The Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST) recently released a new issue of the Moscow Defense Brief — a one-stop shop for Russian defense industry and arms trade junkies.

This issue of MDB provides an insight into developments in the Russian defense sector in 2007, which included restructuring of Russia’s arms trade monopolist Rosoboronexport into Russian Technologies corporation and the continuation of Russia’s obsession with consolidation of defense enterprises into state-owned holdings. In addition, an article on preliminary arms trade results mentions that Russia may transfer the S-300 air-defense system to Iran after all (see a RIA Novosti backgrounder). I’ve worked with the guys at CAST and I really like them, but I am a little skeptical that this transfer is actually pending. Finally, the MDB provides summaries of major contracts and major deliveries of Russian weapons systems in 2007.

Speaking of the S-300, Turkey apparently still can’t make up its mind on whether it prefers the Russian air-defense system to the U.S. Patriot. Hopefully, it will choose soon — so that it can make the awesome tables in the Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nations come fall.