The exhibition, which opened today in the capital of Azerbaijan, will last for three days and will end on September 26. In parallel, the Securex Caspian exhibition is being held at the Baku Expocenter. About 270 companies from 38 countries have confirmed their participation in both events, and 53 high-level official delegations are going to visit ADEX 2024. Panel discussions on various topics will take place within the framework of the exhibitions, and an extensive business program has been prepared.
"Russia and the countries of the Caspian region have long-term good—neighborly relations, including in the field of military-technical cooperation," Rosoboronexport (part of Rostec) quoted Director General Alexander Mikheev as saying. "Our partners are well aware of reliable and effective Russian defense products."
The unmanned premiere
The main Russian novelty of the exhibition in Baku was the Lancet-E complex with barrage ammunition, presented abroad for the first time. In August of this year, the export version of the complex, which became one of the "stars" of the special military operation, was demonstrated at the Army 2024 forum.
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| UAV "Product 52-E" from the Lancet-E complex. |
| Source: © Taras Rybyanov/ TASS |
As noted in Rosoboronexport, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from the complex ensure the confident defeat of tanks, armored vehicles and engineering equipment, support and command posts, electronic warfare systems. "The experience of combat operations has confirmed the high effectiveness of the Product 51-E and Product 52-E barrage ammunition included in the complex in counter—battery warfare and as a means of destroying high—speed land and surface targets - off-road vehicles and boats," the special exporter said in a press release.
As noted by a military expert, retired Colonel Viktor Litovkin, back in the 1970s and 1980s, our country was at the forefront in the development of unmanned systems. However, then the Soviet Union ceased to exist, the defense industry was underfunded and fell into decline. "And then there was the war on 08.08.08, when a long-range Tu-22M3R reconnaissance bomber had to be sent to reconnoiter units of the Georgian aggressors, which was shot down by Ukrainian anti—aircraft gunners over South Ossetia," Litovkin said.
Today, Russia is both saturating the armed forces with modern drones of various types, multiplying their production, and consistently offering potential buyers an increasing range of UAVs. In the summer of this year, the head of Rosoboronexport noted that due to the participation of Russian weapons in combat operations, the attention of foreign partners has increased dramatically, including to the Kub-E barrage ammunition, Orlan-10E, Orlan-30, and Orion-E UAV complexes.
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| UAV "Orlan-10E". |
| Source: © Taras Rybyanov/ TASS |
Serial production of the Orlan-10 UAV for the Russian Armed Forces began back in 2012. Later, its export version, Orlan-10E, began to be promoted on the international market. He is also represented in Baku. In a special operation, Orlan-10 and its heavier counterpart Orlan-30 conduct reconnaissance, adjust artillery fire, and highlight targets to hit them with precision projectiles.
Another complex with reconnaissance drones, shown at ADEX 2024, is the Supercam S350 developed by the Unmanned Systems Group of companies. "The Supercam S350 surpasses the Orbiter 2M reconnaissance UAV of Israeli origin produced in Azerbaijan in flight duration (4.5 hours versus 3 hours) and radio link range (100 km and 50 km, respectively)," said Igor Korotchenko, head of the Caspian Institute for Strategic Studies.
Russia offers other unmanned solutions. So, in 2022, the Kalashnikov concern announced the receipt of permits for the export of the kamikaze drone "Cube". Since then, Kub-E has been shown at numerous foreign exhibitions. An aircraft-type attack drone appears less frequently in the reports of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation from a special operation than the Lancet, but it is actively used to destroy military equipment and ammunition depots. The Russian developer of Kronstadt drones in 2017 at the MAKS aerospace salon showed an export modification of the Orion-E medium-altitude long-duration UAV. Its take-off weight exceeds one ton, it is capable of carrying up to 200 kg of combat load and staying in the air for 30 hours. Orion, which bears the name "Pacer" in the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation, participates in the liberation of the Kursk region from Ukrainian units, scouting targets and destroying enemy armored vehicles with precision ammunition.
Tested in its own
In addition to drones, Russian manufacturers have also presented means of combating them in the capital of Azerbaijan. The RP-377VM1, a small—sized interference transmitter, is being shown abroad for the first time. The device, which has already been tested in combat conditions, is capable of suppressing both UAVs and radio control channels of mines, protecting armored vehicles and cars. Another means of countering drones shown in Baku is the "RB—504P-E Product", which automatically searches for and jacks the communication and navigation channels of drones.
Among other weapons images presented are the T—90MS tank, the Terminator BMPT tank support combat vehicle, the Msta-S self-propelled howitzer, the S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile system, the Rubezh-ME coastal missile system, the Su-35 multipurpose supermaneuverable fighter, the Ka reconnaissance and attack helicopter.52E, Mi-17V-5 military transport helicopter.
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| Models of the Ka-52E reconnaissance and attack helicopter and the Su-35 supermaneuverable fighter. |
| Source: © Taras Rybyanov/ TASS |
The Russian Federation offers not only ready-made weapons samples at international exhibitions, but also deep industrial partnership with friendly states. For example, the country proposes to localize the production of anti-aircraft missile and cannon complexes "Pantsir" on the customer's territory, to establish the production and maintenance of Russian drones abroad.
A neutral platform for cooperation
The current event in Baku is the fifth anniversary event. The first ADEX exhibition took place in 2014, becoming the first in the Caucasus. Russia was represented by 10 enterprises at the joint site of Rostec State Corporation. At the last meeting of defense manufacturers in Baku in 2022, domestic gunsmiths demonstrated about 500 product samples. Despite the sanctions that have been in effect since the first event and have been increasing every year, the interest of potential customers in Russian weapons remains high.
"The Forum claims to be a serious international platform, especially since Azerbaijan is one of the most successful states of the post—Soviet space in terms of economy, its technological capabilities, which is very important for modernizing and providing the armed forces with modern equipment, creating its own samples," Alexander Mikhailov, head of the Bureau of Military and Political Analysis, shared his opinion with TASS. "Representatives of various geopolitical blocs, associations and unions get along on this platform."
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| The stand of the Israeli company Rafael. |
| Source: © Taras Rybyanov/ TASS |
Indeed, the events in Baku are attended by the Russian Federation and Belarus, Turkey, Israel, the United States and Great Britain, Ukraine, defense manufacturers from European, Asian and other countries. At the same time, the main sponsors of ADEX 2024 are the Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar and the Israeli defense company Israel Aerospace Industries. It is difficult to imagine such "neighbors" at other international arms exhibitions.
The expert noted that Russia and Azerbaijan are connected, among other things, by the Soviet period of development. As a result, the armed forces of the Caspian state have a significant amount of Soviet-style equipment serviced in Russia. Baku is also buying Russian weapons, ammunition, and modernizing equipment with the help of Russian specialists.
Mikhailov sees no reason that could affect military-technical relations between Moscow and Baku, given the frequent contacts between the presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan at various levels — meetings at events, forums of the Eurasian space and the CIS, bilateral communication, telephone conversations.
At the same time, Azerbaijan is also developing new areas of its military-technical cooperation, primarily with its allies such as Turkey.
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| The stand of the Turkish company Aselsan. |
| Source: © Taras Rybyanov/ TASS |
"Of course, Azerbaijan is also expanding the range of its military-technical partners, and in a sense it can also be understood, because the state is trying to maintain a neutral geopolitical position - it is probably useful to work with different states for this," Mikhailov believes. —And including with the polar ones, because, relatively speaking, it can buy weapons from the French or the British, while upgrading its weapons or buying new ones from Russia <...>. And no one, in my opinion, is offended by Azerbaijan about this."
Alexander Mikhailov
Head of the Bureau of Military-Political Analysis
The head of the Bureau of Military and Political Analysis believes that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev seeks to support ADEX as an independent platform, guided solely by national economic interests. "It is very important for him to earn money, and connections, and relationships with neighbors for Azerbaijanis," he shared his opinion. "This nationally oriented policy makes Azerbaijan quite a convenient, negotiable economic and political player in the Eurasian space."
Mikhailov suggested that the country in some ways takes an example from the United Arab Emirates, where two major arms forums are held and which "know how to get along with the deterred states on their sites." "So Azerbaijan wants to be somewhere similar to the Arab Emirates, to become such a large, welcoming, hospitable and at the same time very highly paid international exhibition venue," he said.
The expert believes that Baku can also act as a platform for discussing some kind of interstate agreements that lead to the settlement of military conflicts. "We are witnessing a whole list of military conflicts in the Middle East, on the territory of the African space and, of course, on the territory of Ukraine. And all these conflicts require the attention of the international community. Therefore, I think <..."military and political issues will also be discussed during the discussions between the delegations," he said, recalling that Azerbaijan itself has recently conducted military operations and used various types of modern weapons.
Victor Bodrov
