Russia should increase the number of modern combat aircraft for the country's Air Force, President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday.
"I believe the State Armaments Program should be adjusted to increase the procurement of aircraft for national defense," Putin told a meeting of aircraft industry officials in Zhukovsky, near Moscow.
Putin said he found it unacceptable that foreign customers receive advanced aircraft from Russia, while the country's own Air Force gets mainly overhauled planes built many years ago, Russian RIA news agency reported.
In 2007, Russia's leading aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi alone exported about 50 Su-30MK2, Su-30MKM and Su-30MKI aircraft in addition to spare parts sold earlier to Algeria, India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Venezuela.
Under the 2007-2015 State Armaments Program, the Russian Air Force will receive 116 new and 408 upgraded aircraft for forward-deployed units, and 156 new and 372 modernized helicopters over the next eight years.
In order to meet the growing demand for aircraft, it is necessary to continue the steady development of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), the president added.
The UAC was set up in 2006 to help overcome a crisis in Russia's aircraft industry. It incorporates many of the country's best-known aircraft builders, such as Mikoyan, Ilyushin, Irkut, Sukhoi, Tupolev and Yakovlev.
Putin also signed a decree to establish a national aircraft-building center in Zhukovsky.
Source: Xinhua
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