"We have the ability to push aside the ‘gray schemes’ offered by our competitors from Eastern Europe, Ukraine and China in repairing and modernizing Soviet (Russian) military equipment," the FSMTC official said.
The official stressed that African clients understand that repairs must be carried out legitimately.
"They want to work with Russia. Many African countries have refused, for example, to work with Ukraine because of the poor quality of the parts [they supply]. This relates to helicopter and aircraft equipment, [and] air defense systems," the FSMTC official specified.
The official added that the continent’s rich hydrocarbon resources could be used to settle payments under repair agreements.
Rosoboronexport, Russia’s state arms exporter, said in January that it had received orders exceeding $22 billion in 2015 from foreign partners, noting growing interest in the Middle East and North Africa.
