VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
“Domestic production is a distinct priority in the supply of weapons to the Russian armed forces. At the same time, this equipment must be cutting edge, advanced and affordable. I would like to stress that it must be affordable for the customer and for the Ministry of Defence, which means it must be affordable for the government.”
“In 2011, an unprecedented amount of funding was allocated towards the purchase and modernisation of equipment, arms, research and development in defence. In modern Russia, we have never set aside this kind of money before: 750 billion roubles in one year! <…>The government expects that this huge sum will be used efficiently in order to improve the performance of the organisations involved in the defence industry and state procurement.”
“We should primarily concentrate on the needs of our armed forces. I mean, it is not the fact that a company exists that is important. It is important that this company produces goods and services that meet modern standards – in the civilian sectors. In the defence sector, it is important that companies supply equipment that would meet the armed forces’ needs and help the country feel confident in the event of any conflict – local or international.”
"Our goal is to execute a comprehensive modernisation of the armed forces. Rather than just equipping a select group of individuals, we need to build a truly efficient and integrated military – in the army, in the navy, and in the air force".
“We need to modernise the defence industry; introduce new technology; attract efficient managers, engineers, and workers; and create strong production facilities that can manufacture quality machinery and equipment on the contract schedule and at a fair and economically justified price.”
“In the Navy, arms are to be renewed and strengthened; a strategic marine nuclear squad is to be formed from fourth-generation nuclear subs; modern surface vessels are to be purchased; and the operational hardware is to be repaired and upgraded. To be able to cope with the challenges of enhancing the country's defence capacity, the Navy must be developed in a level fashion, including the development of strategic nuclear forces alongside general-purpose naval forces.”
“We intend to buy only new, state-of-the-art equipment and not what was designed twenty or even thirty years ago. For this purpose, we made a full inventory of the military industrial complex and specified basic requirements for military production. Of course, we should draft our rearmament plans with regard to the current economic situation and our budget. So, the Ministry of Defence and other state clients of the rearmament programme were asked to prepare detailed calculations and justification for the amount of necessary budget spending for 2011 and the following years.”
“An analysis of the current trends shows that, along with high-precision weapons, aviation, anti-aircraft defence and reconnaissance systems, the world's leading countries are focusing on increasing the capabilities of each individual soldier. Forward-looking combat systems are being developed for infantry. Personal armour is being made more reliable, while small arms ammunition, sights, and detection and reconnaissance systems are becoming more sophisticated. All of this is crucial, especially in special operations, including counterterrorism. I would like to emphasise that our defence industry is currently capable of developing and manufacturing a full range of small arms and close combat weapons”.
"Our main objective must be the radical modernisation of defence production facilities. New Armed Forces are impossible without a new defence industry. We must do everything in our power to eliminate the dangerous disparity between the technological capacity of defence companies and the needs of the Armed Forces, increasing both production quality and volume."
“Fundamental changes are taking place in terms of our armed forces' equipment. During 2008-2009, long-term contracts were concluded for the supply of 130 warplanes. In the current year 2010, 27 aircraft, more than 50 helicopters and five battalions of S-400 surface-to-air missile systems will be purchased by the army. As you see, we are talking about high-volume supplies. Altogether, as laid down in the state armaments programme for the next 10 years, troops are to take delivery of over 1,500 new fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft and something like 200 surface-to-air missile systems. As a result, no less than 80% of the air force's aviation equipment will be up-to-date and no less than 75% of its air defence systems will be new, which means a several-fold rise in our armed forces' combat capabilities.”
