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Originally Posted by Goggles Pizano
Do they have the funds to pay, train, and outfit them I wonder?
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Yes, they do.
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02/07/2007 11:22 GMT By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press Writer MOSCOW
The Russian military will sharply increase the number of new intercontinental ballistic missiles to be deployed this year as part of an ambitious weapons modernization plan, Russia's defense minister said Wednesday.
Sergei Ivanov said the military would get 17 new ballistic missiles _ a drastic rise compared with an average four deployed annually over recent years. The purchases are part of a weapons modernization program for 2007-2015 worth about $189 billion.
Ivanov said in a speech before lawmakers that the plan envisages the deployment of the total of 34 new silo-based Topol-M missiles and their control units, as well as another 50 such missiles mounted on mobile launchers through 2015; Russia so far has deployed more than 40 silo-based Topol-Ms.
President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials have described the Topol-M as a bulwark of Russia's nuclear might for years to come, and hailed its ability to penetrate any prospective missile defenses. Putin last week dismissed Washington's claims that missile defense sites it hopes to establish in Poland and the Czech Republic were intended to counter threats posed by Iran, and said that Russia would respond by developing even more efficient weapons systems.
A rising tide of oil revenues gave Russia a chance to increase its defense spending following a desperate money shortage that plagued the military throughout the 1990s.
"The economic growth and the scientific achievements allow us to reach a qualitatively new level in military procurement," Ivanov said.
Russia's defense budget which stood at $8.1 billion in 2001 nearly quadrupled to $31 billion this year, Ivanov said.
But despite a steady increase in military spending in recent years, Putin said last week that Moscow's military budget was still 25 times smaller than Washington's defense spending.
Ivanov said that a share of weapons purchases in the military budget also has been growing over years. This year, the military will spend $5.4 billion on new weapons, buying aircraft, tanks and other armored vehicles and four new satellites, he said.
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UAE confirms modified Pantsir S1 delivery schedule
(3/28/2007 12:00:09 AM) - David C. Isby
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will take delivery of the first of a batch of 50 Russian KBP Instrument Design Bureau Pantsir S1 combined gun and surface-to-air (SAM) missile systems before the end of 2007, writes David C Isby.
The announced schedule for deliveries is 12 systems in 2007, 24 in 2008 and 14 in 2009.
Earlier Pantsir SAM systems ordered in 2000 were delivered to the UAE starting in November 2004. A number of design problems were identified after evaluation - especially regarding operation under conditions in the UAE - and a new radar was requested. These obstacles are reported to have been overcome by the Pantsir S1 version.
The Pantsir S1 system was tested in the UAE in December 2006. Trials included live-fire tests using locally designed Yabhon air targets. Further field testing is scheduled for June and July 2007.
Moscow has continued efforts to expand the market for weapons and systems in the UAE, and the region as a whole. This was reflected by extensive participation by Russian state arms export agency Rosoboronexport and some 50 other defence industry enterprises at the IDEX 2007 International Defence Exhibition and Conference in Abu Dhabi on 18-22 February, which included a demonstration of the Pantsir S1.
© 2007 Jane's Information Group