Russia may install foreign manufactured weapon systems on combat helicopters exported to other countries, acting deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Thursday.
Foreign partners may be brought in to help master modern, advanced technology – engines, avionics, cockpits and weapons, he said at an international helicopter industry exhibition in Moscow.
Helicopter export versions may be fitted out with “foreign made weaponry that those who will use them are accustomed to,” he said.
His remarks come a day after a high ranking source in the Russian defense industry said Russia may buy a large new consignment of unmanned aerial vehicles from Israel and 24 command and control systems, worth around $50 million, in the foreseeable future.
The consensus within the Russian defense department seems to be that these systems are essential until the domestic industry develops and starts large scale manufacturing of similar systems at home, said the official.