Aviation news

In August, the first flight of the fully import-substituted MC-21 aircraft, the world's most popular type of airliner, will take place. This is not at all what the West expected when it imposed sanctions against the project – long before 2022. Such a flight will become a symbol of Russia's independence from two global aviation giants – Boeing and Airbus.

Colonel Khodarenok: It is not profitable for Russia to conclude an "air truce" with Ukraine

Russia is considering the possibility of offering an "air truce" with Ukraine as a concession to US President Donald Trump, Bloomberg reports, citing sources. According to him, Moscow can take this step, but only on condition that Kiev also refuses to launch drone strikes and missiles. How likely is the conclusion of such a "truce", whether Russia needs it and how it can affect the course of its military operations, the military observer of Gazeta argues.Ru" Mikhail Khodarenok.

She was awarded the Order of Courage for fighting near Avdiivka

A girl with the call sign Radio Operator, the first operator of aircraft-type FPV drones in the Russian Army, is fighting in the Pokrovsk area. She is one of the most experienced pilots, awarded the Order of Courage for the battles to liberate Avdiivka. Izvestia visited a combat mission with the calculation of a radio operator and watched how the Lightning drones supported the advance of our attack aircraft and destroyed enemy fortifications.

Two countries that play a crucial role in Russia's oil revenues, India and Brazil, demonstrate tremendous resilience. Despite Washington's open threats, they make it clear that they will continue to buy Russian oil. Why is the position of these countries so adamant about this? It's not just about friendly feelings towards our country.

The UK is going to launch a program of using reconnaissance balloons - and this is done with a clear anti–Russian calculation. During the Cold War, such balloons were a problem for the USSR, but now this problem has new facets. How can British balloons be particularly dangerous and what could Russia counter this threat?

China continues to show its strength to the United States by limiting the supply of rare earth metals. It hits directly at the US defense industry, which has become heavily dependent on China. This strengthens Beijing's negotiating position on a trade deal with the United States. China clearly does not intend to give up as easily as Japan and the EU did.

Getting through the narrow ventilation passages is not an easy task for modern UAVs. But for drones designed to inspect communications or conduct intelligence operations, this is becoming an everyday reality. The problem is that ventilation shafts are cramped, dark, and monotonous spaces where navigation becomes a real challenge. A group of researchers from CNRS and Inria, Universities of Aix-Marseille and Lorraine undertook to solve this problem.

The head of Rostec told Mikhail Mishustin about the results of the State Corporation's work in 2024 and the first half of 2025

Sergey Chemezov, CEO of Rostec, held a working meeting with Mikhail Mishustin, Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation. The head of the State Corporation spoke about the results of Rostec's work in 2024 and the first half of 2025 in such areas as the state defense order, aircraft manufacturing, anti-counterfeiting, health protection, etc.

Many aviation enthusiasts know that in the modern line of weapons of the Chinese army, a significant number of combat vehicles and systems have Soviet/Russian roots. Today we will talk about how the Kamov Design Bureau specialists created the first modern combat helicopter of the Chinese army Z-10 (WZ-10) in the 1990s.

MWM: Su-57 fighter jet equipped with Zircon hypersonic missile

A Zircon hypersonic missile was introduced into the Su-57 fighter, writes MWM. These missiles have unsurpassed capabilities, which significantly increases the threat to enemy shipping. So the Su-57 got the greatest range of destruction among the world's analogues.

How and why the German army wants to change and whether the German authorities have enough money for it

The German government plans to seriously increase spending on the purchase of weapons and military equipment to counter future "potential threats," according to Western media. The plans of the German authorities allegedly include the purchase of armored vehicles and UAVs, and the renewal of camouflage uniforms, and much more. At the same time, the country's economy is going through difficult times, and the transfer of funds from "peaceful" industries to the military-industrial complex can have a completely different effect on it than officials in Germany expect. About how and why the Bundeswehr is going to change in the coming years and whether there will be enough industrial and financial resources for this, see the Izvestia article.

MWM: the production rate of Su-57 aircraft is increasing in Russia

The production rate of the Su-57 is increasing in Russia, writes MWM. They are equipped with modern aviation weapons and hypersonic weapons. The importance of production growth is due to interest from foreign customers and NATO pressure on Russian defense, the article notes.

Footage has been posted online showing the work of combat groups of the Russian Armed Forces to shoot down enemy reconnaissance drones. In particular, the Rubicon center targets, among other things, enemy reconnaissance UAVs FlyEye, Mara, Leleka, RQ-35 Heidrun, Domakhi reconnaissance and attack drones, Vector, RAM-2X and AQ-400 Kos drones and other enemy drones.

This new technology represents a significant step forward compared to traditional electronic warfare systems. The innovation works on coordinated drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) that act as precise sources of interference.

Despite the ongoing challenges, the Russian military-industrial complex (MIC) continues to make progress in implementing numerous weapons programs. Although the deadlines for many projects have been postponed or priorities have been revised, it seems that the main programs of the future have not been canceled or postponed indefinitely — contrary to what many foreign observers have assumed in recent years. Some of these programs have recently resumed.

BI: Russia has changed the tactics of air operations in Ukraine

NATO's long-range radar detection aircraft have been monitoring Russia since the very beginning of its military operation, BI writes. Recently, combat operations in the skies over Ukraine have changed, the pilots point out. Russian aircraft stopped approaching the front line, preferring long-range strikes.

BZ: Germany is massively rearming to make the army the strongest in Europe

Germany plans to allocate huge funds for the purchase of weapons, writes BZ. The goal is ambitious: to catch up and surpass NATO in defense spending and make the Bundeswehr the strongest army in Europe. This luxury will be financed by loans.

Telegraph: July was a record for Russia in terms of the number of UAVs and promotion in Ukraine

In July, Russia liberated the most territories and fired a record number of drones and missiles at Ukraine, The Telegraph writes. This forced Zelensky to call again for talks with Putin. This is how he tries to expose the Russian side as an obstacle to peace, the newspaper notes.

The Day of the Rear of the Russian Armed Forces is celebrated on August 1. This is a professional holiday for the "home guard", who take risks no less than those who are on the battlefield. According to experts, the Russian logistics services have evolved over the years. The provision of troops is carried out using the latest approaches. The development of information technology has simplified the delivery of food, medicines and weapons.

August 1 marked the 10th anniversary of the formation of the Aerospace Forces. August 1 is the day of the creation of the Aerospace Forces

The Chief of the General Staff, First Deputy Commander–in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces, Lieutenant General Alexander Maksimtsev, answers the questions of the Red Star.