MOSCOW. March 10 (Interfax) - The Russian National Guard's high-tech weapons and hardware do not just correspond to foreign analogues as regards their quality, but also surpass them on many parameters, Federal National Guard Service Director and National Guard Commander Gen. of the Army Viktor Zolotov said.
"The forces [the Russian National Guard] are being supplied with high-tech weapons and hardware, which not only correspond to foreign analogues as regards their quality, but also surpass them as concerns their parameters. These include Patrul armored vehicles, VPK special armored vehicles, and Chaborz M3 multipurpose cross-country vehicles," Zolotov said in an interview published by the Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper on Tuesday.
"The principal requirements of weapons and military and special hardware are reliable operation, security, user convenience, and relevance to the National Guard's tasks," he said.
"We prefer Russian manufacturers over others. The range of our weapons is being rapidly and efficiency modernized in collaboration with domestic arms makers. On the whole, the forces' arsenal is constantly being modernized and updated," Zolotov said.
"Soon enough, we will commission patrol vehicles with special equipment, which have been designed for street patrols on the basis of technical assignment and with due account of the practices of the Russian National Guard's extra-departmental security guards," he said.
"They will be equipped with modern digital IT systems and all-weather monitoring and image recognition instruments, in addition to night vision devices and gadgets providing remote access to databases," Zolotov said.
Additionally, the Gorets-SSN special armored vehicle has been designed for the special forces of the Russian National Guard and is undergoing state trials. The vehicle "employs new mobility and security solutions," he said.
"Marine units are operating various modifications of modern speedboats, including air-cushioned ones," Zolotov said.
"Meanwhile, aviation of the Russian National Guard boosts our mobility and allows us to deploy forces on various missions and to evacuate the sick and the wounded, when necessary. It is also engaged in the protection of public order and security," he said.