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 is ramping up fielding of its newest long-range air defense system and has put the follow-on missile defense capability on a firm development path.
MOSCOW — Long-stalled plans to modernize Russia’s venerable Ilyushin Il-76 transport are set to get under way this year with the first flight of the Il-476 upgrade. Alexander Tulyakov, vice president of Russia’s United Aircraft Corp. (UAC), announced Feb. 15 that the Ulyanovsk-based Aviastar-SP facility, a UAC subsidiary, will hand over a prototype aircraft toward year’s end for the start of flight trials, along with a second aircraft for static tests.
The first upgraded MiG-29UPGs for the Indian air force should be ready for delivery this year now that the prototype has completed its first flight. Its nearly 1-hr. maiden run (below) took place at the Gromov flight-test center at Zhukovsky, near Moscow.
