Another successful year

Despite the loss of the Libyan and Iranian markets and the suspension of military supplies to war-town Syria, Russian official reports claim a continuing nominal growth in arms deliveries and contracts. According to the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, Russia exported $15.2 billion’s worth of armament last year and landed new contracts for a total sum of $15 billion. To put these figures in perspective, 2011 deliveries amounted to $13.2 billion and the total value of arms export contracts concluded during that year is estimated to have stood at $8-8.5 billion. As in previous years, most of the 2012 deliveries and (presumably) newly signed contracts were related to military aircraft, associated equipment and weaponry.

Deliveries

Aviation equipment accounted for 37% of all Russian arms exports in 2012. India appears to have remained Russia’s largest customer for such assets since 2005. Irkut Corporation has yet to release its performance results for 2012 but we may safely assume that it delivered at least 30 to 35 assembled airframes and knock-down kits of the Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jet variety to the Indian Air Force and to the license manufacturer HAL. Algeria received its second and final batch of eight Su-30MKI (A) fighters under the 2010 contract for 16 of the type; the first eight airframes had been delivered in 2011.