Around ten countries interested in buying S-400 systems - FSMTC head
ANTALYA (Turkey). April 25 (Interfax-AVN) - About ten countries are interested in buying Russian S-400 air defense missile systems, the head of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC), Dmitry Shugayev, told Interfax in an interview.
"Many countries in the world have shown interest in this air defense system [S-400], first of all countries in the Middle East and North Africa. About ten countries are interested in buying S-400," Shugayev said.
It would be premature to say that Russia will conclude contracts with everyone interested, he said.
"Negotiations are in progress, and prospects and opportunities of bilateral cooperation are being discussed," Shugayev said.
Over the past 15 years, Russia has signed contracts for the delivery of air defense systems with more than 30 countries, mostly in the Middle East, North Africa, and the CIS, Shugayev said.
"There is a broad range of air defense weapons available on the global market, yet the demand for Russian hardware remains stable. It is hardly unlikely that Russia will surrender this market to its rivals," he said.
"For now, our hardware is better than foreign analogues by its parameters and cost. The optimal ratio of these parameters is the reason why the demand for our air defense systems is stable," he said.