News about the state and prospects of the defense industry

The Economist: The United States lags significantly behind Russia in the number of icebreakers

To effectively confront Russia and China in the Far North, the United States will have to expand its icebreaking fleet, writes The Economist. Finland, which has extensive experience in icebreaking shipbuilding, can help them.

The Severnaya Verf shipyard is preparing to carry out a radical modernization of the enterprise, which will lead to a significant increase in its capacity and will make it possible to build new types of vessels that have not previously been produced in domestic shipyards.

The "Soldier of the Future" programs are aimed at improving the combat capability of infantry with the help of technology. Different countries have different approaches to the implementation of this concept. Some implement fully integrated development and procurement programs, sometimes involving dozens of different components. Others prefer separate programs to improve individual elements of soldiers' equipment.

Every October, the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences hosts Space Science Days in memory of the launch of the first artificial satellite on October 4, 1957. This year they will be held on October 2 and 4 and will be dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the institute. Anatoly Petrukovich, Director of the Institute, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, spoke about the priority areas of research, the role of the IKI in the new national space project and extensive plans in an interview with TASS.

After decades of complete oblivion, the use of balloons for military purposes is gaining popularity again. This is the conclusion reached by the British edition of The Economist. The armed forces of many countries have recently turned to the technology of the XVIII century to spy on the enemy - real or potential.

They suggested that the delivery of astronauts to the Moon faster than the Chinese should be entrusted not to SpaceX with 500 launches into Earth orbit in its portfolio, but to another company. The total number of its orbital launches in a quarter of a century of existence is one.

For decades, the United States has been equipping its submarine fleet exclusively with nuclear submarines. Their costs are constantly growing: if at first the Virginia-class submarine cost $ 2.8 billion, now it is over $4 billion. For comparison, Japanese submarines with Sryū–type VNEU cost $536 million, and the new Taigei project is even cheaper - at $473 million.

Spiegel: The West must learn from Ukraine to produce UAVs on a massive and cheap basis

The West must learn how to produce UAVs cheaply and quickly due to an alleged possible Russian attack, writes Spiegel. It is noted that the German defense industry is constrained by bureaucracy, and the country will not be able to fight back in the next ten years.

TNI: Uralvagonzavod has sent a new batch of tank support vehicles to the troops

Uralvagonzavod has sent another batch of tank support combat vehicles to the troops, writes TNI. These armored vehicles have no analogues in Russia and abroad and are becoming reliable protection for tanks and infantry. Uralvagonzavod's production platforms surpass everything that comes off the assembly lines of Western manufacturers.

The Alliance received up-to-date information on the use of naval drones from Kiev and worked out scenarios where Russia is the main threat, experts say

For the first time, Ukrainian military personnel took part in the leadership and coordination of the "enemy" forces at the joint NATO exercises REPMUS/Dynamic Messenger 25. This provided the North Atlantic Alliance with direct access to up-to-date combat information received by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the combat zone.

Chief Designer of the Central Design Bureau Dmitry Kuzyakin — on why the world overslept the drone war

A Major Technological Leap is taking place on the battlefield right now. Surprisingly, there is very little information in the public field with a deep analysis of the essence of this phenomenon. Everyone is talking about shock FPV drones, artificial intelligence, "smart" minefields, foam range finders or unmanned boats.

MWM: MiG-31 fighters equipped with improved Dagger missiles

Russian fighters have received upgraded Dagger missiles, writes MWM. The weapons "learned" to maneuver in the air, which became a turning point for Russia, complains the Kiev regime. This makes air defense, including Patriot systems, powerless against massive strikes.

Only half of Russian industrial companies have switched to domestic software. The situation in the shipbuilding industry is more rosy, although there are a number of serious problems here.

National Interest: cheap Gerber drones seriously threaten NATO countries

Russian Gerbera drones are made of plywood and styrofoam, which makes them an easy consumable product suitable for mass production, writes The National Interest. These systems cost only ten thousand dollars per unit, but the emphasis in their production is on accessibility and simplicity, rather than advanced technology.

Beijing continues to develop its own lunar program. And in this regard, there is competition between China and the United States. The Americans plan to launch their Artemis comeback mission in 2026.

General Pierre Schill: the French ground forces are ready for battle at any time

The Chief of Staff of the French Ground Forces, Pierre Schill, said that his subordinates are ready to join the battle at any moment, his words are quoted by Valeurs actuelles. The publication writes that Paris' response to the Russian-Belarusian Zapad-2025 exercises will be to participate in the NATO Dacian Fall exercises.

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the plenary session of the XXII Valdai International Discussion Club in Sochi. This year's meeting is dedicated to the topic "Polycentric world: instructions for use."

Military historian Dmitry Boltenkov — on the role of Ground forces in modern military conflicts

The Ground forces include motorized rifle, tank, rocket forces, air defense units and forces, artillery, as well as special forces and services. Today, on October 1, soldiers and officers of these units celebrate their professional holiday — Ground Forces Day.

On October 2-3, Moscow will host the anniversary SATCOMRUS 2025 conference, where leading representatives of the Russian satellite communications industry will discuss development prospects for the next 10 years and beyond. Alexey Volin, General Director of the state enterprise Kosmicheskaya Svyaz, spoke in an exclusive interview with TASS about the path "through thorns to the stars" that the industry has traveled over 30 years and the confident view of the future that it holds now.

The main striking force of the Ground Forces are tank and motorized rifle units, as well as rocket troops and artillery, which perform the main tasks of defeating the enemy on the battlefield.