Russia Plans Increased Combat Aircraft Exports to Latin American Countries

Russia's possibilities on the Latin American combat aircraft market are rather limited. Not counting helicopters, the Russian aircraft industry now has a good chance for marketing its combat aircraft only in three countries of the region.

A visit to Moscow by Brazil's President Fernando Henrique Cardoso in January 2002 and his talks with Russia's President Vladimir Putin have raised Rosoboronexport and Sukhoi's chances to win a tender for the delivery of 24 multi-role fighters to the Brazilian Air Force. According to experts, the French Mirage fighter is Russia's main competitor in the Brazilian tender. Russian fighter Su-35 are highly competitive with them in terms of flight and combat performance but cost US$ 35 million compared with US$ 50 million for the French aircraft. In addition, if the contract is concluded, Russia has expressed the readiness to buy Brazilian goods, as well as to transfer Su-35 manufacturing technologies to Brazil. Sukhoi CEO Mikhail Pogosian told the Show News, "We are interested not only in deliveries of the Su-35s to the Brazilian Air Force but also in their co-production. We'll do our best so that Brazil may take a justified decision on selecting an aircraft which its Air Force needs today."

Among new Rosoboronexport's offers on the Latin American market is an upgrade project for obsolete versions of the French Mirage fighters, which are in service with several countries in the region. Experts estimate that this Mirage upgrade variant, which involves the installation of the MiG-29's RD-33 engine, enables bringing flight and combat characteristics of the obsolete French planes up to these of the best modern combat aircraft.

In the field of combat aviation Russia has a chance for broader cooperation with Venezuela. During a December 2001 visit to the country of Russia's Prime Minister Mikhail Kasianov the sides agreed to expand cooperation in several strategic areas, including the military-technical one. This gives Russia better chances to implement various aircraft projects in Venezuela, among them aircraft upgrades.

The Venezuelan Air Force has recently announced a tender for the purchase of 24 trainers, in which RSK MiG is taking part with MiG-AT.

At the MAKS-2001 international air show in Moscow in summer 2001, the Venezuelan delegation handed over an official request for proposals on a draft contract for the delivery of the MiG-29M2 fighters, and as soon as late November the presentation of this aircraft took place in Venezuela.

Russia has been holding the strongest positions in Peru. However, the year 2001 was marked by a powerful slander campaign launched in the Peruvian mass media to discredit Russian aircraft. This followed the crash of a Peruvian AF MiG-29SE fighter on 13 March 2001. However, as was found out later, the crashed aircraft was not delivered by the corporation MiG and was purchased, among other 18 units, from Belarus without drawing in the Russian side. In this context MiG had provided the Peruvian Air Force with no guarantees on these aircraft.

In 1998, MiG delivered to Peruvian AF three totally new fighters to which there are currently no claims and whose operation is fully guaranteed by the Russian corporation. RSK MiG has also made a proposal to examine the Peruvian MiG-29SEs, which were delivered by Belarus. However, no reply from the Peruvian side has been received so far, and RSK MiG representative told the Show News that the corporation doesn't bear responsibility for and doesn't provide maintenance of the 17 MiG-29SE fighters supplied to Peru by Belarus. At the same time, experts believe it's likely that MiG may be drawn to upgrade the Peruvian AF's MiG-29SE fighter fleet.

By Nikolai Novichkov