Russian President Vladimir Putin has not yet signed the state armaments program covering the next decade.
On Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “We have not yet issued the corresponding documents. It has been finalized by various agencies and we will make an announcement as soon as the document is signed.”
He did not offer a timeframe for when the announcement would be made. The state armament program for 2018-2027 had been expected to be finalized at the end of last year.
As part of the modernization of its military, Russia has embarked on state armament programs to provide new systems to its force as well as overhaul much of the hardware currently in use with the Russian military. The efforts have targeted land, aerial, and naval platforms.
In late 2017, the Russian Ministry of Defense noted in a statement that the state armaments program for 2018-2027 would cost 20 trillion rubles (about $346 billion), 19 trillion rubles of which will go towards weapons procurement and repair.
Russia aims to focus on the development of its nuclear arsenal as well as the introduction of more precision weapons into service.
Tass Russian News Agency reported, “Russia’s new armament program also envisages developing vertical take-off aircraft. There are plans to build both short takeoff and landing aircraft and vertical take-off planes.”
Military markets analyst, covering Eurasia, Middle East, and Africa.
