MOSCOW, October 17 (RIA Novosti)

Russia plans to boost annual defense spending in 2015, the head of the State Duma’s Defense Committee said

Russia plans to boost annual defense spending by 59 percent to almost 3 trillion rubles ($97 billion) in 2015, up from $61 billion in 2012, the head of the State Duma’s Defense Committee told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.

“Targeted national defense spending as a percentage of GDP will amount to 3.2 percent in 2013, 3.4 percent in 2014 and 3.7 percent in 2015,” Defense Committee chairman Vladimir Komoedov is quoted as saying in the committee’s conclusion on the draft budget for 2013-2015.

The draft budget will come up for a first reading in the Duma on Friday.

The spending proposals provide financing to “re-equip units with new weapon systems, military and specialty equipment and provide housing and social safeguards for service members” among other issues, Komoedov said.

MOSCOU, 17 octobre - RIA Novosti

La Russie doit promouvoir sa coopération militaire et technique avec les autres pays du BRICS (Brésil, Russie, Inde, Chine, Afrique du Sud) et le Vietnam, a déclaré mercredi à Moscou le président russe Vladimir Poutine.

"Notre coopération militaire et technique avec ces Etats doit atteindre un niveau plus élevé compte tenu de la hausse de leurs potentiel technologique, industriel et scientifique", a indiqué M.Poutine lors d'une réunion de la commission pour la coopération militaire et technique avec les pays étrangers.

Il s'agit de passer de la coopération à la coproduction industrielle, de mener des recherches scientifiques conjointes, de créer des schémas efficaces de maintenance et de service après-vente, et d'accéder ensemble aux marchés de pays tiers.

"Vous savez que notre coopération avec l'Inde ne se limite pas à la livraison d'armements russes. Les travaux de recherche et de conception conjoints et la production sous licence, y compris de matériels destinés à l'exportation vers des pays tiers, deviennent de plus en plus fréquents", a noté M.Poutine.

La coproduction permet de réduire les frais de fabrication, de créer et d'appliquer de nouvelles technologies, et de mieux gérer le transfert des technologies militaires au civil, selon lui.

"Mais il faut bien sûr protéger les droits intellectuels des producteurs russes et les marques russes de réputation mondiale contre tout usage frauduleux", a conclu le président.

DARPA's Legged Squad Support System (LS3) during testing on rough terrain. The LS3 program goal is to develop a robot that will go through the same terrain the squad goes through and interact with troops in a natural way, similar to a trained animal and its handler.

October 18 (RIA Novosti)

Russian officials have compared the country’s new defense research agency—signed into law by President Vladimir Putin this week—to the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

DARPA was created in 1958 as a response to the Soviets’ launch of the Sputnik satellite into orbit the previous year, an achievement that stunned the American political and scientific establishment.

Over the next half century, the agency—often described as the Pentagon’s den of “mad scientists” for whom no idea is too fantastical—laid the framework for technologies now ubiquitous in the modern world, including the Internet and the Global Positioning System, or GPS.

But not everything DARPA touched turned to technological gold.

Scientists at the planned Russian Future Research Fund—the new agency Putin signed into law to spur defense technology breakthroughs —might want to note that DARPA researchers churned out numerous clunkers as well over the decades.

“When we fail, we fail big,” former DARP director Charles Herzfeld noted in a 1975 official history of the agency. “You could do really any damn thing you wanted, as long as it wasn't against the law or immoral."

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of DARPA’s creation, the magazine New Scientist recounted some of the agency’s greatest hits and misses, including several ideas that never made it out of the lab:

Project Orion: This scheme, which envisioned a spacecraft that would power itself by releasing nuclear bombs from its rear, was eventually shelved over fears of radioactive waste and because of the Partial Test Ban Treaty signed by the United States, Great Britain and the Soviet Union in 1963.

The mechanical elephant: DARPA scientists sought to create a “mechanical elephant” capable of navigating treacherous and dense jungle terrain during the Vietnam War. The agency’s director at the time reportedly dubbed the initiative a “damn fool” idea and ordered it to be shut down.

Psychic warfare: DARPA reportedly poured millions of dollars to match Soviet efforts to research the possible applications of telepathy and psychokinetics. The agency commissioned a 1973 report by the Rand Corporation which concluded that if “paranormal phenomena do exist, the thrust of Soviet research appears more likely to lead to explanation, control, and application than is US research.” Neither of the superpowers’ efforts appear to have borne any fruit.

DARPA is now engaged in a drive to create what it describes as “revolutionary technologies for understanding, planning, and managing cyberwarfare in real-time, large-scale, and dynamic network environments.”

And the US government continues to show its support for such efforts. During an era of economic turmoil and calls for austerity, the agency saw less than 0.05 percent of its $2.8 billion annual funding cut in the 2013 fiscal budget announced earlier this year.

R-36M Voevoda

MOSCOU, 17 octobre - RIA Novosti

La Russie dépensera plus de 2,5 milliards d'euros en armes nucléaires en 2013-2015, a annoncé mercredi à Moscou le président du comité de la Douma (chambre basse du parlement russe) pour la défense, Vladimir Komoïedov.

"Les dépenses budgétaires prévues par le chapitre "Armements nucléaires" se chiffreront à 29,28 milliards de roubles (728,4 M EUR) en 2013, à 33,3 milliards de roubles (828,4 M EUR) en 2014 et à 38,57 milliards de roubles (959,5 M EUR) en 2015", a indiqué M.Komoïedov à RIA Novosti.

En 2012, les dépenses pour les armes nucléaires se sont chiffrées à 27,2 milliards de roubles (681,6 M EUR), a rappelé le parlementaire.

La Douma examinera vendredi le projet de budget fédéral pour 2013 et la période de 2014 et 2015 en première lecture.

Un des principaux postes de dépense sera la mise au point d'un missile balistique intercontinental lourd d'ici 2018. Ce missile est censé remplacer le missile intercontinental à deux étages R-36M Voevoda (code START: RS-20V, code OTAN: SS-18 Satan), selon un responsable des Troupes balistiques stratégiques russes (RVSN).

MOSCOU, 17 octobre - RIA Novosti

Les dépenses budgétaires prévues pour financer la défense nationale de la Russie pourraient représenter 3,7% du PIB en 2015, soit quelque 75 milliards d'euros, a annoncé à RIA Novosti le chef du comité parlementaire pour la Défense Vladimir Komoïedov.

"La part des dépenses pour la défense nationale par rapport au PIB constituera 3,2% (52,5 milliards d'euros) en 2013, 3,4% (62,5 milliards d'euros) en 2014 et 3,7% (75 milliards d'euros) en 2015", a déclaré le député se référant aux conclusions du comité au sujet du projet budgétaire 2013-2015.

Le projet de loi relatif au budget fédéral pour 2013 et pour sa planification pour la période 2014-2015 sera examiné vendredi en première lecture à la Douma (chambre basse du parlement russe)

15 Oct 2012 by Howard Gethin – FG

Moscow - Russia's navy is to acquire a navalised version of the Kamov Ka-62 light utility helicopter by 2014 to serve on its Project 20380-class frigates, according to a high command source cited by the Izvestia newspaper.

A navy specification for the new Ka-62 variant will be drawn up by the end of this year, the source said, but Kamov confirms it has already begun drawing up plans for a navalised model.

The navy needs a new type to operate from its 2,500t displacement ships, as its existing Ka-27 anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters are too large.

"The Ka-27 weighs 12t and is 5m [16ft] high because it is co-axial," says a navy source quoted by the paper. "On a ship of less than 3,000t, a large hangar spoils the seakeeping and handling of the ship. In sea states greater than five, the ship could be in danger of capsizing."

"We are not yet sure about the onboard equipment," says a Kamov source. "It will take a lot of effort to fit in an acoustics suite, dipping sonar and lightweight torpedos, but nothing is impossible." The navalised version will have folding main rotor blades and a folding tail.

Kamov's first design to use a conventional main and tail rotor layout, the first production example of the roughly 6t Ka-62 utility transport is due to make its flight debut in 2013.

Meanwhile, the navy's Northern Fleet is carrying out deck-landing and ASW trials with a modified Ka-27M. The type features modern electronics equipment and a new radar which provides 360˚ coverage with a greater search radius and can simultaneously track dozens of targets, including surface and airborne threats. The enhancements are expected to extend the Ka-27's service life by another 10 to 15 years.

MOSCOW, October 16 (RIA Novosti)

Belarus hopes that Russia will help it modernize its military in order to protect Russia’s own Western borders, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday.

“Of course there’s not enough money for maintaining and upgrading military equipment. We’ve high hopes for Russia here,” Lukashenko said at a press conference.

“We won’t be able to protect ourselves alone, but this [Belarusian] army is a serious advantage for Russia,” Lukashenko said in the country's capital of Minsk.

Russia and Belarus are members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization bloc. Both militaries also collaborate within the framework of the Union State, a loose confederation of the two countries.

Belarusian defense spending for 2012 stood at 1 percent of the state budget, or about $166 million. The country has 62,000 active military personnel.

MOSCOW, October 16 (RIA Novosti)

Russia's Aerospace Defense Force successfully tested a short-range anti-missile defense system on Tuesday, a Defense Ministry spokesman told RIA Novosti on Tuesday.

"The Aerospace Forces and defense industry successfully tested a Russian short-range anti-missile defense system at Sary-Shagan range at 12.01 p.m. on Tuesday October 16," Col. Alexei Zolotukhin said.

The launch was carried out to confirm the system's effectiveness and its performance specifications, he said.

"The anti-missile system test was successful and it succeeded in destroying a test target in the time set," Aerospce Forces Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Valery Bratishenko said.

The Aerospace Forces have not disclosed what system was involved, but in July this year Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Col. Dmitry Zenin said Russia's Aerospace Defense Forces would carry out their first test-firings of the new S-400 air defense missile system in August.

The S-400 system uses a combination of three different types of missile to engage targets at up to 250 miles (40N6 missile), 160 miles (48N6 missile) and 70 miles (9M96 missile), according to globalsecurity.org.

Kashtan anti-aircraft missile/gun system

15 October 2012 naval-technology.com

The Russian Navy's third Steregushchy-class (Project 20380) corvette, named Boiky, has started sea trials in the fleet's test ranges to demonstrate its speed, manoeuvring, and vibration capabilities.

Sea trials will validate the performance of Boiky's onboard systems, as well as its design specifications, layouts, technical descriptions and operation manuals, as reported by RusNavy news.

Systems being verified in the trials will include the vessel's powerplant, steering system, auxiliary mechanisms, communication and navigation facilities, and anchor gear at sea.

Scheduled to be complete in December, the sea trials will be followed by state acceptance testing, which is expected to take place in early 2013.

Final outfit decision of the ship will be based on analysis of evaluation results carried out by the trial team, consisting of various shipyard departments representatives and contracting organisations.

Designed by Almaz Central Marine Design Bureau, the Steregushchy-class corvettes have a displacement capacity of 2,000t and are capable of reaching a speed of 27k, with accommodation for a crew of 100.

Equipped with SS-N-25 Switchblade anti-ship missiles, a 100mm gun and air defence and anti-submarine systems, the ship features stealth technology that reduces secondary radar fields, as well as acoustic, infrared, magnetic and visual signatures.

Capable of providing artillery support for beach landings, the corvettes can also destroy enemy surface ships, submarines and aircraft.

The first corvette, Steregushchy, is already in service with Russia's Baltic Fleet, while the second ship, Soobrazitelny, joined the navy in 2011.

The fourth vessel Stoyky was rolled-out at St Petersburg's Severnaya Verf shipyard in May and is scheduled to enter service in November 2013, following a series of sea trials.

Russia has plans to acquire up to 30 Steregushchy-class corvettes to defend its oil and gas transportation routes in the Black and the Baltic seas.

14 octobre 2012 Par Rédacteur en chef. PORTAIL DES SOUS-MARINS

Le directeur du chantier naval de l’Amirauté (Saint-Pétersbourg) Alexandre Bouzakov a annoncé que ce sont 17 bâtiments qui sortiraient des cales de ses chantiers au cours des 5 prochaines années. Il a également indiqué qu’à la fin de l’année 2012, près de 2 milliards de roubles (environ €50 millions) auront été investis dans la modernisation des installations.

Le chantier naval de l’Amirauté doit construire 6 submersibles du Projet 0636.3 (classe Kilo) pour la Marine russe (dont 3 sont déjà en chantier), et six supplémentaires pour le Viet-Nam.

Par ailleurs, il est également en charge de la construction des BPC russes.

Enfin, il est probable qu’Alger passe commande en 2013 également pour 2 submersibles du projet 0636.3.

Référence : RusNav Intelligence

Kamov Ka-27M anti-submarine helicopter

MOSCOW, October 15 (RIA Novosti)

The Russian Navy's Northern Fleet is carrying out flight tests and warfare trials of its modified Kamov Ka-27M anti-submarine helicopter from large destroyers, the fleet's spokesman, Captain Vadim Serga, said on Monday.

"The modernized Ka-27M (NATO codename Helix) is completing deck landings on a ship as well as trials of its main systems," he said.

The Ka-27M has already undertaken deck landing trials on a stationary destroyer at a berth on the Kola Peninsula, he added.

The latest sea trials will involve tests of the Ka-27M's new avionics systems in search of submarines, and trials of its radar against submarine, surface and air targets.

"The new machine has not only had modern avionics systems installed, but also updated special missions systems," he said. In addition, it has a new radar giving 360 degree coverage and a greater search radius and simultaneous tracking of dozens of targets.

"The modernized Ka-27M has also had its service life extended by another 10 to 15 years," Serga added.

The Ka-27 entered service with the Soviet Navy in 1982 in an anti-submarine role. Variants include the downgraded Ka-28 export model, the Ka-29 transport helicopter and Ka-31 airborne early warning system.

It is fitted with a dipping sonar system as well as sonobuoys, and can be armed with depth charges and torpedos.

MOSCOW, October 15 (RIA Novosti)

French observers will conduct inspection flights over Russia and Belarus under the Open Skies Treaty, while Russian inspectors will do the same over the territory of Norway, a Russian Defense Ministry spokesman said.

“In the period from October 15 to 20, a French mission will conduct a surveillance flight on board of a C-130H surveillance aircraft over the territory of the Russian Federation under the international Treaty on Open Skies, and a group of Russian inspectors on board of an Antonov An-30B will conduct a surveillance flight over the territory of Norway between October 15 and 19,” the spokesman said.

He also said that the French mission will be conducting flights on board of the aircraft that is not intended to carry weapons and was certified by international experts and specialists, including from Russia.

The Open Skies Treaty, signed in 1992 on an initiative of U.S. President George H.W. Bush, established a regime of unarmed aerial observation flights over the territories of its 34 member states to promote openness and the transparency of military forces and activities.

The treaty entered into force on January 1, 2002 and its regime covers the national territories (land, islands, and internal and territorial waters) of all the treaty signatory states. It is an important element of the European security structure.

October 12, 2012 defpro.com (RIA Novosti)

MOSCOW | Russia's arms export agencies denied on Friday that cargo removed from a Damascus-bound airliner forced to land in Turkey by Turkish fighters on Wednesday was sent by them.

The denial comes after Russian business daily Kommersant reported on Friday the seized items were technical components for Syrian air defense radars which did not require special certification as military items.

Turkish F-16 fighter jets forced down the Syrian Air Airbus A320 carrying 35 passengers some three hours after it had taken off from Moscow's Vnukovo international airport on Wednesday. Turkey eventually permitted the A320 to resume its flight after a five-hour inspection of the aircraft that resulted in the seizure of a number of items.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the intercepted plane was carrying Russian-made military gear and ammunition destined for the Syrian military, but Syria’s Foreign Ministry said the jet had no weapons or banned cargoes on board.

Vyacheslav Davidenko, a representative of Russian state arms trader Rosoboronexport, said the company did not have any cargo on the flight.

"We don't have any information available about the contents or ownership of any cargo," Davidenko said. "All cargo transport operations by us involving military equipment are always made in accordance with international agreements and Russian law," he added.

"These cargos did not go via the Federal Service for Military Technical Cooperation (FSVTS), so there is nothing to comment on," said FSVTS representative Andrei Tarabrin.

The Federal Security Service (FSB) has refused to comment on media reports claiming it is launching an investigation into a possible leak from a Russian agency, which led to the discovery of the Damascus-bound cargo.

"We do not comment on such information," the FSB said.

Russia expressed a thinly veiled protest on Thursday at the grounding of its plane by Turkish authorities over accusations it was carrying "illegal cargo."

“We are concerned that the life and security of the passengers, including 17 Russian nationals, was endangered,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said on Thursday, adding that Turkey had not informed Russia that its nationals were on board and that Russian embassy officials and doctors had been denied access to the plane.

“Russia insists on an explanation of such behavior with regard to the Russian nationals and demands that measures be taken to prevent any such incidents happening in the future,” he said.

The United States said meanwhile that it supported Turkey’s decision to force the plane down and indicated it would raise the matter with Russia.

“We strongly support the government of Turkey’s decision to inspect the plane,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said, adding that Washington was “concerned by any effort to supply military equipment to the Assad regime.”

The episode was likely to come up in bilateral discussions between US and Russian officials, she added.

Moscow has repeatedly blocked international sanctions against the embattled regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over what it says is a pro-rebel bias. Tens of thousands of people have killed been since the outbreak of civil war in Syria in March 2011, according to opposition groups.

Russia has insisted that its ongoing arms deliveries to Syria are in accordance with international law.