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.
The Russian government this year will kick in financing for a new high-speed helicopter program to be developed by national rotorcraft maker Russian Helicopters. An official from the ministry of industry and trade says the budget will reach 400 million rubles ($14 million) for the conceptual design phase. The government hopes the new model will help the Russian manufacturer gain 15% of the global rotorcraft market by 2020.
Russia is ramping up fielding of its newest long-range air defense system and has put the follow-on missile defense capability on a firm development path.
MOSCOW — Long-stalled plans to modernize Russia’s venerable Ilyushin Il-76 transport are set to get under way this year with the first flight of the Il-476 upgrade. Alexander Tulyakov, vice president of Russia’s United Aircraft Corp. (UAC), announced Feb. 15 that the Ulyanovsk-based Aviastar-SP facility, a UAC subsidiary, will hand over a prototype aircraft toward year’s end for the start of flight trials, along with a second aircraft for static tests.
