MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th December, 2020) Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport (part of Rostec corporation) plans to deliver abroad $12.8 billion worth of weapons by the end of the year amid a slight decrease in demand for the weapons, which is related to the coronavirus pandemic, Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov said.
In the first 11 months of 2020, Rosoboronexport supplied abroad $10 billion worth of weapons, managing to maintain its order portfolio at the traditional level of $50 billion, Chemezov said. Over the past few years, Rosoboronexport's yearly arms deliveries stood at slightly over $13 billion.
"This year, the volume will remain practically unchanged. We plan deliveries at $12.8 billion. There was a slight decrease in demand, as our partners were forced to withdraw a share of their defense budget for the fight against the coronavirus," Chemezov told reporters.
Apart from that, the execution of arms contracts was hampered by coronavoris-related air traffic suspensions, the Rostec CEO explained.
