MOSCOW. July 29 (Interfax-AVN) - Expenses on maintaining the core of the Russian Armed Forces, primarily permanent-readiness units, amount to about 40 percent of the state defense order, Colonel General Vladislav Putilin, deputy minister of economic development and trade, who is in charge of the law-enforcement sector, has said.
"Implementation of the state defense order allows us to maintain the core of the Armed Forces and keep permanent- readiness units fit: And armament is being developed as planned in the framework of the state armament program," Putilin said in an interview with the Vremya Novostei newspaper published on Tuesday.
In the past few years, a fair share of allocations in the framework of the state defense order has been directed on creating the research backlog, designing new armament and military hardware, completing R&D, and preparing enterprises for mass production of armament and military hardware starting from 2007, he said.
According to Putilin, hundreds of new arms and military hardware pieces have been tested and commissioned over this period of time. Retrofitting of the strategic nuclear forces is of great importance, he said, referring to mass production of new Topol-M missile systems, construction of fourth-generation submarines, and development of a new sea-based strategic missile system.
At the same time, mass production still has a small scale, because "the state has not saved enough money for this purpose," he said.
Putilin noted that calculation of expenses in the framework of the state armament program for up to 2015 has already begun.
"This is a reference point that allows us to structure armament development as a system, not singling something out of all the rest and not giving preferences to some types," he stressed.
Speaking about development of the GLONASS satellite navigation system, Putilin said that "sufficient measures have been taken to retain what you call navigation sovereignty." State budget allocations for GLONASS amount to RUB1.5bn (USD49.59m).
"A federal purpose-oriented program for the period up to 2011 was approved in 2001. The GLONASS orbital grouping currently consists of 11 spacecraft, but it is to grow to 17 by 2007 and to 24 by 2010. Work is underway to create spacecraft with an active service life of seven to 10 years that will ensure high precision of positioning. Aircraft and vessels will be fitted with navigation equipment," he said.