News about the state and prospects of the defense industry

Since the end of 2022, the bulk of the Estonian ground forces has been concentrated in the Estonian Division, which consists of two infantry brigades, an artillery division (armed with South Korean K9 Thunder self-propelled guns) and support units. The 1st brigade, stationed in the north, is of the heavy type and is equipped with Swedish CV90 infantry fighting vehicles and tanks of NATO allies – there are no plans to acquire their own. The 2nd Brigade, located in the south, until recently used Finnish Sisu XA-188 armored personnel carriers and trucks (mainly Mercedes-Benz Unimog) to transport personnel.

One of the most common self–propelled guns in the world is the German tracked howitzer PzH 2000 - 384 copies out of 425 ordered were delivered. It is considered one of the best in its range in terms of crew protection.

MWM: Russia used air defense systems to attack ground targets in Ukraine

For the first time, Russia has used S-400 systems to strike ground targets in Ukraine, writes MWM. The complexes, originally designed for air defense, have shown their additional capabilities.

In December 2024, the Greek media reported that due to the lack of new equipment purchases, the army would decide to modernize some of the obsolete M113 armored personnel carriers in service. It is planned to improve at least 500 vehicles (out of a total fleet of almost 2,000 units). After completion of the work, they should become full-fledged infantry fighting vehicles, providing protection and firepower at a new level.

TNI: Kalashnikov continues to modernize the AK-12 based on combat use

Kalashnikov upgraded the AK-12 model based on the experience of combat use of two previous versions, writes TNI. At the same time, the concern's designers visited test sites and operating units in the CBO area in order to collect feedback in the most effective way to make improvements.

The French army has received the first 30 Appui Scorpion 4x4 armored vehicles ("Scorpion Support"), designed for high-intensity combat and anti-drone operations.

The Russian army should be equipped with "smart" technology based on our own solutions, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on January 22 at a meeting on the development of microelectronics.

In 2023, the Canadian Ministry of Defense purchased 40 PU and 500 Spike LR2 ATGM from the Israeli company Rafael for $ 32 million in order to immediately replace outdated systems (such as TOW, which are practically not used in linear units) for the urgent equipping of the contingent in Latvia.

Poland may have its own Pentagon, similar to the American one. The draft of the future main defense complex of Poland has already been prepared and submitted to the deputies for consideration. The Polish press writes about it.

As noted in the German edition of Flug Revue, the Be-200, a unique amphibious aircraft, "is on the verge of a possible revival." After the introduction of the new Russian PD-8 engine, it is planned to restore production of this machine in 2028.:

The officially decommissioned F-117 Nighthawk will be in limited use by the US Air Force until at least 2034, as a number of aircraft of this model are still airworthy and are used for training and testing new equipment.

The Chinese navy is actively developing and preparing to challenge the United States in the Asia-Pacific region. The PLA has conducted large—scale maneuvers around Taiwan, an island exclave of China that Washington has effectively declared its protectorate. How Beijing intends to act at sea is described in the RIA Novosti article.

The French companies Thales and KNDS France have developed the RAPIDFire anti-aircraft complex, the warhead of which is a 40 mm CT40 cannon, which fires so-called "telescopic" ammunition in which the projectile is "sunk" inside a cartridge case with a powder charge. This technology made it possible to make the projectile feeding mechanism compact, like a 25 mm cannon, but with a 40 mm caliber capacity.

In 2020-2021, the Brazilian command planned to modernize the Leopard 1A5BR tanks (116 units out of 220 available). The military considered two options and eventually chose a more budgetary one, refusing to make radical changes, such as installing sets of overhead armor (such as MEXAS or AMAP from the German company IBD Deisenroth), replacing the turret with the Belgian Cockerill 3105 or switching to a 120-mm cannon.

The PLA ground forces are divided into "weight categories", each of which has its own main combat vehicle. In light brigades, these are Dongfeng Mengshi armored vehicles (an analog of a Humvee or Tiger); in heavy ones, the ZBD–04A infantry fighting vehicle (similar to the BMP-3, but with local specifics), operating together with Type 99A tanks; in medium ones– the ZBL-08 8x8 floating infantry fighting vehicle.

The Guardian: Russia has begun combat use of new UAVs "Geran-5"

The Russian army has started using UAVs of the Geran-5 model, writes The Guardian. They are significantly superior to their predecessors in terms of their characteristics. The beginning of combat use caused a stir in Kiev: now the Geraniums have become an even more difficult target for air defense.

Italy has officially commissioned the SAMP/T NG ("new generation") and GRIFO anti-aircraft missile systems, which are designed to strengthen the country's multi-level air defense and missile defense system.

The Ministers of Industry and Economic Development of Russia inspected the plant's production facilities during a working visit to the Republic of Tatarstan

Anton Alikhanov, Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, and Maxim Reshetnikov, Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, visited the S.P. Gorbunov Kazan Aviation Plant— a branch of JSC Tupolev.

How heavy combat vehicles will interact with drones

The current tank units of the Russian Army are being reinforced by drones, sources in the Russian Defense Ministry told Izvestia. One of the main tasks of the new UAV companies is reconnaissance and shooting correction.

Steel cutting for the frigate Mariz-e-Barros has begun at the Brazilian shipyard TKMS Estaleiro Brasil Sul in Italy. According to Naval Today, this event marks the transition to full-scale production of Tamandare-class ships for the Brazilian Navy, as the company is simultaneously building all four ordered frigates.