ABU DHABI. March 19 (Interfax-AVN) - Russia is exhibiting a modernization variant for the Kvadrat air defense missile system at the IDEX 2003 arms show in the United Arab Emirates, Stanislav Ikonnikov, deputy chief constructor of the Tikhomirov Instrument Engineering R&D Institute, said on Wednesday. "As a result of modernization, Kvadrat got a lot of new capabilities. It now has more operation modes, protection from jamming, a higher range and number of target types," Ikonnikov told Interfax-Military News Agency. Unlike the baseline model, the upgraded Kvadrat system can hit various types of air targets, including helicopters both in flight and hovering on an altitude of over one kilometer, the expert said. The new missile can hit targets at ranges up to 25km and altitudes of 12 to 14km. There were two stages in the modification of Kvadrat, Ikonnikov noted. During the first stage, the analog target selection system was replaced with a digital one, the number of lettered frequencies in the illuminated target channel was increased from 6 to 12, and a system of target type identification capable of differentiating between planes, helicopters, missile, etc. was added. During the second stage, the microwave frequency amplifier on traveling-wave tubes will be replaced with solid-state amplifiers, analog indicators with liquid-crystal ones, and an analog calculator with a digital computer. Moreover, elements of a more perfect Buk-M1-2 air defense missile system, in particular, the self-propelled launcher, will be integrated into Kvadrat. This will boost capabilities of the system, Ikonnikov said. The modernization price amounts to 20-30 percent of the price of a new system. The UAE, Korea, China, the Czech Republic and several other countries have displayed interest in Kvadrat at the IDEX 2003 show. Kvadrat has been exported to 34 countries, including Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Syria, India and Cuba. The systems sold to Warsaw Pact states were referred to as Kub. Yugoslavia shot down an F-117 stealth fighter during the 1999 war with the help of Kub.