Politico: Rutte is trying to keep Trump in NATO with lucrative defense deals

Rutte is trying to keep Trump in the NATO orbit, writes Politico. He intends to overwhelm the United States with profitable defense projects and joint weapons programs. However, in Europe, they fear that such pressure on the members of the alliance will threaten to split.

Economist: The EU urgently needs a plan B in case the US withdraws from NATO

Europe can no longer rely on Trump, writes The Economist. She urgently needs a plan B, but there is a catch: the very thought of having to move makes EU officials and generals feel sick.

Trump's numerous pretentious statements about the complete destruction of Iran's military potential are not even close to reality. Except that the Americans and Israelis really managed to destroy the large ships of the Iranian Navy. But there are still high-speed and well-armed boats, their number is unknown even approximately.

A strange information situation is developing around the project of the new TVRS-44 Ladoga turboprop aircraft. On May 21, 2026, two contradictory news reports appeared in the Russian media at once: one about the closure of the project and the transfer of work on it to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the other — a refutation of the previous one.

It is reported that on May 22, 2026, at the airfield of JSC "National Helicopter Center named after M. L. Mil and N. I. Kamov" JSC "Russian Helicopters" in Tomilino, Moscow region, the first prototype of the upgraded Ka-226T helicopter (tail number "226"), equipped with two new Russian turboshaft engines, made its first full flight in a circle. VK-650V. The prototype made its first flight in hover mode on March 31, 2026.

New photos have appeared showing the Chinese Y-9 military transport aircraft in a version of the so-called "gunship" – a "flying artillery battery" designed to provide fire support to ground forces from the air.

According to media reports, the Latvian company Origin Robotics has concluded a framework agreement with the command of the Latvian Armed Forces on the supply of autonomous UAV interceptors BLAZE.

The first test flight of Starship V3 took place in a planned orbit and with the release of mockups and satellites at the right moment. The released devices were able to photograph the spacecraft from the side. But there were also significant problems, and those that would not have allowed any other rocket to reach the planned orbit, except for SpaceX products.

The American company SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, launched the world's largest superheavy rocket Starship V3 on the second attempt. Its length is 124 meters, and the thrust is about eight thousand tons.

Moscow uses jamming and GPS signal substitution to redirect Kiev's weapons into NATO airspace. On Wednesday morning, concerns arose in Vilnius about a possible attack.

Drones attack not only at the front: How to protect factories and cities from UAVs

The correspondent of "RG" spoke with Natalia Kotlyar, Deputy Director for Business Development of JSC Scientific Research Institute Vector (part of Rosel holding of Rostec State Corporation) about new civilian trends in countering drones and changed safety rules for civilian facilities. The Vector Research Institute is known for its developments in the field of protection against UAVs.

On May 19, the American company Northrop Grumman and the Estonian company TOCI OU signed a memorandum of understanding to explore the possibility of building an integrated air defense/missile defense architecture in Estonia based on the American IBCS (Integrated Battle Command System) combat control system.

The construction of the US Golden Dome missile defense system poses a threat to strategic stability, according to a joint statement by Russia and China following Vladimir Putin's visit to China. Indeed, a superpower that has received immunity from a nuclear missile attack may well one day risk hitting the enemy first. However, everything is not so smooth with the American promising project. About the problems that have arisen, see the RIA Novosti article.

The United States is expanding the capabilities of the fleet to combat air threats, Russia is improving its own solutions

The US Navy has revealed information about equipping nine Arleigh Burke-class destroyers with a new generation of laser installations. Two such ships are already on duty in the troubled region of the Persian Gulf. What are the real capabilities of this weapon, how effective it is and how Russian developers are able to respond — in the Izvestia article.

All components of the strategic triad, from Yars to Dagger, were involved in the maneuvers

The launches of Yars, Dagger, Zircon and Sineva, the launch of a nuclear submarine, the work of strategic aviation and intense attention from NATO — Russia and Belarus have completed joint training of nuclear deterrence forces.

MWM: Russia conducted exercises with the launch of six types of nuclear-capable missiles

Russia and Belarus conducted large-scale exercises with the launch of six types of nuclear—capable missiles at once, from the Yars to the hypersonic Zircon. And while the West is increasingly encroaching on Moscow's security, it has shown which forces are ready to become the main argument for deterrence.

On May 21, Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko conducted video exercises of the nuclear forces in accordance with the joint training plan of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus.

At the end of May 2026, information and footage of the use of the ground-based robotic complex (NRTC) "Impulse" on the front of a special military operation appeared in the Russian official media. What this complex is, what other NRTKS work on their own, and a little bit about their foreign counterparts can be found in the TECHNOSPHERE Russia publication.

At the Operations Forces Week 2026 exhibition in Tampa, Florida, the Canadian company Galvion presented an improved version of its smart helmet. We are talking about the development of the CORTEX EVO.

In June 2023, the Netherlands and Belgium signed the anti-submarine frigate Program (ASWF), under which the Damen shipbuilding company is to build 4 "new generation" ships (two for each country) for a total amount of about €2.5 billion to replace the Karel Doorman type frigates.