One Shot, One Kill: Russia Develops New Ship-Sinking Artillery

Source : http://sputniknews.com

Russia's defense industry is developing new delayed-action detonators, which could allow for more effective strikes against ships.

Russia's NIMI (Engineering Scientific Research Institute) is developing artillery shells with intellectual, programmable detonators which allow naval artillery to destroy enemy ships with one shot, institute department head Valery Lebedev told RIA Novosti.

When the shell hits a ship, it first penetrates its hull and then detonates the shell following an optimal delay, delivering irreparable damage to the ship, according to Lebedev. The US Navy is also known to be developing a similar system within the framework of its MEMS microchip project.

"The international trend that we follow is the creation of intellectual detonators which allow for the explosion of the shell in optimal temporal and spatial coordinates," Lebedev said.

He added that the new shells would greatly increase the effectiveness of gunning at naval, coastal and aerial targets by reducing the expenditure of shells needed to devastate targets.

Lebedev called the creation of low-sensitivity explosives and gunpowder another prospective direction for the institute. The explosives would greatly reduce the probability of unintentional detonation, during situations including fires at armories and combat zones.

United Shipbuilding Corporation loses no foreign clients over sanctions

Source : http://tass.ru/en

ST. PETERSBURG, July 4. /TASS/. Russia’s United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) has lost no foreign clients over sanctions, USC Military-Technical Cooperation Department Director Alexey Dikiy said Saturday at the International Maritime Defense Show (IMDS) in St. Petersburg.

"We have retained all clients we had before the sanctions, no one’s left us. It seems to me sanctions make no difference here," Dikiy told TASS.

"We have mainly oriented ourselves in military products to our traditional partners - India, first of all, of course, Vietnam, Southeast Asia countries, a few states of the Mediterranean region. We have retained all these customers," he said.

Besides, Dikiy recalled, the USC’s traditional clients are former Soviet republics. "They have certainly remained too," he said.

For incorporation of Crimea after last year’s coup in Ukraine, Russia came under sanctions on the part of the United States and many European countries. The restrictive measures were soon intensified following Western and Ukrainian claims that Russia supported militias in self-proclaimed republics in Ukraine’s southeast and was involved in destabilization of Ukraine.

As countermeasures, Russia imposed on August 6, 2014 a one-year ban on imports of beef, pork, poultry, fish, cheeses, fruit, vegetables and dairy products from Australia, Canada, the European Union, the United States and Norway.

The Russian authorities have repeatedly denied accusations of "annexing" Crimea, because Crimea reunified with Russia voluntarily after a referendum, as well as claims that Moscow could in any way be involved in hostilities in Ukraine’s east.

Russia to receive 5th-generation nuclear submarines

Source : http://english.pravda.ru

The Russian Navy will receive two models of the fifth-generation nuclear submarine. The underwater cruiser will ensure combat resistance of strategic submarines, while the other model will be a missile carrier designed to destroy surface targets.

According to Anatoly Shlemov, the head of the department of state defense order of the United Shipbuilding Corporation, the main difference between the two modifications will be about the installation of the compartment with missile weapons. The honor the build the new nuclear submarines will belong to Malachite design bureau.

Development of technical projects advanced ships for the Russian Navy will not begin until 2016

Source : http://militarynews.ru

St. Petersburg. 4th of July. Interfax-AVN - Design Bureau did not receive assignments from the Ministry of Defense for the development of technical projects of the fifth generation of ships for the Russian Navy, government contracts for these works will be signed no earlier than next year, "Interfax-AVN" on Saturday, the representative of the shipbuilding industry " IMDS-2015. "
"The High Command of the Navy is determined with the appearance of new ships. We see here only models Krylovskogo center, which reflect a certain point of view on the appearance of these ships. Accordingly, there is no pre-contract work is underway. We expect that the state contracts to be concluded before the end of next year", - the spokesman said.
According to him, the design of technical projects of the new aircraft carriers, destroyers and promising amphibious assault ships of the Russian North and the PCB being Nevsky PKB solely on its own initiative.
"Our designers and shipbuilding companies are ready to immediately begin work on the design and construction of advanced ships for the Russian Navy will be received as soon as the terms of reference and concluded state contracts," - said the representative of the industry.
Earlier it was reported that Krylovskaya public research center developed a preliminary design of the first Russian aircraft carrier and a destroyer perspective.
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U.S. Military Wants To Blow Up Landmines With Lasers

Source : http://www.popsci.com

Since their invention, landmines have scourged battlefields, lying in wait for unsuspecting foes before erupting with devastating force that damages life and limb, and sometimes even armored vehicles. Removing landmines is hard, risky work, and they can remain in place for decades after, hurting not just uniformed troops but civilians in peacetime. The U.S. Army and Air Force want to shine a light to a bright, land mine free future. By which we mean, they want to use lasers to blow up enemy landmines.

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The Army’s anti-mine laser will go on top of MRAPs, or Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles. The Army invested heavily in MRAPS during the Iraq war, where they protected patrolling soldiers and Marines from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) planted along the road. IEDs function similarly to the industrial mass-produced landmines of wars past, but are generally made by insurgents and, as the name suggests, cobbled together from whatever materials are available. The Army continues to use MRAPS in Afghanistan.

On top of Army and Air Force MRAPs will be a laser named RADBO, for Recovery of Airbase Denied by Ordinance. This is a terrible name, but it highlights the laser’s specific purpose: get rid of explosives that are on a runway so planes can start flying again. The laser on the RADBO will draw from two alternators providing a combined 1,100 amps of power. With that, it can detonate explosives from almost 1,000 feet away, the occupants inside the MRAP protected from any ensuing blast. In case the bomb is stuck in a crack or under rubble, RADBO has a mechanical arm that can pull away up to 50 pound of debris. Laser weapons sometimes struggle todestroy moving targets, but landmines and IEDs remain in place, making them ideal laser targets.

Testing of the RADBO is scheduled to through September of this year. If the Army and Air Force like the results, they are on board to get 14 more mine-clearing laser trucks for the next time America’s airbases find themselves under attack. In the meantime, RADBOs can do grunt work, clearing unexploded bombs from Air Force practice ranges.

Russian Army started complex tactical and special air defense exercises in eastern military district

Source : http://function.mil.ru

In the Eastern Military District started a field exit anti-aircraft missile exercise with units, compounds of air defense (AD) motorized rifle brigade stationed Primorsky Krai.

About a thousand soldiers and more than 100 units of military and special equipment involved in complex tactical and special exercises at the site "Sergeyevsky" and "Ilyinsky" in the Primorsky Territory.

During the field exit military army air defense units of the county to work out issues of combat duty, record-fire will hold.

At the final stage of field output with units of air defense will be a series of tactical exercises with live firing, during which the calculations SAM "Strela-10" and ZSU "Shilka" destroy several small rapidly moving targets, simulating UAVs imaginary enemy.

In addition, during the live firing will be tested and evaluated skills battalion commander professionally distribute fire fighting vehicles suddenly appear on air targets.

PLA holds military drill, live-fire exercise in Hong Kong, locals invited to observe

Source : http://news.xinhuanet.com

HONG KONG, July 4 (Xinhua) -- ThePeople's Liberation Army (PLA) Hong Kong Garrison started a live-fire exercise in Hong Kong suburb on Saturday, the first of its kind since 1997 that local residents have been invited to observe.

At the Tsing Shan shooting range in the New Territories, soldiers with armored vehicles, anti-tank rockets and gunships from army, navy and air force of the garrison carried out a simulation of downtown Hong Kong defending.

Over 500 people from all walks of life observed the "Hong Kong Defender-2015C" exercise, which was part of the garrison's plan during this summer following two exercises in May and June.

Three arms of the PLA, army, navy and air force, have garrisoned the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region since the former British colony was handed over to China in 1997.

PLA holds military drill, live-fire exercise in Hong Kong, locals invited to observe

Source : http://news.xinhuanet.com

HONG KONG, July 4 (Xinhua) -- ThePeople's Liberation Army (PLA) Hong Kong Garrison started a live-fire exercise in Hong Kong suburb on Saturday, the first of its kind since 1997 that local residents have been invited to observe.

At the Tsing Shan shooting range in the New Territories, soldiers with armored vehicles, anti-tank rockets and gunships from army, navy and air force of the garrison carried out a simulation of downtown Hong Kong defending.

Over 500 people from all walks of life observed the "Hong Kong Defender-2015C" exercise, which was part of the garrison's plan during this summer following two exercises in May and June.

Three arms of the PLA, army, navy and air force, have garrisoned the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region since the former British colony was handed over to China in 1997.

Russia Offers Another Concession To Armenia: Advanced Iskander-M Ballistic Missiles

Source : http://www.eurasianet.org

Russia is negotiating with Armenia to supply the latter with advanced Iskander-M missiles, a potentially substantial boost to Armenian defenses against a potential Azerbaijani attack. News about the ongoing negotiations was leaked to both the Armenian and Russian press, and the timing of the leak suggests an effort to tamp down anti-Russian sentiment in ongoing street protests in Yerevan.

"The contract isn't signed yet, negotiations are still continuing," a source "in the military-technical cooperation sphere" toldRussian news agency Tass. A source "close to the ruling Republican Party of Armenia" told the same thing to Armenian newspaper Zhamanak. 

The missiles could be acquired under a $200 million loan for arms purchases that Russia offered to Armenia last week and which Armenia's parliament ratified in an extraordinary session on July 2. "We are going to acquire weaponry of a new type, which until now has not been seen in the Armenian armed forces," said Ara Nazarian, Armenia's deputy defense minister, in reference the loan.

That loan was part of a series of concessions that Russia made to Armenia, including ceding to Armenian jurisdiction the case of a Russian soldier who killed seven members of an Armenian family. The news of the Iskander-Ms would seem to be yet another element of this effort to appease Armenian public sentiment. 

One of the organizers of the #ElectricYerevan protests istreating the news as such, arguing that the $200 million loan and the handover of the Russian soldier was "to the credit of the people"

This isn't necessarily news: last year, Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian hinted that Armenia was in talks to get the same kind of missiles from Russia, and that in “one or two years” Armenia would see big boosts in its military capacity. And talk is cheap, especially anonymous leaks at such a sensitive time in the bilateral relationship. So we'll see.

And Russia also has reportedly stationed Iskander-Ms at its base in Armenia, though obviously the missiles under Armenian control would give Yerevan the ability to use them however they saw fit; the missiles could be used to hit strategic infrastructure on Azerbaijan's coast if war broke out. 

Azerbaijan hasn't officially reacted. However, an analysis on the website Trend says that the deal is likely to go through but calls it an "inexpensive sedative placebo" for the Armenian people. And it suggests that the move may be a means to get Azerbaijan to buy still more Russian weaponry: "Azerbaijan doesn’t need loans and can buy what it needs, thereby assisting Russia’s defense sphere with vital financial injections." 

Rosoboronexport to supply to China Zubr landing craft ordered in Ukraine

Source : http://tass.ru/en

ST. PETERSBURG, July 3. /TASS/. Russia’s arms exporter Rosoboronexport intends to fulfill the contract on the supply of the Zubr landing ships to China, Rosoboronexport deputy CEO Igor Sevastyanov told reporters on Friday at the International Maritime Defence Show (IMDS-2015) in St. Petersburg.

"The Morye shipyard that designed these Zubr vessels is a Russian plant, so, naturally, the task is to fulfill this contract — the contract that had been signed between Ukraine and the People’s Republic of China," Sevastyanov said.

Shipyard Morye specializes in the production of high-speed dynamically supported vessels (hydrofoils, hovercrafts, vessels with air-cavities), boats, pleasure yachts and boats with hull made of aluminium-magnesium alloy.

In 2009, Ukraine and China signed an agreement on the supply of four Bizon air-cushioned landing craft (Ukrainian version of the Zubr class ship of the Soviet Project 12322). Two vessels have been delivered to China, and another two were to be built in China with the participation of Ukrainian specialists, according to the contract. In 2014, Crimea where the Morye shipyard is located became part of Russia.

The Zubr class vessels are the world’s largest air-cushioned landing craft.

The Zubr-class landing craft has a cargo area of 400 square meters (4,300 sq ft) and a fuel capacity of 56 tons. It can carry three main battle tanks (up to 150 tons), or ten armored vehicles with 140 troops (up to 131 tons), or 8 armored personnel carriers of total mass up to 115 tons, or 8 amphibious tanks or up to 500 troops (with 360 troops in the cargo compartment).

At full displacement the ship is capable of negotiating up to 5-degree gradients on non-equipped shores and 1.6m-high vertical walls. The Zubr remains seaworthy in conditions up to Sea State 4. The vessel has a cruising speed of 30-40 knots.

The development of the Zubr landing craft started in the former Soviet Union in 1978, and the first serial ship joined the Soviet Navy in 1988. There were nine vessels of this class in active service around the world used by Russia, Ukraine and Greece. When Greece purchased four Zubr class hovercraft, it was the first time a Russian-built ship was owned by the Navy of a NATO member.

Vietnam, Russia closing in on deal for 2 Gepard-class frigates

Source : http://m.rbth.co.uk

Vietnam and Russia are in the final stages of negotiation for the sale of two Gepard-class (Project 11661) light frigates, sources familiar with the matter told RBTH.

Vietnam has four such Russian-made light frigates, with two of them undergoing weapons fitting at the moment.

A deal could be reached by the end of the month, the sources said.

The sources said the negotiations slowed down after China voiced its concerns over Russia supplying Vietnam with state of the art arsenal. China and Vietnam went to war in the 1970s and dispute certain islands in the South China Sea.

Moscow plans to overlook Beijing concern’s on Russia-Vietnam defense deals, the sources said 

Vietnam has four Russian-built Kilo class submarines and is expecting the delivery of two more. Vietnam is also looking to modernize its air force.

Russian Navy to get 12 ships in 2015, including 11 from repairs

Source : http://tass.ru/en

ST. PETERSBURG, July 3. /TASS/. The Russian Navy will receive in 2015 a total of 12 warships, including 11 - from repairs, Deputy Defence Minister Yuri Borisov told reporters on Friday.  "All the planned activities will be conducted on time this year - the acceptance of 12 ships," he said at a ceremony of commissioning within the Navy of the third submarine of Project 636.3 - the Stary Oskol in St. Petersburg.  Borisov said that 11 of these 12 ships will be handed over to the Navy after repairs and one vessel will be the fourth Varshavyanka class submarine that should be handed over to the military by the end of the year