Russia’s latest order of ballistic missile launchers is facing massive delays due to the country's challenging economic climate, the Kommersant newspaper reported Tuesday.
Moscow’s Institute of Thermal Technology (MITT), which is tasked with building a new set of launchers for Russia’s Yars intercontinental ballistic missiles, recently told the Kremlin that sub-contractors’ financial woes was the reason the order would not be delivered on time.
The Podolsk Electromechanical Factory was on the verge of bankruptcy and could no longer supply the hydraulic systems necessary for the launchers, MITT wrote in a letter seen by Kommersant.
Staff at the institute urged officials to move production of the hydraulic systems to a factory owned by state-technology firm Rostec in Kovrov. The letter said the move would set work back by 18 months, Kommersant reported.
Russia has budgeted 20 trillion rubles ($335.7 billion) for military modernization between 2011 and 2020. Aside from bolstering its nuclear arsenal, the Kremlin has announced that it wants to double its artillery capabilities by 2021.
Rostec declined to comment.
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