MOSCOW. Jan 13 (Interfax-AVN) - The Russian Defense Ministry will be focused on bolstering the combat potential of forces in every strategic sector and better quality of Armed Forces training in 2015, Defense Minister Gen. of the Army Sergei Shoigu said.
"We are set to draw up a new defense plan of the Russian Federation for 2016-2020 and to provide timely placing and strict fulfillment of state defense orders for 2015 in order to achieve the required parameters of modern armaments and military hardware," the minister said in a teleconference on Tuesday.
"We are due to supply troops with 701 armored vehicles, two brigade sets of Iskander-M missile systems, 1,545 multirole vehicles, 126 planes, 88 helicopters, two multirole submarines and five surface warships in 2015," Shoigu said.
"Besides, a Voronezh-DM prefabricated radar station will be deployed in Yeniseisk in 2015, one year ahead of schedule," he continued. "The period of the deployment of a similar radar station in Barnaul will be cut by six months."
"Almost 700 types of component parts of armaments and military hardware, which used to be made in collaboration with Ukrainian plants, will have to be replaced by the end of the year. This is practically 60% of the total number, which means we are due to achieve practically 70% levels of import substitution by the end of 2015," the minister noted.
"It is no less important to keep the pace of development of military infrastructures," Shoigu indicated. "Last year the Russian Defense Ministry almost thrice exceeded levels of commissioning of facilities of various types and 1,262 facilities were erected."
"Comprehensive sudden checks of combat preparedness of forces must continue this year. They will involve all military districts and arms of the Russian Armed Forces," Shoigu said.