Engineering technologies forum opens in Russia

The first Engineering Technologies International Forum 2010 started on Wednesday with more than 60 prototypes of tanks and other military vehicles on display.

The forum, being held at Zhukovsky in Moscow region, aims to promote Russia's growing weapons industry to the global market.

A special obstacle course has been built to show the aromored vehicles' full technical capabilities to potential buyers.

State-of-the-art Russian weapons could bring in millions of dollars in investments at a military expo, promoting the achievements of the country's arms industry.

The arms trade is an especially large business in Russia. The country is currently the second biggest exporter of arms in the world after the United States, taking up 23 percent of the global market.

The arms industry is the fifth biggest in Russia. In 2009, Russia sold more than 8.5 billion U.S. dollars worth of weapons. This year, the Russian arms trade will be even higher.

Also Wednesday, President Dmitry Medvedev told the graduates of military high schools that the state would not scrimp on modernization of the armed forces and social support for military personnel.

"Russian forces must be modern, mobile and combat capable," Medvedev said. "Russia must be ready to reliably protect her citizens, meet any threats adequately."

Source:Xinhua