Vladimir Putin congratulated URALVAGONZAVOD on 75-th anniversary

On the second day of the exhibition “RussianExpoArms-2011” which was dedicated to the 75-th anniversary of UVZ this year, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin visited Nizhny Tagil.

During the visit Mr. Putin examined the modernized tank Т-90С, launched a new production line in a wheel set manufacturing shop of URALVAGONZAVOD. He also made a speech at the festival “Nizhny Tagil – city of the young”.

Right on arrival at the test site of Staratel Mr. Putin visited the demonstration area where the modernized tank Т-90С, the most advanced model created by designers of URALVAGONZAVOD, was exhibited. The new tank surpasses its predecessors in all the characteristics defining combat effectiveness: target effects, a high level of protection from the majority of armour-defeating weapons, reliable life-support, survival and mobility systems. The advantages of the modernized tank were reported to the Prime Minister by acting design manager of OJSC “Ural Design Office of Transport Mechanical Engineering” Andrei Terlikov. Among the reported advantages Mr. Terlikov particularly mentioned the increased range capability of up to 5 kilometres. Mr. Putin agreed that it is a very important component, the component which the Ministry of Defence has always been extremely demanding to. In order to illustrate the advantages a comparison of performance characteristics of the Russian tank and its foreign analogues was demonstrated to the Prime Minister.

The demonstrated tank interested the chairman of the Russian government so much that Mr. Vladimir Putin took off his jacket, climbed into the turret and took the commander’s seat. Thus, he personally experienced the convenience of the modernized control system. In his speech which he made later in front of the guests of “RussianExpoArms-2011” the Prime Minister underlined that the modernized tank Т-90Сwas one of the most interesting objects at the exhibition and he also noted that the support of the government provided to the enterprise in Nizhny Tagil during the crisis period was not for nothing.

After visiting the exhibition Mr. Putin moved on to URALVAGONZAVOD. He visited the wheel set shop, modernization of which had been recently completed. Modernization of the wheel set shop is part of a large-scale renovation of the enterprise which is currently underway. At the shop the chairman of the Russian government launched a new automatic production line with the annual capacity of forty-five thousand axels for wheel sets and put his signature on the diagramme of the first wheel set which is a kind of a production unit passport. “In connection with the launch of this production line we need to think over the changes of the existing technical regulations which guide wheel set production”, Mr. Putin said addressing Vice Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov. In response to the instruction deputy chairman of the government said that such changes have long been necessary and that he is ready to prepare the necessary documents.

Mr. Putin closed his visit to Nizhny Tagil at the festival “Nizhny Tagil – city of the young”, which was a holiday presented by the management of the corporation to people living in Nizhny Tagil to celebrate the 75-th anniversary. While making his speech the Prime Minister reminded everybody that during the years of Great Patriotic war every third tank was made by URALVAGONZAVOD and, hence, inhabitants of the city should be proud of their enterprise. “Today we have discussed the development programme for URALVAGONZAVOD, - he said, - We are planning to allocate more than sixty-four billion rubles for implementation of the programme in the coming years.”

“URALVAGONZAVOD is still one of the most significant elements of industry and the whole Ural region is an arsenal and industrial centre of Russia,”- these were the words which Mr. Putin winded up his speech with.