Last month we looked at how Russia’s fifth generation Su-57 compared with Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter project – with both aircraft exhibiting comparable capabilities in speed, altitude, sensors, missile carriage, engagement range, and maneuverability.
But the latest generation fighters are only one aspect of comparative defense analysis between the West and Russia. Critics of the current geopolitical stand-off between US-UK-NATO axis and Russia are accusing the two power blocs of fomenting a new arms race, but with the US now committing more than $1 Trillion per year on its military and defense, Russia is still managing to achieve parity in key areas by spending less than one tenth of Washington’s overall defense expenditure. Critics have also pointed out many unresolved problems with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, including hundreds of performance and maintenance issues, as well as real concerns about air-to-air or air-to-ground missions, or if the Marine Corps’ F-35B can conduct the most basic close air support, or if it’s suitable to operate from aircraft carriers – for fear that, “if used in combat, the F-35 aircraft will need support to locate and avoid modern threat ground radars, acquire targets, and engage formations of enemy fighter aircraft due to unresolved performance deficiencies and limited weapons carriage availability.”
Contrast this boondoggle to Russia’s relatively frugal approach to defense development.
Stalkerzone outlines some of Russia’s latest advances…
(Translated by Ollie Richardson & Angelina Siard)
Yury Borisov was appointed as the Deputy Prime Minister from the Deputy Minister of Defence position. He is very familiar with the mechanisms of interaction between the military-industrial complex and the Armed Forces, as well as problems with state defence orders and the state arms program. How does the Deputy Prime Minister see the development of the military-industrial complex and military-technical policy (MTP) in the conditions of Western sanctions?
He spoke about this with scientific-pedagogical staff and students of the Military Academy of the General Staff (MAGS). It is difficult to imagine a more attentive audience for the first public speech of the new curator of the national military-industrial complex. It is precisely in MAGS, the leading military-scientific institution of the country, that the importance of the MTP for defense is understood like nowhere else.
“The development strategy is aimed at reducing the existing types of armament, military, and special equipment by 6.5% and their modifications by 20.8%”
Yury Borisov talks with Voronezh aircraft engineers in Russia (Source: Russian DoD)
(…) The aim of developing aerospace defenses in the coming period is to provide strategic deterrence in the implementation of the concept of a enemy’s global strike, air and missile defense systems of the most important facilities, and maintaining the existing pace of research and development work. The priority directions in this domain are the deployment of advanced aerospace defense systems to defend the entire territory of Russia (including the Arctic and Crimea), the maximum use of the modernisation potential of existing samples, and building up reserves. The new facilities of aerospace defense systems will have increased efficiency due to unification and integration into a single loop of military control, the possibility of capacity-building due to the open architecture of air and missile defense system groups and the echelonment of anti-aircraft missile defense systems, influence over targets in the space zone, increased mobility, and all-day and all-weather application.
The development of space weapons (SW) provides for the restoration of the orbital group and independent activities in this sphere (launches from the territory of the Russian Federation in any military-political conditions). It is planned to complete the deployment of new-generation space means, creating promising environmentally friendly carrier rockets and upper stages, maintaining the necessary orbital groups and the technical readiness of the means of deployment, the transition to unified command and measurement and telemetric systems… SW will receive all-weather information support and the ability to manage the actions of the Russian Armed Forces with a guaranteed launch of all types of loads into orbit.
The Deputy Prime Minister named the front-line aviation system on-board the Su-57 multi-functional 5th generation aircraft, the MiG-31K interceptor with a hypersonic “Kinzhal”, the Mi-28NM all-weather combat helicopter, the Il-78-90A refueller, and the Mi-38 medium transport-landing helicopter as being among the promising samples of aircraft. This, as is expected, will allow our aircraft to be in parity with foreign analogues, and to surpass them in some parameters.
(…) “Ratnik” military equipment combined with the high efficiency of close combat will ensure the high survivability of personnel.
The development of radio-electronic means of combat support (REMCS) involves the stable, operational, continuous, and covert control of troops in any situation, as well as effective combat against the information management systems of the enemy. This requires the gradual establishment, improvement, and equipping of intelligence control bodies, reconnaissance and military units, and sub-units of different types of armies with promising new technical means, the application of single interspecific basic systemic and software-hardware solutions in automated control systems and communication facilities, and the creation of radio-electronic means for air carriers of different types.
The increased capabilities of the advanced means of REMCS will ensure a reduction in the cycle of combat management for the actions of troops (forces) and weapons, effective information support for the use of the high-precision weapons of different basing, the recognition of new types of radio emissions and the suppression of the perspective radio-electronic means of the enemy, stable control on the basis of network-centric principles, and the possibility of influencing the headquarters of a probable enemy.
The development of general-purpose equipment involves the serial supply of modern samples (the vehicles “Tornado”, “Typhoon-K”, ” Typhoon-U”; transporter “Platforma-O”; flame-thrower system “TOS-2”; mine sapper “UR-77”; and others), multi-functional engineering systems and machines for radiochemical and biological exploration, and the introduction of robotic and remotely controlled samples for various purposes. This will ensure a high level of protection of personnel and armament and military equipment against small arms and shrapnel, the effective carrying out of operations in various climatic conditions, and increasing the efficiency of troops in any situation.
Giving life to groundwork
In 2018-2027, the troops should receive the latest models of weapons, superior to the best foreign analogues in terms of tactical and technical characteristics. Yury Borisov, in particular, named:
- The stationary strategic missile system with liquid-propellant ICBM “Sarmat”;
- Perspective front-line aviation system (PAK FA);
- Highly-armoured T-14 tank on a unified combat platform “Armata”;
- Mobile multi-channel long-range anti-aircraft missile system S-500;
- Mobile shock anti-satellite system “Nudol”;
- Ground-based mobile radio-electronic jamming system for satellite communications “Tirada-2S”.
The strategy for the development of weapons systems laid down in the 2027 state arms program, among other things, is aimed at reducing the existing types of armament, military, and special equipment and their modifications by an average of 6.5% and 20.8% respectively, which will increase seriality and will reduce production and operation costs through logistics and optimal service.
This equipment, noted Borisov, is already being supplied to the troops. But scientific and technical progress does not stand still, the enemy is developing promising weapons systems, including on new physical principles. In order to parry those threats in a timely manner in the 2027 state arms program, work is planned for the creation of scientific-technological groundwork.
Money for a new look
Now there is a lot of talk about the financing of priorities. Some people propose to drastically reduce the defense budget and, like in the 1990’s, to engage in conversion about military production. But should we step on an old rake?
Continue and read the full article at Stalkerzone
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