L’Algérie postule pour devenir partenaire de dialogue de l’Organisation de coopération de Shanghai

Algeria applies to become a dialogue partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization

Great military power in Africa

In a video broadcast on June 14, 2024 on the Telegram network, success was demonstrated in the use of a Berezhok turret against several USV-type targets using not the 2A42 cannon but Kornet missiles. It seems that the combination of the high stability of the turret, the good optics on the screen and the range of the missile was decisive in the use of this equipment. At the moment it is not clear whether the firing was carried out by Russian BMP2 Berezhok or by installing the turret on ships or fixed posts on land, which would be surprising to say the least.
Indeed, in Africa, Algeria is currently the main user of this turret which has been used to modernize hundreds of BMP1 and BMP2 and develop a fire support version of the T-62. A naval version would be very interesting because it has precision over distances ranging from a few meters up to ten kilometers.
The Berezhok Kit is produced by KBP Tula, now High Precision Systems in Russia. It is composed of an electro-optical and fire management complex for a 2A42 30mm cannon, an AGS17 grenade launcher, a PKT and 4 Kornet missile tubes.
On 22 May 2024 it was confirmed that Algeria had applied to become a dialogue partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, allowing the country to be eligible for full membership after a period as a dialogue partner. dialogue and observer.
The military bloc founded by China and the five successor states of the Soviet Union in 2001 has since been joined by Pakistan, India and Iran, and has seen increasingly closely coordinated joint military exercises between its members since the late 2010s. Algeria was one of five Arab Republics that closely aligned with the Soviet Union during the Cold War and after Egypt’s defection to align with the Western bloc in the 1970s and the Western military assaults against Iraq, Libya and Syria. Algeria remains the only Arab Republic fully aligned with the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Functioning Arab states outside the Western sphere of influence.
The country has redoubled its investment in its military capabilities, and particularly in its air warfare and air defense capabilities, following the NATO attack on neighboring Libya in 2011, after decades of under- Tripoli’s investment in its armed forces has left them at negligible strength compared to their armed forces, peak power levels in the 1980s, it is reported. The Algerian Armed Forces are only considered and rivaled by Pakistan and Iran, both current members of the SCO.
Although an increasing share of the country’s military hardware comes from China, ranging from electronic warfare systems to cruise missiles, our country remains Russia’s second-largest defense customer behind India.
The backbone of its armored units is made up of around 700 T-90SA tanks, while the backbone of its combat aviation fleet is made up of 72 SU-30MKA heavy fighters which, after being evaluated against French Rafale in the mid-2000s were favored for its much more powerful sensor suite, greater endurance and superior flight performance. Other notable equipment in service includes a large arsenal of S-300PMU-2 and S-400 surface-to-air missile systems, MI-28 attack helicopters, Iskander-M ballistic missile systems and artillery systems. TOS-1A thermobalic rocket. Our Armed Forces have conducted major military exercises demonstrating high levels of combat readiness, which has become particularly important as major military exercises conducted by the United States in North Africa appear to simulate the launch of attacks against the country. Algeria has long been a priority customer of the latest Russian military equipment and having been the first to acquire MiG-25 interceptors from the Soviet Union, it acquired the Pantsir-SM air defense systems before joining the Russian armed forces.
The country would also be the first customer for Russia’s fifth-generation Su-57 fighter, with rising fossil fuel prices from 2022 reportedly facilitating more investment in weapons acquisition. Oki Faouzi