Kuwait Arms Expo Shows Region's Growing Demand for Russian Weapons

The Middle East's governments are enhancing their efforts to consolidate their defense capabilities, which includes buying arms and military technology from abroad, according to a delegation member.

KUWAIT CITY (Sputnik) — The visit by a Russian delegation for the first time to Kuwait's Gulf Defense & Aerospace 2015 exhibition comes amid growing demand for Russia's military exports across the Middle East, a delegation member said Tuesday.

"The decision to take part in the exhibition was not taken randomly. With the backdrop of military and political escalation across the Middle East, the region's governments are enhancing their efforts to consolidate their defense capabilities, which includes buying arms and military technology from abroad," the delegation member told RIA Novosti.

The demand is in part stimulated by the use of Russian military equipment in the region, according to the delegation. A number of Russian aerial and ground military technologies have recently been used, including the Su-34 bomber, the Su-30SM multirole plane and the Smerch and TOS-1 multiple rocket launcher systems.

Kuwait army's Russian-made BMP-3M infantry fighting vehicle is the centerpiece of the exhibition, the delegation member said.

A Russian delegation attended the Dubai Airshow in early November, where many customers from the region expressed interest in Russian air defense systems as well as ground and aerial military technology, according to the delegation. Egypt, Iraq and Syria are Russia's primary customers in the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia, which has traditionally imported arms from the United States, showing interest in BMP-3s and the Iskander-M ballistic missile systems.