MOSCOW. Dec 7 (Interfax-AVN) - The funding of the Russian Air Force in 2006 is likely to be increased twice with its total share in the state defense spending to amount to 30 percent, Air Force Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Mikhailov told Interfax-Military News Agency on Tuesday.
"If the suggestions that are already approved of remain in force, the Air Force will start receiving twice as much money as it does now in 2006," he said.
He added that the funding will reach 30 percent as compared to today's 12-14 percent. "This should have been done long ago," he said.
He explained that before the Air Defense Force and Air Force were merged to become a single service, they received 14-15 and 15 percent respectively. "It would be natural if when merged we received 30 percent of the defense budget. However, the funding remained at the previous 13-14 percent despite the two arms were united," he added.
According to him, it is both unfair and wrong. He said that the government allocated quite some money for funding the Air Force in 2005, and added that this is the merit of Armed Forces Chief-of-Staff Yury Baluyevsky, who is going to firmly pursue the policy of effective funding of the Air Force.
Mikhailov also said that the Air Force has a clear concept of development. "Everything is quite clear and logical, and transparent, which is ever so important for taxpayers and supervising bodies," he added.
Among the priorities of the Air Force development concept, he named the modernization of the SU-27 Flankers, MIG-29 Fulcrums, SU-24 Fencers and SU-25 Frogfoots currently in service, as well as the work on the fifth-generation aircraft, the YAK-130 combat trainer and some other programs.