Large-Scale Arms Deliveries To Russian Army To Begin In 2010
MOSCOW. Jan 17 (Interfax) - Major deliveries of weapons and military hardware intended for the Russian army are due to begin in 2010, Col. Gen. Vladislav Putilin, chief of the Economic Development and Trade Ministry's department for defense and security programs, said in an interview with the Izvestia newspaper published on Tuesday.

"In accordance with the state arms procurement program for the period between 2007 and 2015, the deliveries are due to begin starting from 2010," he said.

The 236.7 billion rubles in this year's arms procurement budget will primarily be spent on contracts for delivery of major weapon systems that will dominate the structure of the nation's arsenal over the period until 2015, he said.

"It is early to say that mass weapons deliveries have begun," Putilin said.

The 2007-2015 state arms procurement program has yet to be adopted, he said.