Russia and the United Arab Emirates are holding negotiations onmodernizing a large number of BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles, adefense industry official said on Wednesday.
Vyacheslav Dzirkaln, deputy head of the Federal Service for Militaryand Technical Cooperation, is heading the Russian delegation at ameeting of the Russia-UAE intergovernmental committee for military andtechnical cooperation.
The talks in Abu Dhabi are to focus on the "full modernization of alarge number of BMP-3s in an effort to seriously increase their combatcapability," the Russian official said.
"We have succeeded in this direction," Dzirkaln said.
The infantry fighting vehicles had been earlier supplied to the UAEby Kurganmashzavod, a Russian machine building company based in Kurgan,western Siberia.
The official said that the military officials in the United ArabEmirates have "a good attitude for cooperating with Russia." "ThereforeI make the conclusion that our cooperation has a future."
Dzirkaln also confirmed that Russia will finish deliveringPantsir-S1 short-range air defense systems to the United Arab Emiratesby late 2010.
"This year the delivery will be completed. Two more shipments ofthese vehicles will be delivered and the contract on the delivery willbe fulfilled," he said.
Russian media reports said Moscow had signed a $734-million contractwith the United Arab Emirates in 2000 on purchasing 50 Pantsir-S1s.
Pantsir-S1 is a short-to-medium range combined surface-to-airmissile and antiaircraft artillery system manufactured by theTula-based Instrument Making Design Bureau (KPB).
It is designed to protect point and area targets and carries up to12 two-stage solid-fuel surface-to-air missiles in sealedready-to-launch containers.
The system also has two dual 30 mm automatic cannons that can engage targets at a range of up to 4 km.
The Russian official said it was too early to speak about the prospects of further delivery of Pantsir-S1s to the UAE.
"Further development will consist of providing service maintenanceand continuing training UAE specialists in the aspects of operation,repair and service maintenance," he said.
ABU DHABI, June 2 (RIA Novosti)
