Russia Receives Payment Under Iraqi Arms Deal

Source : Strategic-Culture.org

Russia has started fulfilling its recent arms exports contract with Iraq after receiving an advance payment from Baghdad, Russian Technologies (Rostech) CEO Sergei Chemezov said.

“The contract is being implemented, the production [of ordered equipment] has started,” Chemezov told RIA Novosti at the opening ceremony of a Russian grenade-launcher assembly facility in Jordan on Thursday.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki signed an arms package purchase agreement with Russia worth $4.2 billion during his visit to Moscow in October 2012.

Under the deal, Moscow is to supply 30 Mil Mi-28NE night/all-weather capable attack helicopters, and 50 Pantsyr-S1 gun-missile short-range air defense systems.

The deal was suspended by Iraqi authorities a few weeks after the signing over suspicions of corruption. The Iraqi Parliament initiated an investigation into several officials suspected of taking kickbacks.

However, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said in March 2013 that Iraq and Russia had initialed a revised deal and deliveries under the contract would start by summer.

The corruption investigation was closed shortly after but resumed in May. Iraqi officials said at the time the probe would not affect the Russian contract

Russia to Launch New Spy Satellite in June – Source

Source : RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, May 31 (RIA Novosti) – The Russian military will launch a new reconnaissance satellite from the Plesetsk space center in northern Russia on June 8, a space industry source said.

“A Russian military satellite will be launched on board a Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket from the Plesetsk launch site on June 8,” the source, who asked to remain anonymous, told RIA Novosti on Thursday.

According to previous reports, the satellite is the second in the new Persona series of electro-optical reconnaissance satellites based on the Resurs DK remote sensing satellite.

The first Persona satellite (Kosmos 2441) was launched onto a sun synchronous orbit in July 2008 but reportedly malfunctioned in February 2009 due to failure in electronic components.

Russia operates a network of about 60-70 military reconnaissanc satellites, featuring updated imaging technology and an extended lifetime of up to seven years, according to open sources.

Jordan Opens Plant to Make Russian Grenade Launchers

Source : RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, May 30 (RIA Novosti) – A Jordanian-Russian joint venture to produce RPG-32 portable rocket-propelled grenade launchers was unveiled in Jordan on Thursday, the Russian manufacturer said.

King Abdullah II and Russian Technologies CEO Sergei Chemezov attended the factory’s inauguration.

“The RPG-32 is one of the most advanced weapon systems [in the world] capable of effectively engaging the majority of armored vehicles as well as other military targets,” Chemezov said at the opening ceremony.

The joint venture to manufacture RPG-32 Hashim launchers is located about 20 kilometers northeast of Jordan’s capital, Amman. It has been built and equipped by the Jordanian side, whereas Russia’s Rosoboronexport, part of Russian Technologies, is supplying components for the assembly of the grenade launchers and is overseeing the production process.

Russian Warplanes Go on 24-Hour Duty in Snap Alert Drill

Source : RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, May 28 (RIA Novosti) – MiG-31 Foxhound interceptors are going on round- the-clock duty in northern Russia as part of a snap combat readiness check of the nation's aerospace defense capabilities, the Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

The fighters, “in conjunction with A-50 airborne warning and control system aircraft, are performing continuous missions to protect the airspace, including from cruise missile strikes,” the ministry said in a statement. The aircraft are to be refueled while still in the air.

The three-day exercise, in which the fighters will fend off aerospace attacks, is part of a series of random checks of the Russian armed forces that began in February. It involves Air Force units from the Western Military District, General Staff chief Valery Gerasimov said during a teleconference, adding that the upcoming maneuver had been ordered by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

A total of 8,700 personnel, 185 warplanes and 240 armored vehicles are participating in the checks, overseen by Col. Gen. Vladimir Zarudnitsky. The checks include missile launches at the Ashuluk test range in Astrakhan, Zarudnitsky said.

In late February, a raft of random tests of military preparedness revealed a number of systemic shortcomings, in particular in the Central and Southern Military Districts, the Airborne Assault Forces and military air-transportation units.

Alert-duty officers in some units were slow to respond to orders via automated combat command and control systems, especially in the airborne forces and at the 201st Military Base in Tajikistan. Other problems included poor accuracy in firing, especially by tanks and infantry fighting vehicle crews.

The checks, which the Defense Ministry said are being carried out for the first time in the past 20 years, will now be conducted on a regular basis

China e-intrusion: Chinese hackers breach US missile defence

Source : India Today

Chinese hackers have compromised the designs for many of America's most sensitive advanced weapons systems, according to a media report citing a confidential report prepared for US defence officials.

Among more than two dozen major weapons systems whose designs were breached were programmes critical to US missile defences and combat aircraft and ships, the Washington Post reported citing a report by the Defence Science Board.

The electronic intrusions gave China access to advanced technology that could accelerate the development of its weapons systems and weaken the US military advantage in a future conflict, warned unnamed experts cited by the influential US daily.

Citing a confidential list of compromised weapons designs, the Post said some of the weapons form the backbone of the US defence department's regional missile defence for Asia, Europe and the Persian Gulf.

The designs included those for the advanced Patriot missile system, known as PAC-3; an army system for shooting down ballistic missiles, known as the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD; and the Navy's Aegis ballistic-missile defence system, it said.

Also identified in the report are vital combat aircraft and ships, including the F/A-18 fighter jet, the V-22 Osprey, the Black Hawk helicopter and the navy's new Littoral Combat Ship, which is designed to patrol waters close to shore, the Post said.

Also on the list is the most expensive weapons system ever built - the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which is on track to cost about $1.4 trillion. The 2007 hack of that project was reported previously.

However, the list did not describe the extent or timing of the penetrations, the Post said.

The report also listed broad technologies that have been compromised, such as drone video systems, nano-technology, tactical data links and electronic warfare systems - all areas where the US defence department and Chinese military are investing heavily, according to the Post.

US F-15 Jet Crashes off Japan's Okinawa

Source : Fars News Agency

Okinawa TEHRAN (FNA)- A US F-15 jet crashed off Japan's Okinawa prefecture Tuesday morning.

Meanwhile, Japan's 11th Region Coast Guard Headquarters said it was informed by the US Forces in Japan at around 9 am local time that an F-15 jet crashed 100 km East off Okinawa and the pilot escaped, Japan's Kyodo News reported.

As of now, Japan has dispatched patrol aircraft and vessels to the accident site.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga also said Japan has been informed about the incident and is gathering information on it.

The crashed fighter, along with other three F-15s, was on way to participate in training above Okinawa from the US Kadena airbase in the prefecture.

A US F-15 fighter crashed in 2006 and the pilot successfully escaped from the plane.

S-300 Air Defense Systems Deployed at Snap Alert Drills

Source : RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, May 28 (RIA Novosti) – Four regiments of S-300 air defense systems have been deployed at the Ashuluk firing range in southern Russia as part of another snap combat readiness check of the Russian armed forces, the Defense Ministry said.

The regiments were airlifted on Thursday by military transport planes to designated drop zones where they will carry out a variety of missions simulating the defense of the Russian airspace from massive attacks by “enemy” missiles and aircraft.

“The missions will be carried out in conditions of heavy electronic warfare to test the capabilities of the air defense units to the highest limit,” the ministry said.

A total of 8,700 personnel, 185 warplanes, and 240 armored vehicles are involved in the three-day exercise, overseen by Col. Gen. Vladimir Zarudnitsky, head of Russian General Staff’s Main Operations Directorate.

The surprise alert exercise, ordered by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, is part of a series of random checks of the Russian Armed Forces which began in February.

The previous two checks revealed a number of systemic shortcomings, in particular in the Central and South Military Districts, the Airborne Assault Forces (VDV) and military transport aviation units.

Alert duty officers in some military units demonstrated a slow response to processing orders via automated combat command and control systems, especially in the airborne forces and at the 201st Military Base in Tajikistan.

Other problems included poor accuracy in firing, especially by tanks and infantry fighting vehicle crews.

The Defense Ministry said in February that random inspections will now be conducted on a regular basis to insure constant combat readiness of the armed forces.

India testfires supersonic BrahMos cruise missile

Source : Globaltimes.cn

India on Wednesday successfully testfired its supersonic BrahMos cruise missile from a warship off the coast of the western state of Goa, sources said.

"The missile, with a range of 290 kms, was testfired from the Indian Navy's Russian-built warship INS Tarkash and it successfully hit the target off the Goa coast," the sources said, adding the warship was commissioned in last November.

BrahMos is a joint venture between India's state-owned Defense Research and Development Organisation and Russia's NPO Mashinostroeyenia, which have together formed BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited.

Known as the world's fastest cruise missile which travels at speeds of Mach 2.8 to 3.0, BrahMos can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft or land. While the land-launched and ship-launched versions of BrahMos are already in service and India is readying the air and the submarine-launched versions.

Russia to Scrap World’s Biggest Nuclear Subs

Source : RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, May 21 (RIA Novosti) - Russia will decommission and scrap two of the largest submarines in the world by 2018, a defense industry source told RIA Novosti on Tuesday.

The Severstal and the Arkhangelsk, both Project 841 (Typhoon-class) ballistic-missile submarines, based at Severodvinsk on the White Sea, will be withdrawn from the Navy by the end of this year and will begin to be dismantled.

“This process is to be completed before 2018- 2020 at the latest,” the source said, adding the boats are outdated and it is too costly to modernize them.

A third submarine of this class, the Dmitry Donskoy, has been modernized as a test platform for Russia's new Bulava submarine- launched ballistic missile, and will remain in service in that capacity for some time yet, the source said.

Six Typhoon-class submarines entered service with the Soviet Navy in the 1980s, and remain the largest submarines ever built. Three have already been scrapped.

The Typhoon class boats have a maximum displacement of 33,800 tons and were built to carry 20 SS-N-20 SLBMs, all of which have been retired.

They are to be replaced with new Borey-class strategic submarines, armed with Bulava missiles.

Peru Mulls Deals to Buy Russian Helicopters, Tanks - Rostec

Source : RIA Novosti

LIMA, May 18 (RIA Novosti) – Peru is interested in buying 700 Kamaz trucks and a new batch of Mi-8/17 helicopters from Russia, as well as testing the T-90S tank that is currently on display at a defense technology exhibition in Lima, the head of Russia’s delegation to the show said on Saturday.

“Russia is discussing the possibility with Peru of signing a contract for the delivery of Kamaz vehicles of various modifications,” said Sergei Goreslavsky, head of the delegation to SITDEF Peru 2013 of the Russian Technologies (Rostec) hi-tech state corporation that comprises state arms exporter Rosoboronexport, adding that the deal concerned about 700 vehicles. Kamaz trucks cost between $80,000 and $90,000 each.

Goreslavsky also said that Peru, which currently has about 100 Mi-8 helicopters in its arsenal, is planning to buy more of the aircraft “not only for the Defense Ministry, but also for dealing with the consequences of natural disasters.”

If the Kamaz and Mi-8 deals go ahead, Russia is prepared to set up centers for servicing the vehicles and aircraft, he added.

The Peruvian army may also buy about 100 tanks from Russia, Goreslavsky said. Earlier this week, Uralvagonzavod, the manufacturer of the T-90S tank, said it was prepared to leave behind the tank that is currently on show at the defense expo in Lima – which runs through Sunday – in order for Peru to test it. Under the tank deal, Peruvian tank operators would undergo training in Russian military academies.

Rosoboronexport sold $14.5 billion worth of weaponry to Latin American countries in the past 12 years, the company’s general director Anatoly Isaikin told the State Duma on Monday.

Aegis System Destroys Missile in Successful BMD Test

Source : Atlantic Council

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and U.S. Navy sailors aboard the USS LAKE ERIE (CG-70) successfully conducted a flight test today of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system, resulting in the intercept of a separating ballistic missile target over the Pacific Ocean by the Aegis BMD 4.0 Weapon System and a Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IB missile.

At 5:25 p.m. (Hawaii Time, 11:25 p.m. EDT), May 15, a separating short-range ballistic missile target was launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility, on Kauai, Hawaii. The target flew northwest towards a broad ocean area of the Pacific Ocean. Following target launch, the USS LAKE ERIE (CG-70) detected and tracked the missile with its onboard AN/SPY-1 radar. The ship, equipped with the second-generation Aegis BMD weapon system, developed a fire control solution and launched the SM-3 Block IB missile. The SM-3 maneuvered to a point in space based on guidance from Aegis BMD Weapons Systems and released its kinetic warhead. The kinetic warhead acquired the target reentry vehicle, diverted into its path, and, using only the force of a direct impact, engaged and destroyed the target. . . .

This test exercised the latest version of the second-generation Aegis BMD Weapon System and Standard Missile, providing capability for engagement of longer-range and more sophisticated ballistic missiles. . . .

FTM-19 is the 25th successful intercept in 31 flight test attempts for the Aegis BMD program since flight testing began in 2002. Across all Ballistic Missile Defense System programs, this is the 59th successful hit-to-kill intercept in 74 flight tests since 2001.

Aegis BMD is the naval component of the MDA’s Ballistic Missile Defense System. The Aegis BMD engagement capability defeats short- to intermediate-range, unitary and separating, midcourse-phase ballistic missile threats with the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3), as well as short- range ballistic missiles in the terminal phase with the SM-2 Block IV missile. The MDA and the U.S. Navy cooperatively manage the Aegis BMD program.

From USNI News: Aegis BMD – managed jointly by the Navy and MDA – is rapidly becoming a one of the U.S. Navy’s highest profile mission. Aegis was originally designed as an anti-air system for fleet protection from air threats. Since its 1980s introduction into the U.S. Navy, the system has been modified with additional processing power, improved software and new missiles evolved the system to target and destroy enemy missiles.

Aegis BMD system – on 26 U.S. Navy ships as of November – is a keystone of the Obama administration’s European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) that put Aegis equipped U.S. Navy destroyers and cruisers in the Mediterranean and plan for land-based BMD batteries in Eastern Europe.

The BMD mission is also the key focus of the Navy’s next series of Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. (photo: Missile Defense Agency)

Russia delivers 12 Mi-17 helicopters to Afghan armed forces

Source : Khaama Press KP

Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport announced that Russia will deliver 12 Mil Mi-17V5 military transport helicopters to Afghanistan national army by the end of 2013.

The deliver of the helicopters to Afghan armed forces is part of the $367.5 million deal signed between Pentagon and Rosoboronexport in 2011, which included delivery of 21 Mi-17V5s.

US officials have also announced that the deal with the Rosoboronexport could worth up to $900 million which will also include spares and servicing.

Grigory Kozlov, director of Rosobornexport’s helicopter exports department quoted by Russia’s state news agency, Ria Novosti said, “The option agreement has been signed and the delivery will be completed by the end of this year.”

Kozlov said Pentagon has already started paying for the option deal as well as delivering US equipment to be installed on Russian helicopters specifically for Afghan missions.

According to Grigory Kozlov, additional Mi17 helicopters will be purchased for the Afghan national security forces despite opposition from a number of US lawmakers.

He said, “I think this issue (the additional purchase) will be decided by the end of May and we will enter a new round of talks on the delivery of helicopters on top of the current 21 plus 12 units.”

Russian-made helicopters have a long history in Afghanistan and is preferred better than the helicopters due to their low prices, durability and simplicity.

India inducts its first Boeing surveillance aircraft into Navy

Source : Globaltimes.cn

India has inducted its first Boeing surveillance aircraft for anti-submarine operations into its Navy, local media reported Thursday.

The induction of the first Poseidon-8I (P-8I) aircraft into the Indian Navy took place at INS Rajali in Arakkonam, some 80 km from the southern state of Tamil Nadu's capital Chennai Wednesday, The Times of India newspaper reported.

"The aircraft is to be used for broad-area maritime and anti- submarine operations. The aircraft is going to be a unique part in our anti-surface warfare, surveillance and intelligence capacities, " Vice Admiral B.K. Varma, the chief of staff of the eastern naval command, was quoted as saying.

Armed with anti-ship Harpoon missiles, Mark-54 anti-submarine torpedoes and Mark-82 depth bombs, the aircraft will guard the country's 5,422 km coastline, 1,197 islands and 2.01 million sq km of exclusive economic zones, the report said.

Russian defense minister visits military base in Abkhazia

Source : Vesti Kavkaza

Russian Defense Minister Army General Sergey Shoygu has visited the 7th Russian base in Gudaut (Abkhazia) and paid special attention to living conditions of soldiers and construction of parking for vehicles, ITAR-TASS reports.

The minister visited the Gudautsky Sanatorium and checked its readiness for the 2013 holiday season.

The Russian Ministry for Emergencies brought fire-fighting equipment and equipment for rescuers to Abkhazia

Russian Navy Gets Advanced Stealth Corvette

Source : RIA Novosti

KALININGRAD, May 16 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s newest Baltic Fleet warship, the Project 20380 Boiky corvette, was handed over to the Navy on Thursday, a fleet spokesman said.

The 20380 class, designed by the Almaz naval design bureau and built at St. Petersburg's Severnaya Verf shipyard, is optimized for antisubmarine and surface warfare and support for land operations. The class incorporates stealth technology, which has considerably reduced its radar and infrared signatures.

The Boiky underwent a series of final tests at the beginning of this month, after completing sea trials.

On April 1, the Boiky was sprinkled with holy water in a Russian Orthodox Christian blessing ceremony. A priest blessed the corvette’s hull, weapons systems and superstructures, as well as the ship’s interior.

The 20380 class can be equipped with Kh-35 anti-ship missiles and 3M-54 Klub cruise missiles, Kashtan anti-aircraft gun/missile systems, a main 100-mm gun and two 30-mm close-range air defense guns, as well as torpedo tubes, according to naval- technology.com. It also has a hangar and deck for operating a Kamov Ka-27 antisubmarine warfare helicopter, and is fitted with a Vinyetka-EM towed-array sonar.

U.S. warship arrives in Israeli red sea port for visit

Source : Xinhua

JERUSALEM, May 14 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. Navy warship dropped anchor in the Gulf of Eilat in the early hours of Tuesday for a four-day visit to Israel, local media reported.

The USS Kearsarge, a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, carries transport and attack helicopters, V-22 Osprey aircraft that take off and land vertically, as well as troops and marine landing craft.

This is the first visit of an American warship to the Red Sea port city in 14 years, said the U.S. military attache in Israel.

The visit was planned in advance and is not connected to tensions in the region, said an Israeli Defense Forces spokeswoman in Jerusalem.

"U.S. Navy ships and submarines visit Israeli ports as part of their routine operations. This is a scheduled port visit," the spokeswoman told Xinhua.

The Israeli Navy is hosting the Kearsarge's 4,000 sailors, who will be touring the country until their departure on Saturday, the Ha'aretz daily said. The navies of both countries periodically hold joint training maneuvers in the Mediterranean Sea and elsewhere.

The USS Kearsarge is part of an Expeditionary Strike Group based in Norfolk, Virginia and comprised of two guided-missile frigates, a fast-attack submarine, the USS Miami, a dock landing ship and a contingent of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit. It carries out maritime security operations in the Gulf as well as humanitarian aid and disaster relief missions.

'Father' of Pakistan's Nukes Says N.Korea Is Ready to Attack

Source : The Chosun Ilbo

The colourful "father" of Pakistan's nuclear bomb, Abdul Qadeer Khan, has claimed North Korea may have perfected a nuclear weapon and long- range missile warheads, according to Al Jazeera English.

Khan, a gifted scientist but shady individual, is believed to have sold nuclear technology to North Korea.

"No doubt they are quite capable and they can do it," Khan told the channel. "They can even build an [intercontinental ballistic missile] if they want to."

Khan admitted the North's missile technology is "crude" and "not as sophisticated as the western countries have. But sometimes a crude system will also work. It is good enough to frighten other people."

Khan is revered as a national hero by some in Pakistan but spent years under house arrest for selling nuclear technology to North Korea, Libya and Iran.

But in the latest interview he claimed North Korea "got all their engineers and scientists trained in China and the Soviet Union in this field."

Turning to Irans suspected nuclear arms program, he called the allegations Western "propaganda," on a par with Iraq's non-existent weapons of mass destruction that duped a number of UN member states into backing the U.S. invasion in 2003.

Russia’s Mediterranean Task Force to Include Nuclear Subs – Navy Chief

Source : RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, May 12 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s Mediterranean task force will comprise 5-6 warships and may be enlarged to include nuclear submarines, Navy Commander Adm. Viktor Chirkov said on Sunday.

“Overall, already from this year, we plan to have 5-6 warships and support vessels [in the Mediterranean Sea], which will be replaced on a rotating basis from each of the fleets – the Black Sea, Baltic, Northern and, in some cases, even the Pacific Fleet. Depending on the scope of assignments and their complexity, the number of warships in the task force may be increased,” Chirkov told RIA Novosti.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu earlier said a decision to deploy a permanent task force in the Mediterranean to defend Russia’s interests in the area had been made.

The Russian navy commander also said nuclear submarines could be deployed in the Mediterranean, if necessary.

“Possibly. In a perspective. They [submarines] were present there during the existence of the 5th squadron. There were both nuclear and diesel submarines there. Everything will depend on the situation,” he said.

The Soviet Union maintained its 5th Mediterranean Squadron in that sea from 1967 until 1992. It was formed to counter the US Navy 6th Fleet during the Cold War, and consisted of 30-50 warships and auxiliary vessels at different times.

Russia also plans to use its Mediterranean task force for missions in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, the country’s Navy chief said.

“No doubt, if necessary, when some tasks arise in other nearby regions, in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, the task force may be used,” Chirkov said.

Now the Russian Navy is training officers who will perform their duties at sea on a permanent basis, he said.

“These persons must be comprehensively trained to solve tasks not only in the Mediterranean but also in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans,” he said.

The headquarters of Russia’s Mediterranean taskforce will be set up already in the summer of 2013, he said.

“The headquarters will be established in the summer of this year and its officers will stay aboard one of the flagships in the Mediterranean Sea,” he said.

Fifth-Generation Jet Tests May Start in July - Air Force

Source : RIA Novosti

AKHTUBINSK (Astrakhan Region, south Russia), May 7 (RIA Novosti) - Tests of Russia’s fifth-generation T-50 fighter jets in the Chkalov state flight test center in Akhtubinsk, Astrakhan Region in south Russia may start in July, Air Force Commander Lt. Gen. Viktor Bondarev said.

“In two months,” he said Monday when asked when the center would start tests of such jets, adding that the first serial fifth-generation jet may be manufactured in 2014-2015.

United Aircraft Corporation President Mikhail Pogosyan said in April Russia will start state flight tests of the T-50 in 2014.

The fighter jets will enter service with the country’s armed forces in 2016, and not 2015 as was previously announced, President Vladimir Putin said at a live Q&A session with the Russian public in April.

The Defense Ministry had earlier said the jet would be ready in 2015

Russia plans to add 20 ships to its Black Sea Fleet

Source : Atlantic Council

From ITAR-TASS: The Russian Black Sea Fleet will be updated and improved to ensure the country's national security. Up to 20 new ships, submarines and boats will join it in the near future, Fleet Commander Vice-Admiral Alexander Fedotenkov said in connection with the 230th anniversary of the fleet to be marked on May 13. . . .

The latest guard ship Admiral Grigorovich of Project 11356 is expected to be launched in 2013 and placed in service in 2014. It will be the first in the series of six guard ships of the project with the Kalibr high-accuracy long-range missile system. The ships are named Admiral Essen, Admiral Makarov, Admiral Butakov, Admiral Istomin and Admiral Kornilov, the commander said.

The navy also expects to receive six new submarines of Project 636, the Varshavyanka class. The first three will be named Novorossiisk, Rostov-on-Don and Stary Oskol, the vice-admiral said, adding that seven more various-purpose naval boats and other ships would join the fleet.

In February 2012, Fedotenkov said six submarines of Project 636 would be accepted for service in the Black Sea Fleet by 2017. The first three will be received in 2014, one in 2015 and two in 2016 to form a full brigade of submarines. The ships were laid down at the Admiralteyskiye Verfi shipyard in St. Petersburg.

The Black Sea Fleet has two Alrosa submarines of Project 877V and a submarine of Project 641B. . . .

The air force of the Black Sea Fleet will also receive new aircraft, including Su-24M bombers. When Su-24Ms are received, the range of means of attack aircraft will enlarge. The capabilities of the air force will increase 2/5-3 times by 2020 as compared to 2012, he noted, adding that the anti-submarine, search and rescue and military transport aviation would also develop. (photo: RIA Novosti)

Germany proposes rapid-response EU military training corps

Source : Strategic-Culture.org

dpa) - European Union defence ministers expressed interest Tuesday in a German proposal for the bloc‘s rapid-response battlegroups to run military training missions such as those conducted in Mali and Somalia, a top EU diplomat said.

"The German proposal is informed by real-life concepts, because we see that we do a lot of training," said Maciej Popowski of the European External Action Service.

Battlegroups were launched in 2007 to provide a quick military EU intervention in crisis situations, but have never been deployed in practice, prompting a rethink about how they could be used.

"These battlegroups have established themselves," said German Defence Minister Thomas de Maiziere ahead of Tuesday‘s meeting with his EU counterparts. "They are a strong element of joint European security policy."

The fact that they had not yet been deployed did not speak against the concept, he said.

"We see now that there are many situations in which the EU is challenged in different ways, for example in the rapid provision of training," the minister added.

Such a training corps could be involved in "observation, advice or support missions," either under the EU umbrella or on behalf of the United Nataions, he said.

Popowski said the concept still had to be discussed with EU member states, adding, "It was very well received, in the sense that it would fit into a potential reflection on the adjustment of the battlegroup concept."

The training element would not be at the expense of other battlegroup tasks but to "enhance the potential field of application," the diplomat said.

General Patrick de Rousiers, the chairman of the EU Military Committee, said the German idea was one of several member state proposals on the future of the battlegroups.

"We have a whole package of elements that indicate that there is a willingness to look at other ways ... to cooperate together and transform together," de Rousiers said, stressing that it remained important that the EU could react quickly and provide military support.

EU leaders are to discuss the bloc‘s defence policy and military capabilities at their summit in December.

Three Russian Nuke Subs to Be Recommissioned in 2013

Source : RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, May 1 (RIA Novosti) – Three nuclear submarines of the Russian Navy currently under maintenance will be recommissioned by 2014, a Navy spokesman told journalists Tuesday.

The K-410 Smolensk cruise missile submarine, which is undergoing repairs since 2011, will resume its service in the Northern Fleet, the spokesman said.

The Pacific Fleet will be rejoined by the K-150 Tomsk cruise missile submarine, which was docked in 2010 due to problems with the cooling engine of its nuclear reactor; and the K-419 Kuzbass attack submarine, under repairs since 2010. The Kuzbass belongs to the same Akula II class as the ill-fated K-152 Nerpa, on which 20 people were killed during sea trials in 2008 due to malfunction of the fire suppression system