U.S. and Russia compete to arm Egypt

Rehab Sayed
U.S. Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel spoke with his Egyptian counterpart General Sedki Sobhy on Sept. 20 confirming that the US will deliver 10 Apache helicopters to support Egypt's counter-terrorism efforts the Pentagon announced.
Back in April of this year the US lifted its ban on shipping the Apaches to Egypt that had been imposed after General el-Sisi led a coup against elected president Mohamed Mursi and then mounted a violent campaign against protests that killed many hundreds at the very least. Subsequently there were mass trials of those arrested with hundreds sentenced to death.
At the time the ban was lifted, Pentagon spokesperson Rear Admiral John Kirby said that the helicopters were to be used for counter-terrorism operations in the Sinai. However, the Egyptian government has also designated the Muslim Brotherhood organization as terrorists. The Egyptian government could very well to decide to intervene in Libya against Islamist militias there on the grounds they were terrorist groups that were a threat to Egypt. Even though Hagel told the Egyptian defense minister that the Apaches were to be delivered, no date was given.
If the US delays delivery again, it may find that Russia will gladly send more military equipment to Egypt. Russia and Egypt have reached preliminary agreement on a $3.5 billion deal. Russia is the world's second largest arms exporter after the US. Anatoly Isaykin, head of Rosoboronexport the state body that controls arms exports claimed that the body had plenty of orders in spite of western sanctions over the Ukraine.
The US delayed delivery of planes to Iraq and Iraq replied by buying used planes from Russia:
If the US tries to hold up delivery of the Apache's much longer this will simply encourage Egypt to diversify its source of supply by purchasing more from Russia.
Since Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel back in 1979, the US has provided Egypt with annual aid of $1.5 billion with $1.3 billion of that amount military aid. With Russia waiting in the wings, and US producers such as Boeing which makes the Apache making profits from shipments to Egypt, the Apache's should be sent quite soon.