Russia to Set Up Military Maintenance Centers in Kazakhstan

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (L) and Kazakhstan`s President Nursultan Nazarbayev (R) shake hands before the meetings of the EurAsEC Interstate Council and the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia 19 March 2012. EPA/BGNES

Russia is planning to establish maintenance centers for Russian arms and military equipment in service with the Kazakh Armed Forces in Kazakhstan, the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation said on Friday.

FSMTC deputy chief Konstantin Biryulin said he had discussed the matter with Kazakh Deputy Defense Minister Sergei Gromov, as cited by RIA Novosti.

Russia is ready to transfer the relevant technology to Kazakhstan. An aircraft maintenance center will be the first such facility, he said.

The Kazakh military has mainly Russian arms and military equipment, including up to 1,000 main battle tanks (T-80, T-72 and Т-62), some 2,500 infantry fighting vehicles (BMP-1 and BMP-2) and armored personnel carriers (BTR-80A and BTR-82A), around 200 self-propelled artillery systems, and at least 150 Uragan and Grad multiple rocket launchers.

The Kazakh Air Force has 40 MiG-29 fighters, 14 Su-25 fighter bombers, 25 Su-24 fighter bombers, 14 Su-27 fighters, 43 MiG-31 and 16 MiG-25 interceptors and 100 air defense missile launchers.

The Kazakhstan army has more than 120 Russian manufactured helicopters (Mi-24, Mi-8 and Mi-26), RIA Novosti notes.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!