Alwaght- The world witnessed different periods of rivalry between the globally largest powers: The US and Russia. The competition between the global giants saw a rise in a series of levels and fields, but competition between them reached a climax in the arming race and the military technology. However, today we see the US admits that it needs some of the Russian military products. This is a good evidence indicating the Russian technological and industrial development, even after collapse of the former Soviet Union.


The US Department of Defense would need purchasing nearly 18 Russian rocket engines


The US Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert O. Work has said that the US Department of Defense would need to buy about 18 Russia-made RD-180 rocket engines to launch missiles carrying American satellites to the space for the next six years.


In a press conference Colonel Work has said that the US needed to ensure that it had at least two trustable and low-cost vehicles to keep going to the space, adding that Russia�s RD-180 missile engines were necessary for what he called a transitional period before developing domestically-made engines for the American rockets.


"We just don't see any way you can get a new engine in anything less than six years," Work said. Therefore, during the transitional period the US thinks strongly that it needed the RD-180 engines, according to Work.


The US congress has put a ban on the use of the Russian RD-180 engines for military uses after 2019 after reunion of the Crimea Peninsula with Russia in 2014.


However, the Congress lawmakers have eased the ban after they felt that the limitations could affect the US joint project United Launch Alliance launched by the giant US companies Lockheed Martin and Boeing and leave only privately held Space X to lift satellites into space.


The US need for Russian-built rocket engines is already existing and an engine supply deal was signed in 2015�


Earlier this year, the Russian trade envoy to the US Alexander Steidnick has told Russia�s Ria Novesti News agency that the contract of importing rocket engines from Russia to the US would take effect regardless of the Washington�s sanctions on Moscow.


Steidnick has added that the US was aware of its need for those Russian engines to develop the rocket technology, or without them it has to leave its costly projects. �Thereby, they would keep buying our rocket engines,� Said Steidnick.


The Russian trade representative has pointed out that the two countries were still working based on the supply contract signed in 2015. The Russian rocket engines company Energia has signed an agreement with the American company Orbital Science Corporation to deliver RD-180 engines worth 1$ billion. The deal says that Russia should provide the US with 60 rocket engines of this kind. Steidnick said, however, the American sanctions on Russia have affected the signed contract, so the US has changed its position towards Russia due to its need to these Russian space engines. It should be reminded that the US Congress has earlier banned use of Russian rocket engines after 2019, and according to the reports Washington is working on production of new domestic engines but the American authorities are concerned that the US perhaps fails to produce space engines as quality as the Russian rocket engines.


The US used Russian helicopters to fight the Afghans earlier


It seems that the US need for Russia is not limited to powerful rocket engines that make Russia stand out. Moscow, as part of a deal to supply 21 helicopters of the same kind, has delivered 9 Mi-17 helicopters to Washington made by Russia�s Oboronprom Corporation to help the Americans fight the Afghan militants.


Russia has bought this type of Russian helicopters to guarantee its success in logistic operations in Afghanistan�s tense conditions in addition to supporting the American as well as international forces in Afghanistan.


It is worth mentioning that Russia has managed to sign many contracts in past few years to sell weapons and military technology and especially when it put on show the viability of the Russian weapons after it intervened in Syria to fight the terrorist groups. This move has made billions of dollars flow to Russia, as it increased the Russian military industries� credibility worldwide. Now the special Russian helicopters and other types of Russian arms are used by more than 100 countries. Actually, Moscow has managed to restore many of its arms markets that it has earlier lost.


By Alwaght