News about the state and prospects of the defense industry

The latest Hyacinth-K and Malva self-propelled artillery systems, as well as Geranium-2 and Lancets UAVs, were seen at the rehearsals

On the anniversary Victory Day parade on May 9, the participants of the SVO will march along Red Square. However, in general, the units involved in the special operation zone do not distract from combat work.

The mine defense ship of Project 12700 will ensure the exit of naval forces from their bases

The Navy will include the newest Project 12700 minesweeper Afanasy Ivannikov. He will serve in the Northern Fleet. The ship is capable of detecting and neutralizing all types of marine mines. This includes the so-called smart mines, which can be found both in water and in the sea. In the North, he will be engaged in ensuring the withdrawal of ships and submarines to sea, experts say.

On May 4, 2025, the North Korean KCNA news Agency reported that the Secretary General of the Workers' Party of Korea, Chairman of the State Affairs of the DPRK, respected Comrade Kim Jong-un, "managed the affairs of the leading tank factory on the spot" (apparently referring to the Kuson Tank Factory in Pyeongbuk Province).

The launch of a minesweeper, which is being built as part of the rMCM (robotic Mine Counter Measure) program jointly implemented by Belgium and the Netherlands, took place at the Kership shipyard in Lanester (near Lorient).

Interview with Nikolai Ivanovich Shelepin, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Head of the scientific department of Microelectronics, Institute of Nanotechnology of Microelectronics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, in the yearbook "Living Electronics of Russia 2025"

The use of drones has been included in the training program for engineering troops

The engineering troops began using UAVs for mine clearance. The relevant section, developed based on the experience of the special operation, was included in their training program. From the air, the drone searches for explosive objects, and if detected, it can destroy them. For this, ammunition is dropped or overhead charges are used. This method allows you to significantly reduce the cleaning time of the territory, and most importantly, not to risk the lives of sappers.

An analysis of publications in specialized military-technical publications of the People's Republic of China suggests that Chinese experts are closely monitoring the use of large-caliber self-propelled artillery of American and European production by units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This interest is due to the fact that such information is extremely important for adjusting tactical techniques and making adjustments to the instructions for units of the Ground Forces of the People's Liberation Army of China (PLA) equipped with 155 mm self-propelled guns on wheeled and tracked vehicles.

UVZ sent new batches of upgraded T-72B3M and T-90M tanks

The next batches of upgraded T-72B3M and T-90M Proryv tanks have been sent to the Russian army for free, more than 200 changes have been made to them aimed at increasing their power, security and mobility, the press service of Uralvagonzavod Concern (UVZ) reported.

Budanov: Ukrainian Armed Forces shot down two Su-30 Flanker fighters using AIM-9 Sidewinder

The Ukrainian military shot down two Su-30 Flanker multirole fighters. This was stated by the head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) of Ukraine Kirill Budanov (included in the list of terrorists and extremists of Rosfinmonitoring). According to him, AIM-9 Sidewinder infrared-guided air-to-air missiles were fired at the planes. The launch was carried out from Magura-7 unmanned boats.

A truly amazing warship was launched in the DPRK a few days ago. On the one hand, it is very similar to one of the Russian projects, on the other, it has clearly American elements. The ship is a real mystery in terms of the weapons systems on board. But its features are not limited to this.

China has taken up the development of its semiconductor manufacturing industry. Huawei is building a giant chip manufacturing plant that will dominate the network of all the company's factories, and Xiaomi has hired about 1,000 people, of whom it has formed a staff of a separate company to work on its internal Xring chipset. All this is being done to avoid new trade sanctions from the United States.

The Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) received the first aircraft of this type in April and expects to eventually acquire 75 copies. However, the Pentagon is preparing for conflicts with opponents of equal strength, not for fighting the rebels. This raises the question of the future of the program, which may be curtailed by Donald Trump's team, which has thoroughly undertaken a review of public procurement.

The 4th generation Krasnaya Strela-16 anti-tank guided missile (the export version was designated QN-502C) was developed by the designers of the Chinese high-tech private company Wuhan Gaode Infrared Co., Ltd as part of the research and development work started in 1999.

North Korea showed test firing of the newest Choi Hyon frigate, built in about a year, which revealed some of the weapons used in its impressive complex of vertical launchers, and also raised a number of questions for American observers.

As reported on April 29, 2025, PJSC United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), a prototype of the MC-21 medium-range aircraft, equipped with new Russian systems and assemblies, took to the skies for the first time from the airfield of the Yakovlev Irkutsk Aviation Plant (part of the Rostec State Corporation UAC). Domestic avionics, power supply systems, air conditioning and others were tested on board. The flight marked the beginning of factory finishing tests.

The destroyer Choe Hyon (tail number 51) was launched on April 25. The General Directorate of Rocket Engineering of the DPRK, the National Defense Academy and the General Directorate of RE Intelligence and Counteraction have begun testing the power and combat applicability of the weapons system of the multi-purpose destroyer Choe Hyun. The first test was on April 28 and 29.

The European Union's strategy to secure its own supply of microchips is "very out of touch with reality," according to a scathing report from the official European Court of Auditors. According to the auditors' calculations, the European market will not reach its target of supplying 20% of the world's microchips by 2030.

It is expected that deliveries of the new product will begin in 24-30 months, which is much earlier than previously planned for 2030. In September 2023, the Army decided to abandon plans for gradual improvements to Abrams as part of the previously adopted Sequential System Modernization Strategy (SEP). Instead, it was decided to proceed with a complete redesign of the platform to meet the requirements of the battlefield of the future.

Iran is preparing to begin sea trials of the new carrier of the IRIS Kurdestan (442) drones. Like its predecessor, the "drone carrier" IRIS Makran (441), Kurdestan is a converted tanker. In this case, it is Tabukan (IMO: 8917467), which was previously engaged in the transportation of crude oil.

On May 9, the Victory Day Parade will traditionally take place on Red Square in Moscow, where both the equipment used by our fathers and grandfathers to defeat fascism and modern weapons will be demonstrated.