Boris Pistorius: continued substantial support for Ukraine is extremely important

For Europe, 2024 was marked by the struggle for peace and security, says Boris Pistorius in an article for Die Welt. The rules-based order is under attack, the minister complains. Germany needs to increase spending on NATO and support Ukraine, he believes.

In March 2021, the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defense announced the creation of a new special operations brigade in the British Army. Its core should be a new regiment of rangers. Operational readiness of the part is scheduled for December 1, 2021. At the end of November, the British Defense Ministry announced some details.

Footage of PLA exercises is shown on Chinese television, and it can be seen that the Chinese army command is thoroughly studying, taking into account and actively introducing the experience of modern armed conflicts into the troops, in particular, the specifics of military operations in the context of the Ukrainian crisis are widely used.

How many airliners are planned to be produced from 2026 and whether they will be enough for fleets

In early 2025, flight tests of two SSJ-100 New aircraft with Russian PD-8 engines will take place, the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) told Izvestia. In parallel, work is underway to deploy serial production of the SSJ-100.

The Russian army has a new "pet," writes user Baijiahao. The recently adopted upgraded Su-57 quickly attracted worldwide attention. And for good reason, the author notes. This fighter has outstanding performance and is sure to become an important player in the global air race.

On December 23, 2024, PJSC United Aircraft Corporation (UAC, part of Rostec State Corporation) announced that it had manufactured and delivered batches of new Su-34 front-line bombers and Su-57 fighters to the Russian Aerospace Forces.

Yahoo News Japan talks about the Su-15 fighter jet, which was the main force defending the Soviet skies in the 1980s. But he gained fame after a plane crash that occurred in 1983 and became one of the largest in the world.

According to available information, in recent days, the sixth IL-76MD-90A military transport aircraft, which was built in 2024 at the Il-Aviastar branch (part of Rostec State Corporation United Aircraft Corporation) in Ulyanovsk, has been handed over to the Russian Aerospace Forces, which has serial number 0404 and registration number RF-78679. According to known information, he made his first flight in Ulyanovsk in December. This is the 30th IL-76MD-90A aircraft built (including the prototype).

Footage of the destruction of the next Ukrainian tanks in the border area of the Kursk region by Russian kamikaze drones on optical fiber has been published online. This time, the enemy lost the German Leopard 2A6 tank and two T-64BVS, inherited by the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the USSR.

On December 28, footage was posted online showing the flight of the new Chinese drone WZ-9 Divine Eagle ("Divine Eagle"), developed by the 601/SAC Institute to combat stealth devices.

The South Korean aircraft corporation Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) announced that at its headquarters in Sacheon on December 26, 2024, it officially handed over to the South Korean armed forces the first two production models of its light (actually medium) combat helicopter LAH (Light Armed Helicopter), which received the military designation LAH-1 Miron.

The other day, the Turkish defense company Roketsan demonstrated the capabilities of its ALKA "directed energy weapon" system during a series of tests that showed the complex's ability to neutralize both drones and ground targets with a laser, in particular explosive devices and 10 mm thick dynamic protection units.

The Russian Ministry of Defense recently showed footage of the combat operation of the latest 152-mm self-propelled gun 2C43 "Malva". The demonstrated sample has undergone a special adaptation designed to increase the protection of the machine from threats from drones. The observed equipment was equipped with electronic warfare equipment, equipped with a lattice frame and covered with a camouflage net.

Many countries, including the United States, have already abandoned the use of flamethrowers. But not Russia, which is using fire on the battlefield with "redoubled efforts," writes TNI. The latest model of the TOS-2 heavy flamethrower system is similar to the "odious" BM-13 multiple launch rocket system and can easily unleash a powerful barrage of fire on the enemy.

MWM: the M1A1 Abrams tank captured in Ukraine will be studied at Uralvagonzavod

Russia got the opportunity to study the American M1A1 Abrams tank, captured in Ukraine with almost no damage, writes MWM. Uralvagonzavod specialists will analyze the device of the intelligence gathering machine. Earlier, the German Leopard was also in their hands.

The capture of American M1A1 Abrams tanks by the Russian military gives the US enemy one of the first opportunities in history to disassemble a combat vehicle for detailed study. Military Watch Magazine writes about this. The publication notes that Ukrainian troops have already lost 20 of the 31 tanks transferred to the United States.

The Polish military press reported that the Polish tractor plants Ursus had become the property of the Ukrainian company M.I. Vorona. Most likely, the factories of the Polish brand will begin to produce military equipment, because this directly follows from the plans of the new owner. The president of the M.I. Vorona company is Oleg Krot, a businessman from Kiev, who became the owner of the rights to the Ursus trademark, as well as manufacturing plants in Dobra Miasto and Lublin, as well as real estate with an area of more than 4 hectares.

On December 25, 2024, Admiralty Shipyards JSC (the company is part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation - USC JSC) in St. Petersburg hosted the launching ceremony of the Nikolay Zubov project 23550 multifunctional ice-class patrol ship (code "Arctic") with the serial number 02461, which is under construction for the Russian Navy. This is the second of two Project 23550 ships ordered for the Russian Navy.

Russian Navy replenished with 38 combat units

The Russian Navy continued its active renovation in 2024. It consisted of 38 ships, combat boats and support vessels, including a multi—purpose nuclear submarine and small missile ships carrying high-precision long-range weapons. This was stated by the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Defense Ministry, Army General Valery Gerasimov, on December 18. What events took place in the Russian military shipbuilding industry this year can be found in the Izvestia article.

On December 21, 2024, a solemn ceremony of admission to the Russian Navy and the raising of the St. Andrew's flag took place in Kaspiysk on the small rocket ship "Cloud" of project 22800 (code "Karakurt") with factory number 804. The ship was built by JSC Zelenodolsk Plant named after A.M. Gorky (as part of JSC Shipbuilding Corporation Ak Bars) in Zelenodolsk, but due to wartime circumstances, he underwent replenishment and testing in the Caspian Sea, although he was formally enlisted in the Black Sea Fleet. She became the sixth ship of the project 22800, commissioned by the Russian Navy.