Russia is working on a stricter legal and regulatory framework for companies offering repair services abroad for previously supplied military equipment without appropriate license issued by the Russian authority.
A meeting of the Economic and Information Security Section of Rosoboronexport discussed issues of combating unfair competition in military-technical co-operation (MTC) including supply of counterfeit spare parts and material maintenance by unlicensed organizations, the company said in a statement December 9, 2015.
“In addition to reputational risks, Russian manufacturers of high-tech products have been also suffering annual tangible financial losses due to counterfeit. This phenomenon is typical of the entire world. The aircraft operators, too, suffer due to the purchase of non-original spare parts or services for their installation from the same unlicensed Eastern European companies: the use of counterfeit parts in aircraft poses a safety danger, causing the aircraft to fall to the ground. After such so-called “repair”, any claims against us are irrelevant. Domestic manufacturers must not be responsible for the quality of products and services supplied and implemented without a Russian license,” said Valery Varlamov heading the Security Department at Rosoboronexport.
Proper cataloguing of supplies is a component of the comprehensive system for countering production and distribution of counterfeit parts. Along with promoting thousands of unique Russian products abroad, Rosoboronexport carries out cataloguing of the entire range of spare parts, materials, tools, support and training equipment necessary to ensure the operation of military equipment. This nomenclature encompasses more than 3 million supply items, including those cataloged in line with the international rules and NATO standards. Owing to the accumulated database, Rosoboronexport employees have learned to quickly identify unauthorized resellers and suppliers of Russian products.
The strategy to combat unfair competition includes also such focus areas as raising awareness among the partners in military-technical cooperation and establishing a relevant organizational and legal framework for combating counterfeit. In particular, active work is underway to provide a stricter legal and regulatory framework for Russian companies offering repair services abroad for previously supplied weapons and military equipment without the appropriate license issued by Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation.