MOSCOW, October 17 (AVN) - The forthcoming reduction of the Russian Armed Forces will not concern the communication troops, the communication commander, Colonel-General Yuri Zalogin, said on Tuesday.
Results of last academic year show that the communication troops are among the best armed services in professional skills of the personnel, including soldiers and sergeants, Zalogin told the Military News Agency. The number of professional servicemen within the troops does not exceed 10 percent, and they are mostly used in Chechnya, he said.
Units of the 42nd motorised rifle division stationed in Chechnya on a permanent basis are fully equipped with the most up-to-date communication devices, the general went on. Their battalions, snipers and combat vehicles use, among other equipment, fifth-generation complex communication systems Aqueduct.
The systems are built by eight enterprises of the Russian defence industry, where orders are placed by the communication troops commander. From 50 to 70 percent of their components are made abroad. The enterprises are capable of producing up to 10,000 Aqueducts a year in case of necessity. If proper financing is provided, all tactical-level units of the Russian army will get new communication systems in three years.