Yes, they were. Their military products actually competed in a "free market": they had strong competition from the US, NATO countries, China, etc. Ironically, t

Yes, they were. Their military products actually competed in a "free market": they had strong competition from the US, NATO countries, China, etc. Ironically, this free market competition is what made Soviet weapons as good as they were :) I wonder if they ever thought about it in this way.