In recent years Jordan has bought from Russia two Ilyushin Il-76MF military transport planes worth a combined $100 million and six light multirole Kamov Ka-226 helicopters at an estimated cost of $25 million, which will be assembled in Jordan under license. The two countries have even set up a joint venture, Oboronprom Middle East, to assemble 15 to 20 Kamov Ka helicopters a year.

Plans are also under way to set up a joint venture for the production of RPG-32 Hashim multicaliber grenade launchers. The launcher was developed by the Bazalt Moscow State Research and Production Enterprise at the suggestion of King Abdullah II of Jordan himself. It is designed to engage armored vehicles and defended gun posts from a distance of more than 700 yards with 72mm and 105mm grenades. It will be produced in quantity both in Russia and in Jordan.

Trial specimens already have been sent to Amman and were highly praised. A manufacturing license contract is expected to be signed soon. Jordan has received a special $350 million credit from Russia for this purpose, although the sum is also supposed to cover repairs and upgrading of weapons previously supplied to Amman.

Other equipment includes armored personnel carriers, fighting infantry vehicles, Kornet antitank missile systems, Igla ground-to-air missiles and weapons for special operations -- reconnaissance, sabotage and protection of the royal palace.

King Abdullah is a former commando. He is an arms expert, and his buying of Russia's VSS silent sniper rifles and PSS silent pistols is good publicity for Russian arms-makers. It is not impossible that after his visit to Moscow, Amman will take delivery of Pantsyr-S1 ground-to-air missile systems, which are considered today among the most effective close-range air defense systems.

Russian weapons appeal not only to buyers in the Middle East. On Aug. 23 Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sent a message to Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, raising the matter of military-technical cooperation between the two countries.

"Russia is interested above all in trade and economic cooperation between security-related agencies," the Russian leader told his Nicaraguan counterpart. "Military-technical cooperation between us offers a promising future."

This means that the military equipment once supplied to Nicaragua by the Soviet Union that needs repairing, upgrading or replacing could be replaced with more advanced weapons, if Managua is willing. And Managua is willing, as is clear from the close ties that exist between Ortega and President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. The Venezuelan leader is very pleased with Russian weapons.

The target mentioned at the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, of exporting $8 billion worth of Russian arms supplies in 2008, compared with $6.2 billion in 2007, does not seem too far-fetched.

(Nikita Petrov is a Russian military analyst. This article is reprinted by permission of RIA Novosti. The opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.)

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