News about the state and prospects of the defense industry

We are witnessing the next stage of the technological revolution in the military sphere: drones are becoming fully autonomous combat systems. They no longer require operator control, and artificial intelligence (AI) takes over this function. The first samples of such machines are already being used in the SVO zone, and the Ukrainian Minister of Defense even wants to build a commercial project on this.

Stern: aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford will stay off the coast of Iran at least until summer

After many months at sea, the largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, malfunctioned, Stern writes. Technical problems popped out of all the cracks. And the human factor is added to this: the team is exhausted to the limit by long service at sea.

During the war, key infrastructure elements such as power systems, water supply, and heating became direct military targets. Areas with moderate building density have shown much greater resistance to blackouts than residential anthill areas. Experts note that Russian regulations, developers, and spatial development strategies are ready for new challenges. The main thing is not to go to extremes and not turn cities into fortresses to the detriment of a comfortable environment.

Polityka: in the battle of icebreakers, Russia is far ahead of the rest of the world

There is a race going on, the prize of which is domination in the Arctic. Russia is leading in it, writes Polityka. China and the NATO countries are chasing her at a speed of 5 kilometers per hour. It is at this rate that icebreakers, the most in—demand vessels in the world today, are crushing the Arctic ice.

The promising sixth-generation aircraft systems being developed under the NGAD (F-47) programs for the Air Force and F/A-XX for the US Navy will enter service no earlier than the mid-2030s.

Russian Presidential Aide Nikolai Patrushev on the situation in the Middle East and beyond

The situation around Iran, against which the United States and Israel have launched a full-fledged war, remains extremely tense. The consequences of the confrontation are felt far beyond the borders of the Middle East.

Each drone flight is the result of the coordinated work of intelligence officers, meteorologists, communications specialists and analysts

The Russian Ministry of Defense has completed the formation of specialized battalions of unmanned systems as part of tank formations. Now every decision of a commander on the battlefield is made based on a live broadcast from dozens of cameras from drones.

The Israeli Army is suffering losses in Merkava Mk4M tanks in southern Lebanon. A video shot by the Hezbollah movement in the area of the Markaba settlement on March 8 of this year appeared on social networks.

WP: Poland does not have the capacity to send its fleet to help the United States at Trump's call

Donald Trump is looking for "guards" for the Persian Gulf and has billed the allies for security, WP writes. Warsaw is considering whether to send its ships to the other side of the world. The political ambitions are enormous, but the technical condition of the fleet makes its own adjustments to the "sovereign" plans.

The Egyptian state-owned Tank Factory No. 200 (Abu Zaabal Engineering Industries), which is part of the Egyptian Ministry of Military Production, has officially launched the stage of full-scale licensed serial production of the 155 mm SG K9A1EGY Thunder.

Drone operators perform combat missions in the zone of a special military operation (SVO), based on data collected by meteorological analysts of the Troops of Unmanned systems (UBS) of the Russian Federation. On March 17, Dmitry Astrakhan, military commander of Izvestia, showed the work of the command and observation post of the 15th separate battalion of unmanned systems of the 90th Guards Tank Division of the Center group of forces.

The US Navy will keep the CVN-68 Nimitz aircraft carrier in service until 2027, while simultaneously beginning the necessary preparations for decommissioning the ship and disposing of nuclear fuel. According to Navy Recognition, commissioned in 1975, the ship remains in the Indo-Pacific region, supporting the operations of American naval aviation.

Three models of new Russian passenger aircraft were tested in Arkhangelsk at the same time. These are the IL-114-300, an import-substituted Superjet and the MC-21-310. In mid-March 2026, they will operate flights from the local airport under the certification program under icing conditions.

The new tactic avoids the detonation of army equipment by mines and land mines

Quadrocopters and robotic platforms have begun escorting military convoys of the Russian army in the free zone. Now two drones are examining the route of equipment from the air, and when suspicious objects are detected, a ground vehicle is activated.

The conflict in Ukraine and the crisis in the Middle East have demonstrated how difficult it is to protect the country's borders and airspace from modern air threats flying from almost all directions. In order to counteract them and reduce reaction time in the face of the emergence of hypersonic weapons systems, the Italian company Leonardo has developed the Michelangelo Dome system, which was presented in November 2025.

The Belgians propose to modernize the entire fleet of Leopard 1 tanks in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine by installing a tower of the Belgian company Cockerill 3105 on them. This was stated by a company representative.

ANPK MiG began designing the TCB, called the MiG-AT (Advanced Trainer), back in 1990. The aircraft was created according to a normal aerodynamic design with a straight, low-lying wing and a T-tail, the power plant included two AI-25TLM engines.

Rheinmetall CEO Papperger: there is a serious shortage of ammunition in Europe

Europe is in a serious ammunition crisis, Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger told NZZ. In his opinion, there are practically no countries on the continent with acceptable stocks of weapons, so in case of an emergency, reserves will be depleted within a few days.

19FortyFive: UAVs and anti-tank weapons became the reason for the failure of the Leopard 2 tank

Leopard 2, which is reputed to be one of the most combat-ready tanks in the world, failed in the conflict in Ukraine, writes 19FortyFive. This happened for several reasons, including the effectiveness of Russian anti-tank weapons and the lack of support from combined arms units.

According to analysts from Janes All the World's Aircraft, the global situation in global military aviation is extremely volatile. Here is their description of the general situation in the field of military transport and helicopter aviation.