In addition to writing for Aviation Week Network, Maxim holds a key position at Russia's Air Transport Observer magazine (www.ato.ru). In the past he was in charge of several ATO sister aerospace publications and earlier worked for the Moscow-based CAST defense think-tank.
Maxim has a degree on international relations from MGIMO University, Moscow, Russia, and for several years worked at the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Russia will return to deep space exploration this year with a mission designed to return samples from Phobos, one of the moons of Mars. The Phobos-Grunt mission was initially scheduled for launch in 2009, but was postponed at the last minute–officially due to the need for additional testing. In mid-July the head of the Russian space agency, Roscosmos, Vladimir Popovkin, announced that the launch will take place this November. “There will be no more slippages,” he stressed.
MOSCOW — The Russian defense ministry may purchase Sukhoi Su-30MKI multirole fighters, Russia’s most successful export combat aircraft for the last decade. On July 18, Alexei Fedorov, head of Su-30MKI manufacturer Irkut Corp., said the contract for 28 fighters for the Russian air force is expected to be signed in 2012, with deliveries to start in 18 months. The contract will include an option for 12 more aircraft that are to be handed over to the Russian navy.
