Details on the planned Russian defense spending for 2012 were revealed last week, during a Parliament debate on defense spending, when Defense committee chairman Viktor Zavarzin outlined almost three trillion rubles (98 billion US$) for planned defense spending in the period of four years (2010-2013). Russian press agency Novosti reports.
Thes figures include operations, procurement and research and development (R&D). The later will more than double in the next three years, from 487 billion rubles (US$16.3 bn) in 2010 to 574 bln (US$19.2 bln) in 2011, 726 bln (US$24.3 bln) in 2012, and up to 1,160 billion ($38.8 bln) in 2013.
The increase in spending is attributed to additional procurement – While actual spending on R&D will also double, from the current US$3.5 billion to US$6.5 billion, the share of R&D in the budget is expected to fall from the current 22% to 16% in 2013 indicating that most of the growth will be invested in operations and procurement. The share of procurement spending is expected to almost triple between 2010 and 2013, growing from 13% in 2010 (US$2.1 billion) to 14% in 2013 (US$5.4 billion).
Quite a few strategic weapon systems are included in the Russian military shopping list – RS-24 intercontinental ballistic missiles, Bulava submarine-launched ballistic missiles and Su-34 Fullback long range strike fighters. Other items include Su-35 Flanker-E for the Air Force, modernization of the Black Sea Fleet, with submarines, corvettes and frigates, and fielding of modern battlefield command-and-control systems for the Ground Forces.
