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The meeting participants discussed plans to manufacture new weapons and military equipment, the supply of new models of weapons to the Aerospace Forces, improving the quality of aviation equipment, funding of the defence industry, and creating a federal service of biometric registration and police investigation data.

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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, colleagues,

Today we are holding a regular meeting of the Military-Industrial Commission. The main issue on our agenda today is the drafting of the state armament programme for 2018–2025.

I would like to remind you that last time we met we reviewed the 2015 defence procurement programme results and concluded that it was nearly fully implemented, or more precisely 97 percent complete.

The new armament programme must ensure that we keep up the pace, which means that we need clearer and better coordinated plans, taking into account all possible factors, from the capacity of our design bureaus and defence companies to the financial limits of the budget and deadlines for implementing orders.

We must focus on the production of new weapons and military equipment. We discussed their combat use at meetings with Defence Ministry and industry leaders in Sochi in May. It was said then that the majority of new weapons have good performance characteristics. However, we must continue to improve them.

Another priority is to provide new models to the Aerospace Forces. I would like to say that in 2015, new models accounted for 64 percent of all weapons and equipment in the Aerospace Forces. Our goal is to increase this percentage to 70.

The new armament programme must ensure that we keep up the pace, which means that we need clearer and better coordinated plans. We must focus on the production of new weapons and military equipment.

Special responsibility rests with production companies and enterprises. On May 16, the Government adopted a programme on defence sector development. It is designed to enhance the technological, manufacturing, material and technical capability of defence-industry organisations to produce modern arms and military equipment in required volumes and, naturally, with a high quality, as well as on time and – I will add another important point – at reasonable, economically justified prices.

Significant state resources, budget funds have been earmarked for the implementation of the state defence sector development programme. We expect that this will enable defence enterprises to produce the required amount of arms and military equipment by 2020.

The Government has gone ahead with drafting a federal budget for the next three-year period. It is important to bear in mind that 2018 and 2019 will be the first years of the implementation of the new State Armament Programme. I ask Finance Minister Anton Siluanov to report on its basic financial and economic parameters.

Significant state resources have been earmarked for the implementation of the state defence sector development programme. We expect that this will enable defence enterprises to produce the required amount of arms and military equipment by 2020.

Another important item on the agenda is ensuring the quality of aircraft and related equipment. In February, at my request, the Prosecutor General’s Office completed a review of the United Aircraft Corporation and the United Engine Corporation. Based on its results, recommendations were issued on tightening state oversight of the quality of aircraft and aviation equipment that is manufactured.

Today, we will look at and study the key conclusions of the review, analyse them and on this basis take decisions to improve the performance of these corporations, including the development of new regulations on the procedure for the manufacturing, testing and use of special-purpose aircraft, in line with modern requirements.

Finally, another item on the agenda concerns the creation of a federal biometric registration and police investigation data system. It will be created using Russian software and will accelerate numerous procedures, for example, border controls, which is, naturally, in the interests of our citizens, I mean, above all, law abiding citizens, of course.

This system will make it possible to quickly identify those who for some reason or another have tried or will try to break the law. In addition, it will be used as a basis for developing a registration and information retrieval database, as well as a databank of information on people involved in terrorist or extremist activity. This will help us to more rapidly and efficiently identify criminals and terrorists and therefore to more effectively ensure public order, combat crime and keep our people safe.

Now, let’s get down to work.

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