MOSCOW. Nov 12 (Interfax-AVN) - Artillery used to inflict 70 percent of attrition on Chechen rebels, Colonel General Vladimir Zaritsky, the Russian missile and artillery forces commander, told Interfax-Military News Agency Friday.
"Missile and artillery forces can manage 50-65 percent of all missions of inflicting attrition on enemy, and the figure was even 70 percent during the anti-terrorist operation in Chechnya," he said.
Zaritsky disagreed with an expert opinion that tube artillery and mortars are turning less effective in the present-day battlefield within the background of the great breakthrough of missile systems.
"Even in full-scale wars the share of rockets and missiles in destroying enemy is not more than 10 percent. Speaking of the operation in the North Caucasus, it was the artillery that had to manage most of the tasks on fire support," he said.
According to him, this fact proves that the artillery is still the most effective means of fire support to motorized riflemen and airborne troops.
"Moreover, it is, perhaps, the only type of weapon that does not depend on weather and time of the day," Zaritsky added.
He also said that the artillery units of the 42nd motorized rifle division deployed in Chechnya are manned with volunteers only.
"The missile and artillery forces' permanent readiness units are manned with volunteers by 85 percent now," he said.
He added that there are plans to convert artillery units acting as part of permanent readiness motorized rifle and armor divisions for all-volunteer manning principle in all military districts.