Russia Army to get modern air defense systems in 2016
Iran Press TV
Sun Dec 29, 2013 5:43PM GMT
A high-ranking Russian military figure says the country's armed forces will be equipped with advanced self-propelled and medium-range surface-to-air Buk-M3 missile defense systems in 2016.
"We are now in the midst of planned rearmament to replace Buk-M1 with Buk-M2. We expect to receive Buk-M3s starting from 2016," Russian Air Defense Force's chief, Major General Alexander Leonov, told the Ekho Moskvy radio network on Saturday.
The Buk-M3 air defense missile system reportedly features more advanced electronic components than earlier versions of Buk-M1 and Buk-M2, which respectively bear the NATO reporting names of Gadfly and Grizzly as well as US Department of Defense designations of SA-11 and SA-17.
The Buk-M3 air defense missile system is designed to engage cruise missiles, smart bombs, fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles.
On October 11, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that the country's major aircraft manufacturer, Sukhoi Company, will deliver a total of 30 twin-seat Sukhoi Su-34 (Fullback) fighter bombers to the Russian Air Force by the end of 2014.
The Sukhoi Su-34 is intended to replace the ageing twin-engined two-seater fighter jet Sukhoi Su-24 (Fencer), which was developed during the Soviet Union and is in service with the Russian Air Force and Navy.
The Sukhoi Su-34, a two-seat derivative of the Sukhoi Su-27 air defense fighter, can carry a payload of up to 8,000 kilograms of ordnance, intended to include the latest Russian precision-guided weapons, over 4,000 kilometers (2,485 miles).
MP/PR
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