The Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) received 75 planes and helicopters in the third quarter of the year, the RIA Novosti news agency reported Friday, citing a top military official.
Of the 75 planes and helicopters added, 49 are older aircraft that have been modernized, Deputy Defense Minister Yury Borisov said, RIA Novosti reported.
Apart from the 45 planes and 30 helicopters, the aerospace defense forces has added 40 radar stations, approximately 3,000 units of air weapons, 582 anti-aircraft missiles and more than 1.5 million parachutes, Borisov said.
Modern hardware now makes up 45.8 percent of the Russian Aerospace Forces, Borisov said.
The Russian government is currently carrying out a large-scale nine-year rearmament program through 2020, amounting to 20 trillion rubles ($327 billion). Almost 80 percent of these funds are intended for the purchase of modern military hardware.
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