Russia to showcase advanced weaponry at airshow in Libya

Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport said on Monday it will exhibit a wide range of aircraft, air defense systems and high-precision guided missiles at an airshow in Libya.The 4th Arab-African Aviation Exhibition and Conference LAVEX-2009 will be held in Tripoli, the capital of Libya, on October 5-8.

"Rosoboronexport will showcase in Tripoli a wide range of Russian aircraft, air defense systems and other advanced weaponry due to their high popularity in the Middle East and North Africa," a company's official told RIA Novosti.According to the official, the countries in the region expressed a high interest in the Russian Su-35 Flanker-E multi-role heavy fighter.

The Su-35 fighter, powered by two 117S engines with thrust vectoring, combines high maneuverability and the capability to effectively engage several air targets simultaneously using both guided and unguided missiles and weapon systems.The aircraft also features the new Irbis-E radar with a phased antenna array, which allows the pilot to detect and track up to 30 air targets, while simultaneously engaging up to eight targets.

It is equipped with a 30-mm cannon with 150 rounds, and can carry up to eight metric tons of combat payload on 12 external mounts.Russia plans to export at least 160 Su-35 fighters to several countries, including Algeria."We will also exhibit the new S-400 Triumf air defense system, developed to counter all existing and future types of airborne threat," the Rosoboronexport official said.

The S-400 Triumf (SA-21 Growler) is capable of intercepting and destroying airborne targets at a distance of up to 400 kilometers (250 miles), and can simultaneously engage up to six targets.Saudi Arabia, which has traditionally bought only Western, mainly U.S.-made, civilian and military equipment, has recently expressed an interest in acquiring S-400 air defense systems.

Rosoboronexport will also promote high-precision "air-to-air" and "air-to-ground" missiles, guided bombs, on-board radars and fire-control systems, navigation and communications equipment and computer-assisted training systems for air defense personnel."We are expecting to sign a number of new, in certain respect breakthrough, deals [during the airshow in Libya]," said Alexander Mikheyev, deputy general director of Rosoboronexport and the head of the Russian delegation at the LAVEX-2009.

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