Rogue Planet

“Normal arsenal updating, no arms race” in S. America

As RP reported last month, there appears to be a bit of a spending spree going on in South America, with the Russians in a win-win-win situation. The big competitors, Venezuela, Chile, and Brazil, all seem to be claiming 'everything's perfectly fine here; how are you?'

mercopress.com article

Latin America: From Russia with Love

The Russian defense industry is looking to increase its foothold in South America, in addition to the sweet deal penned with Venezuela, Defense Industry Daily is reporting. Venezuela's buying spree is expected to draw attention from many of its neighbors on the continent, namely Brazil, who is reported to be increasing its defense budget from $3.5B to $5B.

DID Article

Moscow expects doubling or trebling of Russia's weapons sales to Venezuela

Moscow expects a doubling or trebling of Russia's weapons sales (currently amounting to US$4 billion) in agreements with Venezuela over the next few years, according to Russian state arms exporting agency Rosoboronexport executive Serguei Ladiguin.

"We have initialed agreements for US$4 billion with Venezuela and we are to at least  double or treble this sum," Ladiguin told Russian television in a direct broadcast from Caracas, where he was taking part in Venezuela-Russia bilateral cooperation meetings.

• Ladiguin stressed that Russia and Venezuela are drafting supply agreements for warships, warplanes and helicopter gunships, as well as a wide range of weapons for the Army.

Reported by Interfax, Ladiguin reminded his audience that Moscow is actually supplying Su-30 warplanes, different types of helicopter gunships and cargo choppers, as well as Kalashnikov rifles to Venezuela and that Russia is also building three military manufacturing facilities in Venezuela ... one Kalashnikov manufacturing plant, an ammunutions factory and one helicopter maintenance and repair workshops.

Over the last few years, Venezuela has made significant weapon purchases from Russia, including 24 Su-30MK warplanes, 50 helicopter gunships and cargo choppers, Tor-M1 anti-aircraft defense systems and 100,000 Kalashnikov rifles.

Ladiguin confirmed that Rosoboronexport has an interest in consolidating its position in the Latin American marketplace.

"We do believe our company can offer a lot to Latin America, particularly in transferring certain technologies and supplying a number of equipment, not only military items."

[vheadline.com]

Defense Focus: Venezuela's Kalashnikovs

UPI
August 15, 2007 Wednesday 3:09 PM EST

MARTIN SIEFF

International small-arms contracts usually don't make the big headlines the way seven-figure, heavy weapons system sales of main battle tanks, warships or combat aircraft do. But they can be of equal or greater importance. The announcement earlier this month by Russia's Izhevsk Manufacturing Plant in the Urals of its new deal to build two new factories to manufacture arms and ammunition in Venezuela is a case in point.

Not only were no top-dollar, high-profile items like anti-aircraft missiles or fighter-bombers involved, but the guns in question weren't even new ones. IMP has undertaken to build a plant to manufacture under license the famous Kalashnikov, or AK-47 assault rifle for the Venezuelan government. The announcement was even made at a celebration of the 60th anniversary of the gun's design.

The AK-47, like the old U.S. Army Jeep and the Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules transport aircraft, is an example of a weapons system design that never grows old because it is virtually impossible to improve on
it. The gun itself was the perfected product of a long line of previous rifles, most notably the U.S. Army's beloved Garand M-1 and the Wehrmacht's SturmGevehr StG44 during World War II. And variants or knockoffs of it have abounded, most ably the Israeli Army's Galil assault rifle.