"Russian Small Arms Enjoy a Deserved High Reputation"

Interview with Alexander FOMIN, Director of Army Department of Rosoboronexport

What was the share of small arms and light weapons in overall Ros­oboronexport export deliveries in 2000?

It has been true of the past few years that average annual deliveries of small arms, close combat weapons and ammunition for them have amounted to 130,000-150,000 pieces of small arms and close combat weapons, 150-200 million units of ammunition. In terms of money, orders from foreign clients are estimated at about $100-150 million a year.

In 2000 deliveries of small arms by Rosvoorouz­henie and Promexport totaled about $80 million.

What countries and regions are the key im­porters of Russian small arms? Is Rosoboron­export working to promote these types of weapons to new markets?

The main arms importers are countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and the CIS. The biggest buyers are African countries, such as Ethiopia, Na­mibia, Kenya and others. Following the aggra­vation of the situation on the domestic as well as the international scenes deliveries of small arms have increased to Asian countries. One may name India, Indonesia and Bhutan among chief importers there. At the same time deliver­ies to European countries have been declining, given the intentions of those countries to join NATO. Deliveries to Uzbekistan have grown impressively as a result of the aggravation of the situation in Afghanistan.

Rosoboronexport is working constantly to pro­mote small arms and close combat weapons to new markets. To this end the company regularly participates in international arms exhibitions and holds presentations in Russia as well as abroad.

For instance, efforts in 2001 resulted in the de­livery of a big batch of small arms to a Central African country. It was the first deal of its kind not just in the history of Russian, but even So­viet arms trade.

What types of small arms and light weapons have the greatest prospects on international markets? What is the export potential of the latest models of Russian small arms, namely assault rifles with balanced automatics and machine pistols?

Russian small arms enjoy a deserved high repu­tation in many countries around the world. For instance, the Kalashnikov assault rifle adopted for service in the Soviet Army in 1949 has be­come the main type of small arms of the armed forces in many countries. Today over 50 years after adoption it is in high esteem among the military and its various modifications continue to serve armies in over 120 countries around the world. The Kalashnikov assault rifle and its de­rivatives have been produced throughout the world in over 70 million pieces. It is a simple, long-lasting, reliable and effective weapon.

Even though different modifications for the Kalashnikov assault rifle are manufactured both legally under official licenses and ille­gally in scores of countries, Rosoboronexport continues to export them, including the latest derivative, in particular models for NATO caliber cartridges

Thus if one considers the prospects of small arms export deliveries, one must note that weapons of different generations are and will remain in demand for the next few years: the relatively cheap, reliable, effective models tested by time that are simple in design and easy to handle (PM pistols, Kalashnikov assault rifles, SVD sniping rifles, PKM machine-guns), and also the newer more expensive weapons de­signed for special forces and capable of fulfilling non-standard tasks.

The prospect of promoting small arms with balanced automatics to arms markets seems fairly good at this stage, but given the specific nature of such weapons their market is rather limited for understandable reasons.

Which Russian manufacturers of light weap­ons, small arms and ammunition for them are involved in Rosoboronexport export contracts?

Rosoboronexport cooperates in exports of small arms with all Russian manufacturers of small arms and close combat weapons the output of which is marked by high quality. The most im­portant requirements of small arms and close combat weapons are reliability, high effective­ness, simplicity of handling, etc.

The greatest demand is for products of such companies as OJSC Izhmash, JSC Tula Arms Plant, the Tula Cartridge Plant, the Vympel Production Association and others.

Rosoboronexport also successfully cooperates with the Russian Defense Ministry on exports of small arms and close combat weapons from army arsenals by offering materiel released due to the reduction of the Russian Armed Forces.

When Rosoboronexport handles an inquiry from a foreign client, it offers a broad spectrum of armaments from Russian Defense Ministry stockpiles as well as the output of defense in­dustry facilities.

The export of special weapons should be singled out. Rosoboronexport offers a whole gamut of weapons developed for special tasks forces at TsNIITochmash (Institute of Precise Mechanical Engineering) in Klimovsk, namely the VSS suppressed sniper rifle, the AS suppressed as­sault rifle, the Gyurza pistol with an 18-round magazine, the APS underwater assault rifle, the SPP underwater pistol, the RSC shooting com­mando knife etc.

Is anything done to promote personal protec­tion means on foreign markets? What ad­vanced products are there in this sphere?

In export deliveries of personal protection means Rosoboronexport cooperates with many Russian manufacturers whose output is mainly standard in application varies in purpose, design and other parameters. The most important re­quirement to personal protection means is resis­tance to the penetration of bullets, fragments and cutting objects.

Russian companies manufacture such personal protection means as bulletproof vests, helmets, protective outfits for handling explosives, spe­cial suits for crewmembers of tanks, armored vehicles etc. The orders Rosoboronexport re­ceives from foreign customers for personal pro­tection means as a rule differ greatly in their requirements. Rosoboronexport checks these or­ders with different Russian manufacturers de­pending on their output range.

For instance, the Scientific Research Institute of Steel (NII Stali) in Moscow along with bullet­proof vests makes polymer-textile, titanium, aluminum and steel helmets with varying de­grees of resistance to fragments and bullets. Two new types of army helmets of a new gen­eration - textile and titanium - developed at NII Stali have been adopted replacing the standard SSh-68 helmet. The helmets have a high export potential. The company also manufactures in­creasingly popular sets for handling explosive objects. At order from one of the foreign client the company has even designed bulletproof vests for children of pre-school and school age.

In the past it was NII Stali that developed the armor for the first Soviet VIP limousine and special bulletproof vests for KGB commando forces and top government officials.

Now it has started promoting on world markets its multi-purpose camouflage fabric Nakidka that has aroused significant interest among for­eign experts as a means of reducing the visibil­ity of military hardware in a broad wave band because it is no less effective that Stealth technology but much cheaper.

For many years Rosoboronexport has been coop­erating with JSC Kirasa in Perm on export de­liveries of armored vests of the 1-4th classes of protection. Besides Russia these vests have been certified in Britain, the United States, Ger­many, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. They have stood numerous tests in conditions of ac­tual hostilities. A South Asian country con­ducted a competitive test of floating bulletproof vests for its coastal guards in May 2001. The Russian Kirasa-Universal SN vest surpassed all others in its parameters, including buoyancy and ergonomic qualities. The wet vest was not punc­tured by 17 point-blank shots from a pistol, submachine gun or carbine.

It must be noted that it is quite difficult to promote exports of special protection means be­cause there are many manufacturers of such materiel around the world. Practically in every case potential clients along with our delivery of­fers receive similar offers from other countries. The client chooses the best offer under conditions of extremely tough competition among the manu­facturers making their offers. It is important to note that when foreign clients evaluate Russian personal protective means they single out pri­marily the fact that these means have been tested in actual hostilities and saved the lives of thousands of combatants.

Is a single strategy of promoting small arms and personal protection means on foreign mar­kets necessary?

Under present conditions the arms market shrinks annually for well-known objective rea­sons increasing competition between arms ex­porting countries.

The lobbying of promising arms delivery con­tracts by the government is coming to the fore. The strategy of advancing small arms and per­sonal protection means to foreign markets is legitimate and may be effective but only if it is applied to the markets where Russia has a chance of exerting a certain influence.

However, in countries where we don't have such influence a more flexible approach is necessary. A strategy of infiltrating the arms market is more appropriate there, and small arms and per­sonal protection means should be offered to buyers independently of each other.

How do you evaluate the impact of the inter­national campaign of the nonproliferation of small arms and light weapons on the export prospects of Russian small arms? Do you think it is possible to develop and introduce a single international system of marking small arms and light weapons to prevent illegal trade in them?

Many international NGOs having the objective of adopting effective measures to prevent the proliferation of small arms and to scrap their surplus stores have intensified their activities in the past few years. Many countries support the efforts of these organizations. The fact that the issue was raised at the United Nations proves that.

During the discussion on documents advising U.N. member-countries to make decisions on the nonproliferation of small arms and light weapons, the main exporters of these weapons such as Russia, China, the United States and France have emphasized the problem of illicit trade in small arms and close combat weapons and also the elimination of their surpluses at army depots and arsenals in some countries. Such an understanding of the problem allows countries that legally deliver small arms to the armed forces of independent countries to foil at­tempts of illegal arms deliveries to the black market or to unrecognized guerilla groups.

For this purpose a decision of the international community on the introduction of a system of marking each piece of small arms is undoubtedly necessary, but is resisted by several exporting countries, for instance China, claiming that the it would be difficult to introduce such a proce­dure at its manufacturing facilities. Russia has been using such a system since Soviet times.

However, universal marking of manufactured armaments alone will not resolve the problem of illegal deliveries. This was proved by the out­come of the UN Conference on Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its As­pects held in the middle of July 2001. The final decision agreed upon in advance with all par­ticipating states was blocked at the last moment by the U.S. delegation that refused to pledge to deliver armaments only to government agencies, and thus reserved the advantage of pursuing a free hands policy.