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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Perun: Russian Arms Exports - Will the Ukraine invasion tank their market share? |
| 2022-08-28 |
| [YouTube] Throughout the cold war, the Soviet Union dominated as a supplier of arms to the world, rivaling, and sometimes exceeding the United States as a source of global arms exports. With the fall of the Union, the former Soviet arms industry struggled, but the Russian Federation steadily rebuilt its share of the global market, resting on a reputation as a reliable seller of 'rugged, reliable and affordable' weapons to those in the world without the diplomatic alignment, cash, or desire to purchase Western made equipment. By 2014, Russian arms exports started to suffer reverses, damaged by sanctions and being cut off from industrial integration with Ukraine. But the industry survived. Then February 2022 came, and an avalanche of import restrictions, banking and financial sanctions were joined with very public images of missile failures, turret tossing tanks, and an under-performing air-force. With the worst marketing one could hope for, this video explores the potential future for the Russian arms export sector, and its vital role in supporting the sustainability of Russian research and production efforts |
| Posted by:DarthVader |
| #2 If I were a rat-bag dictator shopping for implements of destruction, my checklist would look like this: * Simple enough to operate that my uneducated peasant soldiers can use it. * Comparable equipment to what my semi-hostile neighbors, local hard boys, and any prospective rebels use. Most of them have Soviet/Russian kit already. (btw, did we ever trade Basketball Girl for Victor Bout?) * Reliable supply. Buying arms is investing in weapons systems. Even the lowly AK-47, which is common enough to become its own currency, is a system of rifles, ammo, spare parts, and training. It's like PC vs Mac. Whatever choice you make involves vendor lock-in. What happens if you are in the middle of a minor war and your vendor decides it is sanctions time? The reason does not matter. Maybe you are evil. Maybe you are bothering some endangered minnow or still using plastic grocery bags. The result is the same - no more stuff for you! Based on the above, Russian arms are a viable choice. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2022-08-28 20:52 |
| #1 Their market share is tyrants who only need to keep the peasants down and not make an unwelcome visit with the neighbors. For that, the Russian equipment is good and cheap enough to meet requirements. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2022-08-28 11:47 |