MOSCOW, June 2 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's state arms program will be financed with 5 trillion rubles ($184 billion) over the next nine years, the defense minister said Friday.
"Currently we do not have a real problem with financing," said Sergei Ivanov, who is also deputy prime minister. "The state arms program will receive just under 5 trillion rubles over nine years."
Opening a session of the government's military and industrial commission, Ivanov said the money must be spent on high-tech weaponry.
"We shouldn't worry about the quantity, but the quality," he said, adding that he insisted on effectively using the money to buy modern, high-tech models.
Ivanov said the program would for the first time focus on a comprehensive approach to equipping army units instead of separate supplies as was the case earlier.
"This is a very important change," he said.
