Russia already reaping benefits of Syria conflict with military sales

Syria provided an excellent opportunity to demonstrate Russian military technology. As a high-ranking Russian official told Kommersant, a Russian publication, Syria gave Russia the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.

Already, Algeria has already submitted an order for 12 Su-32 bombers. The negotiations for these bombers had been ongoing for 8 years, but the deals were only signed when these same planes began dropping bombs in Syria.

The first squadron of Su-32s will cost Algeria about half a billion euros. The country is also now intending to double its purchase of these aircraft. Algiers has also ordered 40 Russian combat helicopters, which will cost about €600 million more.

Iran and Iraq are interested in purchasing Russian T-90 tanks. These sales may have been influenced by a popular video online which shows a Russian tank resisting an American anti-tank rocket.

It is believed that Russian military equipment manufacturers can expect additional orders worth up to €6-7 billion as a result of the Syrian operation.

For the Kremlin, which is experiencing financial and economic hardships, Syria brought more than just political dividends, as the Russian battle-tested equipment now has buyers.

“We tested more than half of our pilots in combat conditions, and it was also an opportunity to test our equipment, which attracted the attention of potential buyers,” a Russian official said.

Russia is selling Su-32 military aircraft for various roles, helicopters, Pantsir missile systems, and other weaponry including bombs, rockets and armoured vehicles.