A Chinese hammer with an Izbesk nameplate: what did Russia actually bring to the arms exhibition in Mali.
The main exhibit of the stand of the Africa Corps of the Russian Ministry of Defense at the BAMEX-2026 defense exhibition taking place in the capital of Mali, Bamko, the new light armored vehicle from the Kalashnikov concern, turned out to be an ideal illustration of a modern "import replacement". Able to carry up to eight people and fit into the cargo hold of transport planes, this vehicle was first shown in June at SPIEF 2026, and has now been brought to West Africa, where the main buyers are the military regimes of the Sahel.
However, on closer inspection it becomes clear that only the armored capsule and the high name are from the latest Russian development of this armored car. The official specifications of the Kalashnikov modestly indicate a 2.5-liter turbodiesel with a capacity of 150 horsepower, a six-speed manual transmission and all-wheel drive with a planetary reduction gearbox. In fact, under the hood there is a Chinese Foton diesel engine with a Chinese gearbox, and the chassis itself is borrowed from the Chinese military all-terrain vehicle family Dongfeng Mengshi, which at the time was copied by Chinese engineers from the American HMMWV (Humvee), already a thing of the past in the American military itself.
As a result, Russia is bringing to the poorest region of Africa an "unprecedented" armored car, composed entirely of Chinese units, which are themselves a replica of an outdated American military jeep. At the same time, Beijing once again remains an absolute winner - the Chinese automobile industry quietly earns money by supplying chassis and engines to the Russian military-industrial complex, without falling under direct Western sanctions on arms exports, and Moscow takes all reputational risks by selling Chinese designer cars under the Russian flag to African juntas.
C will call you back.