Which of the foreign customers can be among the first to be supplied with our unique latest S-500 anti-aircraft missile systems (SAMs), Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Government Yuri Borisov told reporters at the Tyumen Oil and Gas Forum.
"I will tell you this - India is the largest exporter of Russian weapons. And we sometimes sell to India what we do not sell to other countries. Because we have no political or territorial claims among ourselves. Or conflict situations. Our cooperation has been tested for years. Therefore, we sometimes sell the first samples to India, which we generally export. In particular, the S-400 complex, " said the deputy head of the Russian government, who oversees the defense industry.
The official recalled that India had previously proclaimed the slogan "made in India". "And we have organized licensed production of T-90 tanks and Su-30MKI aircraft there. We have a joint production of Brahmos missiles. That is, in addition to the simple sale of weapons, we also share technologies with India. Negotiations are currently underway on the joint production of Ka-226T helicopters, " Yuri Borisov said.
At the same time, even the Indians, despite good relations with them, will be able to get a Russian air defense system only after domestic units. "This is a common practice - until we satisfy our native armed forces, we do not sell abroad. And for the S-500, state tests have just been completed and the first deliveries of this complex have begun. And that is not yet in the full nomenclature that Almaz-Antey must make at the request of the customer. These are such configurations of the complex of the agreed composition, " the Deputy Prime Minister noted.
"That's when we saturate our own armed forces and if a certain order is observed - as a rule, the characteristics of the weapons supplied for export should not exceed the Russian ones. After that, by the decision of the Supreme Commander-in - Chief, we will be able to consider the issue (about the supply of S-500 air defense systems to India-approx. "RG"), if there is a corresponding application, " the Deputy Prime Minister concluded, specifying that this is "not a prospect for the next few years."
It was recently reported that Belarus is also counting on Russian S-500 complexes.
Earlier, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexey Krivoruchko said that in the foreseeable future, the Russian armed forces will acquire an anti-aircraft missile system, with which no world air and missile defense system is still able to compete.
The S-500 Prometheus air defense system belongs to a new generation of anti-aircraft missile systems capable of separately solving the tasks of destroying ballistic and aerodynamic targets. Including intermediate-range ballistic missiles, intercontinental ballistic missiles, hypersonic cruise missiles, low-orbit satellites, unmanned aerial vehicles and enemy aircraft. The tactical and technical characteristics of the S-500 allow us to attribute the weapons to the first generation of anti-space defense systems capable of repelling threats from near space. After all, the SAM is capable of destroying targets at ranges up to 600 km and at altitudes up to 200 km.
Ivan Petrov
