Russian defense industry needs investment - Medvedev

GORKI, May 10 (RIA Novosti)

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday urged the government to come up with ideas on how to boost the flow of investment to the national defense industry.

"You should consider mechanisms to boost investments to the branch," Medvedev said at a meeting dedicated to the development of the national defense industry.

The president also urged the military brass present at the meeting not to drag their heels on tenders.

"Otherwise the completion of a range of crucial weapons will be threatened - as happened last year," he said.

"More than 30 ballistic missiles, sea-based and ground-based missiles, five 9K720 Iskander (SS-26 Stone) mobile theater ballistic missile systems, about 300 units of modern armored vehicles, 30 helicopters, 28 fighter jets, three nuclear submarines, one corvette class ship and eleven space vehicles," should have been procured in 2010, in line with the program of state defense orders. Medvedev said.

"In March [2010], at the meeting of Defense Ministry officials I said that that the state arms program had in fact failed. Now I want to hear from you why this happened, as well as who was punished and how."

Medvedev made a reference to the Soviet era practice of sending officials who stymied plans to labor camps.

The president also urged the government to complete the procurement of 2011 state defense orders by the end of May and provide him with a report on it.