Egypt has publicly displayed its Russian-made S-300VM air-defence system for the first time, more than a decade after reports emerged that Cairo had acquired the equipment under a contract worth more than $1 billion as part of a wider $3.5 billion arms package signed with Russia in 2014.
The Egyptian Armed Forces publicly displayed a 9A83ME transporter erector launcher and its fire-control radar during the inauguration of the State Strategic Command Headquarters, known as the Octagon, in the New Administrative Capital.
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi opened the military complex on July 4, 2026, during a ceremony that also featured Apache and Ka-52 helicopters alongside MiG-29M, F-16 and Rafale fighter jets.
Significantly, the appearance marked Egypt’s first public exhibition of the S-300VM and offered the clearest confirmation that the long-range system forms part of the country’s air-defence network.
A $1 billion Russian missile deal
