Support The Moscow Times!

Pogosyan Sees Military and Civilian Aircraft Growth

Enterprises of the aviation industry will supply the Defense Ministry with more than 800 new airplanes by 2020, said United Aircraft Corporation president Mikhail Pogosyan.

"The state armament program, which was adopted in December of last year, includes the delivery of more than 800 new aircraft to the Defense Ministry over the next 10 years, from 2011 to 2020," said Pogosyan, speaking on Thursday at the Moscow Aviation Institute.

Upgrading to modern aircraft will continue in the Russian army beyond 2020.

He noted that by 2020 the proportion of new equipment in the armed forces must be at least 70 percent.

"The government's decision [to re-equip] provides the opportunity for the industry to develop in a steady and [technologically] advanced way," Pogosyan said.

The UAC chief also spoke of Russia's potential to become a world-class provider of civilian passenger airplanes.

"In civil aviation, using the small number of aircraft that are currently produced, we must firmly establish ourselves as one of the three world leaders in this field," he said.

Pogosyan said United Aircraft has the task "to become a structure that will be able to compete in the global market," with the other two world leaders &mdash America's Boeing and Europe's Airbus.

"I think we have all the prerequisites for that," he said.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more