That's part of the demographic issues that Russia has, though. The science & engineering talent needed to keep their military machine going is all of Soviet vintage, meaning they entered their careers before 1991. They are all in their 50s at a minimum now, retiring within the next 10 years, and with Russian life expectancy for males at 65, may die shortly after.
The 1990s were a lost generation for Russia, and then talented young engineers that came of age in the 2000s and 2010s largely went into more lucrative software jobs. Many emigrated to the West; I work with a number of them. The folks who can keep all the old military hardware running (let alone develop new ones) are getting increasingly old, and won't be around much longer.
The 1990s were a lost generation for Russia, and then talented young engineers that came of age in the 2000s and 2010s largely went into more lucrative software jobs. Many emigrated to the West; I work with a number of them. The folks who can keep all the old military hardware running (let alone develop new ones) are getting increasingly old, and won't be around much longer.