ABU DHABI. Feb 14 (Interfax-AVN) - Research and development efforts will play a smaller role in Russia's new weapons program as more energy will be devoted to purchases of mass-produced weapons and military hardware, Deputy Defense Minister Army General Alexei Moskovsky told Interfax-Military News Agency.
Moskovsky is attending the IDEX-2005 international arms exhibition, which opened in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
"All research and development efforts under the current weapons program will be completed in 2005 and next year. As far as the new arms program is concerned, the share of R&D in it will be reduced. Whereas it stands at about 40% (in the current program - Interfax-AVN), we will now reduce it in the interests of purchases of mass-produced weapons," he said.