Minsk may buy Iskander missile systems from Moscow, Ambassador of Belarus to Russia Ihar Petryshenka said on Monday.
New weapons are expected to be used for protecting the airspace of the Union State, he told rbc.ru.
At the moment, Belarus has S-300 long range surface-to-air missile systems. In the future, the country may also purchase S-400 systems.
In 2006, serial production of the Iskander-M Tactical Ballistic Missile System was launched, and the system was adopted by the Russian army. Its кange is up to 500 km. A missile constantly maneuvers during the flight. Iskander is a serious offensive weapon capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
Interestingly, the director of the state corporation Rostec Sergey Chemezov said in June, 2016 that Russia had no intention to sell Iskanders abroad because that ballistic missile system was in the military list of products prohibited for export.
Last week, Belarus signed contract to purchase 12 Su-30SM fighters worth of $600 mln from Russia.
“It is not our wish. Russia decided to sell them – it’s not for nothing. This is the response to NATO countries,” military analyst Alyaksandr Alesin commented on the situation.
It is still unclear from where Belarus will take these $600 mln. The purchase has not been included in the 2017 state budget.
Bеlsat.eu, following rbc.ru
