India successfully test-fires Nuclear-capable Agni-III missile

Source : irna

The test-fire conducted by Strategic Force Command (SFC) of the Army was totally successful. Data analyses showed the trial met all parametres,ˈ pti reported quoting Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Spokesman Ravi Kumar Gupta. The indigenously developed surface-to-surface missile was flight-tested from a mobile launcher at launch complex-4 of the Integrated Test Range at about 1655 hrs. The entire launch operation of the missile, having a strike range of more than 3,000 km, was carried out by SFC with logistic support by DRDO. ˈIt was the second user trial in the Agni-III series carried out to establish the ˈrepeatabilityˈ of the missileˈs performance,ˈ a DRDO official said. Though the first developmental trial of Agni-III carried out on July 9, 2006 could not provide desired result, subsequent tests on April 12, 2007, May 7, 2008 and February 7, 2010 as well as the first user trial on September 21, 2012 from the same base were all successful. For data analysis, the entire trajectory of todayˈs trial was monitored through various telemetry stations, electro-optic systems and sophisticated radars located along the coast, and by naval ships anchored near the impact point, the sources said. The Agni-III missile is powered by a two-stage solid propellant system. With a length of 17 metres, the missileˈs diameter is 2 metres and launch weight is around 50 tonnes. It can carry warhead of 1.5 tonne which is protected by carbon all composite heat shield. The sleek missile, already inducted into the armed forces, is equipped with hybrid navigation, guidance and control systems along with advanced on-board computer. The electronic systems are hardened for higher vibration, thermal and acoustic effects, a DRDO scientist said. 

Russia to add 15 ICBMs to arsenal by 2013

Source : English.news.cn  

MOSCOW, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Russia is to put into service 15 more inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBM) by the end of this year, the commander of the strategic missile forces (RVSN) said Tuesday."Currently the Yars mobile missile systems are being attached to the divisions in Novosibirsk and Tomsk," Colonel General Sergei Karakayev told reporters on the RVSN Day in Russia.According to Karakayev, 15 fifth-generation Yars ICBMs will be put into service in these two locations by the end of 2013.In 2014, two more divisions will also be armed with Yars and 16 launches of the ICBMs will be conducted with various training, testing and commercial tasks, he said.According to the commander, the RVSN will be fully re-equipped with the most advanced Sarmat systems by 2018-2020. They will gradually replace the RS-20 Voyevoda ground-based missiles (or Satan in NATO classification), which have been on active duty since late 1980s.Karakayev said Russia needed at least 1,500 nuclear warheads for strategic containment.Russia, which now has about 400 ICBM launchers, plans to spend more than 46 billion rubles (1.4 billion U.S. dollars) on nuclear weapons building and maintenance during 2014-2016.

Russian Proton M Launches Military Satellite

Source : http://en.ria.ru/russia/20131112/184659492

MOSCOW, November 12 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s Proton-M carrier rocket blasted off from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan carrying a military satellite early Tuesday, a spokesman for Russia’s aerospace defense troops said.The Raduga-1M satellite was expected to reach its orbit about nine hours after liftoff, Col. Dmitry Zenin said.Raduga-1M, codenamed Globus-1M, is a third-generation military communications satellite designed to ensure stable communications with mobile stations, including hard-to-reach mountainous regions.Proton rockets are to take two telecommunications satellites into orbit this year – the Inmarsat-5 F1 and Express-AM5. The launches are due to take place on December 8 and December 26, respectively

Japan military drills missiles on Pacific gateway

Source : http://m.indianexpress.com/news/japan-military-drills-missiles-on-pacific-gateway/1193532/

Japanese soldiers practised surface-to-ship missile drills on Monday on an island at the gateway to the Pacific, as part of a huge military exercise that has unsettled China.The practice in Okinawa was part of 18-day war games which Japan began earlier this month. They aim to strengthen its ability to protect remote territory, as a row with China over the sovereignty of some islands continues to rattle nerves.No missile was actually fired during today's drill, which was watched by members of the media -- including a large Chinese contingent, correspondents said -- and saw men in camouflage readying SSM1 missile batteries at Camp Naha on the main Okinawan island."Today's drill was aimed at training cooperation among our units," the commander of the fourth anti-warship missile regiment told reporters.Around 34,000 military personnel, six vessels and 360 aircraft are involved in the war games, which will also see the deployment of F-15 fighter jets and Patriot surface-to-air missile systems.The exercise comes amid growing nervousness in Japan and other parts of Asia over China's surging military might, which has seen it expand its naval reach into the Pacific Ocean.As well as its diplomatic fisticuffs with Tokyo, Beijing is also butting heads with a number of southeast Asian countries over its claims to virtually the whole of the South China Sea and the islands within it.Okinawa is a significant location for the anti-ship missiles because it sits on one side of the main navigable strait for Chinese vessels wanting to get into the Pacific Ocean.Tokyo has said the drill is not aimed at any specific nation, but Japanese leaders have openly expressed disquiet as China escalates its territorial claims.

Russian Navy Likely to Receive 2nd Borey Nuclear Sub by Year-End

Source : http://en.ria.ru/military_news

MOSCOW, November 9 (RIA Novosti) – A second Borey-class nuclear-powered submarine, the Alexander Nevsky, will most likely be delivered to the Russian Navy around the end of November or early December this year, Russia’s United Shipbuilding Corporation said Friday.“The Alexander Nevsky has completed state trials. It is currently undergoing some finishing works following recommendations by a state inspection commission,” the company said in a statement.“The signing of the acceptance act could take place sometime at the end of November or early December, followed by deployment at its home base,” the statement said.The state sea trials of the Alexander Nevsky were suspended in September following an unsuccessful launch of a Bulava submarine-launched ballistic missile from the submarine.Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered to hold five additional launches of the troubled SLBM at the time.However, the trials of the submarine were resumed in October, and the vessel is expected to be put into service with the Navy even without additional Bulava testing.The first Borey-class submarine, the Yury Dolgoruky, was commissioned into the Northern Fleet in January.The Borei class is set to become the mainstay of the Russian Navy's strategic nuclear deterrent fleet, replacing the aging Project 941 (NATO Typhoon class) and Project 667 class (Delta-3 and Delta-4) boats.A total of eight Borey-class submarines are to be built for the Russian Navy by 2020.

Russia to deliver two more submarines to Vietnam

Source : http://vestnikkavkaza.net

Russia will deliver the two more Varshavyanka class diesel-electric submarines to Vietnam in 2014, RIA Novosti quotes a source in defense industry.The Varshavyanka-class (Project 636) is an improved version of the Kilo-class submarines and features advanced stealth technology, extended combat range and the ability to strike land, surface and underwater targets, RIA Novosti reports.Vietnam in 2009 ordered six of the Russian-made submarines -- dubbed “black holes in the ocean” by the US Navy because they are nearly undetectable when submerged, in a step seen as an effort to counterbalance China’s expanding maritime influence in the region, RIA Novosti informs.

Russian-Strategic-Bombers-Complete-South-American-Mission

Source : http://en.ria.ru/military_news

MOSCOW, November 5 (RIA Novosti) – Two Russian Tupolev Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers returned on Tuesday from a tour-of-duty in South America, where they carried out a series of patrols in line with a combat training program.During the mission, which started on October 28, the nuclear-capable bombers visited Venezuela and Nicaragua, and conducted a series of patrols over the Caribbean.“The bombers took off from Venezuela’s Maiquetia airfield and flew a distance of about 13,000 kilometers [8,000 miles], refueling from Ilyushin Il-98 air tankers over neutral waters in the Sea of Norway,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.The planes landed early on Tuesday at the Engels airbase in southwestern Russia, the ministry said.Russian strategic bombers conducted a similar mission in 2008. It was followed by a visit to Venezuela by a Russian naval task force that took part in joint exercises with the Venezuelan navy.The Tu-160 Blackjack is a supersonic, variable-geometry heavy bomber, designed to strike strategic targets with nuclear and conventional weapons deep in continental theaters of operation.