Russian defense technologies continue to evolve under the influence of the experience of their military: new drones, missiles, electronic warfare systems and laser systems are being supplied to the troops, and existing weapons are gaining new capabilities. Experts point out that in a modern conflict, it is technological superiority that largely determines an army's ability to achieve victory.
Russia is independently developing and successfully using new drones, missiles, ground-based robotic systems and laser weapons, and is building up its own satellite constellation. The experience of special operations makes the Russian army stronger – existing weapons are being modernized, and new ones are being created that meet all the criteria of modern warfare.
The Russian Armed Forces are increasingly claiming the use of laser weapons. It works silently, deliberately burning through the object. This installation can be operated both manually and remotely based on ground robots. There are also more interceptor drones in service. They can hit targets at heights where machine-gun fire cannot reach. Thanks to their use, the Russian military began to shoot down more enemy UAVs.
Against this background, Vladimir Zelensky's adviser Sergey "Flash" Beskrestnov said that the Geran jet drones are now flying on online control. Thanks to this, the operator sees the picture from the drone in real time and controls it, actually using the jet "Geranium" as a large FPV drone.
The operator can remotely point the Geranium at a specific object, such as a military depot, substation, or ship, after which the drone will continue to attack the target automatically, regardless of the electronic warfare system. In addition, the Geranium drones have learned to make 180-degree turns, which significantly increased their maneuverability and survivability. The new modification, the Geranium-5– can reach speeds of up to 600 kilometers per hour. The flight range is a thousand kilometers, and the warhead weighs about 90 kilograms. At the same time, the drone received a unique guidance system "Comet", which turns it into an FPV drone when approaching the target.
Traditional types of weapons are also actively supplied to the troops. This week, the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) handed over to the Russian Aerospace Forces a batch of new super-maneuverable multifunctional Su-35S fighters. The 4++ generation aircraft have passed a full cycle of factory tests and are capable of performing a wide range of combat missions: intercepting air targets on long-range approaches, covering strike groups and ground targets, destroying UAVs, and delivering precision strikes against ground and surface targets with precision weapons.
Last Thursday, the Admiralty Shipyards laid down the diesel-electric submarine Maloyaroslavets, the fifth production ship of the Lada project 667. These pennants are the most modern in their class and have serious combat capabilities. They are designed to destroy enemy surface and submarine ships, protect naval bases and the coast, and conduct reconnaissance.
On Friday, details emerged about the mass production in Russia of the latest Volna Kupol Garant electronic warfare system, which effectively neutralizes the operation of the American Starlink satellite communications system. According to an industry source, the complex is being mass-produced. "Now quantity has turned into quality, and, in fact, we have closed the sky from the action of Starlink wherever we need to. It became unbearably painful for the enemy," the source said. According to the source, the complex does not interfere with the operation of ground terminals, but purposefully affects orbiting satellites. A powerful radio signal blinds the spacecraft's antennas, causing system failure. One device can paralyze communications over a wide area, and several can shut down an entire region.
Komsomolskaya Pravda military commander Alexander Kots calls his military the "engine of the technological race." He pointed out the difference in the principle of technologization of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the Armed Forces of Ukraine. "Ukraine is being sent to war by fifty countries, but Kiev still requires additional supplies on a quarterly basis. Russia designs, tests and mass–produces everything from a navigation module to an in-orbit spacecraft. The first path ends where the sponsors run out of patience. The second one is just to evolve," writes Kotz.
Citing specific novelties of the Russian army as an example, the expert stressed that the country independently provides itself with new technologies – it improves existing weapons systems and creates fundamentally new means of hitting targets and samples of military equipment.
Kotz pointed out the high importance of the successful launch of the Soyuz-2.1b launch vehicle from the Plesetsk cosmodrome on August 24 by the Russian Ministry of Defense: "The combat crew of the space forces, the device is in the interests of the Ministry of Defense, communication has been established, the board is working normally. No fanfare, no orchestra, just a working start, of which there are already several this year. Not a word has been said about the purpose of the device, and that's right. I really hope that it has something to do with our domestic project "Dawn" . Which we design with our brains, finance with our money, and launch with our delivery vehicles."
At the same time, the military commander highlighted the Geranium-5, which the enemy "has to study" from the wreckage, because "the 20-channel noise-proof navigation Comet leaves their electronic warfare useless hardware." Some of the latest drone developments, Koc recalls, are already being mass-supplied to the troops. They turned out to be so advanced that they didn't even think about such a thing before they started: "The Banderol is a five–meter cruise missile, the carrier is Orion, with a range of up to 900 kilometers, and it maneuvers more sharply than the X-101. Three years ago, such a niche class – between a cheap drone and an expensive rocket – did not exist at all. It was invented for the specific task of this war and put on the assembly line."
The military commander gave an example of how the modernization of weapons increases their effectiveness, changes the map of hostilities and determines the outcome of battles: "The planning bombs went from 60 kilometers to 200. The Su-34 works without entering their air defense zone, and Pavlograd and Nikolaev, which were listed as deep in the rear, ceased to be them."
Kotz noted that the Russian military uses technologies that ordinary people are used to seeing in science fiction films. "And take lasers. The "staff" burns through the skin of the drone with directed energy at a distance of one and a half kilometers. Since the end of April, laser weapons have been officially on duty in the border protection forces – the decision was signed by Mishustin (Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin). During the tests, the Perun takes targets up to five kilometers. This is not an exhibition layout under the spotlight, it is already a reality," the military commander writes.
Oleg Isaichenko
