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 army will receive a new weapon this year, the tank- support combat vehicle, known by its acronym BMPT (Boevaya Mashina Podderzhki Tankov). The vehicle is primarily designed to protect tank formations from anti-armor weapons, a mission that has been carried out by motorized infantry units. It also will be tasked with suppressing artillery positions, light armored vehicles and infantry.
Although the Russian air force has only recently taken delivery of the first Mil Mi-28N (Havoc) attack helicopters, Mil designers have already developed a modernization package for the rotorcraft and announced plans for future combat helicopters. The Mi-28N, for which the air force has been waiting more than a decade, has all-weather, day and night capabilities. It will likely replace Russia’s aging Mi-24 Hind fleet.
Novator Design Bureau has expanded the Club missile system’s deployment options with a land-based Club-M and air-launched Club-A. NDB, part of Russia’s Almaz-Antey defense consortium, showed the new versions at the MAKS 2007 aerospace and defense exhibition in Moscow. This is a new development for Club, originally a naval weapon. The first test firings of the sub-launched system (Club-S) in 2000 were from Russian submarines. The ship-based version (Club-N) followed almost immediately.
