RUSSIA CLEARS CZECH DEBTS WITH HELICOPTERS
13:10
MOSCOW, May 5. (RIA Novosti) - Russia will supply combat and transport helicopters worth $300 million to the Czech republic to clear state debts. Biznes, a daily newspaper for the business community, writes that this move will give the country a chance to return to the eastern European arms market, which has largely been lost since regional countries joined NATO after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Konstantin Makiyenko, an expert with the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, a Moscow-based think tank, said the supplies had been sealed in a 2002 helicopters-for-debt contract.
In all, 26 helicopters will be delivered, including 10 modernized Mi-35s (NATO reporting name, Hind) with the cockpit adapted for night vision goggles. The first three vehicles will arrive in the Czech republic in May and the other seven will follow by the end of the year.
The remaining 16 helicopters are multirole Mi-171s (NATO reporting name, Hip). An informed source in the defense industry said, "More than half the order has been completed and all the Mi-35s will be delivered by the end of the year."
Analysts say swapping state debts for hardware is good for Russia. "Eastern Europe is a closed market for us, as it is very hard to sell something there for money," said Makiyenko. "Using this kind of scheme will help [us] enter not only the eastern European, but also, for instance, the South Korean market. We could settle our debts there by supplying T-80 battle tanks, BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles, Il-103 planes, and Murena air cushion landing craft."
The Mi-35M is a Mi-24 Hind derivative armed with antitank missiles, air-to-air missiles, and a twin 23-mm cannon. The Hinds are operated by 35 countries, and around 700 of them are in service with the Russian Air Force.
The multirole Mi-171 is a modification of the Mi-8T. The helicopter's improved performance means it can fly missions in poor weather and visibility. It can be flown as a passenger or transport craft, or a flying ambulance, and can also be used in search and rescue operations and to extinguish fires.
RIA-NOVOSTI
En mi opinión un buen negocio para ambos. Los checos obtienen material de combate moderno y recuperan inversiones practicamente irrecuperables. Los rusos vuelven a hacer negocios en un mercado que se les ha cerrado en estos ultimos 15 años.
Saludos.
, un antes y un después en un Mi-24:
