FROM CATALOGUE TO ENCYCLOPEDIA

Independent Military Review. July 14-20, 2000. By Sergei Kopytov and Maxim Selivanov

"This publication is of State significance", - said Marshal Igor Sergeev, the Defense Minister of Russian Federation at the presentation of the multi-volume Encyclopedia "Russia's Arms and Technologies. The XXI century Encyclopedia" held in the Military Academy of Strategic Missile Forces named after Peter the Great.

There are plans to publish 14 volumes in 2000 - 2002. According to the publication project, the encyclopedia should become the most complete description of arms and military equipment in service in the Russian army. It should be oriented mainly towards presenting modern equipment for Armed Forces; military and technical policy of the country; as well as Russia's capabilities on the market of weapons, military equipment and defense technologies. Moreover, according to Igor Sergeev, the Encyclopedia "is aimed to favor the implementation of a new Russian strategy in international military and technical collaboration". All materials have bilingual presentation - in Russian and English. The book includes colorful illustrations, numerous useful schemes and diagrams. But we should notice that there are shortcomings even in a book of such class - many drawings and photos are without comments, and this could confuse readers, which are not specialists. Leading specialists of the Russian defense industry participated in the book preparation, and this ensures the trustworthiness of information being published. The editorial board is headed by Anatoly Sitnov, the Chief of the Armament Directorate of Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. It includes commanders of various forces, chiefs of leading directorates of the Defense Ministry, competent military scientists.

The first volume of the Encyclopedia - "Strategic Nuclear Forces", - appeared in June 2000. On one hand, it opens a new book series. On the other hand, it continues the line opened by the catalogue "Russia's Arms" issued in 1997-1999. ("Nezavisimoe voennoe obozrenie" already wrote about all seven volumes of this publication.) We have to notice that the main work on editing both series was headed by the same person - Nikolai Spassky.

Differences between the new publication and the catalogue "Russia's Arms" are seen clearly. First of all, the authors have chosen a new genre - encyclopedia. The second, the catalogue was oriented mainly towards demands of weapon exporters, while the new encyclopedia can satisfy demands of a wider reader circle.

The Encyclopedia authors succeeded in preserving a tradition established by the catalogue - they made the publication being a standard of openness when describing arms. It is noticeable that it is the first time when many types of weapons have been described in detail in the volume issued. There was no officially confirmed in Russia information about many strategic systems. For example, about "air-to-surface" missiles KH-55, KH-55SM, KH-15.

Some sections of the volume provide qualitative evaluations of wide spheres, which were not covered in open press earlier. In particular, those are maintenance systems for nuclear munitions and pointing systems for strategic weapons using information from reconnaissance satellites.

Sections prepared by scientific centers of the Ministry for Atomic Energy of the Russian Federation lifted a veil over absolutely closed areas. For example, there was no information in the press, which of the three native institutes designed nuclear munitions for certain types of weapons. The dynamics of changes in parameters of nuclear munitions was never published as well.

Following volumes of the Encyclopedia will describe weapons for the Land Force, the Air Force, and the Navy, as well as communication and control systems and facilities. And the content of the whole Encyclopedia will cover not only the main level of defense technologies in the country by today, but also prospects for the future, which is most important. The Encyclopedia will be distributed among governmental bodies and agencies, in international institutions, at exhibitions of weapons and military equipment, among specialists in the sphere of weapons design, manufacturing and marketing. But the first volume will unquestionably attract attention of all readers taking an interest in Russian arms development.