Kazakhstan Seeks To Upgrade Its Military Equipment

As the third largest military power in the Caspian region after Russian and Iran, Kazakhstan is looking to upgrade its aging military equipment, most of which was left over from the Soviet Union when it dissolved in December 1991.

Just this year alone, Kazakhstan has signed several agreements with its main weapons supplier, namely its northern neighbor Russia. In August, leaders in Astana also signed the first Military Cooperation Plan with Kazakhstan’s southern neighbor, Uzbekistan, centered on joint operational and combat training, and cooperation in military education. The country also has deals with Israel and South Africa.

Astana’s defense budget is $2.435 billion, making it the 59th largest defense spender worldwide and putting it behind all of its four Caspian region neighbors except Turkmenistan, which comes in at 104 and allocates $200 million per year for defense purposes.

Eighty percent of Kazakhstani military-technical purchases are from Russia, considered the second-largest military power in the world after the US, according to Global Firepower’s 2017 rankings. Kazakhstan ranks 55 out of 133 countries.

Bordering the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea, Kazakhstan does not require much in the way of naval assets. It boasts just 15 naval vehicles, a number that includes 12 patrol boats. It has over 1,600 armored fighting vehicles, 239 military aircraft and 67 helicopters, and Kazakhstan is now actively seeking to build up its aviation capabilities.

Kazakhstan purchased lightweight MiG-29 fighters, Su-25 attack aircraft, Su-27 and Su-30MK fighters, IL-76 military transport planes and Mi-8/17 helicopters, BTR-80 armored personnel carriers , BTR-80A and other products from Russia.

Russia, once a member of the Soviet Union alongside Kazakhstan, is today considered as the second largest arms exporter after the US, with $6.4 billion of the global arms trade, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

Working within a 2013 agreement worth $300 million and centered on military-technical cooperation, the two sides recently signed a contract during Russia’s annual military expo, the International Military Technical Forum, which ran from August 22-27. At “Army 2017,” as this year’s forum was dubbed, Kazakhstan purchased 12 Sukhoi Su-30SM fighter jets, according to an announcement made by the Russian presidential aide for military and technical cooperation Vladimir Kozhin.

"Yes, this framework contract has indeed been signed at the Army-2017 International Military Technical Forum. The terms of the contract stipulate its gradual implementation within three years since the first delivery," Kozhin told Russia’s TASS news agency. These are to be in addition to Kazkahstan’s 2015 purchase of six aircraft.

Kazakhstan will replenish its air forces with 12 super-maneuverable Su-30SM fighter aircrafts, to be delivered within three years. The Su-30SM is developed by JSC Sukhoi Design Bureau for the Russian Air Force, and is considered an all-weather, air-to-air and air-to-surface combat craft. It can perform target illumination for long-range missiles with a range of up to 110 km (68 miles).