MOSCOW, August 12 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s Air Force is planning to renovate its pool of combat helicopters, strike and fighter aircraft, Air Force commander-in-chief Col. Gen. Viktor Bondarev said Tuesday.
“By 2020 we will practically replace the pool of combat helicopters with the advanced types, replace fighter aircraft and carry out a profound modernization of all Mikoyan MiG-31BM ‘Foxhound’ aircraft,” the general told the Rossiya 24 news channel.
Bondarev added that Russia’s Air Force is expecting more than 200 new aircraft and helicopters.
On Monday, Bondarev said Russia will start developing an interceptor to replace the fleet of 122 MiG-31 “Foxhound” jets by 2028.
The MiG-31 was introduced in 1981. The aircraft’s production was halted in 1994, until Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, responsible for the country’s military-industrial complex, ordered its resumption August 4.
