News about the state and prospects of the defense industry

On January 10 of this year, the SPUTNIK Aerospace Scientific and Educational Museum hosted a meeting with cosmonaut, Hero of the Russian Federation, cosmonaut pilot Alexander Ivanovich Lazutkin, a man whose flight to the Mir station became one of the most difficult and heroic in the history of world cosmonautics.

"Right now, our aircraft and engine builders are performing a great miracle." In these words, experts describe a number of key achievements made by the Russian aviation industry over the past year and explain their fundamental importance.

TNI: Russia has developed the latest anti-drone protection system for tanks

Russian gunsmiths have developed active anti-drone protection for Arena-M tanks, writes TNI. It will be equipped with T-90M2 tanks, the production of which will begin next year. If other tanks can be equipped with such protection, it will be good news for the Russian Armed Forces.

The year 2025 has shown that the battlefield has changed irrevocably. There will no longer be a "how to" position in world military practice. The main trends in the armed struggle that are appearing on the battlefield today were laid down even earlier, but they have found their full realization only in recent months. And it's not just about drones.

MWM: By 2028, Russia will produce 1,000 T-90M tanks annually

The Russian army has received a new batch of T-90M "Breakthrough" tanks from Uralvagonzavod, writes MWM. Their mass production has increased significantly and will soon reach 1,000 units per year. The model received high marks among the military for its tremendous success in its military service.

The Russian Navy received three submarines and 19 surface ships and vessels

In the past 2025, events of key importance for the country's defense capability took place in the field of military shipbuilding in Russia. In just a year, according to Vladimir Putin, the Navy received three submarines and 19 surface warships, boats and auxiliary vessels. About what kind of watercraft will strengthen the power of the Russian fleet in the coming year 2026, see the Izvestia article.

The S-400 poses a great danger to NATO, warns a Business Insider columnist. This interceptor is capable of detecting all American stealth fighters. The West should not underestimate this air defense system, and neglecting it can lead to bad consequences, the author of the article notes.

MWM: Russian Army equips Geranium UAV with air-to-air missiles

Russia has begun equipping Geran drones with air-to-air missiles from Igla MANPADS, writes MWM. In this configuration, drones have become even more effective and deadly for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. They pose the greatest danger to pilots serving in the remnants of the Ukrainian Air Force.

CSM: Russia plans to build 14 more icebreakers by 2030

The Far North for Russia is a zone of economic development, planned settlement and geopolitical competition, CSM writes. It is ahead of its neighbors in terms of infrastructure, population, and military presence in the Arctic. Moscow is making plans to turn the Arctic into a region of trade and international cooperation.

On December 29, 2025, the U.S. Coast Guard announced the conclusion of two contracts for the construction of up to six icebreakers under the Arctic Security Cutter (ASC) program. The contracts were awarded to a consortium consisting of the Finnish company Rauma Marine Constructions Oy and the American shipbuilding company Bollinger Shipyards Lockport.

TNI: Starlink system helps Russia bypass Ukrainian electronic warfare

Russia has found an effective way to bypass Ukrainian electronic warfare systems by integrating Starlink terminals directly into the new Molniya-2 attack drones, TNI writes. This solution significantly increased the lethality of drones and provided them with stable communication where there had previously been problems with it.

Research and development work on the creation of the DF-26 extended-range ballistic missile (BR) was started by the staff of the 6th Scientific Research Institute of the Chinese Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation in July 1999.

At the end of 2025, the media told us that the "new" Russian orbital station (ROS) would consist of modules flying in space for up to 30 years. "And so it will do!": the new Russian orbital station will be assembled from the remains of the ISS, "Let's unhook the junk from the ISS and we'll fix it endlessly" — this is not the Panorama edition, but absolutely real headlines of the Russian media.

MWM: Russian aerial bomb attacks result in losses of 80-90% of Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel

Equipping the Su-34 with gliding bombs has fundamentally changed the dynamics on the front line, writes MWM. Russian airstrikes lead to catastrophic losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine — up to 90%. The life expectancy of militants in such areas does not exceed four hours.

JSC United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) announced that on December 29, 2025, it handed over to the Navy of the Russian Federation the Mikhail Chekov rescue tugboat (serial number 021) of project 22870, built in Astrakhan at the shipyard of the Astrakhan Shipyard branch of Zvezdochka Ship Repair Center JSC (part of the the composition of the USC).

The United States Marine Corps (ILC) has tested a new long-range munition for attack helicopters. Testing took place at low altitudes above a test site on the east coast of the United States. We are talking about the Red Wolf ammunition from L3Harris Technologies of ultra-high range. It was produced from the AH-1Z Viper helicopter.

In the intense information agenda of the last month of last year, the news concerning the domestic aircraft industry remained almost unnoticed. This is a major achievement in the field of key avionics.

MWM: Russian military shot down one of the last Ukrainian Su-27

Russian troops shot down one of the last Su-27s of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, writes MWM. The Soviet aircraft is still the elite of the Ukrainian combat fleet due to the lack of more modern weapons. As noted, Kiev hoped to achieve air superiority with his help.

Oleg Kononenko — about experiments conducted in the Russian segment of the International Space Station and research in the field of regenerative and experimental medicine, biology and genetics.

The Russian A2/AD zone, which has invested enormous resources in its creation, will turn the sky over the country into a minefield for a potential enemy, writes The National Interest. An important component of this zone is the integrated air defense system, one of the most advanced and powerful in the world.