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 defense ministry wants to kick off the acquisition of a reconnaissance and attack medium-range UAV this year. But whether any supplier other than Tupolev will step forward to bid remains to be seen. Tupolev is one of the nation’s traditional unmanned aerial vehicle designers, and it is already working on a concept—known by its Russian acronym of BAK SD—to meet the requirement.
Maxim Pyadushkin (Moscow), Douglas Barrie (London)
Prompted by Western and other competitive air-to-air developments and renewed domestic funding, Russia is now offering upgraded versions of its own weaponry in the export arena.
MOSCOW — Russian defense spending for 2010 is 1.25 trillion rubles ($43 billion), 3.4 percent more than 2009. The budget share going to defense in 2010 is 12.7 percent, up marginally from 12.2 percent the year before.
