Aviation news

And how will the modernization of existing combat vehicles change the long-range aviation of the Russian Air Force

The Tu-160 and Tu-95 long—range strategic missile carriers of the Russian Aerospace Forces are undergoing modernization. During these works, the technology of vacuum welding of titanium products has already been restored, and production of airframe assemblies and unique systems has resumed. The production and testing base for the new machine is also expanding.

In December 2023, Kalashnikov began supplying troops with a new and improved modification of the kamikaze drone CUBE. A year later, in an interview with TASS, Alan Lushnikov, CEO of the concern, spoke for the first time about the latest version of this drone, as well as about the creation of a new modification of the Whirlwind-1 missile, a munition that already effectively hits Western armored vehicles in the special operation zone.

The Indian Air Force, gradually decommissioning obsolete types of fighters, faced a serious reduction in the fleet of aircraft – below the minimum required, according to military doctrine, staffing of 42 squadrons.

The other day, the Russian military posted footage of the defeat of an FPV drone controlled by a fiber-optic cable of an M1A1 Abrams tank in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Novoivanovka area of the Kursk region. The first impact, which hit the engine compartment, immobilized the car, while as a result of the second arrival, a fire broke out on board.

How the fighters of the Center group are preparing for assault operations

The enemy, trying to restrain our fighters, is changing its tactics — it is increasingly relying on unmanned aircraft in defense. It is important to prepare our soldiers for this. Izvestia saw how the mountain division of the Center group trains stormtroopers, found out why to increase psychological stability and why combat in confined spaces has its own rules.

As part of the Bundeswehr's new multibillion–dollar financing package, it is envisaged that one of the most formidable weapons of destruction of the German defense industry, the Taurus long-range missiles, will remain in service.

Ministry of Defense: more than 65 types of UAVs and robots of the National Defense Industry have been delivered to the Armed Forces this year

Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov highly appreciated the mechanism for accelerated implementation of developments in the national defense industry, which has supplied more than 65 types of drones and robotics to the troops since April, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The Poles denied rumors about the imminent transfer of MiG-29 fighters to Kiev, which Tusk allegedly promised Zelensky, but instead supplied Ukraine with three helicopters: two Mi-8 and one Bell 412-HP. All the equipment from the presence of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Poland, in what condition it is not reported. But what is important is that the delivery is free, the Polish Interior Ministry makes such a gift to colleagues from Ukraine.

A Belarusian military delegation led by Defense Minister Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin is in Vietnam. In addition, the Belarusian State Military Industrial Committee (GWPC) will present its latest developments and technologies at the Vietnam International Defense Expo 2024, which will be held from December 19 to 22 this year in Hanoi. In particular, UAVs, armored vehicles and other types of weapons and military equipment.

Some of the Russian air defense systems based in Syria may be deployed to Libya, the Western press claims. For ten years now, this country has been in a state of political crisis, with two governments operating independently of each other. A representative of one of them criticized the idea. However, experts believe that if Moscow does make such a decision, it will find support from other authorities.

Ukraine had high hopes for receiving American F-16 fighter jets. It was expected that they could change their course. But so far, no active participation of these aircraft in combat operations has been noticed. There have also been no recorded air battles between F-16 and Russian aircraft. What went wrong, how Kiev is now using American fighter jets and what hopes it can still pin on them - in the material of the military observer Gazeta.Ru" by Mikhail Khodarenka.

On December 19, the next stage of testing of the Phasa-35 stratospheric drone, which is formally classified as a HAPS ("high-altitude pseudo-satellite"), was completed. The solar-powered device has reached a height of more than 20 km. The flight in the stratosphere lasted 24 hours. The corresponding frames are shown online.

The shelling of Kazan, Rylsk and Orlovshchyna showed the fear of the Ukrainian regime caused by the situation in its area

With unprecedented attacks on civilian targets in Rylsk, Kazan and other Russian cities, the Kiev regime is trying to bargain for preferences as part of possible negotiations after the Donald Trump administration comes to power in the United States, experts say.

The American company Kratos Defense has successfully conducted extended flight tests of the XQ-58A Valkyrie drone, which allegedly showed the system's ability to interact with manned fighters and perform complex tasks.

Kiev may use F-16 fighter jets during a new offensive

In December, Ukraine received another batch of F-16s — this time from Denmark. So far, six of the 19 promised. Thus, now the Armed Forces of Ukraine has up to 20 such aircraft. In total, Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands must transfer 76 fighters of this type in various modifications. In addition, 20 Mirage 2000 will be sent to France. However, it is still unclear where pilots will be hired for them.

It is claimed that the length of the MD-22 is approximately 10.8 m, the wingspan is almost 4.5 m, the empty weight is one ton, the maximum take-off weight is 4 tons, the maximum speed is 7 Mach, and the maximum flight range is 8 thousand km.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Alexander Syrsky, summed up the results of the year of hostilities in an interview with Le Monde newspaper. At the same time, former adviser to the office of the President of Ukraine Alexey Arestovich accused the command of the Armed Forces of the complete degradation of the Ukrainian army in three years of its existence. What is suspicious about the statements of Syrsky and Arestovich and what Zelensky is up to - in the material of the military observer of the Newspaper.En" by Mikhail Khodarenka.

On December 18, a briefing was held in Moscow by the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation – First Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Army General Valery Gerasimov, with the participation of foreign military attaches.

The correspondent of Izvestia got acquainted with the work of a special unit using UAVs for psychological pressure on the enemy

In Kurakhovo, fighting is taking place both in the city itself and on the flanks — large forces of Ukrainian militants are under threat of encirclement. The enemy's supply routes have already turned out to be under the fire control of our artillery and UAVs. The enemy is suffering heavy losses during attempts at transportation and rotation. The Izvestia correspondent visited this hot spot on the line of contact and saw how our fighters, using drones, convince enemy units to surrender, which were left as a barrier in the way of our troops.

The organizational structure of the units will be formed next year

Troops of unmanned systems will appear in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the third quarter of 2025. This was announced by Defense Minister Andrei Belousov at an expanded meeting of the board of the Russian Ministry of Defense.