Belarus to Receive Four S-300 Surface-to-Air Missile Systems from Russia in 2015

The Belarusian army will get four S-300 surface-to-air missile systems from Russia next year, Russian ambassador to Belarus Alexander Surikov said in Minsk on Wednesday.

Russia also plans to increase the number of combat aircraft deployed in Belarus to 12, and the number of trainer aircraft to two. “And the first wing of four military helicopters Mi-8 will bolster the on-duty forces in the Belarusian airspace,” the diplomat said.

The ambassador said Russia and Belarus have been successfully cooperating in the military and technical sphere. Some 99 Belarusian and 940 Russian enterprises are involved in this cooperation.

“The share of Belarusian products in the Russian defense order is already 15%,” he said adding that Russia’s defense order is “colossal.”

The S-300 systems (NATO reporting name SA-10 Grumble) are designed to defend major facilities from air attacks. They are considered to be some of the world's most capable anti-aircraft missile systems.