To fulfill import orders of the People's Commissariat for Military and Naval Affairs and other government agencies, the Special Department of Emergency Orders (Spotekzak) headed by V.P. Martynov was established at the People's Commissariat of Foreign Trade. Special Engineering Departments were set up at trade missions abroad to carry out its orders. In 1924-1925, Spotekzak was operationally subordinated to the authorized representative of the USSR Revolutionary Military Council under the People's Commissariat of Trade. Spotekzak was abolished in 1927.

By decree of the Revolutionary Military Council No. 23/4 of January 20, the Currency Settlement Department was established within the Financial Planning Directorate (FPD) of the Red Army’s Supply Directorate. It was headed by Gustav Bokis, Deputy Head of the FPD. The Special Department for Foreign Military Provisions, responsible for compiling import plans of the People's Commissariat for Military and Naval Affairs based on import requests from supply directorates, became part of the Financial Planning Directorate as its 5^th Department, which was headed by L.A. Rodov.

November 16

By Order No. 121 of the Supply Directorate, the Currency Settlement Department was renamed the External Orders Department (OVZ), and in December 1927, the position of Deputy Chief of Supplies was introduced, to which Wilhelm Garf was appointed.

July 24

By order of the USSR Revolutionary Military Council, N.N. Voroshilov was appointed the authorized representative of the People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs at the People's Commissariat of Trade. According to the Regulations approved by the People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs, the External Orders Department was placed under his supervision. The authorized representative reported directly to First Deputy People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs Iosif Unshlikht.

November 20

All functions pertaining to supplies from abroad were transferred to the Military Economic Directorate of the Red Army.

In November, Corps Commander V.K. Gittis became a new authorized representative and head of the External Orders Department (OVZ). In December 1930, a new table of organization of the OVZ was approved. Order No. 1255 of the People’s Commissariat of Foreign Trade (NKVT) specified: “…Engineering departments of the USSR Trade Missions abroad shall be deemed to be special departments of the OVZ and maintained from the latter’s budget.”

December 23

The OVZ became part of the central apparatus of the USSR People’s Commissariat of Defense (NKO). The head of the OVZ was also the authorized representative of the NKO at the NKVT. In that period, the OVZ was headed by Brigade Commander Andrian Redkin-Rymaszeuski. 

January 5

As decided by the Defense Committee under the USSR Council of People’s Commissars, the OVZ was transferred from the NKO to the NKVT under the name of Special Department of the NKVT. On January 17, People’s Commissars Kliment Voroshilov (defense) and Anastas Mikoyan (foreign trade) signed an act of transfer of the department. In that document, the department was called Engineering Department for the first time, and that name was assigned to its subsequent modifications. Between 1939 and 1941, the Engineering Department of the NKVT was successively led by Col. Eng. Mashtakov and Col. Eng. Kormilitsyn.

April 27

The Engineering Department was renamed Engineering Directorate of the USSR NKVT, and Maj. Gen. of Military Engineers Ivan Semichastnov, who simultaneously was Deputy People’s Commissar of Foreign Trade, became its head.

 May 8

In order to coordinate the activities of agencies involved in the export and import of weapons and military equipment (Engineering Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Trade, 9^th Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, 10^th  Directorate of the General Staff of the Soviet Armed Forces, and 10^th Department of the Naval General Staff), on May 8, 1953, the USSR Council of Ministers ordered to establish the Central Engineering Directorate (Glavnoye Inzhenernoye Upravleniye ‒ GIU) within the Ministry of Internal and Foreign Trade (MVVT). Major General of Tank Troops Georgy Sidorovich was appointed the first head of the GIU (he held the position until 1959). He was succeeded by Major General (later Colonel General) Mikhail Sergeichik, who headed the GIU of the State Committee of the USSR Council of Ministers for Foreign Economic Relations (GKES) for the longest time (from 1959 to 1975).

January 15

The GIU was removed from the Ministry of Foreign Trade and included into the newly established Central Directorate for Economic Relations with Countries of People’s Democracy (GUDES) under the Council of Ministers of the USSR.

July 1

According to Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the USSR, the GUDES was transformed into the USSR State Committee for External Economic Relations (GKES), to which the GIU was attached.

April 8

A government order established the Central Technical Department (Glavnoye Tekhnicheskoye Upravleniye − GTU) within the GKES on the basis of the GIU’s 5th Department. Dmitry Kazyukov was appointed the first head of the GTU.

April 14

By order of the Council of Ministers of the USSR dated December 25, 1968 and order of the Minister of Defense Industry of the USSR dated April 14, 1969, the Promzagranpostavka Association, the parent enterprise of the defense industry in the field of foreign economic activity, was established.

January

March 24 

By Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR of March 24, 1988 “On Improving the Organizational Structure of Foreign Economic Organizations of Ministries and Agencies”, the Promexport Foreign Trade Association was established on the basis of Promzagranpostavka, to which the export-import functions of a number of foreign economic associations, including Technointorg, Mashpriborintorg, Techmashexport, Mashinoexport, Raznoexport, were transferred.

November

By a decree of the President of the Russian Federation of November 15, 1991, the GIU and the GTU were reorganized into Oboronexport, a Russian state-owned external economic association for export and import of military products and services, and Spetsvneshtekhnika (literally: “Special Foreign Hardware), a state-owned foreign trade company engaged in the export and import of weapons and military equipment. Overall supervision of both Oboronexport and Spetsvneshtekhnika was provided by the Central Directorate for Military Technical Cooperation (GU VTS). First Rank Captain I.M. Misnik was appointed Acting Chairman of Oboronexport and Rear Admiral S.N. Krasnov headed Spetsvneshtekhnika. Oboronexport, Spetsvneshtekhnika and GUSK (the acronym survived) retained their status of structural divisions of Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations.

November 18

By Presidential Decree No. 1932-C, the Rosvooruzhenie State Company for the Export and Import of Armaments and Military Equipment was established on the basis of Spetsvneshtekhnika, Oboronexport and the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations’ Central Directorate for Collaboration and Cooperation (GUSK), with the status of an independent commercial organization whose activities were not under control of federal executive authorities. Lieutenant General Viktor Samoilov was appointed the first Director General of the State Company.

August 20

By Decrees of the President of the Russian Federation No. 907 and 908 of August 20, 1997, the Promexport Foreign Trade Association was transformed into the Promexport Federal State Unitary Enterprise. The enterprise was endowed with all the rights of a state intermediary for the export (import) of arms, military equipment, special technical devices, military services, information and results of intellectual activity in the military-technical field. Vyacheslav Filimonov was appointed Director General of Promexport. The Russian Technologies Federal State Unitary Enterprise was established.

April 27

By Decree No. 750 of the President of the Russian Federation, FSUE Russian Technologies was attached to FSUE Promexport.

November 4

Decree No. 1834 of the President of the Russian Federation established FSUE Rosoboronexport through a merger of FSUE Rosvooruzhenie and FSUE Promexport. Andrey Belyaninov was appointed the first Director General of FSUE Rosoboronexport.

In 2004, Sergey Chemezov headed FSUE Rosoboronexport. 

In 2007, Anatoly Isaikin became the head of Rosoboronexport.

On the basis of the federal laws “On Rostechnologies State Corporation” and “On Joint Stock Companies”, the President of the Russian Federation signed Decree No. 1577 of November 26, 2007 “On transforming the federal state unitary enterprise Rosoboronexport into the Rosoboronexport Open Joint Stock Company.

July 1

The state registration of the Company was carried out on July 1, 2011. Rosoboronexport was included in the register of organizations that have been granted the right to carry out foreign trade activities in respect of military products. Since July 1, 2011, Rosoboronexport has been operating within Rostechnologies as an open joint-stock company (Rosoboronexport OJSC) with 100% of its shares owned by the Corporation. The Company is headed by Anatoly Isaikin.

September 1

In accordance with Federal Law No. 99FZ dated September 1, 2014, Rostec State Corporation's decision of November 10, 2015 amended the Company's Charter with respect to its name. In accordance with these amendments, the full name of the Company is Rosoboronexport Joint Stock Company, and the abbreviated name is Rosoboronexport JSC. This change is not a reorganization of the Company and does not give rise to succession relations. 

January 10 

In accordance with the decision of the sole shareholder, Rostec State Corporation, dated December 26, 2016, Alexander Mikheev assumed the duties of the General Director of Rosoboronexport JSC.