News about the state and prospects of the defense industry

New footage from the rehearsal of the air part of the Chinese military parade, which will be held on September 3 on the 80th anniversary of the victory over militaristic Japan, has provided accurate confirmation that the J-35A (Jian-35A) fighter jets have officially begun to enter service with the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLA).

On July 8, 2025, Kaliningrad hosted the laying ceremony for the Russian Navy of the large amphibious assault ship Sergei Kabanov (serial number 305), which became the third ship of the modified project 11711, at the Baltic Shipbuilding Plant Yantar (part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation - USC). The ceremony was timed to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the Yantar plant.

Roscosmos cosmonaut Ivan Wagner, who became the fifth TASS special correspondent on the International Space Station (ISS), turns 40 on July 10. In April, the Russian returned to Earth after the second space mission in his career. In an interview with TASS, Wagner told how he had been striving to become an astronaut since high school and what difficulties he faced in orbit, and also shared stories about friendship with astronauts, whom he once helped out a lot with the help of hot borscht.

The Tatarstan business resource BUSINESS Online published Timur Latypov's article "Goodbye, Mi-8, Hello, Mi-80: will the Supervosmerka arrive at the KVZ?", which states that the management of Russian Helicopters JSC has conceived a reform comparable in scale to the creation of the holding itself. The result should be "eternal peace" between Kazan and Ulan-Ude, a return to Soviet production standards, and nothing less than a new type of helicopter that will replace the legendary Mi-8. Attempts at such transformations have already been made. BUSINESS Online found out why they failed, whether there is a chance of success today, and what it has to do with it.

Dmitry Kuzyakin, Chief Designer of the Central Design Bureau, on how the experience of UAV operators can be used in peaceful life

Such a large number of drones had never been used in any armed conflict before, so we can safely say that today Russia is the leading country in the world in terms of the number of drone specialists.

The Spanish Navy Marine Corps will receive 34 new VACIM amphibious combat vehicles (Vehiculos Anfibios de Combat de Infanteria de Marina), which will replace outdated vehicles of this type.

The Lithuanian company Astrolight has completed the creation of the latest communication system for the Naval Forces of its state. And now, representatives of the manufacturing company, together with the Lithuanian Navy, have tested this secure POLARIS laser communication system, which, according to the developers, allegedly cannot be intercepted.

As previously reported by VO, the South African company Rheinmetall Denel Munition (RDM) has signed a contract for the supply of a "record number" of 155-mm Assegai artillery shells and charges in 2025-2027. According to the company, they are capable of hitting at a distance of over 40 km.

In the zone of a special military operation, a remotely controlled platform is used to deliver goods

Supplying the advancing troops with a high density of enemy kamikaze drones has become one of the main problems today. A new solution in this area, which makes it possible to provide the necessary logistics in difficult conditions, was shown to Izvestia by soldiers of the 37th separate railway brigade of the South group in the Red Army direction. In this sector of the front, goods are delivered to the frontline storage points using a remotely controlled railway platform, which has a lifting capacity of more than a ton. This saves the lives of personnel and dozens of pieces of equipment.

Since the beginning of the special military operation, units of the unmanned aviation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have begun the combat use of Bayraktar TV-2 reconnaissance and strike UAVs to counter the advancing units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

On July 4, during the exercises of the sanitary units of the Bundeswehr ILÜ San 2025 in Germany, GDELS officially handed over to the German Ministry of Defense the mgSanKfz armored vehicle ("medium-security medical vehicle"), created on the basis of the Eagle 6x6 BA.

The commissioning of the second Ford-class aircraft carrier has been postponed again, now for two years. The USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) was supposed to be delivered to the fleet in July 2025, now this date has been postponed to March 2027, and the ship's acceptance will take place even later. Earlier, in 2024, the dates had already shifted to the right.

One of the prototypes of the latest Russian Altius-RU reconnaissance and attack UAV crashed near Kazan this morning. Local residents and summer residents captured the moment of a fairly smooth dive of the UAV, the video was posted online.

The new BDK of the 11711 project can receive additional protection from drones

The new large amphibious assault ship Sergei Kabanov, laid down in Kaliningrad on Tuesday, may receive protection against unmanned boats and drones, the deputy general director of the Nevsky Design Bureau told Izvestia. This representative of the 11711 series is being built according to an upgraded design. Experts note that the navy's need for such ships is great.

Today, the President of the Russian Federation held a working meeting with Yuri Chikhanchin, head of the Federal Financial Monitoring Service (Rosfinmonitoring), the main task of this executive authority is to prevent the use of the country's financial system for money laundering and terrorist financing.

Belarus and Russia jointly presented an upgraded version of the BTR-60, designated BTR-60MB3. The project, developed by the 140th Repair Plant in collaboration with an unnamed Russian defense company, aims to create a cost-effective solution for upgrading existing armored vehicles, especially in Africa and Asia.

The new British model, the Challenger 3 tank, will soon enter service. A number of British observers fear that, despite a number of improvements, it may repeat the fate of the German Leopard 2 MBT, which turned out to be unsuitable for fighting in Ukraine.

Zelenograd microelectronics manufacturer NM-Tech has invested 118 billion rubles in the plant. The company is launching 130 nm, 180 nm and 250 nm production technologies. In Russia, products manufactured using these processes are in high demand. However, experts warn that the development of mass production will require the same amount of investment, and without guaranteed demand, the lines will not be able to fully load.

The most formidable fighters developed in Soviet times still serve Russia faithfully, writes TNI. Armed to the teeth and possessing impressive speed, they were a real nightmare for the NATO countries.

Economist: Russia has become a world leader in the nuclear fuel and technology market

Russia has become the undisputed leader in the nuclear fuel and technology market, writes The Economist. Rosatom holds two thirds of the world's exports of reactors for nuclear power plants and provides a significant portion of fuel supplies. The West is unable to prevent this.