2018 was rich in events and news regarding the Russian defense sector. From the new weapons systems presented by Vladimir Putin, the discussion of the reality or unreality of whose capabilities is still ongoing not only in the Russian, but also in the foreign press, to the largest military maneuvers in the history of Russia "Vostok", in which units of the Chinese armed forces also took part. From new contracts in the field of military-technical cooperation and the transition to settlements in the national currencies of the purchasing countries to the transfer of the S-300 anti-aircraft missile system to Syria. From the beginning of the construction of the innovative technopolis "Era" to the laying of the main temple of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
Putin's new weapon
One of the main events of the outgoing 2018 for the Russian defense industry, of course, was the presentation by Vladimir Putin of the latest models of domestic weapons, the work on which was carried out in a state of strict secrecy. The head of state spoke about the new weapons on March 1, speaking as part of a message to the Federal Assembly. Among the presented novelties were the Kinzhal hypersonic missile system (can be placed on board the MiG-31BM fighter-interceptors), the Avangard hypersonic guided warhead, which can be installed as on the Sarmat heavy ICBMs, which will replace the R- missiles. 36M2 "Voyevoda" and on the ICBM RS-26 "Rubezh", which may have a mine design or be part of the mobile missile system "Avangard". In addition, Putin announced the Burevestnik nuclear powered cruise missile, the Poseidon nuclear powered unmanned underwater vehicle and the Peresvet combat laser.
MiG-31K with the "Dagger" hypersonic missile
The closest and most tangible at the moment are the airborne Kinzhal hypersonic missile and the Peresvet combat laser. There is no doubt that the Avangard controlled warhead, designed to equip modern Russian intercontinental ballistic missiles, will soon be implemented. Developments in this area were actively carried out back in the Soviet Union and at the modern level of development of technologies and materials, their creation is absolutely real. But the announced underwater unmanned vehicle "Poseidon", which can be a carrier of a nuclear charge, only started testing in July. This development is included in the state armaments program until 2027, and work in this direction, as well as on the creation of a cruise missile with a nuclear power plant on board, is still far from complete. It is compact nuclear power plants that cause the most questions and skepticism around these two projects.
At the same time, the Russian Kh-47M2 "Dagger" hypersonic aviation missile system is a formidable modern weapon capable of striking both stationary objects on land and ships: aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, and frigates. Due to hypersonic speed and active maneuvering, the missile is able to overcome modern air and missile defense systems of a potential enemy. Since December 1, 2017, the complex has been on experimental combat duty at the airfields of the Southern Military District. In February-March 2018, operational military tests of a new missile system began in Russia, which is already called the air Iskander. The maximum declared speed of the rocket is 10 times the speed of sound, while it is able to maneuver throughout the entire trajectory. To achieve the declared speed, the rocket must be accelerated by the carrier, therefore, the MiG-31BM fighter-interceptor is best suited for these purposes, which at high altitude is able to accelerate to a speed of 3400 km / h. It is worth noting that the MiG-31BM long-range fighter-interceptor, which has been upgraded to the MiG-31K version (the carrier of the Dagger missile), is deprived of the possibility of using standard types of weapons for other MiG-31 aircraft. The ventral devices for the R-33 / R-37 missiles are dismantled from it.
Complex of laser weapons "Peresvet", frame from the video of the Ministry of Defense of Russia
The second fully tangible weapon novelty is a complex of laser weapons, called "Peresvet". Most of the information about this complex and its characteristics is classified, but experts suggest that its main purpose is to perform anti-missile and air defense missions. Experts also note that the complex will be able to combat enemy unmanned aerial vehicles and supplement and insure deployed air defense systems when repelling massive air strikes. The equipping of the Russian Armed Forces with Peresvet laser systems began in 2017, and on December 1, 2018, the laser systems took over on experimental combat duty.
Maneuvers "Vostok-2018"
The active phase of the Vostok-2018 maneuvers took place from September 11 to 17 at once at five combined-arms training grounds, four air force and air defense training grounds, as well as in the waters of the Bering Sea, the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk, the Department of Information and Mass Communications of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported. … It should be noted that such large-scale military training events in Russia have not yet taken place. The exercises were comparable to the Zapad-81 maneuvers conducted in the USSR, but in some ways, according to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, they were even larger than the Soviet ones. The Minister of Defense of the country noted that in the history of the Russian army, the Vostok-2018 maneuvers have become the most ambitious event for the training and verification of troops. In total, 300,000 servicemen, more than 1,000 aircraft, helicopters and UAVs, up to 36 tanks, armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles and other vehicles, as well as up to 80 ships and support vessels of the Russian fleet, were involved in the maneuvers.
In the main drawing of the exercises, which took place at the Tsugol training ground of the Eastern Military District of Russia, representatives of the military contingent of the People's Liberation Army of China, totaling up to 3,500 people, took part. In total, as part of the ongoing maneuvers, about 30 military echelons arrived in Russia by rail, which delivered more than 400 units of military and special equipment of the PLA. The military contingent of the Armed Forces of Mongolia also took part in the exercises.
Military parade during the Vostok-2018 maneuvers (Tsugol training ground, Trans-Baikal Territory), photo: multimedia.minoborona.rf
According to General of the Army Sergei Shoigu, the conducted exercises made it possible to increase the level of field, air and naval training of the personnel of the Russian Armed Forces, to practice in practice the actions of groupings in the Eastern direction and in the ocean and sea areas that are operationally important for the country.
Military-technical cooperation and settlements in national currency
The main result of 2018 in the field of military-technical cooperation - military-technical cooperation - can be called a number of events at once. Among them, the first place is taken by the contract signed with India for the supply of the S-400 Triumph long-range anti-aircraft missile system. Negotiations on this contract have been going on for several years. It is expected that complexes worth more than $ 5 billion will be supplied to India. This deal was the largest in the history of Russian defense exports. In addition, Moscow and Delhi were able to sign a number of contracts in the defense sphere, which include the supply of the next Project 11356 frigates to India. The parameters of the concluded defense contracts were not disclosed, but, according to unofficial information, the amount of the contract for the supply of two ready-made combat ships is about $ 950 million. … The production of frigates will be handled by the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC), which plans to deliver the first ships under a new contract within three years.
The success for the Russian Federation in the field of military-technical cooperation was not only the contracts concluded: at the end of November 2018, a source of the RIA Novosti news agency said that Russia, with its Igla MANPADS, was able to win an Indian tender for the supply of short-range air defense systems totaling 1.5 billion dollars, but the agency does not yet have an official confirmation of this information. If we talk about the general prospects of military-technical cooperation, then, according to Alexander Mikheev, head of Rosoboronexport, the demand for domestic weapons in the world is only growing. According to the official, Rosoboronexport's order book recently surpassed the $ 55 billion mark, a significant portion of which was generated by contracts with Arab countries. In 2018 alone, Rosoboronexport signed contracts totaling about $ 19 billion, which is almost 25 percent more than was signed in the entire 2017.
SAM S-400 "Triumph"
The refusal to settle in dollars in military contracts is also important for the Russian defense sphere. Denis Manturov, Minister of Industry and Trade of Russia, told RBC that Russia will stop using settlements in dollars in large trade contracts. For example, the delivery of the S-400 Triumph air defense system is paid in rubles or in the national currencies of the purchasing countries. According to Manturov, China, India and Turkey, in particular, pay in national currencies. According to the Minister of Industry, such a step with the transition to settlements in national currencies removes some restrictions associated with the circulation of the dollar for mutual settlements. Earlier, the head of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) Dmitry Shugaev noted that working with the dollar in the field of military-technical cooperation "is practically impossible." The official explained this by the fact that the banking sector is blocking or freezing payments in dollars. At the same time, Industry Minister Denis Manturov noted that, despite the sanctions, Russia does not break contracts for the supply of weapons.
According to Lenta.ru, in early October 2018, a contract was signed with India for $ 5 billion, under this contract the country will receive five regiments of S-400 air defense systems. Turkey should receive 4 divisions of these air defense systems, the contract amount was $ 2.5 billion, the agreement was signed in December 2017. China previously acquired 6 divisions of S-400 air defense systems for a total of more than $ 3 billion. Denis Manturov clarified that barter schemes, when it was possible to pay with enterprises "either with down jackets or with Chinese stew," had already taken place in the nineties. At present, these schemes, according to the minister, are fortunately not used.
Transfer of S-300 complexes to Syria
In the fall of 2018, Russia donated to Syria three divisions of the S-300PM anti-aircraft missile system, consisting of eight launchers each (24 launchers). This was reported by the TASS agency with reference to its military-diplomatic sources, the completion of the transfer of the complexes took place on October 1, 2018. “This technique was previously in service with one of the anti-aircraft missile regiments of the Russian Aerospace Forces, which was re-equipped with the S-400 Triumph system. The equipment handed over to the Syrians has undergone a major overhaul in Russia, it is fully operational and is able to carry out the combat missions assigned to it,”the agency's source said. Along with the launchers, the Syrians also received a transportable ammunition load in the amount of more than 100 anti-aircraft guided missiles for each of the delivered battalions.
ZRS S-300
According to experts, the S-300 complex is able to hit modern and promising aircraft, including machines made using stealth technology, shoot down tactical and operational-tactical missiles, medium-range ballistic missiles, as well as cruise missiles, reconnaissance strike complexes and aircraft for radar surveillance and guidance. The main difference between the S-300PM modification (export version - S-300PMU-1) is the ability to use medium-range anti-aircraft missiles 48N6 (export version - 48N6E), which can shoot down enemy aircraft at a distance of up to 150 km.
The reason for the transfer of the S-300 anti-aircraft missile system to Syria was the tragic incident that occurred on September 17, 2018, when a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft was shot down by a Syrian air defense crew while repelling an attack from the Israeli Air Force, which was striking targets in the province of Latakia. … The Il-20 of the Russian Aerospace Forces was hit by a Syrian missile of the S-200 complex, as a result all 15 Russian military on board the aircraft were killed. The Russian Ministry of Defense blamed Israel for the incident, the military department said that Israeli military pilots (4 F-16 fighters) covered themselves with a Russian plane, exposing it to the attack of Syrian air defense systems.
Military innovative technopolis "Era"
In the fall of 2018, the work of the military innovative technopolis (VIT) "Era" began. It is planned that the technopolis located in Anapa will reach full operating capacity in 2020. VIT "Era" is located on the Black Sea coast and covers an area of 17 hectares. According to the Department of Information and Mass Communications of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the infrastructure of the new technopolis combines the functions of an educational and scientific organization, a pilot production facility and a test site. This allows in one place to carry out all the stages of creating new types of weapons: from conducting exploratory research to creating prototypes and fundamentally new models, doing this in the shortest possible time (up to three years).
Military technopolis "Era"
It is reported that the main emphasis in the scientific activities of Technopolis "Era" will be placed on the development of defense technologies. However, at the same time, it is planned to work on identifying potentially interesting emerging commercial technologies for the Ministry of Defense, as well as assessing the potential for their use in the interests of the Russian Armed Forces. Also here they will be engaged in the identification of technologies that are either still being created, or require significant adaptation for military needs. An important area of activity of VIT "Era" will be the study of the capabilities of artificial intelligence technologies and its application in the military sphere. They will also work on the medicine of the future and the development of unmanned technologies.
It is known that work in "Era" will be carried out in 8 main directions: IT-systems and automated control systems; informatics and computer technology; Information Security; robotics; technical vision and pattern recognition; power supply technologies, devices and machines for life support; bioengineering and biosynthetic technologies; nanotechnology and nanomaterials. Currently, the process of recruiting the technopolis with working personnel is underway. In total, up to 2,000 new jobs should appear in the technopolis by 2020. In addition, since July 2018, four scientific companies with a total of 198 specialists began to work here, in the future their number may increase.
Military technopolis "Era", layout
Good living conditions have been created for Era employees, about 1400 apartments have already been built, located on the seashore, as well as several educational centers. On the territory of the technopolis there is an indoor swimming pool, a sports and fitness center, an Ice Palace, gyms. In 18 operating laboratories of the scientific and educational sector, more than 600 units of various unique laboratory testing equipment are already used today, which are involved in the implementation of 40 planned innovative projects. It is known that the laboratory cluster houses 37 enterprises, including both large Russian defense concerns - Sukhoi and Kalashnikov, and young research start-up teams.
The main temple of the Armed Forces
In September, the laying of the main church of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, which is going to be erected in the Patriot park near Kubinka near Moscow, took place. The temple is planned to be built for the 75th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War. It is known that the temple complex, designed in the monumental Russian-Byzantine style, will become the third tallest Orthodox church in the world. The planned height of the temple is 95 meters, the total area of the building will be 11 thousand square meters, this will allow the temple to accommodate about 6 thousand people. As conceived by the creators, the temple will symbolize the spirituality of the Russian army, which raises the sword only to defend its Fatherland. According to official information, the construction of the temple is carried out only on voluntary donations, for their collection, the Resurrection charitable foundation was specially created.
As the creators of the temple project note, the history of our country is inextricably linked with the history of the construction of churches: in memory of the defenders of the Fatherland from time immemorial, memorial signs were erected, chapels, temples-monuments and even entire Orthodox architectural ensembles were erected. It is planned that the main temple of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will be able to unite all Orthodox believers in the military. At the same time, the temple will become a spiritual, educational and educational and methodological center not only for military personnel, but also for all Orthodox priests and citizens of our country. Also, a school for military priests will be opened at the temple and the institute of sisters of mercy will be revived. On the territory of the temple complex in the Patriot Park, a universal multimedia museum and exhibition complex "Spiritual Host of Russia" will be built, a unique exposition of which will tell about different episodes of the heroic glory of the Russian army.
Sketch of the main temple of the Russian Armed Forces
In the images presented in the presentation on the official website of the Russian Ministry of Defense, the building of the temple is painted in khaki. The military church will have four side chapels, each of them will be dedicated to a saint who is the patron saint of one of the branches of the armed forces and branches of the Russian Armed Forces: Chapel of St. Barbara the Great Martyr - patroness of the Strategic Missile Forces; Chapel of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called - the patron saint of the Russian Navy; Chapel of St. Alexander Nevsky - the patron saint of the Land Forces of Russia.
According to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, the construction of the temple is proceeding according to plan: the construction of the foundation has been completed, the work of designers and artists has entered the final stage. As reported by RIA Novosti, the minister said that the steps of the main temple of the Russian Armed Forces will be cast from captured Wehrmacht equipment. He spoke about this on Monday, December 24, at a meeting of the public council of the Russian Ministry of Defense. Shoigu explained this decision by the fact that the leadership of the military department wants every square meter of the temple to be symbolic.
State of the Russian Armed Forces in 2018
In 2018 alone, the RF Armed Forces adopted and completed the cycle of state tests of 56 types of new equipment. This was announced on Saturday, December 22, by Russian Deputy Defense Minister Dmitry Bulgakov. On the air of the Russia-24 TV channel, the General of the Army noted: “There are many new products. In 2018, 35 new types of weapons and military equipment were adopted. According to 21 samples, only yesterday and the day before yesterday it was reported that the state tests had ended. This is plus 21 samples of weapons and military equipment. " At the same time, Dmitry Bulgakov clarified that in 2018, more than 5 thousand units of new equipment entered the troops. In addition, the servicemen received more than 8 million "items of clothing" in order to provide the personnel with uniforms, more than 700 thousand tons of food for food and 2.5 million tons of fuel. According to the general of the army, the rate of serviceability of equipment in the armed forces of the Russian Federation is 94 percent today.
The Russian army adopted new AK-12 and AK-15 assault rifles of 5, 45-mm and 7, 62-mm caliber, respectively. The AK-12 model should come to replace the "most important" AK-74M assault rifle in the Russian army. The novelties of Russian weapons also include the automated sound-thermal artillery reconnaissance complex "Penicillin", the tests of which were completed in November 2018. The complex allows you to receive and process acoustic signals from shots (explosions) and provide information about the place of the shell burst, hit accuracy, as well as information about the location of enemy artillery. The time for obtaining the coordinates of a single target does not exceed 5 seconds. The use of such a complex greatly simplifies the conduct of counter-battery warfare. Also, as part of the R&D project on the Sketch theme, experimental artillery mounts were created: the 120-mm self-propelled artillery gun "Phlox" mounted on the wheeled chassis of the "Ural", the 120-mm self-propelled gun "Magnolia" - on a two-link tracked chassis for use in conditions on soft ground and in the Arctic, as well as an 82-mm self-propelled mortar "Drok", placed on the wheeled chassis of "Kamaz". The installations were tested during 2018, the tests were to be completed by the end of the year.
Brought 2018 and the conclusion of contracts for the long-awaited new items. Thus, within the framework of the Army-2018 international military-technical forum, a contract was signed for the supply of two pre-production fighters of the fifth generation Su-57. This is a long awaited deal that has been waiting for several years. The first of the new aircraft should enter service with the Russian Aerospace Forces in 2019. In addition, an agreement was signed on the supply of 6 new light MiG-35 fighters, which are to be delivered to the military by 2023. No less expected was the announcement of a contract for the supply of 132 combat vehicles to the troops: the main battle tank (T-14) and the T-15 infantry fighting vehicle, built on the basis of the promising Armata heavy tracked platform. Armored vehicles are purchased as part of an experimental military batch, the execution of the contract is scheduled until 2022. The contract provides for the supply of two battalion sets of T-14 tanks and one battalion set of BMP T-15.
Fifth generation fighter Su-57
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu also spoke about the state of the armed forces. At a meeting of the public council under the Russian Ministry of Defense on Monday, December 24, the minister stressed that the army this year has reached an unprecedented level of equipment with modern weapons.
“The share of modern weapons in military units and formations has reached 61.5 percent, we hope that in 2019 we will be able to reach the level of 67 percent, and by 2020 this share will be brought to 70 percent. In total, we have already received more than 1.5 thousand weapons and more than 80 thousand pieces of equipment. This is a huge figure , - said Sergei Shoigu.
According to him, such a level of modernity is not present today in any army in the world.
