Russian Navy working on 30-year development plan

Europe Sun (IANS) Monday 6th February, 2012

Russia will develop by June this year a detailed 30-year plan to strengthen its naval forces, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin wrote in his twitter account.

"A detailed 30-year plan of strengthening its naval forces will be developed by June 2012. The decision has already been made," Rogozin wrote Sunday.

The state military programme for 2012-20 has allocated 4.7 trillion rubles ($155 billion). Last year, 85 billion rubles ($2.8 billion) was allocated on the construction of nuclear submarines, frigates, ship repair and maintenance. This year it expected to spend more than 93 billion rubles ($3 billion).

It is planned that in the future the submarine fleet will become the basis of Russia's naval force.

Over the next few years it will receive two types of nuclear submarines and two types of diesel-electric submarines. This is primarily a Borey-class nuclear submarine, the carrier of the new Bulava intercontinental ballistic missiles. Eight of these submarines are planned to be built.

Russia's newest nuclear-powered submarine, the Yury Dolgoruky, is already undergoing sea trials; three more are in various stages of their completion.

--IANS/RIA Novosti

rd/dg