Russian exhibition at Malaysian weapons show makes rivals jealous

Russian exhibition has become a great success at Asia's largest international weapons show DSA 2004 held in Malaysia, said Nikolai Dimidyuk, head of the Russian delegation and director at large of Rosoboroneksport, Russia's main state broker for promoting its military equipment abroad.

"Russia is a traditional participant of the exhibition," he pointed out. Compared to the previous DSA 2002, the space allocated to the Russian exhibition has almost doubled, which reflects the dynamic and gradual development of Russia's military and technical cooperation with South East Asian states, Dimidyuk pointed out.

"The Russian delegation comprises representatives of about 50 leading defence industry enterprises, its stands represent 650 kinds of weapons and military equipment for all arms of service, as well as conversion products," he said.

Visitors pay special attention to the stand of the Instrument Design Bureau, which exhibits a unique anti-tank guided missile of the third generation Kornet-E.

"Its range capability is 5.5 km, and from this distance it can pierce 1,200 mm of armour or 4.5 m of concrete," head of the Bureau's delegation Andrei Morozov said. "No modern tank can resist it," he emphasized.

These unique characteristics of the Russian ATGM has made the world's leading weapons exporter, the USA, clearly jealous.

"Throughout 2002 and 2003 the US State Department imposed embargo on Kornet three times," Morozov said. The reason was unconfirmed accusations of ATGM supplies to Iraq and Iran. "However, the embargo still holds," the agency's interlocutor said.

The exhibition seeks to become the top event of this kind in Asia and the second largest in the world, the organizing committee's official spokesman told RIA Novosti. This year the show is attended by about 550 companies from 46 countries and four ministers of foreign states.

Rosoboroneksport deems participation in DSA 2004 as an important stage in promotion of Russia's defence industry products on the dynamically developing markets of South East Asia and the Asian-Pacific region, the Russian delegation's head said.