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Russian Space Agency Ready ‘To Win a Small War’ – Chief

© Sputnik / Maxim Blinov / Go to the mediabankAero L-39 Albatros jet trainers of the Rus aerobatic display team perform during the International Aerospace Salon (MAKS 2015) in Zhukovsky near Moscow
Aero L-39 Albatros jet trainers of the Rus aerobatic display team perform during the International Aerospace Salon (MAKS 2015) in Zhukovsky near Moscow - Sputnik International
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Roscoscmos head Dmitry Rogozin disclosed that Russian Space Agency is in possession of its own ten jet planes, giving it an 'air force' comparable in size to that of Guatemala or Hungary.

Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Russia's space agency Roscosmos, said that his agency could "win a small war" all by itself during his conversation with Moldova's President Igor Dodon.

"I can tell how many aircraft we have. We have 10 jet fighters and three helicopters, three Il-76 [planes], six Tu-134, two An-24, one An-26 and one An-12," Rogozin told the Moldovan President.

Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin E. Buzz Aldrin, the first men to land on the moon, plant the U.S. flag on the lunar surface, July 20, 1969. Photo was made by a 16mm movie camera inside the lunar module, shooting at one frame per second - Sputnik International
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All of the aircraft he named specifically are transport planes of various sizes.

"But why do you need the fighter jets?" Dodon asked. 

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"[They are used] for training the cosmonauts. [They are] L-39s," Rogozin answered. "In principle, if needed, we are ready to win a small war," he added jokingly. 

Moldova, for comparison's sake, inherited 34 MiG-29 fighters following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. However, these proved to be too expensive to maintain, and they were sold off to Eritrea, Yemen, and the US, which bought 21 of the ageing jets for $40 million amid fears that they could be sold to Iran. The country no longer has any active fighter jets.

The Aero L-39 Albatros is a high-performance training jet developed in the former Czechoslovakia by Aero Vodochody, an aerospace company that is today based in Odolena Voda, Czech Republic. In 1972, the L-39 was picked as the main training jet for Warsaw Pact nations, including the USSR. The plane is two-seated, as trainees fly with an instructor.

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One of the plane's interesting features is a set of on-board systems that imitate technical failures, which can be triggered by the instructor.

The Earth straddling the limb of the Moon, as seen from above Compton crater. Center of the Earth in this view is 4.04°N, 12.44°W, just off the coast of Liberia. The large tan area in the upper right is the Sahara desert, and just beyond is Saudia Arabia. The Atlantic and Pacific coasts of South America are visible to the left. WAC E1199291151C (Earth only), NAC M1199291564LR (Earth and Moon); sequence start time 12 October 2015 12:18:17.384 UTC - Sputnik International
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The plane can be outfitted with a number of various simple armaments, including bombs, unguided missiles and even infrared guided missiles. While the trainee has access to the weapons, weapons control circuits, if needed, may be blocked by the instructor. The plane systems prohibit the use of weapons at a speed below 310 km/h.

Talking to Igor Dodon, Dmitry Rogozin also disclosed that the US continues to buy rocket engines from Roscosmos, despite US media reports that Washington intends to stop conducting business with Russian space agency.

"They are pragmatic," Rogozin said about the US. "If they can't make the same thing cheaper, and with higher quality, why re-invent the bicycle?"

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