MOSCOW. Dec 26 (Interfax) - President Vladimir Putin has described successful testing of the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle as an event that exceeds the national framework and thanked government members for contributing to that project.
"This is a major event in the field of science, the defense industry, and bigger defense capacities of the nation," Putin said at his meeting with government members, speaking of the successful Avangard tests.
"In fact, this is not a merely national event, it exceeds the framework of purely national interests," Putin said.
"This event is important. We are the world's first to acquire a new type of strategic weapons," he said.
"Given the latest event in the defense sector, I would like to thank everyone involved in this government, including the ministries of finance and industry. It was a big job," Putin said.
He also remembered those who started the Avangard project.
"I am confident that those who started this work together with us in 2003 can see and hear us," Putin said.
Avangard "will reliably defend our country and our people for decades to come," he said.
He said though that Russia would be unable to fulfill defense, security, and other tasks unless the government achieved development objectives of the civilian sector.