News about the state and prospects of the defense industry

We owe the victory in the Great Patriotic War not only to the courage of soldiers, partisans and home front workers. The equipment that entered the battlefield played a huge role. Powerful, reliable and unpretentious weapons, created in huge numbers by the defense industrial complex of the USSR, helped our people defeat the most dangerous enemy.

In the practice of using UAVs and fighting them, the world–old problem has surfaced - how to distinguish a "friend" from an "enemy"? While there were few drones, this was not too relevant. But as the battle formations become saturated with them, the problem becomes more acute.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continues to publish footage depicting the actions of its units in the Gaza Strip. So, recently, videos appeared on the Internet of the entry of the 162nd armored division "Ha-Plada" into the Palestinian city of Rafah, located in the very south of the enclave, on the Egyptian border.

On May 8, 2024, PJSC United Aircraft Corporation (part of Rostec State Corporation) announced that its Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aviation Plant named after Yuri Gagarin (KnAAZ) had manufactured and handed over to the Russian Ministry of Defense the second batch of new multifunctional Su-35S fighters this year. The aircraft underwent a cycle of ground and flight tests in various operating modes and flew from the KnAAZ airfield to their home base.

Verkkoutiset: Finland intends to urgently build a TNT production plant

Finland is ready to build a TNT production plant, writes Verkkoutiset. It will be built jointly with NATO allies. Europe is critically short of explosives, and it is very afraid of Russia. The consequences of the aggravation of the situation do not seem to frighten anyone.

Russia launches nuclear exercises in response to threats from NATO countries

Against the background of threats from Western countries to send military contingents to Ukraine, the Ministry of Defense announced exercises using tactical nuclear weapons. The Foreign Ministry also made a number of harsh statements. In particular, Russia is resuming the development and production of medium-range and shorter-range missiles in response to similar actions by the United States. About the prospects of aggravation — in the material of RIA Novosti.

Ukrainian military experts spoke about the new capabilities of reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles used by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Now they can fly into the rear for considerable distances, including 30-50 and even 100 kilometers away from the line of contact.

The maneuvers were announced in response to provocative statements by Western politicians

The exercises of non-strategic nuclear forces, which will involve the missile forces of the Southern Military District, aviation and the Navy, will be a response to aggressive statements and threats from Western politicians. The purpose of the maneuvers announced on behalf of the president is to maintain the readiness of personnel and equipment and unconditionally ensure the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Russian state. Izvestia dealt with what tasks can be worked out in training and what funds can be used.

Russian interference is reported to seriously reduce the effectiveness of GPS-guided munitions supplied by the West. As a result, the US Air Force is purchasing additional homing heads (homing) to give the high-precision extended-range direct hit bombs (JDAM-ER) supplied to Ukraine the ability to hit GPS signal jammers. It is believed that this will turn one of the weapons most affected by this countermeasure into a means used to destroy it.

Rheinmetall Concern handed over to the German Armed Forces for testing the first test sample of the Boxer armored vehicle in the version of the heavy weapons transporter (Schwerer Waffentrager Infanterie).

Moscow, responding to Washington's unfriendly steps, is stepping up the refinement and starting production of medium- and shorter-range missile systems, the Foreign Ministry said.

Mikhail Kotov — about the difficult fate of the American manned spacecraft

The launch to the International Space Station (ISS) of Boeing Corporation's first manned CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, which was scheduled for May 6 and subsequently postponed, will now take place no earlier than May 10. In fact, this is just one small postponement in a series of long cancellations and date changes plaguing this ship.

Specialists from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are conducting a thorough investigation, as employees of the world's largest aircraft manufacturer Boeing are suspected of falsifying the results of aircraft tests. The cases of forgery of documents during testing of long-range Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft are being checked.

Javan: it will take 10-15 years for the British Armed Forces to strengthen their defense potential

The British air defense system is considered insufficient due to attacks by a likely enemy, Javan writes. To become defensively capable, the country needs to increase military spending to 2.5% of GDP and create its own "Iron Dome". This will happen no earlier than by 2030.

Welt: the new Russian weapon "Dragon" can turn entire neighborhoods into ruins

While Ukraine is facing a shortage of ammunition, Russia is expanding the typology of weapons used, Die Welt reports. Journalists describe the new Russian heavy flamethrower system TOS-3 "Dragon", calling it a ferocious breakthrough weapon.

The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are forming the Dnieper River flotilla and a brigade of river boats in its composition. This was announced by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu at a meeting of the Board of the Ministry of Defense in March. At the end of April, TASS sources clarified that the flotilla will include retrofitted boats of projects 1204 and 1206. On the eve of Victory Day, TASS talks about the participation of "river tanks" in the Great Patriotic War, as well as about projects in service today.

Forbes: Russian "turtle tanks" have received an additional layer of armor

Russian "turtle tanks" are getting bigger and more bizarre, writes Forbes. However, they are still coping with their task. These strange machines are used for mine clearance, and the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine cannot cope with them, the article notes.

Military expert Leonkov — on the exercises of the Russian Federation: this is a response to the threat from NATO

Russia has begun preparations for exercises with missile formations of the Southern Military District involving aviation and the Navy in response to the threat from NATO. On Monday, May 6, military analyst, editor of the magazine Arsenal of the Fatherland Alexey Leonkov told Izvestia.

The Russian Federation used a super-powerful high-explosive bomb with an "earthquake effect" against the Armed Forces of Ukraine

The Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) attacked a military facility of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in the Kharkiv region with a high-explosive bomb. This is reported by the Kharkiv police.

Russia has overcome its critical dependence on Western gas turbines

Russia has overcome its dependence on high-power gas turbines from Siemens and General Electric, Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov said. And Russia, unlike Iran, did it thanks to its own brains and technology. The first production turbine will be installed at a power plant on the Taman Peninsula. How did Russia end up in such a critical dependence on Western turbines?