OREANDA-NEWS. September 22, 2010. The meeting, held at the Ramenskoye Instrument-Making Plant, examined innovative development in the defence industry.

Dmitry Medvedev said in his remarks that all of the innovation areas on which the commission is working are priorities for the defence industry too. Developments in the defence industry need to fit logically into the country’s overall economic development context. This requires ensuring ongoing technology transfers between the military and civilian sectors. The defence industry needs not only to be a consumer but also a generator of innovation.

Noting that most of the big integrated defence industry companies are state-owned enterprises, the President instructed them to present reports on their innovative development programmes.

Mr Medvedev said that crucial documents for the sector’s innovative development will be approved and adopted soon: the State Arms Procurement Programme and the Federal Targeted Programme for Defence Industry Development in 2011-2020. The President stressed that the considerable amounts of money allocated through these programmes must be used for the specific purposes of establishing modern, advanced technology production facilities, developing innovative infrastructure, and undertaking systemic modernisation of the defence industry.  

The President also said that Russia needs an organisation to place orders for cutting edge research and development in the interests of the country’s defence and security.

Mr Medvedev noted too the need for close ties between scientific research and the defence industry.

Before the meeting began, the President toured the Ramenskoye Instrument-Making Plant and examined the latest developments produced by the Ramenskoye Instrument Design Bureau.

The Ramenskoye Instrument-Making Plant produces modern aircraft navigation equipment and systems for military and civilian planes and helicopters. The plant’s products are used in the Tu-160, Tu-95MS, Il-76, An-124, MiG-25, and Su-27SM planes, the Mi-24PN, Ka-31, Ka-226 helicopters, and other aircraft. The plant also supplies special equipment for Russia’s space forces. One of the plant’s most promising innovative areas is development and production of high-precision laser gyroscopes and navigation systems based on their use.