Unmanned aircraft systems, ground-based robotic systems and unmanned submersibles developed by Russian companies for the Defence Ministry are inferior to foreign equivalents, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Monday.
Military robotic systems are under development as part of the state weapons programme for 2011-2020, Shoigu said at a ministry conference call on Monday.
“At the same time, domestically-made robotic systems are successfully used by our law enforcement agencies,” he said.But “by their performance characteristics, [robotic] systems created for the Defence Ministry’s needs are inferior to their foreign equivalents,” he said.
Shoigu also criticized defence enterprises for frequent delays in carrying out their work, which in turn affects the quality of robotic systems.
“This is due to the technological backwardness of enterprises, weak organization of state contract fulfillment and a shortage of skilled personnel,” Shoigu said.
Source: The Moscow Times