Russian arms industry banks on Dubai defense fair to show viability

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Tucked away outside, at the very end of the Dubai Airshow’s static display of aircraft, the Russian pavilion of suppliers makers spanned a large portion of the floor plan here.

This setting was markedly different from Moscow’s displays at recent defense fairs , where the regime’s state-owned companies came practically empty-handed and kept a relatively low profile.

Banking on the event to market its full range of weapons, including those used in the brutal invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s outdoor setup placed helicopters and air-to-air guided missiles at center stage.

One prominent presence was the KA-52E combat helicopter, of which at least 58 units have reportedly been destroyed or damaged by Ukrainians, according to the Dutch open-source intelligence website Oryx. As part of the Russian helicopter stand, the X-69 precision strike cruise missile, designed to be employed by the Su-57 fifth-generation fighter, was shown for the first time internationally, according to the manufacturer.

A total of five Russian agencies exhibited here, including Almaz-Antey with mockups of its Viking surface-to-air missiles, Rostec with the small-scale Pantsir-S1M self-propelled, anti-aircraft missile system, Roscosmos marketing the Federal Space Program Khrunichev Center, and Rosoboronexport.

Where’s Rosoboronexport’s Argument-2?

Rosoboronexport had planned to unveil its own spin on an anti-drone gun at the airshow. Dubbed the Argument-2, the company markets the weapon as capable of destroying the wildly effective first-person-view (FPV) drones used by Ukrainian forces on the front lines. The drones are named after their modus operandi of a simple, forward-looking video feed that allow operators to fly explosive payloads near targets for detonation.

But as of Tuesday, the new system was nowhere to be seen at the Rosoboronexport stand. Asked about the absence, a company representative at the show declined to comment.

Experts have placed the number of FPV-type drones flying in Ukraine “in the many thousands per month,” Sam Bendett, research analyst at the U.S.-based Center for Naval Analyses, told Defense News.

Ukrainian forces have reportedly used the weapons in the heavy fighting around Avdiivka, a battle that has inflicted the heaviest casualties on Russian invaders in 2023, according to the U.K. Ministry of Defense.

“I think the value for Russia publicizing here is to promote and demonstrate sustainability and self-sufficiency, that it can produce technology like this on its own as the war drags on, whether that capability is accurate or not,” Matt McCrann, chief executive of DroneShield, an Australia-based competitor in the counter-drone market, said.

Throughout the Ukraine war, the United Arab Emirates has walked a fine line by choosing to remain largely neutral, maintaining close ties to Russia while also providing humanitarian aid to Kyiv.

Last March, Emirati presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said in a statement on social media that the Gulf country “believes that taking sides would only lead to more violence” and that the government prioritizes encouraging “all parties to resort to diplomatic action.”

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo was a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.

阿联酋迪拜——在迪拜航展静态飞机展示区的尽头，俄罗斯供应商展馆占据了展馆的大部分面积。

这种情况与莫斯科最近在国防展览会上的展示截然不同，当时该政权的国有企业几乎空手而来，并且保持了相对低调的姿态。

俄罗斯指望借此机会推销其全系列武器，包括那些在残酷入侵乌克兰时使用的武器。为此，俄罗斯的户外展台将直升机和空对空导弹置于中心位置。

卡-52E武装直升机是本次展会的一大亮点。据荷兰开源情报网站Oryx报道，至少有58架卡-52E直升机被乌克兰方面摧毁或损坏。俄罗斯直升机展台上，据制造商称，首次在国际市场上展示了专为苏-57第五代战斗机设计的X-69精确打击巡航导弹。

共有五家俄罗斯机构参展，包括展示维京地对空导弹模型的金刚石-安泰公司、展示小型铠甲-S1M自行防空导弹系统的俄罗斯国家技术集团公司、推介联邦航天计划赫鲁尼切夫中心的俄罗斯国家航天集团公司以及俄罗斯国防出口公司。

俄罗斯国防出口公司的第二个论点在哪里？

俄罗斯国防出口公司原计划在航展上推出其自主研发的反无人机武器。这款名为“Argument-2”的武器被该公司宣传为能够摧毁乌克兰前线部队使用的、威力强大的第一人称视角（FPV）无人机。这些无人机因其操作方式而得名：利用简单的前视视频传输技术，使操作员能够操控无人机携带爆炸载荷飞近目标引爆。

但截至周二，俄罗斯国防出口公司展台上仍未见到这套新系统。当被问及此事时，该公司的一位代表拒绝置评。

美国海军分析中心的研究分析师萨姆·本德特告诉《防务新闻》，专家估计乌克兰每月飞行的 FPV 型无人机数量“高达数千架”。

据英国国防部称，乌克兰军队在阿夫迪伊夫卡附近的激烈战斗中使用了这些武器，这场战斗给俄罗斯入侵者造成了2023年最严重的伤亡。

“我认为俄罗斯在这里公开展示其可持续性和自给自足能力，表明它能够在战争持续期间独立生产此类技术，无论这种能力是否准确，”总部位于澳大利亚的反无人机市场竞争对手 DroneShield 的首席执行官 Matt McCrann 表示。

在整个乌克兰战争期间，阿拉伯联合酋长国一直小心翼翼地保持中立，一方面与俄罗斯保持密切联系，另一方面又向基辅提供人道主义援助。

去年三月，阿联酋总统顾问安瓦尔·加尔加什在社交媒体上发表声明称，这个海湾国家“认为选边站队只会导致更多暴力”，并且政府优先鼓励“各方诉诸外交行动”。

伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛曾任《防务新闻》欧洲通讯员。她的报道涵盖军事采购和国际安全等广泛领域，尤其擅长航空领域的报道。她常驻意大利米兰。