MOSCOW, May 12 (AVN) - Russian modern weapons and ordnance are falling five to seven years behind the world's leading developments in a series of parameters, Anatoly Sitnov, head of the Armed Forces armament told a briefing on Friday.
If in the beginning of the 90ies, the army had a technological reserve of 10 years, now this reserve is exhausted, he noted.
At the same time, Sitnov said, Russia is still leading in such fields as intercontinental ballistic missiles, such as Topol and Topol-M, tanks, APCs, IFVs, multiple launch rocket systems, self-propelled artillery systems, firearms. The parity is still prevailed in sea-borne strategic missile forces, he added.
The 1996-2005 armament programme presupposed to replace 80 percent of outdated materiel and considerably change its type. But the programme was financed by less than one fourth, which resulted in a serious drawback in all fields of the Armed Forces technical supplies.
According to Sitnov, the draft concept of armament development to 2015, that has already been introduced for approval by the government, and the armament programme for 2001-2010, envisages a 50 percent renewal of the materiel. The ordnance and materiel already employed in the military is to be modernised to the level of 4th/4th+ generation.
For instance, most of the missile systems employed by the Strategic Missile Forces are expiring in 2003. The modernisation will allow prolonging their life term up to 2007 or, in some of the cases, to 2008. As to the sea strategic component the materiel longevity there can be prolonged to 2012, the general added.