The seven-day VIII Army 2023 International Military-Technical Forum kicks off August 14 to 20, 2023 at the Patriot Exhibition and Convention Center of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, organisers have said.
Rosoboronexport, which is part of Rostec State Corporation, said that “manufacturers will show the latest selections available from the Russian defense industry: armored vehicle 3-STS Akhmat, fighters Su-57 and Su-35 with the latest guided weapons, artillery ammunition and sniper complex Raptor.”
More than 60 countries have confirmed the participation of their official military delegations.
Within the framework of the scientific and business programme, more than 300 events will be held, including those devoted to the development of the armed forces, Russia’s defense-industrial complex and international military-technical cooperation in modern conditions.
From August 15 to 17 the forum will be open to specialists and foreign delegations and for the events of the scientific and business program. Other visitors will be able to see the exhibits from August 18 to 20.
Rosoboronexport said it is going to hold meetings with delegations from 70 partner countries, more than 30 of which will be headed by defense ministers and chiefs of general staff. They will be given presentations of Russian military, dual-use and civilian products exhibited at the Forum, and will also be told on possible options for cooperation.
“Russian weapons displayed at the Army Forum have a successful track record on the battlefield. They proved to be easy to operate and at the same time very effective against cutting-edge products from our Western competitors,” said Alexander Mikheev, Director General of Rosoboronexport.
“In 2023, as part of its exhibit, Rosoboronexport has allocated a separate location for displaying such weapons. We’ll be showing our partners aircraft, air defense and electronic warfare systems, armored vehicles and tanks, artillery, unmanned aerial vehicles and counter-UAV systems, small arms and combat gear and telling them in detail about the experience of their use in combat within information provided by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. The presented products have undergone necessary upgrades and have been retrofitted taking into account feedback from the zone of the special military operation.”
The Forum participants are expected to show keen interest in battle-proven weapons: the Kub-E loitering munition system. Elements of the artillery unit’s reconnaissance and fire control system based on the Planshet-A mobile artillery fire control and 1B75E sound-and-thermal ranging systems will also be on display.
Rosoboronexport’s exhibit will be located in an outdoor display area and in a presentation pavilion. At the same time, weapons and military equipment are demonstrated as elements of a single system. So, zones for showcasing artillery systems and reconnaissance assets, counter-UAV equipment, as well as armored combat vehicles have been allocated in the outdoor display area.
In the first zone there are the Orlan-10 and Orlan-30 reconnaissance UAV systems, the 155mm Msta-S self-propelled howitzer, 120mm 2S31 Vena self-propelled artillery gun, artillery ammunition.
Reconnaissance, electronic warfare and air defense systems are on display as part of a layered counter-UAV system capable of engaging drones of various classes. For example, UAVs are destroyed by the Viking- and Tor-type SAM systems, the Pantsir-type SPAAGM system and the Verba and Igla-S MANPADS. UAV navigation and control systems are jammed by electronic warfare systems, including the RB-504P-E, Argument-2 and Argument-3 EW systems presented at Army 2023.
In the segment of electronic warfare systems for countering precision guided munitions, the Pole-21E common jamming modules and the R-330Zh automated jammer against satellite communications and the satellite radio navigation systems will be on demonstrated at Army 2023.
In the armored vehicles zone, armored combat vehicles are presented as part of one lineup: front-line combat vehicles, armored fire support vehicle and armored personnel carriers. Among the vehicles on display will be the T-14 Armata MBT, the K-17 Boomerang wheeled IFV, armored personnel carriers and Tigr- and Spartak-family multi-purpose MRAP vehicles.
Rosoboronexport’s exhibit in presentation pavilion is also divided into thematic zones: battle-tested systems, small-arms systems, close combat weapons and combat gear, communication and security equipment. In total, more than 200 items are on display in the pavilion. This part of the exhibit is linked to the items and systems showcased in Rosoboronexport’s outdoor area.
Unmanned aircraft systems for various purposes, of which the Orion reconnaissance and strike UAV equipped with air weapons is particularly noteworthy, will be located in the outdoor display area of the Patriot Park and the aircraft parking lot of the Kubinka Airfield.
The Ka-52M and Ka-52E scout/attack helicopters will be demonstrated in the same outdoor display areas. They will be showcased with new guided weapons, including the Item 305 light multipurpose guided missile.
The Patriot Park’s multifunctional firing center will host demonstration firing from military, special and civilian weapons presented by High-Precision Systems and Kalashnikov Concern, which are Rostec’s subsidiaries, as well as the ORSIS Company. Here, it will be possible to practically evaluate the characteristics of such small arms as Kalashnikov AK-200 series, AK-12, AK-15, AK-19 assault rifles, ADS special amphibious assault rifle, SHAK-12 heavy assault rifle system, VKS, Bespoke Gun Raptor, T-5000 sniper rifles, modernized 6V10 rifle, PLK pistol, PPK-20 submachine gun, AGS-30 grenade launcher system and others.
Live demonstrations of weapons, military and special equipment will be the traditional and most spectacular part of the Army Forum. They will be held with the involvement of Rosoboronexport specialists. Land and Airborne Forces equipment, air defense assets will take part in the demonstrations.