Maksim covers aerospace developments in Central Asia for Aviation Week. He has worked for Russia's Air Transport Observer magazine and was in charge of several ATO sister aerospace publications after working for the Moscow-based CAST defense think tank.
Maksim has a degree in international relations from MGIMO University, Moscow.
Russia's legendary Kalashnikov assault rifle may get a new lease on life as its designers try to improve the weapon's operational parameters and attract orders from the country's defense ministry and paramilitary agencies.
MOSCOW — Ukrainian aircraft maker Antonov has resumed flight trials of its An-70 medium military transport aircraft. The first three test flights were performed Sept. 27-30 near Kiev and involved the only existing prototype (tail number UR-NTK) with improved powerplants and avionics.
FIRST FLIGHT: The first modernized Ilyushin Il-76MD-90A military heavy lifter, also known as Il-476, made its 40-min. first flight at Ulyanovsk on Sept. 22. The prototype, bearing the tail number RA-78650, was rolled out on July 5 and has already performed ground tests. According to industry sources, after several flights in Ulyanovsk the aircraft will be flown to Zhukovsky, near Moscow, to continue flight trials. It is the first aircraft of this type assembled in Russia, as all earlier Il-76 modifications have been manufactured in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
