Ukraine sold $1 bn worth of weapons in 2010
July 19th, 2011 - 9:28 am ICT by IANSMoscow, July 19 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Ukraine’s arms exports in 2010 reached almost $1 billion with the bulk of weapons sold to African countries, a newspaper said.
“The portfolio of contracts signed by state-run arms exporter Ukrspetsexport increased in value from $799.5 in 2009 to $956.7 billion (in 2010),” the Kommersant-Ukraine newspaper reported citing data from the State Service for Export Control.
The leading buyers of Ukrainian weapons were Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ukraine sold a total of 250 T-55 and T-72 tanks to both countries.
Sudan also bought Grad multiple rocket launchers, 122-mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers, 152-mm 1S3 Akatsia self-propelled howitzers, D-30 howitzers, 82-mm mortars and a variety of small arms, including 10,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles.
Ukraine sold a T-80BV main battle tank - built in 1985 - to the US and 14 air-to-air missiles commonly used by Libyan MiG fighter jets to Italy.
Former Ukrspetsexport director Sergei Bondarchuk dismissed the figures as “unrealistic”.
“I don’t trust these figures. As far as I know, we only signed an option for a previous contract with Sudan last year and the rest are ongoing deliveries under contracts signed by the previous team,” Bondarchuk told the paper.
There has been no comment from Ukrspetsexport so far.
–IANS/RIA Novosti
pm
- Russia may sell helicopters to Saudi Arabia - Nov 14, 2011
- Russian army to get Boomerang armoured carriers - Feb 22, 2012
- Russia defends arms supplies to Syria - Feb 05, 2012
- Sukhoi to remain top combat aircraft seller till 2015 - Feb 25, 2012
- Russia ranked 2nd biggest global arms exporter - Dec 23, 2011
- Russia-Cuba to sign deal to make rifle ammunition - Dec 01, 2011
- Ukraine slashes Russian gas purchases for 2012 - Sep 01, 2011
- Russia to keep supporting Syria peace plan - May 06, 2012
- World War II arsenal found in Russia - Jun 09, 2011
- FAQs on Bofors guns and graft row - Apr 25, 2012
- Russia tests Italian tank - May 12, 2012
- Ukraine strikes $2.4 bn arms deal with Iraq - Dec 10, 2009
- Russia signs $35 mn missile deal with Malaysia - Apr 20, 2012
- German WWII assault gun stolen near Moscow - Oct 20, 2011
- Russia to sell armoured vehicles to Indonesia - Jan 31, 2012
Tags: 1 billion, african countries, air to air missiles, arms exports, assault rifles, bn, deliveries, democratic republic of congo, export control, fighter jets, kommersant, main battle tank, mortars, moscow, republic of congo, ria novosti, rocket launchers, sergei bondarchuk, t 72, ukrspetsexport