MOSCOW. Nov 11 (Interfax-AVN) - Russia may derive up to $7 billion a year for arms and materiel exports, Mikhail Dmitriyev, head of the Federal Military Technical Cooperation Service, said.
"The military technical cooperation may be stepped up. Our niche has yet to be secured, and Russia may derive $6 billion or even $7 billion a year," Dmitriyev said in an interview with the Vremya Novostei newspaper, published on Thursday.
"The problem consists in prompt deliveries of spare parts and after-sales maintenance," he said. According to him, joint ventures are very promising.
Responding to the question on the quality of Russian arms, Dmitriyev said that it was not a secret that the quality was deteriorating, and that it was Russia's major problem, caused by worn out production facilities and the lack of mass production.
He expressed his hopes that the state arms program until 2010 would be realized more actively: the state would have extra funds, which could help restore mass production at least partially. "Then we could speak about raising quality standards," Dmitriyev said.
He says that the number of enterprises, authorized to export the products, will be reduced.
"A total of 20 companies were expected to have received licenses, but in fact only 16 of them received such licenses. We will have conducted a detailed analysis of their work by the turn of the year, and will report the results to the president. However, it is clear even now that certain enterprises, not willing to trade on their own, will lose their licenses. A decision to withdraw a license is determined by a number of reasons. It is highly likely that new players will replace ill-fated companies," Dmitriyev said.