New equipment is a priority. There is also a dire need for reforms in organization, recruitment, training, pay and military doctrine. The government has promised $640 billion over the next 10 years to buy new weapons. However, Russian arms manufacturers are no longer what they used to be. "Our army now is in need of contemporary, modern equipment, and if the Russian defense industry can't yet provide us with what we need, we'll buy it abroad," stated First Deputy Minister of Defense, Aleksandr Sukhorukov. New purchases include the land assault ship, the Mistral, bought from France; lorries from Italy, and flying drones from Israel. Drones have proved a particular problem. The defense ministry has been dismayed by the performance of a Russian company tasked with designing and building them. "I asked them what was their problem and what prevented them from producing good vehicles," recalls Aleksandr Sukhorukov. "The enterprise's bosses found plenty of excuses, such as the absence of engines, gliders, etc. But I know how much money they received and I saw the rubbish they produced," the First Deputy Minister complains. However, not all new Russian-made weapons are falling below standard. The SU-34 fighter bomber is widely considered an exceptional aircraft. But few have been delivered so far, and the older models they were to replace are starting to fail. "Although Russian designers come up with some excellent hardware, for instance, in terms of fighter and combat aircraft
...Теги: Russian arms World War III Weapon omeg news
