Russia’s state-owned arms exporter has increased its contracts in sub-Saharan Africa by $1.7 billion, Rosoboronexport chief, Alexander Mikheev, said on Monday ahead of the Shield Africa 2021 International Security and Defense exhibition in Ivory Coast, scheduled from June 8-10.
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“In 2020 and early 2021 alone, we signed more than $1.7 billion worth of contract documents in this region and brought the number of countries in Central, Western and Southern Africa to 17 in the company’s order portfolio,” the state agency quoted Mikheev as saying in a statement.
He noted that Rosoboronexport sends to the region Russian helicopters, naval equipment, air defense systems, armored vehicles, equipment for law enforcement agencies, security systems for airport and critical facilities, and small arms, including special weapons.
At the exhibition, Rosoboronexport will present BTR-80, 80A, and 82A armored personnel carriers, Kalashnikov assault rifles “one hundredth” and “two-hundredths” series AK-12, AK-15, as well as AK-19 and AK-308, which are novelties in the region.
In addition, the agency will brief partners on Russian anti-tank missile (ATGM) systems, including Kornet-E and Kornet-EM ATGMs.
Russian-based Military Industrial Company LLC will also participate in this year’s edition of Shield Africa, set to exhibit full-scale samples of armored wheeled vehicles MIC-233316 of the TIGR family, among others.
