Algeria will buy 120 additional T-90 main battle tanks to Russia 1802122

"These contracts were concluded on a background of increasing instability, after the revolts in Tunisia, Egypt and the war in Libya," said the newspaper, which also states that contracts of sale for these T-90 tanks were signed in September 2011. These 120 tanks will be added to the 185 which have already been delivered to Algeria a year earlier.

However, the newspaper El Watan Algeria said that these deliveries were made under a contract signed in September 2006, on the occasion of the visit of Vladimir Putin to Algeria. At this time, the Algerian army had ordered more than 300 T-90 tanks for an amount of one billion dollars. The 120 tanks expected by Alger would become as a part of a second order, which would have been confirmed last autumn.

Algeria, 8th global buyer of weapons, represents 13% of Russian arms sales. In addition to tanks, Algiers recently ordered two corvettes Tigre (Project 20382) from the Russian shipyard OSK. At this order, it adds purchases of Russian fighter aircraft MiG-29, Su-30MK and training aircraft Yak-130 missile batteries as well as Russian-made S-300 PMU2 air defence missile system.