MOSCOW. April 8 (Interfax-AVN) - Russian Navy Commander Vladimir Kuroyedov is concerned over insufficient amount of procured combat vessels and armament.
"If the Defense Ministry, government and state in general do not start the Navy rearmament in the near future, we will have serious troubles," Kuroyedov told Interfax-Military News Agency on Monday.
He mentioned some positive examples including the lay-down of the first corvette of Project 20380 with the displacement of 2,000t, but said that "it was not enough."
"Next year we will lay the keel of a new frigate, the year after that a new landing ship, but that is not enough again. We need series of vessels and that is how their production might become cheaper," the Navy commander went on.
As a different example Kuroyedov mentioned a proposal of the Taganrog aircraft research and technical enterprise to commission the A-40 Albatros amphibian to the Navy.
"We had to reject it, for the aircraft has a totally different wing and totally different flight parameters. As a result new and already developed systems are being installed in old BE-12 Mail planes," Kuroyedov stressed.
"Repairs and modernization are being at a stop in the best case. And while we are at a stop, everything we have now will perish. There is a need to be build something new," the commander noted.
Kuroyedov reminded about the construction of the new Yaroslav Mudry guard-ship that started in 1998 was 80 percent complete. "It seems that only a small share remains, but it requires a huge volume of financing, for we have to fit the vessel with sophisticated component parts and armament," the navy commander added.
According to unofficial data, the volume amounts to RUB1.3bn (USD48.05m).