Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Russia plans to spend 19 trillion rubles ($613 billion) to purchase new weapons



MOSCOW - Russia plans to spend 19 trillion rubles ($613 billion) to purchase new weapons over the next decade as it seeks to modernize its Soviet-era Army, Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said in an interview released on Sept. 21.

The government is in the process of approving a plan to ramp up the arms budget for 2011-2020 by 46 percent from the previous estimate of 13 trillion rubles, Serdyukov told Bloomberg news agency in an interview.

Serdyukov, who spoke following talks with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates in Washington earlier this month, also said Russia was interested in U.S. technologies. He did not elaborate.

Much of Russia's military equipment dates back to Soviet times, and the government has in recent years promised extra money for modernization.

Russia to spend $600 bln on arms till 2020



Russia Reveals Detailed Data On Defense Spending Until 2013 -- RIA Novosti

Russia has made public for the first time in many years a detailed account of its defense spending until 2013, the Vedomosti daily said on Tuesday.

State Duma Defense Committee head Viktor Zavarzin said last week that the country's defense spending, including R&D, would total 487 billion rubles ($16.3 bln) in 2010, 574 bln ($19.2 bln) in 2011, 726 bln ($24.3 bln) in 2012, and 1.16 trillion ($38.8 bln) in 2013.

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Update #1: Russia Releases Details on Defense Spending through 2013 -- Defpro

Update #2: Russia discloses defense spendings first time since 2005 -- Xinhuanet

Update #3: Russia announced the amount of Defense spending for airplanes, submarines and missiles until 2013 -- Avionews

Russia intends to sell up to 15% of the largest oil companies in the country, Rosneft, as part of the government to raise 1.8 trillion. rubles (59 billion) from asset sales over the next five years to balance the budget.

The government of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin approved yesterday, according to statements strain Kremlin plan to sell shares in about 900 companies, including banks Sberbank and VTB Group.

The finance ministry had proposed in July sales meipsoifias shares in 10 companies, including Rosneft, Sberbank and VTB.

According to statements from the Kremlin, the government intends to reduce its stake inRussia’s largest bank, Sberbank, the share control between 2011 and 2014....


Russian military to purchase 600 Airplanes, 100 Ships...


Russia will spend $650 billion to equip its dilapidated military with 600 new warplanes, 100 ships and 1,000 helicopters by 2020, Defense Ministry officials were quoted as saying Thursday.

The ambitious weapons procurement program also envisages eight new nuclear submarines and two Mistral aircraft carriers in addition to the two that Russia is buying from France, Russian news agencies quoted First Deputy Defense Minister Vladimir Popovkin as saying.

His announcement comes during a large-scale streamlining of personnel in Russia's bloated and poorly equipped armed forces. The unpopular reforms of Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov have seen as many as 200,000 officers lose their jobs and nine of every 10 army units disbanded.

Though the program foresees spending on strategic forces, analysts hailed the massive order of conventional arms, saying it would lower Russia's dependence on its nuclear arsenal. But they warned it could only be a success if there was a professional and efficient military to use the new equipment.

"Russia needs a professional non-commissioned officers core to train specialists who can really put these arms to effective use," said Pavel Felgenhauer, an independent military analyst. "This spending necessitates a whole new kind of military."

Last week, Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin promised that from next year 1.5 percent of gross domestic product would be spent on army modernization, military pay and other defense spending. He said the country currently allocates 0.5 percent of GDP.

Chief among the aviation procurements are the modern Su-34 and Su-35 fighters and Mi-26 transport helicopter and Mi-8 gunship helicopter, Popovkin said. Navy orders include 20 submarines, of which eight are to be armed with the Bulava nuclear missile - which has experienced years of glitch-stricken tests - 35 corvettes and 15 frigates, Popovkin said.

The Mistral, which could carry up to 16 helicopters and dozens of armored vehicles, would allow Russia to land hundreds of troops quickly on foreign soil. Popovkin said Russia would build two Mistrals domestically on top of the two it had ordered from France. The carriers will all feature Russian-only weaponry, he said.



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