Russia To Feature Armata Tanks, S-500 Missile Systems In 2018-2025 Plan

Russia has plans to unveil 2018-2025 state arms procurement program that features supply of next-generation S-500 missile defense systems, Sukhoi PAK FA fifth-generation fighter aircraft as well as tanks based on the Armata Universal Combat Platform.

The 2018-2025 State Armaments Program, part of Russia's defense policy, is expected to be unveiled by mid-2017. The program envisages military hardware upgrades, with the aim of 70-percent rearmament by 2020.

"The state armaments program should include the production of iconic systems such as the S-500 surface-to-air missile system, the fifth-generation fighter aircraft Sukhoi PAK FA, the MiG-35 [fighter jet], the Armata platform and others," Sputnik news reported today.

The program is updated every five years. The current one runs until 2020 and was adopted in 2010.

Even though the earlier plan was to adopt this plan in 2015, it was delayed due to economic turbulence that hit the country at that time.