“A general decision on the purchase has been made…As far as I know, the deal is expected in the first half of 2016,” Guerreiro told RIA Novosti.
In a January interview with RIA Novosti the ambassador had suggested that the contract on the delivery of Russian Pantsir-S1 air defense systems to the Latin American country could be signed in the beginning of 2015.
He added that the work is currently underway to include a corresponding provision in the 2016 budget.
The two countries launched negotiations on Pantsir deliveries in 2012.
The Pantsir-S1 (NATO reporting name SA-22 Greyhound), is a short-to-medium range gun-missile system combining a wheeled vehicle mounting a fire-control radar and electro-optical sensor, two 30-mm cannons and up to 12 57E6 radio-command guided short-range missiles. The system is designed to acquire a variety of targets flying at altitudes from five meters to 10 kilometers and at the range from 200 meters to 20 kilometers.
