Aviation news

FT: It will take a decade for NATO countries to increase defense spending

Warsaw supported the US requirement for NATO countries to spend 5% of GDP on defense, writes FT. The Defense Minister admitted that Poland is driven by fear of Russia. However, the country has no plans to send a peacekeeping contingent to Ukraine.

Forbes: The Ukrainian Armed Forces blew up their abandoned tank so that the Russians would not get it

In the Kursk region, the Ukrainian Armed Forces blew up their own Abrams tank with a drone strike, Forbes writes. The car had previously been hit and abandoned — apparently, the "owners" decided to destroy it so that the Russians would not get it. And Ukraine doesn't feel sorry for the Abrams: Australia will ship new ones soon.

Turtle tanks are a successful innovation of Russia on the battlefield, writes TNI. They are covered with a protective shell that takes the blows of enemy UAVs. Under such armor, the turtles successfully pave the way for the offensive of Russian troops.

Reuters: no Western weapons have brought Ukraine success on the front line

Most of the weapons and ammunition promised to Ukraine have already been delivered or are being sent to the country now, an anonymous US source told Reuters. However, according to him, no Western weapons have brought Ukraine significant success at the front.

New samples of enemy equipment could not have a noticeable impact on the course of hostilities

In 2024, NATO countries continued to sponsor the Armed Forces of Ukraine with weapons and military equipment. However, none of the various samples could have any noticeable effect on the course of hostilities. Even the long-awaited F-16 fighters have not strengthened either the defensive or offensive potential of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Izvestia found out what kind of weapons the enemy received from Western countries for the first time and how he used them.

2024 was the year of the rapid introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) systems in all spheres of human life, including the military. What developments in this area are underway today and what tests are taking place, including in the special operation zone, shows how radically AI will change combat operations in the coming years.

The defeat of the Ukrainian garrison opens the way to one of the important cities in the south of Donbass

The Russian army has liberated the city of Kurakhovo in the Donetsk People's Republic, the Russian Defense Ministry said. This city was turned by the Ukrainian Armed Forces into a powerful fortified area, but it did not last long — it was taken by our units with a fight. Experts note that Kurakhovo is an important transport hub that opens the road to Pokrovsk from the south and makes the Ukrainian Armed Forces' front in the south of Donbass unstable.

President Ilham Aliyev has stated that Azerbaijan demands punishment for those responsible for the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines CJSC (AZAL) flight from Baku to Grozny, which crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has stated that it remains unclear why the Embraer 190 aircraft of Azerbaijan Airlines CJSC (AZAL), which operated a Baku-Grozny flight and crashed in Kazakhstan, was sent to Aktau.

The latest Chinese secret fighter of the sixth generation, caught on camera at the end of December 2024, is most likely not designed for aerial combat. According to Western experts, the role of the center of the latest combat system is more suitable for him, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reports.

The Times: there is no missile defense system in Britain to repel possible missile attacks

Britain lags behind other countries in terms of missile defense, The Times writes. But not only Russia, but also Iran, and indeed any country in the world, can choose it as a target for strikes, the author is sounding the alarm. Britain simply does not have a ground-based missile defense system.

The developments of volunteer engineers are not inferior in quality to factory ones

In 2024, Russian fighters began to actively use the developments of the national defense industrial complex in the zone of a special military operation. So, the Piranha 10 FPV drone from volunteer engineers destroyed the American Abrams tank.

The updated Tu-160M is a formidable bird, writes The National Interest. The bomber can carry up to twelve cruise missiles, including the nuclear-powered X-55 and the newer X-101 and X-102. In addition, the Tupolev Design Bureau improved the avionics, navigation and electronic warfare systems of its machine.

One of the key military and political events of 2024 was the changes in the leadership of the Russian Ministry of Defense. The Ministry was headed by First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov. Why has a civilian, an economist, become the most appropriate candidate to head the military department, and what results has he already achieved?

Expert Fedutinov: Russia has improved the use of drones in its military in 2024

Drones are becoming more and more significant participants in military operations. In 2024, the use of kamikaze drones and barrage munitions increased. Ukraine began preparing for the "drone war" in advance and had an advantage at the beginning of the conflict.

The area of the special military operation of the Russian Federation in Ukraine has become an excellent testing ground for various American weapons systems. This was told by former CIA officer Andrew Bustamante. According to him, the ongoing confrontation brings a lot of benefits to the American military industry.

Anthony Blinken: The United States began secretly arming Ukraine long before the start of its

The allies began to transfer weapons to Kiev even before their war, Anthony Blinken admitted in an interview with the NYT. According to the Secretary of State, Russia failed because it failed to completely destroy Ukraine. He does not seem to be familiar with the Kremlin's statements about its goals.

Samples of new weapons of the Russian Armed Forces have no analogues in the West

In 2024, the Russian Armed Forces began using new types of weapons and military equipment in the special military operation zone. Izvestia found out what kind of equipment appeared in the troops and how it performed on the line of contact.

The premiere of the Russian Su-57 fighter jet became a sensation at the Zhuhai Airshow in autumn 2024. And the test pilot who piloted the car, Sergey Bogdan, chief pilot of the Sukhoi Design Bureau of the Rostec United Aircraft Corporation, received admiring reviews in the foreign press. Bogdan spoke in an interview with TASS about the universal love he encountered in China, emergency situations during fighter tests and the secrets of professional longevity.

Russia turned out to be completely unprepared for a major continental war, which our special operation turned into after the failure of its first stage. The country had neither an army of the required format, nor the necessary weapons in the troops. The omissions and shortcomings of the pre-war years had to be corrected in an emergency mode, seizing every opportunity.