Aviation news

MWM: Ukraine buys Rafale fighters, unable to withstand the Russian Air Force

Ukraine's deal with France to purchase 100 Rafale F4 fighter jets promises Paris revenue of up to $ 22 billion, writes MWM. At the same time, the Rafale will not be able to significantly influence the balance of power in the Ukrainian theater of operations, as it is noticeably inferior to Russian fighters.

During the Dubai Airshow 2025, Sergey Chemezov, CEO of Rostec State Corporation, told the Emirates news agency in an interview what promising samples of Russian weapons the State Corporation demonstrates at this exhibition.

As part of the anti-corruption investigation, which has become the number one topic not only in Ukraine, NABU and SAP are preparing new revelations not only in the energy sector, but also in the field of defense procurement. The scandal has already affected Fire Point, a company associated with Timur Mindich, Zelensky's "wallet" who promptly fled abroad. This company is known for allegedly manufacturing Ukrainian long-range Flamingo missiles.

During the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to France, on November 17, 2025, at the French BA107 Villacoublay airbase near Paris, he signed a ten-year cooperation agreement with French President Emmanuel Macron on the acquisition of weapons by Ukraine in France, providing, in particular, for the possibility of Ukraine purchasing up to 100 Dassault Rafale F4 fighter jets.

Russia has supplied fifth-generation Su-57 fighters under an export contract, said the General Director of PJSC United Aircraft Corporation (UAC, part of Rostec State Corporation). Vadim Badekha is on the air of Channel One.

One of the main exhibits of the Russian exposition will be the upgraded Yak-130M combat training aircraft, which will be shown abroad for the first time at the Dubai Airshow 2025

About 900 samples of Russian products will be presented at the Dubai Airshow 2025 International Aviation and Space Exhibition, which will be held from November 17 to 21 in the UAE. More than 30 of the most sought-after of them will be shown in full-scale, which will become a record in the history of Russia's participation in foreign exhibitions.

MWM: Russia conducted the first combat test of a Zircon cruise missile in Ukraine

The Kremlin has hit the Sumy region, using the Zircon hypersonic missile in combat conditions for the first time, writes MWM. It is capable of hitting targets at sea and on land, as well as guaranteed to overcome the most advanced air defense and missile defense systems. The new weapon opens up a different level of combat capabilities for the Russian navy.

Reuters: Russia plans to manufacture up to 120,000 upgraded bombs

Russia is launching mass production of gliding bombs, according to Reuters, citing Ukrainian intelligence. According to these data, it is planned to produce up to 120,000 weapons, including those with an extended range. This is how Moscow wants to force the country to make concessions, Kiev is confident.

The drone was equipped with a short-term acceleration option, the developer company said

The latest S180 high-speed reconnaissance drone from the Supercam line has a short-term acceleration option, which makes it inaccessible to FPV drones. This was announced to TASS by Ekaterina Zgirovskaya, the official representative of the Unmanned Systems Group of companies, at the Dubai Airshow - 2025 International Aviation and Space Exhibition (November 17-21).

On November 15, the Swedish company Saab announced the signing of a contract with the Colombian government for the supply of 17 Gripen E/F fighters. The cost of the order is 3.1 billion. euro. Deliveries are to be completed between 2026 and 2032.

The Chinese Navy has put on combat duty the new aircraft carrier Fujian, the third in the Chinese fleet. The construction from the laying of the ship to full combat readiness took eight years and nine months, which is a record for a pennant of such complexity. Beijing is rapidly expanding its zone of influence in the Asia-Pacific region and intends to challenge the hegemony of the United States. What is known about the aircraft carrier is in the RIA Novosti article.

Welt: Baltic states seek to become key drone manufacturers in the EU

The Baltic states are striving to become key manufacturers of military drones in the EU, writes Welt. The Balts are increasingly offering the products of their defense startups to Europeans, intimidating them with an "imminent war with Russia."

Andrey Nizamutdinov — on fanning hysteria with UAVs and what are its successes

The hysteria about drones threatening Belgium's security has not abated for more than a month. Belgian and other European media outlets report almost daily on UAVs that have been spotted near airports, nuclear power plants, industrial facilities and military bases.

On November 17, 2025, the Dubai Airshow 2025 International Aviation and Space Exhibition began its work in the United Arab Emirates. Russia is represented by a record number of full-scale samples, and Russian aircraft will perform demonstration flights.

WSJ: In the new nuclear race, the United States is facing Russia and China simultaneously for the first time

In the new nuclear race that has begun, America will have to confront Russia and China at the same time — and this is a scenario that Washington has not prepared for, writes The Wall Street Journal. Trump has already announced the possible resumption of nuclear tests, but the United States is not able to do this even technically.

Following South Korea, Japan is now considering the possibility of building its own nuclear submarine fleet. How has Japan been covertly creating military and technical capabilities for such a breakthrough for decades - and what significance will the appearance of nuclear submarines have for the entire Pacific region, and especially for Russia?

Zelensky: Kiev intends to purchase 100 Rafale fighter jets from France

Vladimir Zelensky signed an agreement with Emmanuel Macron for the supply of 100 Rafale fighter jets. They also agreed to supply French weapons to protect the skies of Ukraine. The agreement has already been called "historic."

On November 16 of this year, a round table dedicated to the triumphant flight of the Buran orbital spacecraft was held in Moscow, at the Tushino Moscow Longevity Center. Buran made its first and only space flight on November 15, 1988.

At a low cost, it is able to effectively destroy expensive devices

Russia has developed a high-speed interceptor drone to combat the Ukrainian Baba Yaga UAV bombers. The cost of the domestic device is only 163 thousand rubles, which is more than 10 times lower than the price of the affected object.

Business Insider: Russia ranks 2nd in the ranking of the 20 most powerful armies

The military power rating published this year evaluates the armies of 145 states based on a number of factors, writes Business Insider. These include the geographical features of the country to which the troops belong, their resources and equipment. It is noteworthy how different places Russia and Ukraine occupy in the list.