MOSCOW. March 28 (Interfax-AVN) - The Rosoboronexport state- owned arms trader will represent Russia at the FIDAE 2002 international aerospace show that opens at Los Cerillos airbase near the Chilean capital Santiago on April 1, the Rosoboronexport press service said on Thursday.
Participants in the show will be able to see practically the entire spectrum of planes designed by the Sukhoi design bureau and manufactured by the Komsomolsk-on-Amur and Irkutsk aircraft production associations, a press service official told Interfax- Military News Agency. A total of 18 Sukhoi aircraft will be exhibited, including the SU-27 Flanker, SU-30MK, SU-35 and SU-25 Frogfoot.
Another Russian aircraft maker, the MIG corporation, will exhibit nine aircraft, including the MIG-29 Fulcrum and MIG-AT. Special attention will be paid to modernization of earlier exported fighters. Thousands of MIG planes sold to dozens of countries are capable of staying in service after the producer effects their modernization, the official said.
The Yakovlev aircraft design bureau, also of Russia, will exhibit the YAK-130 combat trainers, which is capable of imitating nearly all types of up-to-date fighters.
Russian helicopter makers will have a substantial sector at the show. In particular, they will exhibit the latest modifications of the MI-17 Hip helicopter that has been exported to several Latin American countries, such as Mexico, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru and Cuba. Specialists say that the MI-17V is 2-2.5 times more efficient in transportation of landing parties than its foreign analogues. Its advantages are obvious in the mountains and in hot air temperatures.
The Moscow, Kazan, Ulan-Ude and Rostov helicopter plants will exhibit some 15 models and modifications of various helicopters, including the MI-26 Halo, the world's leader in cargo capacity. The aircraft is capable of airlifting 20t of cargo or delivering a company with regular hardware to the site of the engagement.
The space sector of the show will feature the latest development of the Moscow region's Machine-Building Research and Production Association, this being the high-resolution system of earth probing on the basis of the Kondor-E small satellite.
In addition to aircraft and spacecraft, Rosoboronexport will offer potential South American customers various modifications of the Igla surface-to-air missile system well known in Brazil, Peru and Ecuador. In addition, it will exhibit the latest developments of the Antei consortium - the Antei-2500, Tor-M1 and Osa-AKM air defense missile systems.
The Russian section of the show will also feature small arms, including modifications of the Kalashnikov assault rifle adjusted to firing the standard NATO cartridge, 5.45mm AN-94 Abakan assault rifle and 9mm Bizon submachine-gun, as well as vehicles and vessels.
The Chine air show is Latin America's largest aerospace exhibition. The previous show held in 2000 involved 312 companies from 42 nations that exhibited 129 aircraft. About 40,000 experts and 250,000 aviation fans attended the exhibition.
FIDAE 2002 will be in progress until April 7.