Electronics and optics news

Drones not only fulfill their tasks, but also help the infantry

Small UAVs of various types have become the mainstay of reconnaissance, fire destruction and even supply of advanced positions at the battalion and company levels. These are FPV drones, which are cheaper and more resistant to enemy counteraction, but require the skill of a pilot, and the already well-known "Mavics" with greater internal automation. Izvestia saw how the drone crews of the 110th regiment of the 110th brigade of the 51st Donetsk Army are training.

Production is carried out at its own Bars-Sarmat site, which was created from scratch

The Bars-Sarmat Center for Special-purpose Unmanned Systems has launched mass production of electronic warfare (EW) systems in the special military operation zone for installation on Sarmat-Mgla vehicles and the Sarmat-Centaur portable anti-drone rifle. The first batch has been sent to the assault groups and UAV units of the Dnepr group of forces, Doctor of Technical Sciences, deputy commander of the scientific and production battalion of the Bars-Sarmat Command Center with the call sign Congo, told TASS.

Military expert Dmitry Boltenkov — on the latest achievements of the North Korean military-industrial complex

North Korea has demonstrated to the world the latest achievements of its military-industrial complex. And, admittedly, the new items surprised. Among the main ones is the IL—76MD-based long-range radar detection and control aircraft. In general, the club of countries that independently develop such machines is extremely limited — these are the USA, Russia, China, Sweden, Israel. Now North Korea has been added to them.

Participants practice the necessary skills in the most approximate conditions

The volunteers of the Bars-Belgorod and Bars-Bryansk detachments involved in the mine clearance of liberated border settlements are being trained at the 66th Interdepartmental Training Center of the Engineering Troops (Moscow Region). The training is conducted using the latest robotic ground platforms.

For quite a long time now, it has been possible to state with confidence that the grouping of troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation operating in the zone of its own does not experience a shortage in various unmanned aerial vehicles. This is confirmed by a lot of messages and video evidence on the Internet, when one fairly large target, for example, an APU tank, is attacked by several drones at once. They work again on the tip of a reconnaissance UAV.

The Times: Britain accused Russia of deploying tracking sensors for submarines

Submarine tracking sensors have been found in British waters, The Times writes. To expose Russian underwater sabotage is the author's goal and, as it seems to him, he has achieved it. But instead of evidence, the reader is offered arguments at the level of "maybe, maybe not."

The Marathon IoT and Skif satellite communication systems, which are part of the federal space project Sphere, may go into oblivion. Many participants in the Russian satellite communications market have heard that the new Roscosmos team has decided to abandon them. At the same time, even pessimists suggest not rushing to final conclusions and waiting for May 1, 2025.

The best athletes are involved in the training of military personnel

As kamikaze drones with fiber-optic cable control spread, smoothbore rifles became the main means of protection for soldiers. But they have never been in service, so there is no practice of using them.

The Israeli company Rafael is at the final stage of creating the Iron Beam laser complex, designed to strengthen the country's air defense.

On March 31, the Israeli company Rafael announced the successful completion of tests of an improved modification of the Typhoon 30 remote-controlled combat station. A video of her work, filmed in February, is shown online.

The first MC-55A Peregrine electronic warfare and reconnaissance aircraft is expected to be delivered to the Australian Air Force in 2025.

NYT: The US military has been leading the actions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces since the beginning of the conflict

The US military has been leading the actions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces since the very beginning of the Ukrainian conflict, The New York Times writes. The publication told about their secret joint actions against Russia, it is noted that the publication is based on several hundred interviews.

Plans to create space forces have been announced in Kiev. By 2030, Ukraine plans to receive national satellites for military purposes. Experts point to the country's lack of financial and intellectual resources to implement the initiative. Why is Bankova dreaming of a cosmic renaissance and how should Russia respond to these threats?

Britain, relying mainly on nuclear deterrence forces in the event of an open conflict, attaches key importance to the freedom of maneuver of nuclear-weapon-equipped submarines. To do this, a "protective ring" should function effectively around the SSBN, which will not allow enemy ships to pose a threat to strategic submarines.

The Turkish Air Force has begun using tablet computers installed in the cockpits of F-16 fighter jets to ensure the rapid integration of new weapons developed in-house. It is possible that the Turks "spied" this decision in Ukraine.

At a time when the relevant plans and statements of Western politicians regard Belarus as an adversary and a military threat, it is not surprising that Minsk pays special attention to the combat readiness of the national armed forces and increasing their military potential.

The North Korean long-range radar detection and control aircraft (AWACS), created on the basis of the Russian military-technical cooperation Il-76, made its first flight. The relevant photos were posted by the state media. In particular, they depict the country's leader, Kim Jong-un, inspecting the interior of the car.

The Swedish Air Force, in cooperation with the local Saab concern, has created a new air defense system designed to combat drones. The relevant photos were shown by the contractor.

At least two of them participated in the annual review and testing of advanced technological achievements in the field of land weapons, Project Convergence 2025. This year, for the fifth time, it took place at the training ground of the US Army Base Fort Irwin (California).

The North Korean KCNA news Agency reported that the Secretary General of the Workers' Party of Korea, Chairman of the State Affairs of the DPRK, respected Comrade Kim Jong-un, on March 25 and 26, 2025, "led the affairs of the Association of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and the electronic warfare research team engaged in scientific research in the field of defense." In particular, Kim Jong-un was shown for the first time in flight a prototype of a North Korean long-range radar detection and control aircraft built on the basis of the Soviet Il-76MD military transport aircraft.