Sergey Ivanov Put Foot in It Again, This Time with "Armour"

"We can create modern technical equipment but meanwhile we fail to adjust its batch production", -the first vice-premier Sergey Ivanov considers. At a meeting in "Design Office of Instrument Engineering" in Tula Ivanov put before the heads of the enterprises of military-industrial complex specific goal, having cited as an example one of the latest development of gun makers of Tula.

"At creation of "Armour", - he said, - a lot of very courageous innovative technical decisions were applied. Due to this "Armour" on its characteristics has considerably outgone all existing for today arms systems in the world". That is why for today Ivanov considers maintenance of mass deliveries of a complex "... to all who are interest and first of all to own Armed forces" the main task for today.

What does actually modernized "Armour" present? Experts from "Air Defence Reporter" cite not     at                                               all inspiring data about a complex. Development of a perspective antiaircraft complex 96К6 "Armour - С1" for Armies of Air Defence of the USSR was assigned to Design Bureau of Instrument Engineering in 1990. The complex of air defence should become protection of mobile parts and divisions, strategically important military and industrial targets (air stations, military bases, communication centers and objects of economy) as well as surface ships. The complex should provide covering of antiaircraft rocket complexes of the big range such as S-300P from means of air attack on near approaches and simultaneously amaze lightly armoured targets and infantry. That is it's especially tactical weapon. In view of the tasks         appointed "Armour" was created on the base of anti aircraft missile system "Тunguska" already adopted by land                              forces.        

It was informed that the complex could not fire while moving and, in opinion of experts of special interdepartmental commission and of some scientific research institutes of Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, anti                           aircraft missile system "Armour - S1" cannot execute tasks and struggle with precision weapons at a distance over 12 km.

They returned to continuation of works on an anti aircraft missile system "Armour" only in the second half of the 90th years. Interest to "Armour" was shown by United Arab Emirates which demanded to improve essentially its characteristics that led to creation of practically new system: new fighting module including rapid-fire  anti air automatic devices 2А38М, new anti-aircraft missiles 57Э6-E with range of controlled flight up to 20 km, others radar systems of detention of targets and management of fire.

Signing of the contract with Emirates was accompanied by scandals. Another Russian enterprise - IEMZ "Kupol" applied for the given contract with its serially made anti aircraft complex "Top - М1" which besides had successfully passed       demonstrative shootings on a range of United Arab Emirates. But it was possible somehow to persuade United Arab Emirates to buy nonexistent complex.

According to conditions of the contract Design  Bureau of Instrument Engineering up to the end of 2002 should carry out development and engineering  with updated "Armour" and within three years (2003-2005) to deliver 50 complexes in three lots (12, 24, 14 fighting machines) to United Arab Emirates. For realization of research and development United Arab Emirates transferred to the Design Bureau of Instrument Engineering prepayment, no more than 100 million dollars USA.

In November, 2006 during the visit Minister of economic development and trade G.O.Gref of State Unitary Enterprise "Design Bureau of Instrument Engineering" the supervisor of the enterprise A.G.Shipunov informed that development of "Armour" was carried out exclusively due to the prepayment in a total sum 259 million dollars transferred by three foreign companies whereas the Russian budget gave only 30 thousand dollars USA.

Naturally, terms of deliveries were broken and in 2005 Design Bureau of Instrument Engineering offered the project of practically new complex on which development even more time required. In United Arab Emirates agreed with the change of terms. According to new terms the first complexes should be delivered to the customers in 2006 and then during three years delivery of the complex to the army of United Arab Emirates should be finished.

In the middle of 2006 successful tests of anti aircraft missile system "Armour - S1" with start-up of rockets on a range Kapustin Jar were carried out. United Arab Emirates prolonged the contract and delivery terms of "Armour - S1" which would be carried out till 2009. It is planned that after the end of tests anti aircraft missile system "Armour - S1" will pass into service also in the Russian army.

- As usual anti aircraft missile system "Armour - S1" became one of samples of the Russian arms designed entirely under the foreign customer, - editor-in-chief of FORUM.msk Anatoly Baranov noted. - And as usual if there will be something left, it will pass into service of the Russian units. Than what is Sergey Ivanov proud of? Of the fact that entirely under the order of United Arab Emirates deep modernization of the Soviet tactical complex in which Russian "leaders" invested just 30 thousand dollars was carried out? Well, we will leave nonsenses about that "Armour" has outgone every existing in the world arms systems on conscience of intellectual servants of the first vice-premier, they have informed him so and he has understood them so. Well, they "were ashamed" to tell him that batch production of modernized "Armour" has already been conducting for a long time, only for United Arab Emirates, for the basic customer. While for the Russian armed forces it is not conducted not because of impossibility but because there is no paid order. So it's impossible to do "first of all" to own Armed forces as Ivanov says. I hope that it will be possible for the second priority...

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