Friendship with arms made the "Shell" a panacea. The situation in Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian lands remains alarming. "Smallpox" threatens to spread from Iraq to Iran and Syria.
Amid anxiety about a possible complication of the situation in the region, the arrival of the Emirate President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan to open an exposition on a low, small, white electric car with the Crown Prince Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the wheel and the caravan followed them the cars with the rulers of the emirates, crown princes, ordinary sheikhs, ministers looked festive, funny and even carnival. Security strictly but neatly routed numerous visitors from the motorcade. Sheikhs smiled and had fun.
The exposition was organized in the emirate capital for the eighth time. 865 companies from 51 countries showed their products. 33 national pavilions worked. The number of visitors to the exhibition is estimated at almost 40 thousand people. More than a hundred official delegations familiarized themselves with the exhibits. 15 of them visited the Russian pavilion.
All five days from February 18 to February 22, a new huge exhibition center with an area of 32 thousand square meters. meters lived in an exceptionally friendly atmosphere. Recognizing each other, some guests and members of delegations from different countries exchanged not only information about military innovations, but also family news. Communication was marked by manifestations of sympathy, memories and mutual understanding of professionals. Journalists were pleased to work in this atmosphere.
Many organizers and participants of IDEX2007 first met almost a dozen years ago. The head of the Rosoboronexport delegation, Colonel General Nikolai Dimidyuk, for example, has known the main organizer of the exhibition, the Crown Prince of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, since 1993, when the latter was still young and beardless chief of the General Staff of the Emirate Army. Naturally, the Russian and Emirate generals had something to remember when Sheikh Mohammed, leaving his office at the exhibition, came to the Russian pavilion.
Professional pilot Sheikh Mohammed, who has the rank of division general, went into the Russian pavilion, according to him, "for three minutes", remained at the stands for a quarter of an hour. He focused on air defense systems, short-range, medium and long-range missile systems. The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi examined the Tor M1 and Buk M1-2 anti-aircraft missile systems, the Igla S portable anti-aircraft missile system. This complex itself has long been covering its emirate cities and oases with its umbrella. And in Russia, by order of the UAE, it’s already a new shield was manufactured - the anti-aircraft missile and cannon system "Shell C1", which is undergoing evaluation and demonstration tests at the Makatra training ground in the capital.
During testing, the complex fires on all types of group and single targets, including aerial bombs, in cool and hot seasons. After the last exam, in an environment of summer heat and humidity, 50 “Shells” will stand up for the defense of oil rigs, date palms, camel pens and skyscrapers. According to the members of the Russian delegation, the interest in the Shell is so great that the issue of expanding the enterprise producing it is already being decided.
Nikolai Dimidyuk, who has been to the UAE many times, and Sheikh Mohammed, who visited Moscow last fall and was honored with talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, welcomed the successes of both sides achieved in recent years.
Director of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, Mikhail Dmitriev, who was in Abu Dhabi during the exhibition, told the magazine that last year, sales of Russian gunsmiths reached a record $ 6.5 billion. It is expected that this year it will exceed $ 7 billion.
Interest in Russian weapons in the Middle East is traditionally high. Military-technical cooperation between the Emirates and Russia is indicative. In the Arab capitals, as well as in Abu Dhabi, defensive weapons are in special demand, and the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex offer new developments in this area. Russia has good prospects for further building up cooperation with the countries of the Middle East and the Persian Gulf zone.
Moscow "is returning to the Arab region, which was not given due attention in the 90s. It is not only regaining its position, but gaining new ones," Mikhail Dmitriev said at a meeting with reporters during the exhibition. He noted the "huge positive role" of the recent visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan.
The talks between the head of the Russian state and the Saudi king Abdullah ibn Abdel Aziz had, in his words, "historical significance." “A new page has been opened in Russian-Saudi cooperation” thanks to the achievement of agreements on cooperation in the field of air defense and armored vehicles.
The Russian representative called military cooperation with Jordan “serious”, with which a loan agreement was signed for $ 350 million for the purchase of Russian weapons, the modernization of old Soviet equipment, the supply of new weapons and the joint production of grenade launchers. He emphasized the cooperation of Russia with the United Arab Emirates, saying that "close political contacts have been established between our countries, good relations have developed in the trade and economic sphere, and many interesting projects have been developed."
Mikhail Dmitriev stressed that Russian military exports are "focused on the supply of defensive weapons." He pointed out that Moscow "strictly complies with existing international agreements. All transactions are state-controlled."
Within five working days of the exhibition, dozens of transactions were concluded, the total value of which is estimated by the organizing committee at one billion dollars.
According to the Russian delegation, the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Rosoboronexport, under whose auspices more than 40 Russian enterprises formed an exposition in Abu Dhabi, has signed and prepared for signing several contracts, which will be officially announced later. Amounts of contracts for the supply and modernization of Russian weapons are estimated, according to Russian representatives, in tens of millions of dollars. The signed transactions will be openly announced after the approval of the documents by the emirate side.
The Russian pavilion, covering an area of 750 square meters. meters, noted by the organizers of this major international defense event with a special diploma for the "significant contribution" made to its success.
The pavilion was always full. Representatives of Rosoboronexport and participating companies had a lot of work. The head of the Algerian delegation who visited the Russian stands, the commander of one of the military districts, Brigadier General Habib Shantuf, in an interview with the journal correspondent, noted "excellent friendly relations" between Algeria and Russia and expressed satisfaction with the Russian weapons that are in the arsenal of the Algerian army. Inspecting new models of small arms and night-vision devices, he said: "We are pleased with Russian military equipment and have come here to get acquainted with its latest products." The exhibition gave such an opportunity.
At the IDEX-2007, the UAE declared itself as an exporter of weapons. The first batch of emirate-made pistols was sold abroad. The 18-shot Caracal pistol, which was launched by the eponymous company in the Abu Dhabi emirate, was purchased by the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Hamad al-Naiadi, director of Caracal, said that the issue of selling the first-born of the local defense industry to other Arab countries in the Persian Gulf is being discussed. He said that the emirate’s pistols will go into service with the UAE army and police. Procurement contracts have already been concluded.
The 9-mm caliber pistol, named after the carnivorous Middle Eastern feline, was developed by a group of designers led by German gunsmith Wilhelm Bubits. He was tested in Germany, certified in May last year and is available in two versions - full-size and lightweight, which weigh in 750 and 700 grams, respectively.
The barrel and some other parts of the "Caracal" are produced in Abu Dhabi, individual elements, according to Hamad al-Nayadi, are "purchased in Europe." Assembly is carried out at an enterprise wholly owned by the emirate state. 80 percent of its employees are local citizens. The sale price of the gun is about 330 US dollars.
The Russian military paid tribute to beauty and romance. Visitors to the exhibition could personally see the saber "Shamsher" and the dagger "Bebut", made in the Arabic style in a single copy by the masters of Chrysostom. Both products, especially the saber, made on the prototype of Arab shamshirs of the 17th-18th centuries with a handle in the shape of a jaguar head, in a sheath decorated with 40 emeralds and 42 topazes, hand-made, decorated with oriental ornaments, can delight the most strict connoisseurs of beauty. A strict audience in gold uniforms could see these products, but did not see. The Bebut dagger, having not reached the glazed stand, was sold and did not have time to show off. Saber "Shamsher" was purchased on the first day. IDEX-2007 not only pleased with its friendliness, but also showed that strength is beautiful.
Victor Lebedev
