SINGAPORE, November 16 (RIA Novosti) - The ongoing financial crisis will have virtually no impact on arms procurements for the Russian military, the Russian president said on Monday.
"The financial crisis will have an absolutely minimal effect on the military component, on arms procurements," Dmitry Medvedev said during a tour of the Russian missile cruiser Varyag anchored in Singapore, where he had arrived on Saturday to attend an APEC summit, after which he began his official visit to the Asian nation.
He said that between 30% and 90% of the military would receive new equipment in 2011-20.
The president referred to his state-of-the-nation address last Thursday, where he had mentioned the basic weaponry that would be procured. These include 30 new ground and sea-launched ballistic missiles, three nuclear submarines, and an assortment of other weapons.
Medvedev said the list would also include "five Iskander [tactical] missile complexes, about 300 modern armored vehicles, 30 helicopters, 28 warplanes, one corvette-class warship, and 11 spacecraft."
He stressed provision of advanced weapon systems to the military was a priority and instructed the government to put in place an effective contract system to strike the right balance between arms manufactured for export and for domestic needs.