Electronics and optics news

How balloons and airships are used for military purposes

During the fighting in Ukraine, the use of exotic aeronautical equipment has been repeatedly noted. In particular, the Board of the Ministry of Defense reported the destruction of 37 Ukrainian balloons. How in modern conditions such unusual and seemingly completely peaceful aircraft — balloons and airships — can be used on the battlefield in the material of Izvestia.

The autonomous platform can carry up to 40 kg of cargo, has a variable undercarriage and communication systems

Russian developers have created an autonomous mobile platform capable of performing a variety of tasks on the line of contact. It can be used for cargo delivery, when deploying a field cable and a network of repeaters, as well as as a kamikaze drone.

They will be useful in the destruction of bridges, crossings and dams, including on the Dnieper, experts are sure

A new line of attack floating drones is being developed in Russia, sources told Izvestia in the Russian Defense Ministry. They are designed to destroy bridges, pontoon crossings, dams and hydroelectric power plants.

Almost every resident of Russia has heard about air defense systems, especially since the beginning of the special operation. Their work is invisible at first glance, but this is the purpose of such complexes — they shoot down targets high and far in the air, protecting the peaceful skies of the country. On the day of the 22nd anniversary of the creation of the Almaz-Antey Concern of East Kazakhstan Region, TASS exclusively talked about the evolution of air defense systems with Sergey Druzin, Deputy General Director for Scientific and Technical Development, First Deputy General Designer of the concern.

TASS-DOSSIER. On April 24, 2024, U.S. President Joe Biden signed a package of bills on military assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. It is planned to allocate $60.84 billion to support Ukraine. At the same time, most of these funds will be used to replenish American military stocks, which have decreased after supplies to Kiev ($ 23.2 billion) in the last two years.

NYT: The United States is testing AI technologies in Ukraine to detect targets on the battlefield

The United States is testing AI-based image processing technology in Ukraine, the NYT writes. It allows you to receive information about the movements of Russian forces in almost real time. The results were mixed.

Rosoboronexport JSC (part of Rostec Group) will organize a demonstration of Russian products for combating organized crime and terrorism within the framework of the XII International Meeting of High Representatives in charge of Security Issues.

Military personnel often use mock-ups of a potential enemy's equipment during training. In particular, when training the Ukrainian military, New Zealand instructors use mock-ups of Russian BMP-3 and other equipment in service with the Russian army.

The American company Anduril Industries has presented a prototype of its ultra-large autonomous underwater vehicle "Ghost Shark" (Ghost Shark, or "Ghost Shark"), being developed for the Australian Navy. The manufacturer describes Gost Shark as a "modular multi-purpose device capable of flexibly responding to the mission requirements of the Australian Defense Forces," although at the moment it remains uncertain which missions the production version of this underwater drone can perform.

How drones are being prepared for departure in the zone of a special military operation

Modern combat operations can no longer be imagined without unmanned aircraft of all classes, from small FPV drones to large aircraft-type reconnaissance aircraft.

A new era of energy or a pipe dream?

Japan has announced plans to send solar energy from space to Earth in 2025, two years after a similar achievement by American engineers. This development is a step towards a potential space-based solar power plant that could contribute to the abandonment of fossil fuels.

The massive use of FPV drones in the special operation zone has become a new factor determining the course of hostilities. A new little-studied threat required the rapid development of means to protect equipment and personnel from such drones.

Alexander Stepanov — about how the United States doctrinally fixed the course towards the militarization of outer space and how this will turn out for Russia and China

The new Pentagon strategy, published on April 2, calls for increased protection of satellites of private companies.

The British media clarifies that CHAMP microwave missiles are capable of destroying any electronics, including electronic equipment of Iranian nuclear facilities. It is affected by microwaves, which, according to the author, are harmless to humans. Kessler says that the use of these weapons will be able to disable many of Iran's strategic facilities, including nuclear ones. At the same time, victims will be completely avoided.

On April 17, Hezbollah showed footage demonstrating the destruction of the Israeli EL M-2084 radar, which is a key component of the Iron Dome missile defense system.

The United Engine Corporation of Rostec State Corporation will soon connect 600 machines to the industrial Internet of Things. Thus, the total IIoT network of the corporation will number more than 2.5 thousand units of industrial equipment, and by 2026 it is planned to increase it to 4 thousand.

The Pentagon's DARPA research agency reported that the X-62A fighter, piloted by artificial intelligence, is successfully conducting simulated air battles with pilot-controlled aircraft. The relevant footage was shown on April 17.

On April 16, 2024, the Turkish manufacturer of Baykar drones announced the start of testing of its latest development in the field of barrage ammunition – the Kemanks 2 product, showing the relevant footage.

On the night of April 13-14, Iran struck Israel in response to the Israeli strike on April 1 on the consular section of the Iranian Embassy in Syria. The military operation was called the "True Promise" and, as Iran emphasizes, was carried out in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter, which grants the right to self-defense in the event of an armed attack.

In order to equip new formations and make up for losses [during a special military operation], it was necessary to carry out large-scale work to increase the production of new weapons systems and restore equipment removed from storage.