Russia starts assembling "Moskit" shipborne cruise missiles lot for Chinese Navy

A credit line to assemble a batch of the "Moskit" shipborne cruise missiles for the Chinese Navy has been granted to Arsenyev's Progress Aircraft-Building Company (the Far East).

According to the contract, the Moskit missiles will be installed at two aircraft-carriers, that are being constructed at a shipyard in St. Petersburg by China's order, the enterprise's administration informed RIA Novosti on Monday.

The "Chinese contract" will engage almost a half of the basic production workers.

"Progress" was ready to implement the Chinese order as far back as a year ago, however the process was hindered by a number of major financial groups, which fought for the large order. The rivals even made efforts to declare the Primorsky Territory's major company bankrupt in the court of arbitration.

However, the respondent was backed by Primorsky Territory's Governor Sergei Darkin in court. In his letter to the court of arbitration he pointed out that "Progress" was the maintaining enterprise of the town of Arsenyev. Over 50 % of the company's securities belong to the state. It is enlisted as a major economically and socially important enterprise of Russia.

Commenting on the decision, made by the court of arbitration, Darkin told journalists that "financial bosses were behind "Progress's" creditors". According to him, it was them who attempted to declare the company bankrupt, when "Progress" began to implement the large export order of assembling the Moskit anti-aircraft systems, and big funds had been allocated to the enterprise.