MOSCOW, April 10. /ITAR-TASS/. Over 80 weapon systems of more than 180 types are planned to be tested in 2014 at the Kapustin Yar testing range near the city of Astrakhan. Russia’s Defense Ministry spokesperson for Strategic Missile Forces Col. Igor Yegorov reported this on Thursday.

He added that test on this range would be carried out in 2014 not only for the Defense Ministry, but also in the interests of other Russian ministries and institutions. “At present, the range is considered as an experimental site for testing robotic systems,” the Defense Ministry’s representative said.

According to Yegorov, among the priority scientific researches of the testing range in 2014 are the upgrading of military facilities’ defense and protection of weapon systems, as well as military and special equipment from technical reconnaissance equipment and precision-guided systems, and the research of development issues of test patterns for perspective samples of weapon systems, military and special equipment. “In 2013, tests of more than 30 weapon systems and military equipment have been finalized at the Kapustin Yar testing range. In solving these tasks, some 330 launches of missiles, targets and projectiles have been made,” the Defense Ministry’s representative reported, adding that in 2015, the full upgrade of the range’s measuring system and transfer to automatic mode would be completed.

Today, the main state joint testing range Kapustin Yar represents a united research and development complex with a huge scientific potential, advanced experimental and technical infrastructure, advantageous weather conditions, territory and air space that allow to carry out tests and joint drills of defense and attacking weapon systems in the interests of all branches and arms of troops of the Russian Federation. In particular, Kapustin Yar is unique for testing elements of combat outfit of ballistic missiles. Only on this testing range, the experimental tracks and its measuring system allow to test advanced weapon systems within all limits of possible conditions of the weapon’s delivery to the targets.