ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
Dec 22 2007
Russian army to get new battle tank in 2009, says deputy defence
minister
Moscow, 22 December: Russia’s army will receive a new battle tank in
2009 that will considerably exceed the existing models, Deputy
Defence Minister Army General Nikolay Makarov said on Saturday.
"Now we’re conducting the tests. We’re planning to end them next year
and in 2009 Russia’s army will receive a new tank," the deputy
minister said.
"In the same year the tank will enter series production," he added.
The deputy minister explained that this would be the new battle tank
with "a new running gear, a new propulsion motor, a fire control
system, new armaments, and a new recognition and reconnaissance
system". In his words, the new tank will exceed the existing models,
including the foreign ones.
He regretted that because of the collapse of the USSR military
industry in the 1990’s "not all enterprises of the Russian military
and industrial complex are now capable of producing necessary
components. It is necessary to urgently rearm our enterprises and
equip them with up-to-date components and processing lines in order
to ensure the high quality of military products".
Earlier in the day, Nikolay Makarov and first chief of Russia’s
General Staff Aleksandr Bututin visited the Moscow Military Academy,
which marked its 90th anniversary. Over 70,000 officers graduated
from the military academy. At present, about 1.500 students (86
students out of them are foreigners) study at the Moscow academy.
Among foreigners are servicemen from five CIS countries – Armenia,
Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, as well as from
far-abroad states – Algeria, Guinea, Yemen, Mozambique, Syria and
Ethiopia. Over 30 officers and students who take part in military
actions in Chechnya and Afghanistan are currently training in the
academy. Seven of them are awarded the Order of Courage and six
people are awarded the Order of the Red Star.