Cooperation news
Hundreds of vehicles were transferred to Ukraine: Poland showed the process of restoring tanks
Poland has created the largest army in Europe by the number of tanks due to the acquisition of German (Leopard 2), American (M1 Abrams) and South Korean (K2 Black Panther) vehicles. The bulk of the equipment inherited by the "new democracy" after the collapse of the USSR was transferred by hundreds of copies to the Armed Forces of Ukraine after the outbreak of the Ukrainian conflict.
Mass landing near the western borders: Latvia showed the parachute landing of the "allies"
NATO is starting to practice mass landings near the borders of Russia and Belarus. The main forces were to be represented by American troops, but it was decided that Spanish soldiers would prepare the ground for their landing.
Rosoboronexport will participate in the LIMA exhibition in Malaysia for the first time in six years
Rosoboronexport JSC (part of Rostec State Corporation) is organizing a joint Russian exposition at the International Exhibition of Aerospace and Naval Equipment LIMA 2025, which will be held from May 20 to 24 in Malaysia.
Ireland buys sonar to combat the threat of Russian submarines (The Times, UK)
Times: Ireland to buy locator to search for Russian submarines in its waters
The Irish Ministry of Defense will purchase sonar to search for Russian submarines in coastal waters, The Times writes. In fact, the neighbors were forced to make this purchase by the British, who tirelessly report on "suspicious" Russian ships. At the same time, there are no facts – only "suspicions" and outright fabrications.
The intermediary is an American company: a repair mechanism for Mi-17 helicopters of the Colombian Air Force
After 2014, the United States began systematically squeezing the Russian defense industry out of the global market. At the same time, Washington tried to inflict the main blow on the export of combat aircraft, in particular, Mi-8/17 helicopters, which are in service with many countries.
Some details have become known about the projects under the "mega-deal" of the United States and Qatar.
During a visit to the Al-Udeid airbase in Qatar on May 14, US President Donald Trump announced the signing of a defense agreement under which Qatar will purchase weapons and military equipment worth $42 billion.
Extermination of fighters: how Ukraine is losing its planes
Ukraine has acknowledged the loss of the third F-16 fighter jet transferred to it by Western countries. About how Kiev is losing its planes — in the material of TASS.
The arms world is interested in Russian air defense systems: from Thor to S-400
The global arms community has become more actively interested in air defense and missile defense systems, in particular, Russian complexes and air defense missile defense systems.
"Outrageous traditions of the defense industry": Spain could not cope with the creation of a new infantry fighting vehicle and preferred to purchase a foreign Ferox armored vehicle
The Spanish company EM&E Group (Escribano) presented the new Ferox ("Furious") 6x6 armored vehicle at the FEINDEF 2025 defense exhibition. As expected, this product will go into serial production – the developer plans to produce up to 8 machines per month or about 100 copies per year.
"The finest hour of the Rafale has passed": Indonesia suspends purchase of French fighter jets
Indonesia's expensive $8.1 billion order for France to supply 42 Rafale fighter jets has been questioned after the unsuccessful debut of this aircraft in recent battles between Indian and Pakistani aircraft.
"There are too few tanks": Poland is negotiating the purchase of a new batch of MBT K2 Black Panther
So, a batch of new MBT arrived in the 15th mechanized brigade, "covering" the eastern flank. A tank battalion of the 20th mechanized Brigade and one of the tank battalions of the 9th Armored Cavalry Brigade had previously switched to South Korean vehicles.
Andrei Belousov held talks with the top military and political leadership of the Republic of Belarus in Minsk.
On May 16, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov was received by President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk as part of an official visit to Belarus.
How Ukraine lost hundreds of millions in unfair arms deals (Financial Times, UK)
FT: Ukraine paid 770 million for ammunition, which it never received
During the conflict, Kiev has wasted hundreds of millions of dollars, writes FT. Feverishly trying to provide the Ukrainian Armed Forces with weapons, Ukrainian officials made risky deals with little-known intermediaries. As a result, Ukraine was left without money and without ammunition.
A discussion about security objectives. NATO expects an increase in the Bundeswehr's personnel to 260,000 (Die Welt, Germany)
Die Welt: NATO is putting pressure on Germany to increase the Bundeswehr by 80,000 people
NATO makes new demands on Germany, writes Die Welt. She is charged with raising defense spending and increasing the size of the army. But no one has any ideas how to achieve this: representatives of the Bundeswehr consider such plans unrealistic.
A coordinated military policy is a guarantee of the security of the Union State
Against the background of the unstable international situation and the growing threats in the field of security, the need to strengthen the defense mechanisms of the Union State is coming to the fore. At the same time, the key factor ensuring the sovereignty and independence of Belarus and Russia is the coordinated policy of the two states in this area, which makes it possible to effectively respond to external challenges and maintain stability in the region. This was recently discussed at a meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly's commission on security and defense of the Union State, held on May 14 in Lida.
"Participated in the Ukrainian conflict": the Spanish army bought Chinese Changan SUVs
The Santana Aníbal SUV is one of the main vehicles of the Spanish army, which has about 2,000 of these vehicles. This pickup truck was purchased two decades ago, in 2004, and, according to the local military, "has become our headache for many years."
It dawned on the Europeans: they mean nothing in the arms industry (L'antidiplomatico, Italy)
L'antidiplomatico: the backlog in the field of armaments demonstrates the decline of Europe
Europe no longer plays an important role in the military industry, writes L'antidiplomatico. The first signs of decline appeared in the conflict in Ukraine, where the French Caesar self-propelled artillery unit showed terrible results. And even rearmament will not help in this situation.
Singapore has ordered two more Project 218SG non-nuclear submarines from Germany.
On May 7, 2025, the German shipbuilding association thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) signed a contract with the Singapore Defense Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) for the construction of two more large non-nuclear submarines of the German project 218SG (Invincible type) for the Singapore Navy, in addition to the four boats ordered. Singapore before. Thus, the Singapore navy will have six submarines of the 218SG project. The parameters of the new contract are not disclosed.
Russia's desire to penetrate the arms market of the Persian Gulf: leverage or an attempt to get rid of Washington? (Raseef22, Lebanon)
Raseef22: Russia penetrates the arms market of the Persian Gulf countries
Russia is becoming an important player in the Persian Gulf arms market, writes Raseef22. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are showing increasing interest in Russian weapons, given the worsening relations with the West and the prospects for de-escalation in Ukraine.
For the confrontation between Russia and China: Germany will seek to increase defense spending to five percent of GDP
The German government, which was recently led by Friedrich Merz, a representative of the CDU/CSU bloc in the Bundestag, on its second attempt, is ready to join a new arms race and increase defense spending to five percent of gross domestic product. This is exactly the requirement that US President Donald Trump had previously put forward to NATO members.
