"The rumor about the death of the Russian defense industry is pretty exaggerated"
According to the expert, the defense industry is able to ensure the release of almost all weapons and equipment needed by the country.
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that the first missile regiment, armed with the latest mobile ground-based missile complex "Yars", is in full force duty. This was reported to Interfax by an official spokesman for the press service and information department of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation for the Strategic Missile Forces Colonel Vadim Koval.
“The other day in the Teikov missile division, stationed in the Ivanovo region, the third missile division reequipped to the Yars complexes took up combat duty. Thus, the first rocket regiment equipped with these complexes in the Armed Forces is now fully operational in carrying out tasks for combat duty, ”Koval said. He recalled that in March, the first two missile battalions armed with “Yars” complexes with the PC-4 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launched on combat duty in this regiment.
At present, on the basis of the Teikov Rocket Division, the first stage of retraining of the personnel of the next missile regiment is being completed at the Yars complex. From July 2011, the military personnel of this regiment will continue their training at the Yars PGRK at the base of the training center located at the Plesetsk cosmodrome (Arkhangelsk region). The adoption of the RS-24 ICBM will enhance the combat capabilities of the Strategic Missile Forces strike group to overcome missile defense systems, thereby strengthening the nuclear deterrence potential of the Russian strategic nuclear forces. This rocket will replace the outdated multiply charged ICBM RS-18 and PC-20, as their extended service life expires. In the future, together with the RS-12М2 (Topol-M missile system) already adopted for armament, the ICBR RS-24 will form the basis of the strike force of the Strategic Missile Forces.
These missiles are capable of breaking through any missile defense system in the next 15-20 years, according to the command of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces. By the way, these missiles "appreciated" in the United States - one of the leaders of the Republican majority in the Senate, John Kyle, first called the appearance of these missiles a violation of the START-1 treaty, and then demanded that their ban be made a condition for signing the START-3 treaty.
Recall that the ICBM RS-24 with a split head was developed by the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering under the supervision of the General Designer Academician RAS Yuri Solomonov, who publicly announced the failure of the state defense order for the 2011 year in early July. However, even then, many experts stated to KM.RU that these statements of Solomonov were pretty exaggerated. And most likely, caused by his personal insult: after numerous failures with the launch of the sea-based missile “Bulava” created by Solomon, he was practically removed from this project (and things, by the way, went incomparably better - although this may just be a coincidence, or just the entire limit mistakes have already been exhausted)
In addition, the military leadership (obviously, taught history with Bulava) rejected all Solomonov’s initiatives to create a new intercontinental ballistic missile (instead of the aging PC-18 Stilet and PC-20 Voivod) on a solid-fuel basis. It is clear that such an order Solomonov wanted to beat out for his MIT specializing just in solid-fuel engines. But Solomonov’s proposals were rather sharply rejected, and the new rocket (liquid fuel) was commissioned to create the Rosobschemash corporation.
We also mention that after the Defense Ministry finally agreed with Solomon MIT about the price of the ballistic missiles of the latter and entered into a contract with him at the end of July, there were no more criticisms from Solomon.
But following the statements of Solomonov, a “journalistic investigation” followed the other day by the Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper, which resulted in its authors drawing a truly apocalyptic picture of the state in which the Russian defense-industrial complex resides. As an illustration, the Avangard plant in Moscow producing missiles for the C-300 and C-400 air defense complexes was taken. This enterprise is now part of the Almaz-Antey Air Defense Concern, the name of which, indeed, sounded in the list of enterprises with which the Defense Ministry failed to conclude contracts on state defense orders.
Anonymous representatives of the alleged “labor collective” of the plant told the publication that “for 8 years no order was broken either by the Ministry of Defense or by Rosoboronexport”. “The defense order of last year was completed ahead of schedule, by October 31. In November-December, we could start the program of this year, but we still stand - contracts with the Ministry of Defense have not been concluded. The technological time of the product execution is 9 months, so the 2011 defense order of the year has already been disrupted, ”unknown Avangard employees stated. Complaints followed that "at the meetings they talk about the inability of the plant to cope with the tasks set." In this regard, the concern's management is going to build two new plants in Nizhny Novgorod and Kirov, for which they plan to spend 15 billion rubles, which will be received as part of the federal targeted program for the development of the military-industrial complex.
At the plant itself, the charges of failing to fulfill the order are considered unfounded and indicate that, if you need to increase capacity, you could upgrade Avangard, and for less money. But the management of the concern, as suggested by the plant workers, wants to sell the land in Moscow, which the plant occupies, and to receive at the same time from the state 15 billion rubles for new projects.
The plant is unable to live on its own funds. In 2003, China’s order for the C-300 missile systems saved him from complete collapse, but the PRC did not need them anymore. “They have already made their own C-300 - we have drawn it, now they are waiting for C-400. They rush all the time to us, they say: show the equipment on which you make the best complexes in the world. We do not allow, we answer: the secret. But in fact, it’s just a shame: they will laugh because they see what they are working on. We have 90% 40-year-old machines, ”says the publication, quoting unnamed“ factory workers ”.
They also report that even with rockets for C-400 complexes, there are certain problems, not to mention C-500. Recall that recently, at the end of July, Commander-in-Chief of the operational-strategic command of the East-Kazakhstan oblast, Lieutenant-General Valery Ivanov reported that the Russian aerospace defense system (the East-Kazakhstan region), “an analogue of European missile defense”, has already been created and is being improved. On combat duty, she will take over 1 December - exactly to the deadline set by President Dmitry Medvedev. Ivanov also said that the newest C-500 anti-aircraft missile systems would go to the army by the 2015 year and would become the basis of the East-Kazakhstan region forces.
The publication frankly makes fun of such reports, again referring to the factory workers. Say, there is the only normally spent missile - short-range missile for C-400 range 150 km. The medium-range missile to 250 km does not always fly the distance it needs, but its mass production is already underway.
But with a long-range rocket solid problems. There is no necessary equipment - nothing has been done properly on the new element base. Those two rockets, on which they put a new “head”, both — in December and March of this year — worked unsuccessfully: they marked one direction, and flew the other. In addition, the Impulse plant, which makes a radio-fuse to the rocket, by and large has not yet begun it, since less than half of the ten stages of manufacturing this unit has been paid for. The rockets for the C-500 complexes at the plant were generally called “pure water deoi” and “thoughts like“ what I would like to have. ” “In reality, no work, at least in our company, is not conducted. There is not even a hint, ”again referring to the nameless workers, the publication claims.
In truth, there is reason to believe that the whole described nightmare on the “vanguard” is still somewhat exaggerated by “anonymous workers”. In addition, the publication. And in particular, the author of the material is known for its supercritical attitude towards the military department, and also towards the defense industry. On the other hand, the tendency of our Ministry of Defense to over-paint the situation is also no secret. Only one fact can be recognized as credible: for already a month (if not a year) between the military department and production workers there is a stormy showdown of relations, accompanied by mutual slander in all possible instances. At the same time, the Ministry of Defense accuses enterprises of the military-industrial complex, which, according to the officials, “wildly” overstate prices, for disrupting the order. Manufacturers, in turn, lay the responsibility for the failure of the defense department, which does not enter into contracts on time and does not pay on time.
As Prime Minister Vladimir Putin recently said: “Wherever I come, I hear reels on the Ministry of Defense, I beg your pardon for moveton, and when I meet with the leadership of the Ministry of Defense, it puts forward counter-demands on industry. True, recently Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and Chairman of the Military Industrial Commission Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov promised the Prime Minister and the President of the Russian Federation to resolve the situation in the near future and ensure the fulfillment of the state defense order, including this year. But, as you know, promising and fulfilling a promise is not at all the same thing, especially in our country.
Igor Korotchenko, editor-in-chief of the National Defense magazine, commented on the situation for KM.RU:
- Yes, I am familiar with the quoted article and I think that it belongs to the category of provocations. The only truth is that Almaz-Antey is going to create two more production sites in the regions. And the Avangard plant itself was and remains the leading manufacturer of missiles for anti-aircraft missile systems. And there are no problems with their production. Likewise, the work on the creation of C-500 - is proceeding normally, quite in accordance with all approved schedules.
In general, the rumor about the death of the Russian defense industry complex is greatly exaggerated, regardless, whether it pleases or upsets someone. Today, the military-industrial complex, despite all the difficulties, still functions, and under the conditions of scrupulous financing under the approved state programs it is able to provide almost the whole range of weapons and equipment necessary for the defense needs of the country. Yes, indeed, now there are enough conflicts between the military and production workers. But, in the end, both are doomed to find a common language, and first of all, on the problem of defense pricing transparency and the corresponding budget expenditures.
It is hoped that with the widespread introduction of two or three year contracts with defense enterprises, they will be provided with timely advance payments for production — and they will be able to offer military products that meet the required specifications for the tactical and technical characteristics. Perhaps, where really serious problems are and how to solve them is unclear - this is the situation with the industry of ammunition and special chemistry. But this is the subject of a separate discussion.
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