OREANDA-NEWS. January 22, 2010. Rosoboronexport will be taking active part in the first Bahrain International Airshow, BIAS 2010. This exhibition of military, civilian and business aircraft will take place from 21 to 23 January at the Sahir Airbase in Manama. It is held under the patronage of the King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and with support of the Kingdom’s Ministry of Civil Aviation. The known Farnborough International Company serves as the organizer. The air show will involve 40 companies from Russia, Bahrain, Belgium, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, UAE, United States, and France.

At BIAS 2010, Rosoboronexport will present over 30 state-of-the-art aircraft models. In the Russian chalet the visitors will be able to get information on the Su-35 and Su-30MK2 multi-role fighters, Yak-130 training aircraft. The latest MiG-35 front-line fighter, too, is likely to arouse particular interest. The Bahraini Air Force pilots have already got acquainted with the aircraft, when it landed twice in the Kingdom for refueling on its way to an air show in India.

As to helicopters, Rosoboronexport’s exposition at BIAS 2010 will include Ka-52A attack helicopter, Mi-35M transport/combat helicopter, Mi-171SH military transport helicopter and Mi-26 heavy transport helicopter. Demand for Russian helicopters on the world market remains steady. They have proved themselves in hot climatic conditions and have shown high performance and reliability. In addition, Russia is actively improving the after-sales service system for its helicopters.

"The air show in Bahrain opens up additional opportunities for building comprehensive ties with the countries of the region. There is almost no country in the Arab world with which Russia has not negotiated possible arms supplies,” - said Rosoboronexport’s Director General Anatoly Isaikin. – “We see a serious interest here in Russia's aircraft.”

Rosoboronexport’s participation in the first national air show BIAS-2010 will be an important step towards closer military-technical cooperation with the Middle East countries, including Bahrain. Russia views a December 2008 visit by the King of Bahrain to Moscow, the first-ever since the bilateral diplomatic relations were established in 1990, as an impetus to building mutually beneficial and long-term cooperation. Considering the priority needs of the customers, Rosoboronexport offers the most flexible and effective solutions for equipping the armed forces with modern and reliable equipment ready for use even under extreme conditions.