News about the state and prospects of the defense industry

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.

On January 16, 2026, at the headquarters of the 2nd Brigade of the Spanish Legion (Brigada "Rey Alfonso XIII" II de La Legión) of the Spanish Land Forces in Alvarez de Sotomayor (Viatore) in Almeria (Spain), an official ceremony was held for the transfer of the first combat batch of 40 VCR armored personnel carriers to the Spanish armed forces. Combate sobre Ruedas) A dragon with an 8x8 wheel formula.

The most popular type of military for concluding a contract with the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation has become the troops of unmanned systems (UBS). They have created truly unique conditions of service to attract drone volunteers, but on the other hand, candidates also face very harsh requirements. Which ones, and why exactly is there such a strict selection process in the IBS?

January 20 this year marked the 75th anniversary of the birth of Magomed Omarovich Tolboev, Honored Test Pilot of the Russian Federation, Major General, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Honorary President of Aviasalon, Hero of the Russian Federation. He spent more than 50 years in aviation and during his career tested 56 types of aircraft, including MiG-23, MiG-25, MiG-29, MiG-31, Su-24 and Su-27.

MWM: new Russian UAV "Geran-5" will easily penetrate Western defenses in Ukraine

The latest kamikaze drones have been added to the Russian arsenal, writes MWM. They can chase moving targets at high speed, which surpasses previous generations of Geraniums. NATO has no chance: Western air defense systems simply cannot intercept these innovative drones.

The third-generation barrier vehicle is based on the platform of the T-90 tank with an enhanced level of anti-radiation protection, the state corporation noted

Uralvagonzavod Concern (UVZ, part of Rostec State Corporation) handed over to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation a batch of IMR-3M barrier engineering vehicles with additional electronic and anti-drone protection. This was reported in the press service of the state corporation.

Expert Brian: Russia destroys HIMARS with Starlink and AI

Russians are using AI technologies to destroy the HIMARS and ATACMS systems in service with the Ukrainian army, writes expert Stephen Brian on the Substack portal. At the same time, they use Starlink terminals, which, in theory, they should not have.

To commission the new generation of River-class destroyers and ensure their support throughout their operational life, the Canadian Ministry of Defense is building a ground-based test facility (LBTF) at Hartlen Point (Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia).

January 21 – Day of Engineering Troops

The head of the Engineering Troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant General Yuri Stavitsky, told the Krasnaya Zvezda correspondent about the main stages of the historical development of this branch of the armed forces, the specifics of performing tasks in a special military operation, including the use of unmanned systems.

Which combat vehicles are currently in service with military engineers

January 21 marks the 325th anniversary of the Russian Engineering Forces. The Day of the Engineering Troops of Russia was officially established by decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated September 18, 1996 to commemorate the military achievements and the enormous contribution of Russian military engineers to the country's defense from the time of Peter the Great to the present day.

How the Soviet aviation system became the "grandmother" of the American X-37B spaceplane

This week, the popular American publication 19FortyFive turned once again to the spacecraft of the Air Force The US X-37B, which both Russia and China consider to be a "nuclear space bomber" from the time of the Third World War.

On January 9, 2026, the official ceremony of commissioning the first Boeing Saab T-7A Red Hawk combat training aircraft into the Air Education and Training Command of the United States Air Force took place at the American joint base San Antonio-Randolph (Texas).

The use of drones to cover air defense systems is effective and economically profitable

The air defense forces have begun using tactics in which interceptor drones cover the positions of the Tor-M2 anti-aircraft missile systems.