The government is now doubling annual allocations to military-oriented R&D centres, now increasing them at least by 50 per cent. The pattern steadily held within the preceding five years. This year's federal budget earmarked a generous US$1.7 billion for the purpose. Meanwhile, there is only a token inflow of latter-day arms. A majority of arsenals go back to the 1970s or even 60s. They are desperately outdated and all the worse for wear-and-tear, says the Moscow-based newspaper, Vremya Novostei.
The Russian Armed Forces made miserly acquisitions this year-fourteen T-90S tanks, and five SU fighter planes updated. Wharves are building two submarines.
The Federation Council, parliament's upper house, gathered for a limited-attendance session toward October's end to debate a paper on implementing government military-industrial contracts. As far as the periodical knows, the debaters did not think impressive allocations were bringing all the fruit they had promised. It is hard to judge what practical conclusions the Senators may make. A vague description of next year as "the time when troops will get leading-edge weaponry" was the only information that has reached the public for now.
R&D remains the most secretive and enigmatic field of work on government military-industrial contracts, point out numerous experts, military and civilian alike. Whatever concerns military-oriented R&D is top secret by nature, brass hats explain. Only a chosen few know what the huge arms R&D grants are actually spent on.
Experts see a simple way out of the problem-to insure military-oriented R&D. Such insurance currently belongs to companies authorised to cater for military industrial companies. It has been a success at practically every stage of arms production-manufacture, transportation and testing. Information has leaked out, however, on bitter disputes boiling round R&D insurance.
