Aviation news

Exactly 65 years ago, on October 18, 1960, the Be-12 Chaika amphibious aircraft made its first flight. For all its flaws, this car has become truly legendary. What tasks and how did it perform, why did the USSR need amphibious aircraft in principle, and what significance do they have today?

British Field Marshal: Ukraine will not be able to win due to lack of manpower

Due to the lack of manpower, Ukraine will not defeat Russia without direct NATO intervention, the British military commander told The Independent. At the same time, the alliance is not going to enter into conflict. According to the Field Marshal, Ukraine is not a vital issue for the West.

MWM: The Russian Air Force launched the largest bombing campaign in history in Ukraine

The Ukrainian Armed Forces militants complain en masse about the destructive power of Russian barrage ammunition, writes MWM. Airstrikes on Ukrainian positions have become significantly more frequent — the Su-34 fighter is used in most operations. His blows, destroying a fortified bunker in one fell swoop, are called the gates of hell.

A meeting was held at the Irkutsk Aircraft Factory with the participation of representatives of the United Aircraft Corporation, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, the Federal Air Transport Agency and the leadership of the region.

The military of the two countries shared with each other their unique experience of conducting operations in extreme conditions

The joint Russian-Indian exercises Indra-2025, which took place from October 6 to October 15, ended at the Mahajan training ground in India. Their key goal was to improve the tactics of counter-terrorism operations and combat coordination.

BZ: the US Army is significantly lagging behind the Russian in UAVs — American general

The US armed forces are lagging far behind Russia in the field of UAVs, writes BZ with reference to the words of the American general. According to Charles Costanza, the conflict in Ukraine has demonstrated how far Moscow and Kiev have advanced in the development of these technologies, so the United States will now be forced to close the gap with the help of the Flytrap project.

Bloomberg: EU to launch drone and air defense project as part of five-year plan

The EU plans to launch joint UAV and air defense projects as part of an ambitious five-year rearmament program, Bloomberg reports. According to the plan, the countries should also increase the percentage of joint military purchases.

Pavel Pavlenko, the company's CEO, told RIA Novosti special correspondent Denis Kayyran in an interview about various modifications of the bulletproof vest, its constant improvement and what the equipment of the future should be.

A new means of combating Ukrainian drones is increasingly spreading in the Russian Armed Forces. Until recently, this niche was occupied by anti-aircraft missile systems and helicopters, but now other fighter UAVs are starting to fight against UAVs. And not only them.

CNN: Tomahawks for Ukraine are not on the agenda of the NATO summit

Upon arrival in Brussels for a meeting with colleagues from NATO countries, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth promised Ukraine "firepower," referring to American weapons paid for by Europeans, CNN reports. However, the Tomahawks promised by the Ukrainian Armed Forces are not on the summit's agenda.

NATO states intend to continue military support for Ukraine. In particular, the alliance says that Kiev is ready to confront Russia for another three years. According to experts, in the current situation, the United States is becoming the main beneficiary: the United States has refused direct financial injections into the Armed Forces, but has intensified the work of its military-industrial complex to sell weapons. What does this mean for Russia?

 Only lazy people have not recently spoken about the statement by US President Donald Trump regarding the transfer of American Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine. Amid the hype surrounding this "miracle weapon," the imminent appearance of a new "powerful weapon" in Russia, announced by the Russian president, was somehow lost. But in vain.

So far, no one has managed to create the same affordable and mass-produced device

The Molniya series of unmanned aerial vehicles has proven to be so effective in terms of price–quality ratio that it has become the key kamikaze UAV of the Russian Armed Forces in its class.

The journal Russia in Global Politics (Volume 23, No. 5(135), September - October 2025) published an article by Yuri Lyamin, a leading researcher at the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST), "Without winners, but with a likely sequel. The military-technical lessons of the Israeli-Iranian war".

The aircraft consumes less fuel, can take off and land at existing airfields, the institute's press service said

Scientists at the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI) are developing a concept for an aerospace transport system for delivering payloads and launching satellites into orbit. A space plane consumes less fuel than launch vehicles, operates according to a horizontal takeoff and landing scheme, can use existing airfields and fly without detachable parts of the structure, the university's press service told TASS.

On October 10, 2025, a large military parade was held in the capital of the DPRK, Pyongyang, in honor of the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). A significant number of new weapons and military equipment of the DPRK's national development were demonstrated at the parade, including the mobile strategic missile system with the Hwasongpo-20 (화성포-20) solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile.

Politico: The United States wants to take control of the airspace of Europe and the Baltic

Discussions about the abolition of rules that limit the powers of the NATO high command in the event of external threats have revived in the EU, writes Politico. However, there is a caveat: this will give the Americans full control over the airspace of Europe and the Baltic.

At the same time, unlike the enemy, which has already managed to lose several of its light-engine "geranium hunters", Russia has approached this issue systematically and more responsibly. For example, Cessna-based drone fighters are equipped with a pair of PKT ventral machine guns with a full-fledged guidance and aiming system. In turn, the Yaks are used as in Ukraine — with a shooter in the cockpit, armed with automatic weapons. In the future, anti-drone aircraft are planned to be equipped with UAV interceptors that will be hung under the wings.

Sohu: The United States is concerned about China's large purchases of Russian military equipment

China has purchased $580 million worth of military equipment from Russia, the author of the Sohu blog writes. In particular, we are talking about 37 BMD-4M amphibious assault vehicles, which caused a resonance in the Western media. The credibility of this deal raises questions, but the more hype the United States and Europe raise, the more obvious their deep fear of Moscow and Beijing.

Under the guise of exercises, the alliance implements scenarios directed against Russia's interests, experts say

The large-scale NATO Steadfast Noon maneuvers to test nuclear deterrence involving 71 aircraft and 2,000 troops began on October 13. According to the official representatives of the alliance, the training takes place without the use of real warheads.