News / National
Zim to splurge US$500 million on MiG-29 Russian fighter jets
26 Sep 2014 at 06:06hrs | Views
COLOGNE - In a bid to reinforce it's fleet and air combat capabilities, while severing ties with European Union (EU) arm supplies, the Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ), has reportedly struck a deal to take delivery of Mikoyan MiG-29 Russian fighter jets in 2017, at an estimated cost of US$500 million, The Telescope News reported.
The revelations of the alleged mystrey transaction, come at a time when the economy is gnashing in the throes of a new recession, which has forced many companies to shutdown, while pushing unemployment to the brink. According to the National Social Security Authority (NASA), at least 10 companies are closing down every month, and alarm has been raised by the institution that, more than 120 companies may also close down by the end of this year due to lack of capital, economic policy inconsistencies and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).
Disclosures of the deal, which was confirmed this week by a senior AFZ pilot based at Thornhill Airbase in the Midlands, comes as no surprise as defence minister, Sydney Sekeramayi, tacitly admitted in Harare last week, that the country has to "look elsewhere" for military equipment because of Western sanctions.
"As you know, our defence forces have been equipped largely with weaponry from Britain and other Western countries and we are under sanctions from these countries and we cannot even buy spare parts from them. We have to look elsewhere," said Sekeramayi as he met a Russian delegation from Rosoboron Export to forge new partnership in military equipment."We have seen it prudent to work with our friends and Rosoboron is one of the biggest manufacturers of military equipment in Russia and supplying the world."
Rosoboron Export's First Deputy Director General, Ivan Goncharenko was among the high powered delegation, which was in the country together with the Kremlin's foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, who met President Robert Mugabe, to sign a US$3 billion platinum mining joint venture deal between Harare and Moscow.
Sekeramayi remained tight-lipped about the new regime of advanced fighter jets, which will be a welcome development in airforce corridors, following the retirement of British BAE Hawks, in 2011, whose dozen fleet has been affected by London's arms embargo, resulting in failure to acquire spare parts, thus making it difficult for their continued use.
"This deal has been on the tables since 2004," said the pilot. "However the country didn't have adequate foreign currency to pay for the Russian fighter jets. Now, the authorities have found a way of financing the transaction, through the new Darwendale Platinum mine, where the Russians will soon have a controlling stake. The total cost of the deal is around US$500 million, which our military budget cannot foot. There are other measures being taken to make fraction cash payments, when the jets are delivered in 2017. Our military, like other nations, has a secret or parallel budget which is confidential. The information at hand suggests that, cash sources could come from a military owned company called Cosleg."
Cosleg, is run by military elites in the country, and involved in a cross-section of mining deals, including diamonds and timber trading in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). DRC leader, Joseph Kaliba is also thought to be a shareholder in the firm. The United Nations (UN) implicated Cosleg in illicit Congo diamonds dealing in a damining 2002 report. The report also indentifies many senior officials in Mugabe's government, as alleged stakeholders, such as justice minister and presidential aspirant, Emmerson Mnangagwa, Sekeramayi himself, Brigadier General Sibusiso Busi Moyo, and the late Air Commodore, Mike Karakadzai.
The Telescope News, alleges that the move to seal the Russian deal, could be as a result of a failed deal for more cooperation with China's K-8 trainer jets, which rely on engine imports from Ukraine.
Zimbabwe has paid China US$240 million, for the acquisition of 12 K-8 jet trainer aircraft.
MiG-29s have an average cost of about US$29 million per unit. The fighter jets, were designed in the Soviet Union, and developed by the Mikoyan design bureau as an air superiority fighter during the 1970s.The MiG-29 entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1983.
The primary roles of the AFZ, according to aeroflight, are interception and close air support. "The AFZ plays a major role in supporting the Zimbabwean Army, and did so successfully in Mozambique and the Congo. The air force is currently experiencing very low serviceability rates due to a shortage of foreign currency to buy spares," reads an entry on Zimbabwe on their website.
The revelations of the alleged mystrey transaction, come at a time when the economy is gnashing in the throes of a new recession, which has forced many companies to shutdown, while pushing unemployment to the brink. According to the National Social Security Authority (NASA), at least 10 companies are closing down every month, and alarm has been raised by the institution that, more than 120 companies may also close down by the end of this year due to lack of capital, economic policy inconsistencies and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).
Disclosures of the deal, which was confirmed this week by a senior AFZ pilot based at Thornhill Airbase in the Midlands, comes as no surprise as defence minister, Sydney Sekeramayi, tacitly admitted in Harare last week, that the country has to "look elsewhere" for military equipment because of Western sanctions.
"As you know, our defence forces have been equipped largely with weaponry from Britain and other Western countries and we are under sanctions from these countries and we cannot even buy spare parts from them. We have to look elsewhere," said Sekeramayi as he met a Russian delegation from Rosoboron Export to forge new partnership in military equipment."We have seen it prudent to work with our friends and Rosoboron is one of the biggest manufacturers of military equipment in Russia and supplying the world."
Rosoboron Export's First Deputy Director General, Ivan Goncharenko was among the high powered delegation, which was in the country together with the Kremlin's foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, who met President Robert Mugabe, to sign a US$3 billion platinum mining joint venture deal between Harare and Moscow.
Sekeramayi remained tight-lipped about the new regime of advanced fighter jets, which will be a welcome development in airforce corridors, following the retirement of British BAE Hawks, in 2011, whose dozen fleet has been affected by London's arms embargo, resulting in failure to acquire spare parts, thus making it difficult for their continued use.
"This deal has been on the tables since 2004," said the pilot. "However the country didn't have adequate foreign currency to pay for the Russian fighter jets. Now, the authorities have found a way of financing the transaction, through the new Darwendale Platinum mine, where the Russians will soon have a controlling stake. The total cost of the deal is around US$500 million, which our military budget cannot foot. There are other measures being taken to make fraction cash payments, when the jets are delivered in 2017. Our military, like other nations, has a secret or parallel budget which is confidential. The information at hand suggests that, cash sources could come from a military owned company called Cosleg."
Cosleg, is run by military elites in the country, and involved in a cross-section of mining deals, including diamonds and timber trading in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). DRC leader, Joseph Kaliba is also thought to be a shareholder in the firm. The United Nations (UN) implicated Cosleg in illicit Congo diamonds dealing in a damining 2002 report. The report also indentifies many senior officials in Mugabe's government, as alleged stakeholders, such as justice minister and presidential aspirant, Emmerson Mnangagwa, Sekeramayi himself, Brigadier General Sibusiso Busi Moyo, and the late Air Commodore, Mike Karakadzai.
The Telescope News, alleges that the move to seal the Russian deal, could be as a result of a failed deal for more cooperation with China's K-8 trainer jets, which rely on engine imports from Ukraine.
Zimbabwe has paid China US$240 million, for the acquisition of 12 K-8 jet trainer aircraft.
MiG-29s have an average cost of about US$29 million per unit. The fighter jets, were designed in the Soviet Union, and developed by the Mikoyan design bureau as an air superiority fighter during the 1970s.The MiG-29 entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1983.
The primary roles of the AFZ, according to aeroflight, are interception and close air support. "The AFZ plays a major role in supporting the Zimbabwean Army, and did so successfully in Mozambique and the Congo. The air force is currently experiencing very low serviceability rates due to a shortage of foreign currency to buy spares," reads an entry on Zimbabwe on their website.
Source - www.thetelescopenews.com
