April 28, 2005
MosNews
There has recently been a marked decrease in the export of U.S. arms, especially military aircraft, to the world market, and the war in Iraq is to blame, Sergei Chemezov, the director general of Rosoboronexport, Russia’s military exporter, said in an interview to the Red Star newspaper published Thursday.
The United States has failed to arrange important deals for the export of military aircraft to Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic, Chemezov told Red Star.
“The Iraq war has spoiled the image of U.S. arms,” he said. First of all, the technique of remote airborne combat suffered a defeat, which will lessen the share of aircrafts on the market and increase the popularity of tanks, armored vehicles, small arms and close-combat arms.
Furthermore, Iraq’s anti-aircraft defense system, which was blocked by U.S. forces, was produced by the United States, which devalues U.S. anti-aircraft defenses on the world market, Chemezov said.
Under the present conditions Russia’s anti-aircraft defense systems have very good market prospects, along with Russia’s mobile anti-aircraft missile systems, radio-electronic and night vision devices, the general director of Rosoboronexport added.
Military experts promise an end to the U.S. leadership in localized conflicts with the arrival of Russia’s SU-30 airplanes and new air-to-air missiles on the market, Chemezov told the paper. Russian airplanes received best advertisement possible when the mass media reported that during recent joint manoeuvres the SU-30 won three out of four dogfights against U.S. F-15Ñ/D, he added.
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