Military Surge: Russia is Rearming at a Breakneck Pace - New Planes, Helicopters and Tanks For Army
Running over schedule, since the beginning of the year, Russian defense enterprises have supplied 23 combat vehicles, as well as 50 aircraft and helicopters. This was announced by Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu on the unified military goods commissioning day. On that day the Ministry evaluates military products and commissioning of infrastructure.
Artem Potemin has the details. The unified military goods commissioning day is an exam for industrialists. Three times a year they report to their main customer. If earlier some enterprises had to justify the delays, now the absolute majority of them have gained pace and even work ahead of schedule.
Sergey Shoygu, Minister of Defense: "8 SU-34 and 25 helicopters were supplied ahead of the schedule. Some of the newest models of equipment that will soon arrive in the troops will be presented for the first time at the military parade in Moscow in honor of the 73rd anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. Tank support combat vehicle. Single-seat supersonic aircraft SU-57. Multifunctional robotics complex Uranus-9. Multifunctional demining robotics complex Uranus-62. Korsar unmanned aerial vehicles of short range. The mechanized column will consist of more than 190 units of equipment that determine the modern image of the Russian Army".
Almost every batch of military equipment differs from the previous one for the better. Domestic engineers modernize the samples, improve their characteristics install new-generation equipment made in Russia as the import phaseout is still there. Moreover, the military demand that the equipment work in the conditions of the Extreme North. So it is sent to the Kola Peninsula for testing.
Yuri Borisov, Deputy Defense Minister: "The wheeled machinery of the Bryansk Plant and the two-link caterpillar tracks of the Gorky and Izberbash plants passed the tests and confirmed their characteristics in the conditions of extreme temperatures of the Extreme North and virgin snow. They are able to be autonomous and maintain a microclimate in inhabited compartments, and can also move in deep snow".
Aircraft builders refine their equipment taking into account the Syrian experience. The aircraft of the 2018 model significantly expanded their combat potential. Novosibirsk and Irkutsk Aviation Plants have already prepared for the transfer four Su-34 and four SU-30 SM aircraft. By the end of the year the plants will have supplied a dozen of aircraft each to the Army. The development of space by the military is proceeding in a planned manner. This year two successful launches of the Soyuz carrier rockets took place. Orbital grouping is being done to ensure the operation of new Russian drones.
Yuri Borisov: "Today complexes with unmanned aerial vehicles successfully perform functions that were previously unavailable or carried out by other forces. In particular, unmanned aerial vehicles have shown their high efficiency in surveillance and exploration".
The Russian fleet is also being updated. In particular, Tula nuclear submarine cruiser was put into operation after repairs. The ship of logistic support Elbrus took to alert duty in Murmansk. This year the Defense Ministry will spend more than 110 billion rubles to build military infrastructure nationwide from Baltiysk to Vilyuchinsk. 3,500 objects and constructions should be handed over. In the priority, according to Shoigu, the deployment of nuclear deterrence forces. But the Ministry doesn't forget about its obligations to provide housing to servicemen.
Timur Ivanov, Deputy Defense Minister: "This year 76 residential construction projects will be put into operation throughout the country, which will make more than 6,000 apartments and more than 1,100 places in dormitories to be settled".
The schedule of military infrastructure supplies is directly related to the timing of the transfer of military equipment to the troops. The ships of the 21st century need modern bases. Industrialists and builders have assured the leadership of the military Ministry that they don't plan to disrupt the terms.
Artem Potemin, Ilya Nayotov, Andrei Yurchuk for Vesti