By Htet Myat

 

FROM 15 to 21 August, Russia hosted the Army 2022 International Military and Technical Forum organized by the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation. On the same days, the Army International Games and the 10th Moscow Conference on International Security were held. The Army 2022 events took place at the Patriot Convention and Exhibition Centre, Kubinka Airfield, Alabino Military Training Ground, as well as in all military districts and in the Northern Fleet. The Army Forum is traditionally the most important international platform where the latest armament solutions are presented and relevant issues are discussed.

 

This year’s novelties, in particular, were the Kh-69 multifunctional stealth precision-guided airborne cruise missile, Viking SAM system’s target acquisition radar, Planshet-M-IR mobile automatic gun/mortar/MRL fire control system and the new-generation Orlan-30 unmanned aircraft system with a multifunctional electro-optical mission payload. The Su-57 fifth-generation fighter jet, placed directly in front of the main exhibition halls, was in the visitors’ focus of attention. In total, 1,000+ pieces of armament and military equipment were on display at the forum sites. Almost two million people became guests of the exhibition.

 

Rosoboronexport, Russia’s only state intermediary for the export and import of the entire range of military and dual-use products, technologies and services, held a number of negotiations during the exhibition and made a statement on its results.

 

“In 2022, Rosoboronexport has organized a rich business programme on the sidelines of the Army Forum. We held more than 70 negotiations, during which we discussed various military-technical issues with representatives of 30 partner countries. We concluded several export contracts and also laid the groundwork for contracts worth more than $14.5 billion,” said Alexander Mikheev, Director-General of Rosoboronexport. “The company made presentations of about 350 Russian products to the delegations of partners who came to the forum. They showed particular interest in the Su-57E fifth-generation fighter, T-14 Armata tank, Ka-52E attack helicopter, Tor-E2 SAM system, Kornet-E ATGM system, and the K-17 Boomerang wheeled infantry fighting vehicle”.

 

Rosoboronexport conducted a live demonstration of Russian armoured vehicles and air defence systems at the Alabino Training Ground according to a scenario developed by the company jointly with the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation. Nineteen pieces of equipment, including the BMD-4M airborne assault vehicle and the K-17 Boomerang IFV, demonstrated their running and firing capabilities.

 

Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov: “Despite the persistent desire of Western countries to isolate Russia, Rostec continues to work effectively in the field of military-technical cooperation. This year we have already signed contracts with a number of foreign customers worth more than one trillion roubles,” he said, noting that this figure exceeds some annual figures over the past 10 years.

 

For his part, Dmitry Shugaev, Director of Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC), said that foreign partners have significantly increased interest in Russian weapons after assessing their effectiveness during Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine.

 

“The special military operation in Ukraine has resulted in a serious surge of interest of foreign partners in Russian weapons. Many of them evaluated their effectiveness during combat use relying on available data. In addition, they made sure once again of the high quality, reliability, durability and maintainability of Russian-made military products, drawing the attention of new potential buyers in Africa, Latin America and other regions of the world,” Dmitry Shugaev said.

 

He noted that in the first half of 2022, military products were exported according to shipping schedules and agreements with foreign partners. In total, the products were delivered to more than 30 states, the head of FSMTC said.

 

Latest products

A highlight of this year was the demonstration of the Su-57 fifth-generation aircraft system in the immediate vicinity of the Patriot Centre building. The Su57 advanced multirole fighter jet is designed to conduct missions against air, ground and surface targets day and night using modern and advanced guided and unguided weapons. The aircraft is equipped with the latest avionics, armament and self-defence systems.

 

In the category of aircraft armament, the absolute novelty of Army 2022 was the Kh-69 multifunctional stealth airborne cruise missile, showcased at the Tactical Missile Armament Corporation’s (KTRV) exhibit. As follows from KTRV’s official presentation materials, the Kh-69 is designed to destroy a wide range of fixed ground targets with known coordinates before launch, including those that do not have radar, infrared and optical contrast with respect to the surrounding background. One or more flight missions can be entered into the missile control system to enable missile assignment to different targets immediately before launch. The operational range of the Kh-69 is 290 kilometres, the flight altitude above the earth’s surface is 50-300 metres, and the speed is 750-1,000 km/h.

 

Another Russian product that received a lot of positive feedback and was exhibited at Army 2022 is the T-14 tank based on the Armata universal combat platform.

 

“The vehicle has incorporated unprecedented design solutions, in particular, the T-14 has an uninhabited turret, and the crew is in an armoured capsule separated from the ammunition. The tank is equipped with an active protection system and explosive reactive armour, a remotely-controlled weapon station (RCWS) with a powerful gun and an automatic loader. Electro-optical surveillance, sighting and target acquisition sensors are installed along the perimeter of the turret and the hull,” the press service of the developer of the T-14 tank, Uralvagonzavod Corporation, reported.

 

Aircraft

Almost the entire line of United Aircraft Corporation’s (UAC) military aircraft Su-34, Su-35, Su57, Su-30SM, Yak-130, Il-78MK90A, Il-76MD-90A, MiG-35, MiG29K, Be-200, etc was showcased.

 

The Su-30SM super-manoeuvrable multirole fighter was demonstrated. The aircraft is able to effectively penetrate air defence and has great fighting capabilities owing to the large weight of the delivered weapons load and super-manoeuvrability that gives it an edge over the air enemy in close air combat.

 

Russian experts also note the following key advantages of this and other Sukhoi fighter jets: lethal guided missiles and unguided rockets plus a 30-mm autocannon; autonomous basing and in-flight refuelling capability; open architecture of the avionics and weapons systems.

 

In the segment of military transport aircraft, a new Russian Il-76MD-90A military transport aircraft was on display. It is based on the Il-76MD production aircraft, which is widely used around the world, and is designed to further improve this type of aircraft and expand its transport capabilities by upgrading its wing and installing more powerful, fuel-efficient and low-noise engines PS-90A-76 instead of D-30KP-2 engines.

 

The Ka-52 scout/attack helicopter was shown at Army 2022 in the Ka-52K Katran shipborne version. It can be deployed on ships and on land and is fitted with an ejection & shock absorbing system.

 

Another exhibit item of the forum was the Mi-28NE combat helicopter, equipped with the latest guided missile systems and equipment to communicate with unmanned aerial vehicles, which enhances its capabilities to engage enemy targets covered by air defences.

 

The Mi-28NE’s “neighbour” in the exhibit located in Patriot Park was the Mi-35P transport/ attack helicopter based on the Mi-24P helicopter. The Mi-35P inherited the advantages from its predecessor, including its excellent speed, transport/combat capabilities and combat survivability features. The Mi-35P can be equipped with guided weapons, as well as the President-S airborne defensive aid suite. A feature of the Mi-35P is its capability to operate in the highlands, in hot and humid climates.

 

First unveiled at the Army exhibition, the Orlan-30 UAV is capable of conducting various missions depending on its payload version – patrolling, surveillance, the guidance of precision weapons, target illumination, post-attack analysis, etc. The vehicle can be transported in a special container.

 

Ground Forces Equipment

Visually, the Army Forum is often associated with tanks – indeed, it is rare to see such a variety of armoured vehicles in such a limited area at the exhibition.

 

Uralvagonzavod presented its most advanced armoured vehicles at Army 2022: the T-14 MBT on the Armata platform, T-90MS MBT and the BMPT-72 tank support fighting vehicle.

 

“The T-90MS is the newest vehicle in the T-90 family and another example of the great growth potential of armoured vehicles manufactured in Tagil. The modernization was so multilevel that the T-90MS can rightfully be considered a new combat vehicle.

(TO BE CONTINUED)