MOSCOW. Aug 2 (Interfax) - The share of contract servicemen in the Russian Airborne Troops will increase to 80% by the end of next year, Airborne Troops Commander Andrei Serdyukov said.
"By the end of 2022, we are planning to increase the manning levels of the troops with contract servicemen to 80% of the total number of servicemen," Serdyukov said in an interview with the Russian Defense Ministry newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda.
There are currently more than 27,000 contract servicemen in the Airborne Troops, and their number has increased by 3.5 times in comparison with 2012. At the same time, more than 65% of contract servicemen in the troops have higher and secondary vocational educations.
"Today, more than 80% of servicemen conclude second and subsequent contracts, and more than 30% of servicemen carrying out military conscription service decide to conclude their first contracts for further military service in the Airborne Troops," Serdyukov said.
He also said that this year, the Airborne Troops will receive more than 300 pieces of weapons, military and special equipment, and more than 12,000 sets of landing equipment and parachute systems, "which will bring the level of provision with modern and upgraded models to 75%."
The commander of the Airborne Troops noted that in terms of their design features and characteristics, Russian parachutes are superior to foreign ones, but promising equipment is being constantly worked on.
"For example, at present, a promising special-purpose parachute system has been developed and passed state tests, intended for landing from heights of 1,200 to 8,000 meters. At the same time, with a maximum flight weight of a paratrooper of 190 kilos, the flight range with the main parachute from an altitude of 8,000 meters can reach 60 kilometers. The suspension system provides for the fastening of a front cargo container weighing up to 50 kilos," Serdyukov said.
With the development of technologies, forms, and methods of warfare, approaches to training specialists are also changing, Serdyukov said. In particular, the Margelov Ryazan Guards Higher Airborne Command School will train cadets in the military specialty of engagement of airborne units using unmanned aerial vehicles starting in 2021.
On August 2, the Airborne Troops celebrate the 91st anniversary of their founding.
Parachute landing of military personnel was used during an exercise of the Moscow Military District for the first time on August 2, 1930, and this date is considered to be that of the founding of the Airborne Troops.
"Throughout its history, the Airborne Troops have come a long way from individual airborne detachments as part of the Air Force to a separate branch of the armed forces, which is the elite of the Russian Armed Forces. Today, the Airborne Troops are a highly mobile component of the Russian Armed Forces equipped with modern weapons and military equipment and dynamically developing in accordance with the requirements of the time," the Russian Defense Ministry's information and mass communications department said.