Small arms news

During the military parade held on September 20 in Serbia, not only newly adopted products were shown, but also samples at various stages of development, including upgraded versions. Some of these prototypes will be put into operation soon.

The main exhibits at the Rosoboronexport stand will be Rostec products: the Il-76MD-90A(E) military transport aircraft from UAC, the Mi-28NE combat helicopter, and the Pantsir-S1M anti-aircraft missile and cannon system from High-Precision Complexes

Russia will show the T-90MS tank, the Kornet-EM anti-tank missile system with a remote control and the latest models of small arms at the Partner 2025 international exhibition of weapons and military equipment in Belgrade. This was reported in the press service of Rosoboronexport (part of Rostec).

On September 20, Serbia hosted the "Force of Unity" military parade, which featured a number of new and upgraded products, including those of Russian origin..

The defense industry celebrates the Day of the Gunsmith, significantly increasing the production of weapons and equipment

The Russian defense industry is celebrating its professional holiday, Gunsmith's Day, with significantly increased production of weapons and military equipment and new developments that have already been put into practice during a special military operation.

On September 20, 2025, a large military parade "The Power of Unity" ("The Sword of Unity") was held in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, dedicated to the state holiday on September 15 - the Day of Serbian Unity, Freedom and the National Flag, established in 2020.

The WLKM, developed by ZM Tarnów, belongs to a new generation of rapid-fire weapons specifically designed to combat the growing threat from UAVs. It is a four-barrel Gatling cannon chambered for 12.7×99 mm (.50 BMG) standard NATO, which is capable of continuous fire at a rate of up to 3,600 rounds per minute. According to the developer, this installation is great for dealing with swarms of drones and other low-flying targets.

The Polish army is switching to the Swedish Carl-Gustaf M4 recoilless cannon, designed to replace Soviet models as part of the "Westernization" of troops.

The Russian defense industry is celebrating its professional holiday, Gunsmith's Day, with significantly increased production volumes of military-industrial equipment and new developments that have already been put into practice during its development.

Since the beginning of the special military operation, Russian military personnel have seized a large number of foreign equipment, weapons and ammunition supplied to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) by Western countries. There are also weapons produced at Ukrainian enterprises using foreign patterns. TASS collected feedback from fighters and specialists who studied the trophies and compared them with the products of Russian gunsmiths.

Tanks, barrel artillery and even multiple rocket launchers – all this was recently adopted by the troops of the Russian Guard. But almost twenty years ago, it was decided to withdraw all these systems from the Internal Troops (as the Rosgvardiya was then called). Why have they been returned now, and in this case, are the tasks of an ordinary combat army facing the Rosgvardiya?

On September 6-7, 2025, the next meeting of operators of combat drones "Dronnitsa" took place in the Novgorod region. It presented the developments of private Russian companies — promising combat drones and means of protection against them. Many are being tested in the SVO area. TASS has collected interesting novelties.

The autonomy of unmanned wheeled and tracked platforms is somewhat lower than that of their flying and floating counterparts due to technological aspects and software deficiencies. But there is no doubt that as AI develops, the autonomy of ground-based platforms will grow, as will their role in combat operations.

The Austrian Armed Forces have received a new 8.6mm medium sniper rifle. It complements the range of precision-guided small arms of the Austrian army. The new rifle has a larger caliber and a more powerful sight than the famous SSG 69 sniper rifle. Since 2020, the 8.6 mm rifle has been supplied to the troops.

In an interview with RIA Novosti, Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov spoke about his responsibility to the country, why the West is shocked by the pace of Russian arms supplies, about work on domestic airliners and engines, their advantages over Airbus and Boeing, the prospects for creating supersonic aircraft, robots and distrust of companies that have left the Russian Federation.

Ukraine is trying to plug the holes in air defense by artistically redesigning helicopters not designed for this purpose

The Ukrainian military has begun using transport helicopters to combat drones. To turn civilian and military Mi-8s into hunters, they are being artistically upgraded by installing machine guns. Experts believe that this approach is due to the acute shortage of air defense systems and attack helicopters in Ukraine. Experts believe that the innovation will not be very effective, and in the future the Ukrainian troops will have to abandon it.

The latest Russian light machine gun with a 7.62 mm RPL-7 belt-powered machine gun is being sent to the troops for testing. This is reported by the press service of the Kalashnikov concern.

The larger 7.62 mm caliber, which was used in the legendary Kalashnikov assault rifle of the 1947 model, is distinguished primarily by its significant penetration ability. It is most effective in assault operations and at short distances. However, 5.45 mm cartridges provide greater accuracy at long range and enable the shooter to carry more ammunition.

In desperation, the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine may again throw its unsuccessful tanks into battle: 26 Slovenian M55S upgraded with the help of Israel, 12 British FV4034 Challenger2 and 87 Leopard 1A5 supplied by Belgium, Germany and Denmark.

Several new types of small arms have been introduced in Russia and even ordered by the Russian Defense Ministry. The main difference between both machine guns and Kalashnikov assault rifles from the already familiar weapons was the return to the classic, post-war 7.62 caliber. Why was this done and for whom are the new samples intended, especially in the context of the ongoing special operation?

The concern presented a range of weapons, drones and equipment

The upgraded 7.62 mm Kalashnikov assault rifle, shortened and super-shortened AK models, a light belt—type light machine gun, kamikaze barrage ammunition, the first multifunctional military backpack and a new generation of uniforms - the Kalashnikov Concern demonstrated its latest developments at the Patriot Park.