Russian Strategic Missile Troops Get 6m Dollars for Aircraft Maintenance

Text of report by corporate-owned Russian military news agency Interfax-AVN website

Moscow, 16 April: More than R150m [about 6.4m dollars at the current rate of exchange] has been allocated for the repairs and upkeep of the aviation materiel of the Strategic Missile Troops (SMT) in the current year.

“The SMT aviation has been allocated more than R128m for 2008 for the repairs of aviation and aerodrome materiel, communication equipment and flight facilities, and for the work to extend the service life of aircraft, including helicopters,” Lt-Gen Andrey Shvaychenko, the troops’ chief of staff, told a meeting of the SMT Military Council. He is quoted in a press release from the SMT information and public relations service received by Interfax-AVN on Wednesday [16 April].

Furthermore, Shvaychenko said, for the first time in the last 16 years funds have been allocated for the upkeep, operation and maintenance of the SMT aviation, to the tune of R25m.

He said that last year the SMT aviation had clocked up more than 7,200 flight hours, and the average flight time per pilot had been 89 hours in fixed-wing aircraft and 60 hours in helicopters. Shvaychenko added that 146 pilots and specialist flight crew members had moved to higher qualification grades in 2007.

Originally published by Interfax-AVN military news agency website, Moscow, in Russian 1107 16 Apr 08.

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