VLADIVOSTOK. Sept 6 (Interfax) - Russia has forwarded to Sri Lanka the drafts of two new weapon contracts in 2021, head of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) Dmitry Shugayev said.
"We forwarded to Sri Lanka via diplomatic channels the drafts of two contracts for supplies of military goods in April 2021. Those are BTR-82A armored personnel carriers and BREM-K armored recovery vehicles, as well as Mil Mi-171Sh military transport helicopters," Shugayev told journalists.
"Sri Lanka's Ministry of Defense is currently considering our offers. We're expecting our partners' response," he said.
The Kommersant newspaper said in 2020, citing a diplomatic source, that Moscow was ready to provide Colombo with about $500 million for the purchase on credit of the six Sukhoi Su-30 fighter aircraft and a batch of the BTR-82A armored personnel carriers.
The Mi-171Sh Storm transport and attack helicopter is designed to transport personnel (up to 37 members of an assault-landing force), cargo and hardware inside the cargo cabin or on the external sling, as well as to facilitate airdropping of tactical troops, air landing of reconnaissance and sabotage groups, destruction of ground objects, and airlifting of those injured.
The helicopter can be fitted with various weapons, including missile systems with guided missiles. It is also equipped with protective means against heat-seeking missiles, powerful armor protection around the cockpit, the critical systems and equipment, and combat survivability means.