By Brett Macdonald/Images: Brett Macdonald & Russian Embassy in the Republic of South Africa
ROSOBORONEXPORT is the widely known umbrella that facilitates sales, joint-ventures and other means of cooperation between the various defence companies in Russia. Operating under Rostec which is the industry’s link to the Russian Ministry of Defence, Rosoboronexport provides the platform on which defence and security related products from the over 800 individual companies are marketed.
With the changing political environment in several former French colonies, particularly in the Sahel region of Africa, cooperation between African countries and Russian defence companies as intensified of late. During the Cold War the Soviet Union supplied much of Africa’s defence needs and it’s been documented that Russia has aimed to rekindle many of those old relationships and return to its position as a major partner in the overall African defence sector.
Alexander Mikheev, Director General of Rosoboronexport said that Russian companies are currently launching 20 new projects in Africa, with several of them already at the implementation phase. These involve maintenance, repair and localised production for ground forces, naval and air forces.
As part of the conglomerate’s bid to showcase their interest in Africa, the Rosoboronexport exhibit at the recent African Aerospace and Defence (AAD) expo held at Airforce Base Waterkloof this month, included the RPG-29M grenade launcher for the very first time on the continent. It was developed with Rostec and modernised on the experience gained by recent fighting, resulting in a threefold reduction in launcher weight. It is equipped with a day/night thermal imaging sight with integrated fire control capabilities and an expanded range of rounds.
A key focus was on the modern range of small arms and close combat weapons used in the Russian military including the Ak-19; AK-203; AK -204; AK-15 and RPK-20 submachine gun from Kalashnikov. These were accompanied by the Atlas, Phobos and Deimos thermal imaging sights that were developed for several applications and the Titan thermal imaging clip-on attachment. Lebadev pistols and the Chukavin SVC sniper rifle were also on display.
In the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and loitering munition segment, an upgraded Lancet-E system was introduced, as well as the Skay-350M reconnaissance UAV and the KUB-2E loitering munition, both developed and manufactured by the Kalashnikov group. On display at the special exporter’s stand was an RUS-PE reconnaissance strike system, also incorporating loitering munition.
For seaborne operations in littoral zones, Rosoboronexport has offered the BK-16E high speed transport and landing boat for the navy and law enforcement agencies. It is designed to operate as a command, fire support, search and rescue and medevac boat, with armament that can include 12.7mm and 7.62 machine guns, grenade launchers and remote-controlled weapon stations.
As the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) considers replacing the R4 & R5 range of assault rifles based on the Israeli Galil, Rosoboronexport which unites over 800 industrial organisations over 60 regions of Russia, is positioning itself to create the bridge between the respective institutions involved in both countries.
Rosoboronexport was established in 2000 by decree of President Vladimir Putin to centralise and stabilise the Russian defence industry, following the decay of the 1990’s after the split of the USSR. It currently manages over 85% of Russia’s arms exports and maintains an orderbook of around $60 billion, of which continental Africa accounts for 3.5% despite Western sanctions that have applied pressure and envisages growth of up to 30%. Rosoboronexport is not just looking for outright sales but also manufacturing partnerships on the continent.