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.
Russian scientists continue to work on the development of a supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet) engine that is lighter and simpler in design than gas turbines and will achieve hypersonic speed (over Mach 4). The Central Institute of Aviation Motors (CIAM) in Moscow plans to start bench tests of a hypersonic vehicle in 2009, and begin flight trials in 2011-12.
Russia’s airborne troops may soon get a modernized version of the BMD-4M armored vehicle that is lighter, faster, more spacious and better equipped. First presented by manufacturer Kurganmashzavod (KMZ) in March, the tracked vehicle is a compromise between the military’s need for a modern and powerful weapon and efforts by the manufacturer to reduce production costs by standardizing its product range.
The operational capabilities of India’s air force will be significantly upgraded late this year when the service receives the first of three A-50EI airborne early warning aircraft. The aircraft, based on the Ilyushin Il-76 airframe, are being built by Beriev Aircraft Co. of Russia. The airborne early warning (AEW) systems will be installed by Israel Aircraft Industries’ Elta subsidiary. The AEW system incorporates IAI/Elta’s Phalcon radar, which uses active electronically scanned arrays.
