Kamikaze drones, deadly Vikings & armored limos: Top new arms Russia brought to Abu Dhabi expo
More than 65 Russian companies are scheduled to participate in the IDEX 2019 defense tech expo, which kicked off in Abu Dhabi, UAE on Sunday. RT breaks down the top entries, ranging from kamikaze drones to bulletproof limos.
1. Turret hitting 4 targets at once
Moscow is bringing its Pantsir-ME (‘Shell’) naval turret overseas. Armed with two six-barrel rotating guns and a set of eight missiles, it can strike four targets at once, even if they are all coming from different directions.
2. Buk 'on steroids'
The Viking is an upgraded export version of the Buk-M3 air defense system. Vikings can lock onto more targets and launch more missiles – up to six each – shooting down enemy aircraft from 65km (40 miles) away.
3. Shockwave bunker buster
The S-13T air-to-surface rockets are able to fly right through heavy armor and thick concrete before destroying ground targets, the military says. They are designed to obliterate hangars and underground command centers from the inside with powerful blast waves, generated by the rockets’ thermobaric munitions.
4. Heat-proof tank
The overseas model of the high-tech T-90MS main battle tank may be particularly interesting for the desert countries because it can operate under 50 degrees Celsius heat. The trials also showed that it is equally good at crossing waterways and other obstacles.
5. Kalashnikov kamikaze drone
Designed by a UAV-building subsidiary of the legendary Kalashnikov arms company, the KYB (‘Cube’) drone detonates as it reaches the target. It is able fly at a speed of up to 130 km/h (81 mph) and is “very hard to shoot down by conventional air defense methods,” the manufacturers say.
6. Putin’s armored limo
Moscow seized the opportunity to promote its luxury brand of armored limousines, the Aurus, which is having its world premiere in Abu Dhabi. The bulletproof vehicles of the Kortezh (‘Motorcade’) line are famously used by President Vladimir Putin and other top officials in Russia.
7. Joint AKs with the Saudis
Russia began shipping the AK-103 assault rifles, one of the most advanced iterations in the Kalashnikov firearms line, to Riyadh. The nations are now working to finalize the roadmap for a joint production of the guns on Saudi soil.
New talks on S-400s
Saudi Arabia and Russia conducted“additional consultations” on the contract for the kingdom to buy the S-400 air defense missile systems, a senior Russian defense official confirmed. Riyadh formally agreed to purchase the weapon in 2017.
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