Russia and the US - the two superpowers, competing on the world arms market. But, surprisingly, Russia at the same time is also the supplier of certain types of weapons and military equipment for the needs of the armed forces of the United States of America and its allies. Although close military and commercial ties between the two countries can not be called, but they exist.
Military Trade of the USSR and the USA
US economic relations and the USSR in the pre-revolutionary period of Russian history were not significant. Compared with England, France, Germany or the United States played a modest role in the economy of the Russian Empire. Then, after the October Revolution and the Russian Civil War, existing ties were almost broken off and only 1920 the US lifted the embargo on trade with the Soviet Russia.
In the 1920s, the Soviet Union became one of the most important buyers of American cars and tractors, who delivered, including, and the Red Army. The very same Soviet Union at that time could not offer the United States some high-tech products due to the backwardness of Russian industry. Only during the industrialization of the situation began to change.
Nevertheless, during the US World War II acted as one of the key suppliers of military equipment and weapons to the Soviet Union. 1 October 1941 , US President Franklin D. Roosevelt approved the connection to the Soviet lend-lease, then began the delivery of goods from America.
During 1941-1945 gg. from the US to the USSR were delivered 11 400 aircraft, 12 000 units armored vehicles (tanks, armored personnel carriers, etc.), 427 000 cars, 35 170 motorcycles. From the US and the UK in the aggregate were delivered 5 thousands of anti-tank guns, 131633 units of small automatic weapons, 12 997 pistols, 8128 rifles, 345735 tonnes of explosives, 903000 Detonators, 4338 radio stations, 2074 radar, 105 anti-submarine ships, 202torpedo boats, 4 submarines, 90 cargo ships, etc..
In this way, volumes from the US military and technical assistance have been very impressive, but after World War II, military-technical cooperation between the two states was very quickly rolled, because the United States and the Soviet Union immediately turned into the main competitors', potential adversaries each other.
Soviet Union, and then Russia, always compete on the world market with the United States on arms deliveries. Indeed, for the United States, and Russian military-industrial exports is one of the most important items of revenue, receipt of funds from numerous buyers of weapons and military equipment from Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe. And in Soviet times,, and now Russian and American intelligence services are interested in learning the secrets in the military-technical sphere, and any ingress of latest models of weapons to the probable opponent is a serious omission, and gives rise to many problems.
The main buyers of Russian arms traditionally are India and China, followed by Vietnam, Algeria and Venezuela. Russia supplies arms to numerous African countries, of Southeast Asia, former republics of the Soviet Union, a number of countries in Latin America (Nicaragua, Cuba, Bolivia), Mongolia.
Recently, interest in Russian weapons show state, had never considered a priority of Russian products buyers. We are talking about countries such as Turkey, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, OAE, Philippines, who were in the orbit of the US political and military influence and armed their armies American weapons.
Buying Turkey, NATO ally, S-400 Russian anti-aircraft missile systems, It has become the most vivid example of the output of the Russian defense industry to new markets. And that, that Ankara eventually not come any disastrous, It was the signal for many other US allies, for example - for the same Saudi Arabia, which is also talked about the possibility of purchasing Russian anti-aircraft missile complexes.
Libyan NATO deadlock
It turns out, that Russia was even able to move in certain segments of the US military-technical exports, penetrated to the markets, non-traditional military and political allies of Washington. However, Similarly, the United States entered the post-Soviet arms market, They began supplying weapons to many ex-Soviet allies in Africa and Asia.
Helicopters for Afghan comrades
Despite existing between Russia and the United States to compete in the field of arms exports, in modern history, there was a place deliveries of Russian military equipment to protect US interests. And these deliveries were carried out in the country, which has long been in the orbit of the Soviet political influence. We are talking about Afghanistan, where since the late 1970s, it does not stop bloody civil war between the military and political forces.
For constantly ongoing military operations against terrorist groups to the central government in Kabul, Afghanistan needs more and more weapons, especially, that the armed forces of the country needs modernization, and to conduct its own forces, the Afghan government is unable. AT 2011 , Russia signed the first contract for the delivery of the federal budget of the USA Russian Mi-17 helicopters to the armed forces of Afghanistan.
As is known, modern Afghan army financed and armed by the American side, so, Although helicopters and they were to be delivered to Afghanistan, but the purchase was carried out at the expense of the US budget. Terms of the contract were successfully implemented, after which he was awarded several new contracts. all with 2011 by 2014 gg. Russia was to supply Afghanistan 63 Mi-17 helicopters for a total of 1,1 billion. I pay for supplies for the Afghan army helicopters Pentagon, providing, thereby, stable financial revenues to the Russian budget.
AT 2014 the command of the US armed forces was going to sign another contract for the supply of 15 Mi-17 helicopters of the Afghan army, but this time, against the background of the events in Ukraine, US Congress to block the deal, and it did not take place. Anti-Russian sanctions, taken in connection with the reunification of the Crimea with Russia and developments in the Donbas, We put an end to most of the joint US-Russian project, and arms sales have been among them in the first place.
Currently, military-technical cooperation between Russia and the US for obvious reasons, is minimized. But in the same segment United States still can not do without Russia. This is about the supply of liquid rocket engines RD-180 US, which are used in the US space industry. Without them, the US space industry will be in a state of severe crisis.
As repeatedly recognized by US experts, this, to develop and put into mass production of similar American rocket engines, It will take years, if not the decade. Therefore, the US is continuing to buy the RD-180 in Russia. Even anti-Russian sanctions, and the situation in Ukraine and Syria at the time were not the reason for the gap of cooperation between countries in this area.
As Russia is selling US rocket engines
Liquid rocket engine RD-180 has been created in Russia in the post-Soviet period - in the mid-1990s. The basis was taken the RD-170 - the world's most powerful liquid rocket engine. AT 1996 , the RD-180 won the competition for the creation and sale of engines for RN USA "Atlas-3" and "Atlas 5". Thus began the history of the RD-180 supplies to the United States of America.
All production of the RD-180 is concentrated in Russia, and the patent rights owned by NGO "Energomash". AT 2008-2010 gg. "Energomash" suffered serious losses due to supply engines to the United States, because they were delivered for the price, It is only half of the cost of production. This was associated with an increase in the cost of production on the background save the previous purchase prices. the situation, however, could gradually correct after 2010 of the year.
When in 2014 , relations between Russia and the United States have seriously deteriorated because of the Ukrainian crisis, in Moscow, and in Washington talking about the possible termination of the supply of rocket engines. From the point of view of Russian politicians, it was a bit strange to supply engines for the US missile industry with such a large-scale deterioration of relations and the opening of the US transformation into a possible military enemy of our country. In particular, Dmitry Rogozin, then called for a ban on the use of the Russian rocket engine for military purposes.
A column of US armored vehicles went to Rumeylan for the protection of oil trapped in Syria
Similarly, we reasoned and American "hawks", who saw shipments rocket engines not only humiliating to Russia, but also a brake for the development of engine production in America. As a result, US leadership has decided to develop a new, from the American engine, which could replace the RD-180. For the development of this engine is the US Department of Defense has been allocated 160 million dollars. But, according to many experts, repeatedly voiced in various world media, for the development of the American engine will take at least five years.
AT 2017 Blue Origin, the company introduced a new engine BE-4, running on methane, which was named a possible alternative to the Russian rocket engines. 11 February 2019 year with a loud statement was made by the famous entrepreneur - innovator Elon Musk, who reported the successful testing of the Raptor engine. According to the mask, engine, assembled by specialists of his company SpaceX, shows the pressure 268,9 have, which is even higher, than the Russian engine.
It is worth noting, that the US has the license on its own production of the RD-180, valid until 2030 of the year. That is, there is still a Washington ten years, for which you can develop the production of rocket engines on the ULA plant in Decatur.
In this way, Russia currently supplies the US rocket engines. Besides, US Army through its allies and various other channels becomes small batch production of small arms Russian, которое затем используется в различных конфликтах и для тренировок американских солдат.
Ilya Polonsky
