MOSCOW, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Russian-made 82mm mortars are to be tested and evaluated by the United Arab Emirates following their display at an arms exhibition in Abu Dhabi.
Russian export agency Rosoboronexport said it is making pre-contractual arrangements to deliver the mortars but arrangements and evaluations could take a few years.
The 2B24 and 2B25 mortars are made by the Central Research Institute Burevestnik. The company says they have a range 1.5 times greater than previous Russian 82mm mortars and are lighter in weight, enabling it to be carried by one person.
The B25, designed for use by special forces, is also a stealth weapon -- it fires without making a sound or emitting tell-tale flame or smoke, according to Rostec, the state-owned company that owns Rosoboronexport.
UAE officials first saw the system at the IDEX arms exhibition in Abu Dhabe last year, winning praise from Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
Neither Rostec nor Rosoboronexport provided any details on the pre-contractual arrangements being made with the United Arab Emirates.
