45-50 Structures to Be Created in Russia's Defense Industry

Russia will create 45-50 vertically integrated structures in its defense industry, Russia's Minister of Industry, Science and Technology, Ilya Klebanov, stated at a Friday meeting devoted to defense industry's development held in Chelyabinsk, Urals.

The law on federal state unitary enterprises passed at the end of the last year allows creating vertically integrated holdings with different forms of ownership in the defense industry, he said. Russia will have built 45-50 vertically integrated structures by 2006 with each of them being aimed at creating a technological chain producing one or several products, he pointed out.

Russia's current defense industry embraces 910 enterprises. Some of them will become part of holdings, the others will be independent, the Minister stressed. The issue of creating holdings must be solved before January 1st, 2006, he pointed out.