Russia & Algeria Nearing $4+ Bn Arms Deal

MiG-29 (click to view full) The Moscow Times reports that Russia’s state arms trader Rosoboronexport and leading Russian defense industry enterprises have prepared a package of $4 billion package of contracts to sell advanced weapons and military hardware to Algeria. “Work to draw up the package is nearly over. All contracts have been negotiated and some initialed, and they are likely to be signed in February 2006,” a source in the Russian defense industry told Interfax-Military News Agency. This would be post-Soviet Russia’s largest ever single arms deal, and compares to annual weapons exports to all customers of $5-6 billion over the last couple of years. Weapons rumored to be on this list include 36 upgraded MiG-29SMT multi-role lightweight fighters and 28 two-seat Su-30MK fighters, eight sets of Russia’s advanced S-300MPU2 Favorit (upgraded S-300) air defense missile systems with a 200km range, and T-90 main battle tanks. Interfax’s source noted that the weapons would be paid for in a complicated scheme involving striking off part of Algeria’s Soviet debt. Other contracts are also rumored for the upgrade of Soviet-made arms already in Algeria’s possession, and additional arms are reported to be under consideration. For instance… T-90 tank(click to view full) […]