China capturing Russian weapons markets in Africa

HONG KONG, Dec. 24 (UPI) -- The People's Republic of China is increasingly challenging Russia in the African arms trade, offering lower prices on weapons that, ironically, are often made in China with Russian technologies.

Chinese products are less expensive than Russian and Western systems. They are similar to the Russian systems that many African countries are familiar with, and they are also easy to maintain and easy to use in training.

Many countries in Africa are therefore switching allegiance to the People's Republic of China for their weapons purchases. A typical example is Sudan. At a 2007 military parade, the Khartoum regime showcased its China-made T96 Main Battle Tanks and T92 wheeled armored vehicles.

The T92 wheeled armored vehicle is fitted with Russian 2A72 30mm machine guns. Russia's KBP Design Bureau transferred the machine-gun technology to the People's Republic of China in 1996, along with fire-control technology for the BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle.

Sudan has also acquired K-8 trainer aircraft, Q-5 attackers and FN-6 portable ground-to-air missiles from the People's Republic of China. Traditionally, Sudan has been a client of Russia, from whom it has purchased BMP-1 and BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles, BTR-50 wheeled IFVs and T54/55 Main Battle Tanks.

The Sudanese air force is equipped with both Russian-made Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 fighter aircraft and Chinese-made J-7 fighters.

The People's Republic of China first used its K-8 fighter trainers to open up the military aircraft market in African countries. Then, China went on to offer its inexpensive fighters as an alternative to Russian aircraft.

Chinese-made Main Battle Tanks have begun to replace the Russian-made T54/55 Main Battle Tank in one African country after another. In 2006 the People's Republic of China exported its T96 Main Battle Tanks to Uganda, another traditional Russian weapons client.

Uganda's ground forces are currently armed with 150 T54/55 Main Battle Tanks and 20 BTR-60 armored personnel carriers, and the Ugandan air force is equipped with 6 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21s and 5 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23s that it bought from Russia.

In the past, Chinese-made arms were known for their low prices and poor quality -- and as such they were no match for the Russian, European and U.S. weapons that were being sold to African nations.

However, this situation is now being reversed. Starting 10 years ago, as the People's Republic of China received technological support from Russia and the former Soviet republic of Ukraine, the quality gap between Chinese-made ground force equipment and systems from Russia and the West has greatly narrowed.

For instance, the People's Republic of China is now actively promoting its FC-1 combat fighters to African countries, and Nigeria, the political and military giant of West Africa, has expressed keen interest in this combat aircraft. The FC-1 is fitted with Russian-made RD-93 engines.

The People's Republic of China has already introduced its J-10A fighter to the international market, under the name FC-20. The J-10A is currently fitted with Russian-made AL-31FN turbojet engines; it is very likely that the People's Republic of China will offer the J-10A on the African continent after installing less expensive Chinese-made WS10A engines.

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(Next: China's cheaper combat fighter challenge to Russia's Sukhoi Su-27)

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(Andrei Chang is editor in chief of Kanwa Defense Review Monthly, registered in Toronto.)