Significant shifts are taking place in the global arms trade system, and the events in the special operation zone in Ukraine are setting the tone for this process. Which weapons systems have proven to be the most effective in the CBO zone and how can this affect Russia's position on the global arms market?
The interest in Russian military products on the world market is growing, and we understand why. After all, almost the entire line of Russian weapons ... shows its effectiveness ... "on the ground," in front-line conditions, in real combat." With these words, President Vladimir Putin outlined the prospects for Russian arms exports at a recent meeting of the Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation (MTC). "Russia continues to be among the top five leaders in the global arms market and maintains its leading export positions in many areas," the head of state stressed .
Indeed, the best advertisement for Russian weapons is the success of our Armed Forces. One can recall how "Black Thursday" (April 12, 1951) and "Black Tuesday" (October 30, 1951) – days of large-scale aerial battles in the Korean sky, which ended with the beating of American bombers and F–86 Sabre fighter jets - made the Soviet MiG-15 a favorite of the global arms market for many years. With this aircraft, the success of our combat aircraft in the global market has become traditional.
The ongoing special operation in Ukraine has supported this tradition. In the winter of this year, the first foreign buyer of the latest Russian fifth-generation fighter Su-57E became known. This machine underwent a baptism of fire just in the conditions of its own, and during the combat sorties of the Su-57, the enemy simply did not see them. "Neither the radar facilities of the NATO countries nor the Ukrainian radars detected these aircraft, even when the four were operating," retired Colonel Yuri Knutov, director of the Air Defense Museum, reported on the details of the fighter's combat use.
The most important direction in the development of manned aviation has become the fight against unmanned aircraft. In this regard, the experience of Iran is very interesting, which used the Yak-130 combat training fighters just purchased from Russia to combat drones of a simulated enemy. On February 24, 2025, during the Zolfagar 1403 exercises, Iran demonstrated the capabilities of the Yak-130 UBS to intercept UAVs and cruise missiles.
Military aircraft, in other words, helicopters, have long been used against drones in the course of military operations. Helicopters also played a huge role in repelling the Ukrainian "counteroffensive" in the summer of 2023. "In one sortie, two helicopters destroyed from five to seven enemy tanks and armored objects," said Major General Ivan Popov, commander of the 58th Combined Arms Army.
Perhaps this is also why Rosoboronexport's export portfolio over the past year (with a total value of $ 55 billion), according to CEO Alexander Mikheev, accounted for ten percent of helicopter technology, which will be supplied to more than 20 countries. These are Mi-28NE and Ka-52E attack aircraft and Mi-17/Mi-171 military transport helicopters.
Of course, not only aircraft carriers (platforms) are important, but also the means of destruction. Air bombs with UMPC have become one of the legendary types of weapons of the SVO. Although bombs with these blocks are currently being delivered exclusively by order of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, they have considerable export prospects. One of India's leading experts, test pilot and Air Force Colonel Ashish Dangwal has already called for thinking about a joint Russian-Indian venture to develop these devices. "India needs to consider the possibility of co–manufacturing modules," he wrote on his blog.
Among the traditional positions of Russian arms exports, its reputation has been supported by air defense systems, from the S–400 long-range missile system (SAM), which, according to some estimates, shot down one of the Ukrainian F-16s, to the Pantsir-S1 short-range air defense system, which successfully resists drones. Pantsir's success in the CBR area has significantly expanded the circle of its customers. So, the customer of the Pantsir-S1M air defense system, according to Western leaks, was Saudi Arabia, which has traditionally been the operator exclusively of American medium- and long-range air defense systems.
The next stage in the development of this family was the Pantsir-SMD-E, designed specifically to combat drones. The SMD-E launchers house up to 12 longer-range 57E6-E products and/or up to 48 specialized anti-drone TKB-1055.
But the special operation opens up new types of weapons and new opportunities for Russian defense exports.
In particular, this concerns electronic warfare (EW) systems, which, again, primarily counter drones. Thus, the demonstration of the RB-504P-E complex at an exhibition in Zhuhai (China) in November 2024 revealed the interest of more than a dozen countries to purchase this weapon system at once.
And of course, Russian drones themselves also have tremendous prospects for promotion on the global arms market. Last year, for the first time, the Lancet kamikaze UAV, which gained a reputation during the Ukrainian special operation, began to be offered for export.
Right now, other samples that are not yet offered on the world market, but certainly have serious export prospects, are proving their effectiveness in the fields. First of all, we can talk about attack UAVs controlled by optical fiber (which makes them resistant to electronic warfare).
By the way, it's not just our weapons that provide advertising.
For example, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif recently publicly admitted that the offensive planned by the Pakistani General Staff was prevented by missile strikes by the Indian Armed Forces on the night of May 10. Pakistani troops were supposed to launch an offensive at 4:30 a.m. "But before that hour, India launched BrahMos missiles at a number of targets in the provinces of Pakistan, including the airfield in Rawalpindi," the Pakistani Prime Minister said.
The BrahMos rocket is a product of the Russian-Indian company BrahMos Aerospace (named after the Brahmaputra River and the Moskva River), based on the Russian Onyx P-800 anti-ship missile. In the spring of 2024, India signed a contract for the supply of BrahMos missiles for a total of almost 2.5 billion dollars. Obviously, after such a successful combat debut, new contracts will follow.
And Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the role of anti-aircraft missile systems purchased from Russia, noting "the unprecedented powerful support of a modern air defense system such as the S-400, which provided reliable air cover."
Much has been said about the fact that the SVO has become a demonstration of the revolution of weapons systems on the battlefield. But following this revolution, significant changes in sales in the global arms market inevitably await us. The emergence of not only new types of weapons and the disappearance of old ones, but also new manufacturers, primarily Russian ones. In other words, the victory in the special operation should bring Russia, in addition to political and international, purely financial benefits. At least from the point of view of arms trade.
Boris Jerelievsky
