Egyptian-Russian 2017 military relations: a new return to the 1960s alliance
Taha Sakr December 10, 2017 4:23 pm
http://www.egyptindependent.com/egyptian-russian-2017-military-relations-new-return-1960s-alliance/

Since the era of Egypt’s late President Gamal Abdel Nasser, the bilateral
military relations between Egypt and Russia witnessed several stages of
growth. However, the glorious period of those relations was during the
1960s; at that time relations were very strong.

That co-operation was dimmed in the wake of the 1979 peace treaty signed
between Egypt and Israel under the auspices of the US. From that date till
2013, Egypt was heavily dependant on the US as a source of armament.

However, the arrival of the June 30 uprising against Muslim Brotherhood rule
resulted in a new strategy based on the diversification of bilateral
relations to include its old ally Russia.

With the declaration of former Egyptian army leader Abdel Fattah Sisi as
President of Egypt, both countries agreed on enhancing the bilateral
military co-operation through a number of deals aimed to upgrade the level
of armament of the Egyptian army.

Ahead of Monday’s visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Egypt, Egypt
Independent highlights the most prominent armament deals that have been
signed between Egypt and Russia in recent years.

2014 – MIG 29 and ‘S-300’

During the visit of Egypt’s Sisi to Russia in 2014, the countries signed
arms deals with an estimated value of 3.5 billion dollars. This deal aimed
to upgrade the Egyptian missiles systems through supporting Egypt with
Russian anti-aircraft missiles S300.

In addition, Russia is reported to support Egypt with MIG 29, MIG 35 and
Su-30 fighter jets dedicated to upgrading the performance of the Egyptian
Air Force.

Recently, the Russian news agency TASS reported that Egypt will receive 50
MIG 29 fighters in batches. They are scheduled to arrive on an annual basis
over several years.

It added that the contract came after Russian President Putin’s meeting with
Sisi in February 2014, noting that the deal would be the largest order of
MiG-29 jets in the post-Soviet period.

The contract for the delivery of the 50 MiG-29 Fulcrum multirole fighters
has reportedly se0 the year 2020 as the completion deadline. No official
Egyptian declaration on the deal has been made till now.

2015: ‘S-300’ arrives in Egypt

With the arrival of the Russian air defense system S-300, the
Egyptian-Russian military deals to support Egypt’s air defense systems
increased. These deals focused on three main axes. First: modernization of
the short-range air defense system to the TorM2 system. This axis has been
announced since 2012. Second: upgrading Egypt’s mid-range air defense to the
“Bock M2” system. And third: introducing the long-range air defense system
S-300 for the first time within the Egyptian air defense forces.

S-300 is considered the most powerful in the face of all types of aircraft
and ballistic missiles and its arrival to Egypt is considered a powerful
addition to Egypt’s air defense forces.

Russian vessel ‘Molnia b32’

On the naval side, the Egyptian Ministry of Defense recently published a
video of the Russian War boat ‘Molnia b32’, which was given by Moscow to
Egypt as part of the military cooperation between the two countries.

‘Molnia b32’ is considered as one of the latest Russian naval vessels,
sailing in the new Suez Canal with a number of Egyptian naval forces.

The Molinia is a powerful addition to the Egyptian navy for its high combat
capabilities, as well as a rapid and long-range sea-to-sea missile platform,
beside its advanced technology in military communications and modern defense
systems.