are the BTR-80, 80-A and 82-A armored personnel carriers, Kalashnikov AK-100 and AK-200 series,Ak-12 and AK-15 assault rifles that are most in demand in the region and the AK-19,AK-308 rifles, absolute novelties in Africa. In addition, the partners will be provided with information about Russian anti-tank guided missile systems, including the Kornet-E and KORNET-EM systems, 120 and 82 mm mortars," the arms seller said.
At Shield Africa 2021, Russia will be represented by the Military Industrial Company (VPK), which will organize an exhibit display with the full-scale VPK-233316 Tigr special armored vehicle in the Raid configuration, VPK-39473 Strela light armored and VPK-Ural multi-purpose armored vehicles, the arms seller said.