MOSCOW. Jan 27 (Interfax-AVN) - The Almaz Research and Production Association jointly with the Moscow-based Fakel Design Bureau, the Altair Research and Development Institute, the National Radio Equipment Research and Development Institute, and the Nizhny Novgorod Radio Equipment Research and Development Institute has developed a concept, envisioning establishment of the fifth-generation air defense system.
"This concept will allow a new air defense system and a new theater missile defense to be established by 2012, employing contemporary technologies and equipment. This is the very conclusion participants in the meeting of the expert council on airspace defense, held in Moscow, have arrived at," Vladimir Aldoshin, the expert council's secretary, told Interfax-Military News Agency on Tuesday.
According to Aldoshin, Pavel Sozinov, deputy designer general of the Almaz Association, and other participants in the meeting emphasized that the draft design of the new air defense system, meeting the requirements of intercepting fifth-generation missiles, had already been developed by Almaz and adopted by the Russian Defense Ministry commission.
The Defense Ministry commission has also approved the draft design of upgrading the Triumf air defense system. According to experts, this project meets the requirements, facing theater missile defense with respect to intercepting fifth-generation missiles, which has been confirmed by state tests of the Triumf air defense system, considered to be a 4+ generation system.
"On approving the workstream, embraced by Almaz and other flagship air defense system designers, the council decided to recommend that the Almaz-Antei Consortium should be appointed flagship contractor for manufacturing such systems, while the Almaz Research and Production Association should be appointed flagship designer of future air defense and theater missile defense systems," Aldoshin said.