Moscow's Syria Op Serves as 'Huge Promo Campaign for Russian Weapons'

Moscow has used its anti-Daesh campaign in Syria to combat test, troubleshoot and promote some of the best weapons at its disposal. This will help to improve the quality of Russian-made military hardware and make it more appealing for potential foreign buyers.

Russia' aerial campaign "served as a de facto live-fire operational test and evaluation period for Russia’s newest warplanes," defense expert Dave Majumdar wrote for the National Interest.

The remarks come following reports that several minor technical glitches affected the Sukhoi Su-34 Fullback and the Su-35S Flanker-E were found while they were deployed to Syria. The malfunctions in the flight control system and engines of the aircraft were said to have been "noncritical" and were promptly fixed on the spot.

The Sukhoi Su-35S fighter jet

© Sputnik / Vitaliy Ankov

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"What this does is demonstrate that the Russians are taking home the lessons learned from their Syrian adventure and incorporating that knowledge," defense expert Dave Majumdar wrote for the National Interest. "Ultimately, that means that the Russian Air Force will only grow more formidable as a threat as it continues to refine its procedures and operating concepts as a result of its real world experiences."

The Su-34, that made its combat debut in Syria, is probably the most technologically advanced aircraft in Russia's arsenal.

Poland's TVN24 called Moscow's operation in Syria a "gigantic promotional campaign for Russian weapons."

Russian daily Kommersant recently reported that Russia could ink deals worth $6-7 billion in the years to come thanks to the anti-Daesh efforts. The campaign itself is estimated to have cost Moscow less than $480 million. On Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia's arms exports totaled a record $14.5 billion in 2015.