Russia’s state defence conglomerate, Rostec, is offering Egypt a combat-tested short-range anti-drone system as Moscow seeks to expand defence sales in Africa amid an intensifying drone war with Ukraine.

According to Militarnyi, Russia is marketing the Bison, an export version of the Zubr system already deployed to protect critical infrastructure from drone attacks in the war with Ukraine.

With Zubr in operational use, Rostec is offering the system to Egypt as it seeks a wider export market, although no price or delivery timeline has been disclosed.

According to Rostec, the TKB-1167 Bizon uses 7.62mm PKT machine guns to take down small, low-flying drones that can slip past conventional air-defence systems.

Its radar can detect targets up to 1.5 kilometres away, automatically track them and pass targeting data to the machine-gun mounts, while the operator makes the final decision to fire.

That capability is already in use in Russia, where Rostec says the domestic Zubr version is on combat duty and has successfully engaged real targets.

“It is important that the development of our High Precision Systems is already on combat duty and successfully engaging real targets, demonstrating a high speed of reaction to the appearance of aerial threats,” said Bekhan Ozdoev, industrial director of Rostec’s weapons cluster.

“In fact, the TKB-1167 is the last line of defense, coming into play when the count is measured in seconds.”

Ukraine puts drone warfare on display

The offer comes as Ukrainian drones increasingly hit key Russian sites, including the TANECO refinery in Tatarstan and the Tamanneftegaz terminal in Krasnodar, pushing Moscow to strengthen its anti-drone defences.

Ukraine has also built a strong domestic drone industry during the war, with its battlefield experience now influencing how the US Army develops its own drone and counter-drone doctrine.

That growing expertise was on display on August 24, when Kyiv held what was described as the world’s first military drone parade.

The event featured SHARK and P1-SUN UAVs, heavy bomber drones and interceptors designed to destroy Russian aerial targets, alongside F-16 and Mirage 2000 fighter jets.

On the Dnipro River, Ukraine also showcased MAGURA and Sea Baby strike drones, reconnaissance craft and maritime drones fitted with anti-aircraft missiles.

The display underlined how central drones have become to the war and why counter-drone technology is attracting wider military interest, with major African powers such as Egypt now considering new systems. (Business Insider Africa)