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.
Representatives of the Russian ground forces have begun a competition to select unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for use in reconnaissance and target designation. The UAVs are also expected to be compatible with a tactical troop command and control (C2) system that is under development.
MOSCOW — The Russian air force expects to grow its fleet of Ansat-U light training helicopters to seven units by year’s end, with five helos of the type already handed over to the Syzran air force academy. The training assets were delivered Oct. 8 and Oct. 20. Russian air force commander Col. Gen. Alexander Zelin promises that the helicopters will gradually replace aging Mil Mi-2 light helicopters as the rotorcraft used for initial pilot training in the military academies.
MOSCOW — Sukhoi says it will deliver the first Su-35S multirole fighter to the Russian air force by the end of the year. Last year the Russian military ordered a batch of 48 fighters with the deliveries to be completed by 2015. On Oct. 11, Sukhoi reported that the first production Su-35S is already in final assembly at the KnAAPO facility in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, with preparations underway for flight testing.
