"The existing fleet of [military] transport aircraft has become, to a large extent, obsolete," Sergei Ivanov said at a meeting of the Russian government's military-industrial commission.
"Without urgent measures to extend the service life and resources [of the aircraft], we will see more than 90% of the military transport aircraft decommissioned by 2015," he said.
According to various sources, there are up to 300 transport aircraft in service with the Russian Air Force, including An-12 Cub, An-72 Coaler, An-124 Condor and Il-76 Candid planes.
Most of the aircraft entered service in the 1960s and 1970s and are considered unsafe according to modern safety requirements. Comprehensive upgrading may extend their service life until 2020-2025.
