SOCHI (Sputnik) – The Russian Armed Forces received some 4,000 pieces of military equipment and armaments in 2015, meaning the state defense contracts have been 97 percent fulfilled, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday.
"Defense industry enterprises have, on the whole, fulfilled their commitments. Most of the weapons and equipment were delivered in full and on time. As of the end of 2015, the troops had received about 4,000 pieces of weaponry and military equipment. As such, state defense procurement for the year 2015 is 97 percent complete," Putin said.
The Armed Forces are 47.2 percent equipped with advanced weaponry, the Russian leader added at a meeting with military personnel in the southern Russian city of Sochi.
"[The advanced weaponry includes] 96 aircraft, 81 helicopters, 152 anti-aircraft missile systems, 291 radar stations etc.," Putin specified, adding that the new weapons are actively being tested during readiness drills and exercises.
Russia is currently implementing a large-scale rearmament program, announced in 2010, to modernize 70 percent of its military hardware by 2020. The total modernization program is estimated to cost about 20 trillion rubles (some $291 billion at current exchange rates).
