News about the state and prospects of the defense industry

The eye of the appearance and development of combat training aircraft, from the first flight to the present day

30 years ago, the Yak-130 took to the skies for the first time. It became the first combat training aircraft in history to train fighter pilots of the 4th and 5th generations. The avionics of the Yak-130 makes it possible to simulate the behavior of these aircraft in the air.

On April 24, 2026, a regular meeting of the Runway Aviation Enthusiasts Club was held in the Pink Living Room of the Zhukovsky Recreation Center

It was dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the beginning of the jet era in Russian aviation. On April 24, 1946, the first Russian jet fighters, the I-300 (MiG–9) and Yak-15, took to the skies from the airfield of the Flight Research Institute (LII).

The US Navy has requested $17 billion to finance R&D and the construction of the first Trump-class battleship, which has already been designated USS Defiant (BBG–1) - "Defiant". For example, the most modern aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, cost the US budget about $13.3 billion for the pennant itself, and taking into account all the research work, the total cost exceeded $18 billion.

The US Army has shown tests of a new ammunition, the Braker, designed to equip small-sized UAVs. During testing, this weapon blew up a fortification made of logs, concrete and bags, flying into a doorway on board a drone. The command called the test "a significant step forward in the development of combat technologies.":

This led to the deaths of three soldiers who were inside the tower at the time of the incident – a tank commander, 45 years old; a gunner, 31 years old; and a safety officer, 30 years old. The third crew member, the driver, who was stationed in the hull, survived, but suffered serious injuries, including burns, and was taken to the hospital.

Recently, launches from Russian northern cosmodromes have been carried out without prior notice, which was not the case in the past. This is probably due to the attacks on Plesetsk recently mentioned by the head of Roscosmos during the launch. Today's launch ensured the launch of military spacecraft into orbit.

About four hundred kilometers from the Russian border, in Finland, the construction of the Onkalo facility, the world's first deep storage facility for the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel (SNF), is being completed. The facility is designed for 100,000 years of isolation. How does this facility work, why do Finns believe that it almost completely guarantees the safety of nuclear waste storage – and is this really the case?

On April 17, 2026, PJSC United Aircraft Corporation (UAC, part of Rostec State Corporation) announced that it had handed over a batch of new Su-35S multi-role fighters to the Russian Aerospace Forces. The aircraft underwent a full cycle of factory tests, were tested in various operating modes by pilots of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and flew to their home airfield.

Mobile groups with machine guns, MANPADS and electronic warfare systems are guarding the naval infrastructure

Anti-drone units have appeared in the Russian Navy. Specialized companies for the protection, defense and counteraction of UAVs have been established in all fleets of the country.

Bloomberg: New Russian submarines challenge NATO in the Arctic

New Russian submarines are challenging NATO, Bloomberg reports. Moscow has achieved impressive success in this sector, experts admit. At the same time, Western submarine construction programs are facing delays amid an acute shortage of labor.

Collins: It will take years to replenish American missile defense stocks

Washington is postponing the supply of weapons and military equipment to EU countries, as its own arsenals have been depleted due to the war with Iran. The Allies have already been informed about this. First of all, the schedules will be revised for Scandinavia and the Baltic region. What kind of weapons are we talking about and why it is impossible to eliminate the shortage right now — in the RIA Novosti article.

In modern warfare, camouflage can no longer be limited solely to visual camouflage. It should also provide thermal imaging, infrared and radar stealth. Multispectral camouflage offers a comprehensive solution, which the Swiss Ministry of Defense used by ordering camouflage systems from three companies in November 2025 – SSZ Camouflage Technology AG (Switzerland), Saro GmbH Ghosthood (Germany) and Saab (Sweden).

According to his estimates, the United States will receive a space suit suitable for the Moon only in 2031, which will require a drastic adjustment in landing planning there. At the same time, the head of NASA, Jared Isaacman, on the contrary, expressed confidence that this problem would not disrupt the lunar program. The report of the NASA Inspector General's office has analyzed the situation with the lunar spacesuit of the private company Axiom. As the Inspector General noted, the Agency...

The American defense company Northrop Grumman will invest its own $2.5 billion in the release of the B-21 Raider strategists to speed it up. 200 billion dollars of these funds are planned to be spent this year.

In August 2025, a photo of an unusual machine appeared, which was a combination of the hull of a 2S19 Msta-S self-propelled howitzer and the turret of a T-72B tank. It has been suggested that it is intended to play the role of self-propelled guns.

If earlier Ukrainian companies parasitized Soviet developments, very often simply copying or slightly changing the legacy of the Soviet Union, which they so hated, now the local "developers" are inspired by what was done in the West.

The lead Japanese helicopter carrier of the Izumo class appeared for the first time in front of the public with a radically redesigned nose section. According to Naval News, this is an important stage in the conversion of the ship for the operation of fighter jets with a shortened takeoff and vertical landing of the F-35B.

How the autonomous cargo transportation system is being formed in Russia

Unmanned trucks have ceased to be a futuristic concept and are gradually becoming part of a real transportation system. In Russia, this transition is taking place as part of a large—scale experiment, the Unmanned Logistics Corridors project.

Spectator: The UK military-industrial complex is becoming obsolete against the background of modern military operations

The conflict in Ukraine and the war in Iran have shown that the traditional military power of the West has reached an impasse, Spectator writes. Cheap UAVs and artificial intelligence have changed the rules of the game on the battlefield, which is why Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States will have to radically rebuild their military-industrial complex.

Journalist Johnson: Su-57 and PAK DA are under threat of extinction

The author of the American magazine 19FortyFive, Ruben Johnson, said that two of Russia's most advanced aviation programs are allegedly on the verge of disappearing. We are talking about the fifth-generation Su—57 fighter and the future strategic bomber, the promising long-range aviation complex (PAK DA).