Russia and Egypt Initiate Arms Contracts Worth $3.5 Billion.

Defence & Security News - Russia & Egypt

Russian defense industry officials earlier told that arms exports to Egypt would include deliveries of small arms, air defense systems and artillery.

Speaking during an arms trade exhibition in South Africa, the head of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, Alexander Fomin, did not give further details.

Russia has sought to boost its military ties with Egypt after relations between Cairo and its long-standing ally Washington soured, causing some defence cooperation between the two countries to be frozen.

The head of Rosoboronexport, a state body that deals with arms exports, said the value of the agency's order book was high in spite of Western sanctions against Moscow over Ukraine.

"Today our orders portfolio stands at $38.7 billion. This is one of the strongest figures Rosoboronexport has had in recent years," Anatoly Isaykin told a news conference at the same arms expo, according to Interfax.

Russia is the world's second-largest arms exporter with arms contracts worth a total of $13 billion in 2013. Russian armament manufacturers already supplied Egyptian Armed Forces with several weapon systems, such as BTR-60PBs, BMP-1s and upgraded versions of the T-62 main battle tank.