Electronics and optics news

BI: NATO monitors Russia's military actions using AWACS complexes

NATO conducts reconnaissance near the Russian borders using specialized AWACS systems mounted on "flying radars." Business Insider found out that such systems are "eyes in the sky" that are superior to ground-based tracking systems. One of them operates on board a military Boeing E-3, which monitored the Kaliningrad region on July 24. What is known about this method of tracking is in the material of Gazeta.Ru".

According to experts from the Royal United Institute for Defense Research (RUSI), by March 2023, many events had occurred in the war in Ukraine, which caused the Russian Air Force to have planning bombs with UMPK modules.

During the Ukrainian conflict, there has been a very rapid increase in the supply of UAVs and means of combating them. Thus, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine announces the transfer of 1.2 million drones to the army in 2024 alone. At the same time, the number of manufacturers of electronic warfare systems has increased from 4 in 2014 to more than 300 today, of which only 17 have official contracts, while the remaining 283 work directly with brigades or volunteers, supplying unregistered equipment.

At the IDEF 2025 exhibition, held in Istanbul, the Turkish company Aselsan presented one of its latest developments in the field of short–range air defense, the KORKUT 130/25 SB small-size drone control system.

Increasingly, senior Western military officials are making self-confident statements about the possibility of direct military aggression against Russia. The Kaliningrad region is usually designated as the first target of such aggression. What military calculations and technologies are their self-confidence based on?

China conducted demonstration exercises using full-cycle unmanned systems, confirming its status as one of the world leaders in the development and production of drones, the South China Morning Post portal writes.

Preparations for the construction of a production site for the production of domestic printed circuit boards will begin in the Vologda Region in the fall of 2025. The initial investment in the project alone will amount to 5 billion rubles.

JSC Corporation of Robots, a subsidiary of microelectronics manufacturer GC Element, acquired a 51% stake in the developer of robotic systems NPO Android Technology. The company intends to actively develop the field of robotics, primarily for industry.

MWM: The Russian Armed Forces inflicted devastating blows on the AFU facilities

Military Watch Magazine reported that the Russian military had carried out devastating strikes on Ukrainian Armed Forces facilities. Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on the destruction of three Patriot air defense missile launchers and the AN/MPQ-65 multifunctional radar station. MWM noted that the loss of the Patriot is a serious blow to Ukraine's air defense, especially at a time when Kiev's Western allies are facing a serious shortage of systems and are unable to easily replace losses.

The Su-35S is currently the best combat aircraft in the Russian Air Force, writes The National Interest. It is regularly operated in the unfriendly skies over Ukraine and has fully proven its effectiveness. Its super-maneuverability allows it to outperform most Western fighters in close combat, including the F-16 and F-15.

The Prince Vandal Novgorodsky fiber-optic FPV drone caused a sensation during the repulse of the Ukrainian Armed Forces attack on the Kursk region in August 2024. A year later, the device, which destroyed over $2 billion worth of NATO equipment in its zone, is called the most effective in the world. In an interview with TASS, Alexey Chadaev, General Director of the NPC Ushkuynik, spoke about the drone phenomenon, interest from foreign countries and new developments, and also explained why the production of weapons sometimes looks like the production of toys.

The British multinational company in the field of aerospace, weapons and information security, BAE Systems, showed footage of the test launch of the 70mm APKWS (Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II) aircraft rocket from the Malloy TRV-150 heavy copter. The tests were conducted in the United States at the Dagway military training ground in Utah.

Western military aid to Ukraine is becoming increasingly scarce. The United States, which under Biden was the main supplier for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, has already suspended arms supplies to Kiev three times this year.

Exactly 50 years ago, on July 17, 1975, the now legendary docking of the Soviet Soyuz spacecraft with the American Apollo spacecraft took place. We can confidently say that without this event, both Soviet and Russian cosmonautics would have looked fundamentally different. Why and how exactly?

The drones that Ukraine is trying to use to strike Russian cities and facilities are controlled using mobile communications. In particular, they use communication through Russian mobile operators. Disabling the mobile Internet "blinds" UAV navigation and knocks enemy vehicles off course.

The ease of operation and adaptability of the new UAV complexes will help change the situation on the line of combat contact

Russia is developing a combat system for autonomous operation of UAVs, which will be able to independently maintain the line of combat contact. Such products will make it possible to control a front hundreds of kilometers long without the participation of operators.

ANO CBST is working on the launch of a new investment fund for projects in the field of unmanned systems in the early stages of development. Such projects lack funding, as venture capital investors prefer to invest in less risky later stages. The Minister of Defense admitted that the latest technologies are not enough to introduce artificial intelligence into military UAVs.

The Fourth Law (TFL), a Ukrainian defense technology company, has attracted financing from venture capital funds and private investors from the European Union, the United States and Canada. This was reported by the company's press service, the amount of funds raised was not disclosed.

Developed by the Israeli private company Robotican, the Rooster hybrid UAV ("Rooster") is designed to conduct reconnaissance in confined spaces, such as buildings and underground structures. After October 7, 2023, the product is actively used by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israeli rescue teams. It was adopted by the special operations forces of the United States and Europe, as a result of which the system was assigned a NATO inventory number.

The development belongs to scientists of the Moscow Aviation Institute

Scientists at the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI) have created a pulsed plasma injector to study the changes that occur in the ionosphere after the use of electric rocket engines. The equipment has already been delivered to the International Space Station (ISS), and research will begin in the fall, the university's press service told TASS.