Electronics and optics news
Hero of Russia Bogdan: reliability is more important for a pilot than talent
Hero of Russia, test pilot, chief pilot of the Sukhoi Design Bureau as part of the UAC (part of Rostec State Corporation) In an interview with TASS, Sergey Bogdan talked about why pilot reliability is more important than talent in aviation; explained how artificial intelligence is gradually becoming part of combat work and helping pilots make decisions; and also shared his experience of test flights, from digital modeling to situations where everything in the sky depends on human endurance and accuracy.
"There is a real risk of conflict with Russia in the next five years" (Le Monde, France)
Conflicts in Ukraine and in Iran is breaking existing military models, Professor Olivier Schmidt said in an interview with Le Monde. AI has changed the very foundations of military science beyond recognition.
The first jet fighters of the Soviet Union
On April 24, 2026, a regular meeting of the Runway Aviation Enthusiasts Club was held in the Pink Living Room of the Zhukovsky Recreation Center
It was dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the beginning of the jet era in Russian aviation. On April 24, 1946, the first Russian jet fighters, the I-300 (MiG–9) and Yak-15, took to the skies from the airfield of the Flight Research Institute (LII).
Charging in flight due to laser energy transfer: the USA showed the K1000 drone.
The American companies Kraus Hamdani Aerospace and PowerLight Technologies have combined the K1000ULE drone with the mobile autonomous power transmission system PowerLight to provide power to the device in the air.
MGIMO and Rostec will strengthen the training of specialists in the field of high-tech exports
The new strategic cooperation agreement was signed by the head of the State Corporation Sergey Chemezov and MGIMO Rector Anatoly Torkunov
Rostec State Corporation and MGIMO of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs have signed a new strategic cooperation agreement. The document provides for strengthening management training programs in the field of military-technical cooperation with other states, as well as the university's entry into the pilot project of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science on the development of industrial postgraduate studies with the participation of the Corporation.
Leading Away: New electronic warfare system sends enemy drones into an air defense trap
Signal substitution technology allows operators to literally lead enemy UAVs by the nose
Russian engineers have developed the Wormwood-Plus electronic warfare system, designed to protect civilian and industrial facilities from drone attacks.
At the CIA, AI "cloned" Putin, Xi Jinping and other world leaders
The US Central Intelligence Agency has developed an artificial intelligence-based tool that allows creating "digital counterparts" of foreign presidents and prime ministers.
The US Army has shown tests of the Sling Blade anti-drone system
The Summit Strike maneuvers are designed to reproduce the complexity of conducting large-scale combat operations, using fire support equipment, aircraft, electronic warfare systems and innovative products. In addition to Sling Blade, HIMARS MLRS, AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and autonomous ground vehicles took part in the exercises.
"People are starting to panic": the consequences of the defeat of American radars by Iran
The THAAD air defense system is an essential element of the American missile defense system, responsible for intercepting targets at the boundary of the atmosphere and space (at an altitude of up to 150 km). Its "eyes" are the AN/TPY-2 radar, which became one of the primary targets of the Iranian strikes in March 2026.
Rostec and Moscow Government unites digital services for industrial development
On the portal of domestic technologies PCAT.ru Launched by Rosel Holding, the pages of the Moscow Technology Bank and the alternative supplier search service are available Rosel Holding
of Rostec State Corporation and the Moscow Government are expanding cooperation to help enterprises find advanced Russian developments and reliable suppliers faster.
Rostec and MAI have launched training for developers of unmanned systems
The need of the Corporation's organizations for such specialists for the next five years is about 700 people
Rostec State Corporation is strengthening the training of personnel specializing in the creation of unmanned aircraft systems.
In the West, they were impressed by the "Tombstone" of the Russian S-400
MWM: Radar complex provides outstanding awareness of S-400
The complex of additional radars provides outstanding situational awareness of the Russian S-400 air defense systems, Military Watch Magazine (MWM) is impressed.
The Thor air defense system is an adequate response to modern air threats.
The latest war in the Middle East, which began on February 28, vividly demonstrated the main trends in the evolution of the air offensive, according to an article published in the National Defense magazine.
Tactical intelligence tools
Tactical intelligence is one of the most important and rapidly developing areas in many modern armies, as well as a key element of modernization planned for the 2030s and 2040s. Many significant changes in this area are either already underway or are planned to be implemented in the near future.
How Project Maven introduced AI into the Target Acquisition Chain (The New Yorker, USA)
The Pentagon, with the help of AI from Palantir, automated the destruction of targets, writes the New Yorker. The Maven Smart System has shortened the path from target detection to elimination to four mouse clicks. Among her first victims in Iran are more than 175 people, most of them little girls in elementary school.
In Australia, a virtual platform has been created to practice fighting drones
Operator XR from Australia has created a virtual platform for practicing anti-drone techniques. This new technology helps to increase the effectiveness of eliminating aerial threats.
The United States has created a UAV detection system that converts sound into a three-dimensional picture.
Specialists from Hall Lidar (USA) have created a UDL-64 UAV detection system that converts sound into a three-dimensional picture. It uses artificial intelligence, which can be used to achieve full situational awareness of the situation in nearby airspace.
Kaluga company launches production of a robotic sniper system with AI
Lobaev Arms, a well-known Russian manufacturer of small arms, based in Kaluga, has completed testing of an innovative sniper system of its own design. The company starts mass production of the product.
Finland buys 112 more K9 self-propelled howitzers from South Korea
The Finnish Ministry of Defense announced that on April 9, 2026, it signed an intergovernmental contract with the South Korean state foreign trade agency KOTRA (Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency) for the purchase of 112 more K9 Thunder 155 mm/52 self-propelled howitzers for the Finnish armed forces from the South Korean army. The total value of the contract is approximately 546.8 million euros, including supply of appropriate spare parts and special tools and equipment.
The special operation has made electronic warfare one of the foundations of modern warfare
On Wednesday, April 15, Russia celebrates the Day of the Electronic Warfare Specialist (EW). How did this holiday originate in Russia and why exactly did the special operation taking place in Ukraine become the circumstance that significantly changed both the role and the functionality of electronic warfare?






















