WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 (UPI)

The U.S. Navy's Reliant counter-mine autonomous underwater vehicle has set an endurance record, traveling 315 miles in a bit more than 100 hours.

The Reliant, the prototype of the new Knifefish mine-hunter AUV, is an advanced version of Bluefin Robotics' Bluefin-21 AUV and is operated by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory's Acoustics Division.

The Navy Research Laboratory said the Reliant traveled from Boston to New York City as an experiment to uncover the challenges and requirements for significantly extending AUV endurance for new applications.

During the voyage, the autonomous underwater vehicle traveled at a depth of 32 feet at an average speed of 2.5 knots. It surfaced every 32 miles to report and reached Upper New York Bay with a 10 percent energy reserve.

"This record multi-day research mission demonstrates the state-of-the-art autonomy methods and capabilities of the Reliant AUV," said Dr. Brian Houston, head, NRL Physical Acoustics Branch. "It is our first step in developing a robust autonomy paradigm for AUVs in long-endurance scenarios."

Reliant is 20 feet long and weighs more than 1,300 pounds. It features a 40 kilowatt-hour energy section, a fiber-optic gyro-based inertial navigation system integrated with GPS, and a Doppler velocity log for precise underwater navigation.

November 19, 2013 defense-aerospace.com

 (Source: US Air Force; issued Nov. 18, 2013)

ROBINS AFB, Ga. --- Air Force pilots flying the "Dragon Lady" no longer experience decompression sickness during their high-altitude flights, according to officials with the U-2 Program Office here.

Commonly referred to as DCS, decompression sickness is caused by the formation of nitrogen bubbles in the blood and tissue following a sudden drop of air pressure.

For U-2 pilots, who routinely fly missions above 70,000 feet, this has been a major concern.

"Our pilots were seeing an increased number of DCS incidents due to long missions," said Col. Fred Kennedy, the Command and Control, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Division chief. "Air Force senior leaders became aware of the problem, and made fixing it their No. 1 priority for our program."

The fix -- dubbed the Cabin Altitude Reduction Effort, or CARE, program -- beefs up the U-2's structure, replaces the legacy cockpit pressure regulator and safety valve, and includes modifications to the engine bleed schedule. That permits engineers to nearly double the cockpit pressure experienced by a U-2 pilot, from 4.4 pounds per square inch to more than 8 psi.

"What our folks have done is to drop the apparent altitude in the cockpit from 29,500 feet to 15,000 feet - roughly the difference between Mount Everest and Pikes Peak (Colo.)," Kennedy said. "CARE basically eliminates the risk of DCS and allows our U-2 pilots -- who might otherwise have been removed from flying status -- to keep flying."

A total of 27 U-2 airframes have been outfitted with CARE, ahead of schedule and under cost. The total outlay for the program was $8.7 million, officials said.

To date, there have been no reported DCS incidents since the modifications.

"This is a big deal for the U-2 community," Kennedy said. "Healthy pilots mean more missions and more extraordinary ISR capability for our warfighters."

LONDRES, 20 nov 2013 marine-oceans.com (AFP)

Le chef du gouvernement de Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo, a appelé mercredi la marine britannique à déployer des moyens supplémentaires au large du rocher pour dissuader l'incursion de bateaux espagnols dans ses eaux territoriales.

"Je suis favorable à tout ce qui peut avoir un effet dissuasif", a affirmé M. Picardo à la BBC, évoquant la "mise à disposition par la Royal Navy de moyens supplémentaires pour le commandant des forces britanniques à Gibraltar".

M. Picardo a prévenu que des bateaux espagnols pourraient être pris pour des cibles "terroristes" s'il n'était pas possible de les identifier immédiatement comme appartenant à une "nation amie".

Ces déclarations interviennent au lendemain d'un nouvel incident ayant ravivé les tensions entre Londres et Madrid lorsque un navire océanographique espagnol a été accusé d'avoir pénétré "les eaux territoriales britanniques" au large de Gibraltar.

Selon la version de Londres, le Ramon Margalef, a procédé pendant plus de 20 heures, les 18 et 19 novembre, à des relevés dans les eaux de Gibraltar, territoire britannique depuis 1713 et revendiqué en vain par l'Espagne depuis des décennies.

Un porte-parole du ministère de la défense a dénoncé "une violation de la convention des Nations unies sur le droit de la mer" et l'ambassadeur de l'Espagne au Royaume-Uni, Federico Trillon, a été convoqué au Foreign Office.

"Convoquer un ambassadeur est un acte grave, surtout lorsqu'il concerne l'ambassadeur d'un partenaire européen et allié de l'OTAN, et l'Espagne doit en avoir conscience", a souligné M. Picardo, à la tête de ce petit territoire de 6,7 km2.

Le différend bilatéral vieux de trois siècles entre les deux États membres de l'Union européenne a été à l'origine de frictions diplomatiques tout l'été.

19/11/2013 Vincent Lamigeon, grand reporter à Challenges Supersonique

Bien sûr, il y a eu le duel à haute altitude entre Airbus et Boeing avec les 150 milliards de dollars de commandes signées le premier jour du salon de Dubaï. Bien sûr, les deux géants de l’aéronautique ont trusté les annonces du salon et sa couverture médiatique, les compagnies du Golfe ayant décidé d’investir une fois et demie le PIB de la Nouvelle-Zélande dans les 777X, 787, A350 et autres A380. Mais la guerre la plus âpre s’est probablement jouée en coulisses, entre les deux frères ennemis de l’aviation militaire, Dassault et Eurofighter, dont les restrictions budgétaires sur leur marché domestique ont redoublé l’agressivité à l’export.

Eurofighter, dont le britannique BAE pilote les campagnes commerciales au Moyen-Orient, avait mis toutes les chances de son côté, en communiquant sur l’intégration des missiles de croisière air-sol Storm Shadow de MBDA sur son chasseur Typhoon, une capacité que le Rafale a validé depuis fin 2004. Pour convaincre ses prospects de la région (Emirats arabes unis, Qatar, Bahrein), l’avionneur européen a aussi présenté une maquette de son avion avec des réservoirs de carburants supplémentaires sur le dessus du fuselage, dits « réservoirs conformes de fuselage » (CFT), qui permettent de compenser l’utilisation de deux points d’emport sous l’avion par les fameux missiles. « Pipeau total, assure-t-on côté français. Intégrer des CFT remet en question toute l’aérodynamique de l’avion. C’est juste pour cacher grossièrement le fait qu’avec des Storm Shadow, le Typhoon a un rayon d’action ultra-limité. »

Mais la machine britannique semblait bien lancée, le premier ministre britannique David Cameron se livrant même à une étonnante danse du ventre dès la veille du salon pour pousser le Typhoon. Le teasing avait été admirablement organisé dans la presse anglo-saxonne, certains évoquant même un accord d’Etat à Etat imminent entre le Royaume-Uni et les Emirats. « Ca sent bon pour nous, assurait même un membre du parti conservateur au Financial Times. La question est si cela va pouvoir être signé à Dubaï, ou s’il va y avoir besoin d’un dernier effort pour nous faire franchir la ligne. » Le téléphone sonnait même chez Dassault, des journalistes voulant recueillir à l’avance les regrets du vaincu.

Et là, patatras. Ou plutôt, plouf. Pas d’accord gouvernemental, encore moins de contrat Typhoon. Juste une mise au point d’une source du Golfe à Reuters : le choix n’est pas encore fait, tout est ouvert. « Si Dassault avait agi comme ça, je ne vous raconte pas la raclée dans la presse », assure un proche du camp français. De fait, Abu Dhabi a tout son temps : il dispose de Mirage 2000-9 et de F-16 récents et performants. Surtout, les émiriens détestent qu’on parle à leur place, et qu’on annonce des contrats avant terme. Les maîtres du calendrier, c’est eux.

Et quand ils ne sont pas contents, ils n'hésitent pas à dégainer, comme avait pu le voir Dassault il y a deux ans. "Malheureusement, il semble que Dassault ne réalise pas que la volonté politique et tous les efforts diplomatiques ne peuvent pas faire passer des conditions commerciales non compétitives et irréalisables", avait ainsi asséné au salon de Dubaï 2011 le prince héritier d'Abu Dhabi, cheikh Mohamed ben Zayed.

Le ministre français de la défense Jean-Yves Le Drian l’a bien compris : sa méthode « soft », fondée sur la discrétion, des relations de confiance, et des visites très régulières, a déjà fait ses preuves, avec le contrat de satellites Falcon Eye obtenu par Astrium et Thales Alenia Space au nez et à la barbe de l’américain Lockheed Martin en juillet dernier. Même réussite en Arabie Saoudite, où DCNS, Thales et MBDA ont gagné le contrat de rénovation de frégates LEX, et où Thales est idéalement placé pour boucler le contrat de missiles de défense aérienne Crotale NG (2,5 milliards).

Pourquoi BAE et Cameron ont-il donc fait tant d’esbroufe ? Les analyses divergent. « BAE n’a rien vendu récemment aux Emirats, ils font du bruit pour rappeler qu’ils sont là », assure un excellent connaisseur du groupe. « Pour soutenir leur cours de bourse », avance un autre. Tout le monde se rejoint sur l’impérieuse nécessité de contrats pour le Typhoon, qui doit faire vivre –pour combien de temps ? – quatre lignes d’assemblage.

Eric Trappier, rencontré par Challenges sur le stand Dassault, refuse de commenter la pression du concurrent. « Nous, on ne fait pas de bruit, on travaille. Nous travaillons avec les Emiriens pour continuer d’améliorer les Mirage 2000-9 avec des bombes guidées laser. Pour le Rafale… » Il s’interrompt, s’excuse : le chef de l’armée de l’air qatarie demande à le voir. Le genre de rendez-vous qu’on ne fait pas attendre.

Le Qatar, c’est de fait le prospect le plus chaud au Moyen-Orient. Et un autre point de friction entre Rafale et Typhoon, qui y voient un marché susceptible de se décanter rapidement, où les Américains n’ont pas –encore- fait d’offre, ce qui ne lasse pas d’étonner le microcosme militaire. Sur les 72 appareils envisagés par l’émirat, une première tranche de 36 appareils semble accessible rapidement aux deux frères ennemis. C’est probablement à Doha, plus qu’aux Emirats, que se joue la prochaine étape de la guerre fratricide intra-européenne.

November 20, 2013. David Pugliese Defence Watch

News release from Kongsberg:

Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KONGSBERG) has signed a contract for the delivery of Sea PROTECTOR Remote Weapon Stations (RWS) for the Royal Norwegian Navy (RNoN) combat vessels. The contract is entered between the Norwegian Defence Logistics Organization (NDLO) and KONGSBERG, represented by the Naval Systems & Surveillance Division.

The contract has an overall scope of 133 MNOK.

Sea PROTECTOR is a remotely controlled, fully stabilized sensor platform and weapon mount. It enhances the vessels capability in surveillance- and control missions. It provides self-defense and increased capability to counter asymmetric threats through improved hit accuracy. Own crew remains safe and unexposed to hostile fire on the bridge and in the CIC.

This contract is an important reference for KONGSBERG as a compact weapon control systems supplier for small and medium size vessels, as well as Ship borne Protection Systems.

20 November 2013 by defenceWeb

Diehl Defence has expanded the envelope of its IRIS-T SL (Surface Launched) surface-to-air guided missile with successful firings at the Overberg Test Range earlier this month.

The company said two firings were conducted on a test campaign between November 4 and 8 as part of the development programme for the new guided missile plus launcher, contracted by the German Federal Office of Equipment, Information Technology and Utilization of the Bundeswehr (BAAINBw).

Both missiles destroyed their targets with direct hits confirming the guided missile system´s expected precision, Diehl said. In one case the maximum distance lay far beyond 20 kilometres. The missiles were launched at EADS Do-DT 25 jet powered target drones.

Diehl test fired the IRIS-T SL for the first time on October 9, 2009, at Overberg. Further firings were conducted there in December 2012.

It is being developed for Germany as a stop-gap to the Medium Extended Air Defence System (Meads) being produced by Lockheed Martin and MBDA and is a ground-launched version of the infrared homing IRIS-T in service with the South African Air Force. It has a sharp nose cone to reduce drag that is separated prior to approaching a target.

Diehl Defence said the mobile, medium-range systems provide comprehensive 360 degree protection against air attacks by aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles and guided weapons. They allow simultaneous engagement of several targets even at very short distances thanks to extremely short reaction times.

November 20, 2013: Strategy Page

Singapore recently ordered another 528  American GMLRS GPS guided 227mm rockets (packaged six each in 88 pods). That comes to about $182,000 per rocket. In 2007 Singapore ordered 18 U.S. truck mounted MLRS (HIMARS) rocket launchers. This system carries only one six rocket container pod (instead of two in the original MLRS), but the 12 ton truck can fit into a C-130 transport (unlike the 22 ton tracked MLRS vehicle).  The first of the 900 HIMARS vehicles were issued to American combat units in 2004. The U.S. Army is using most of the HIMARS, with the marines getting the rest. Singapore is one of several export customers. Singapore is also bought 192 GMRS rockers (32 pods) with that HIMARS purchase.

The 309 kg (680 pound) GMLRS (guided multiple launch rocket system) is a 227mm GPS guided rocket. It was first used in 2004. It has a range of 70 kilometers and the ability to land within meters of its intended target at any range. This is because of the GPS, plus a less accurate back up inertial guidance system, to find its target. Singapore is getting the rockets equipped with an 82 kg (180 pound) high explosive warhead. The U.S. Army has bought over 100,000 GMLRS rockets and this weapons has been used with great success in Iraq and Afghanistan. The guided rocket is much more effective than the older, unguided, version, and has replaced it.

Singapore apparently needs its GMLRS battalion in case there is war with Malaysia, with whom there are several disputes still unresolved. Singapore is one of the smallest nations in the world, occupying only 633 square kilometers of land. It spends $8 billion a year on defense. The island nation has a population of 5 million, and armed forces of 72,000 active duty troops. On a per-capita basis, Singapore spends more on the military, and has more people in uniform, than the United States. The Singapore military is one of the best equipped, trained and led in the region. Singapore also sits astride the most important shipping channel (the Malacca Straits) in the world. Singapore has the best educated and most affluent population in the region. With so much worth defending, Singapore is ready to take on any hostile neighbors (mainly Malaysia, which Singapore used to be part of.)

But there's more to the story. Singapore’s population is 75 percent Chinese, the descendants of ambitious emigrants who left China over the past two centuries looking to make a better life as "overseas Chinese." None have done better than the Chinese who ended up in Singapore. The city of Singapore was founded by the British in 1819, on an island at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. The British considered the local Malays rather too laid back and brought in thousands of Chinese and Indians to work the booming port city. Within six years, the population exploded from a few hundred, to over 10,000. Two years later Chinese became the most numerous ethnic group. They eventually came to dominate the rich port of Singapore, providing administrators, as well as traders and laborers. The British kept the key jobs, but otherwise ran a meritocracy. When Malaysia, which Singapore was a part of, became independent in 1963, many Chinese in Singapore protested being ruled by the Malay majority. The Malays also resented the more entrepreneurial and economically successful Chinese. Although most Singapore residents wanted to be part of Malaysia, it didn't work out. In 1965, Malaysia basically expelled Singapore, which become a separate, mainly Chinese, country. Over the next three decades, the Singaporean economy grew an average of nine percent a year, and Singapore became the wealthiest, on a per-capita basis, nation in the region.

With so much to defend, the Singaporeans developed, early on, a strong military. This was prompted by Britain withdrawing its garrison in 1971 and, in effect, telling the Singaporeans they had to defend themselves. Singapore asked Israel to help it develop a force similar to the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces). That is, a large reserve force, with a small active force to handle training and any immediate military needs. The two countries have been close allies ever since.

Thus Singapore has an active duty force of 60,000, most of them reservists undergoing training. There are only about 20,000 full time, professional troops. In wartime, there are 320,000 trained reserves who can be mobilized, plus nearly has many who have had military training, but are no longer in reserve units. Like Israel, Singapore can mobilize a force, armed with the most modern weapons and capable of defeating any of its neighbors.

The main criticisms of Singapore’s armed forces have to do with training, promotion and retirement policies. Singapore’s troops are the best trained in the region. All personnel train regularly, much like American troops do. But Singapore is also very safety conscious, and this limits many of the things troops can do. The reason for this caution is the low birth rate in Singapore (a universal side effect of prosperity), and the popular outrage every time a soldier is killed or seriously injured during training. The promotion policies are criticized because they emphasize test taking over practical experience. The retirement policies force every soldier to leave active service by age 45. This is done to keep the military leadership young, and provide a supply of experienced military commanders for management jobs in government and the civilian economy. Other criticisms knocked ethnic Chinese dominating the military and sundry administrative policies. Singaporeans accept all these criticisms as true, but not worth addressing. The end result has been a military force that is the best in the region. Troops from other nations, who train with the Singaporeans, come away impressed. The attitude seems to be, if it ain't broke, why fix it.

Nov 20, 2013 ASDNews Source : TenCate

TenCate Advanced Armour has been selected by aerospace manufacturer Embraer as the supplier of aerospace armour for the Embraer A-29 Super Tucano military aircraft. The aircraft will be supplied in partnership with Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) as the prime contractor for the aircraft. No financial details will be published.

The Embraer EMB 314 – also named A-29 Super Tucano – is a turboprop aircraft designed for light attack, counter-insurgency, close air support, aerial reconnaissance missions in low threat environments, as well as providing pilot training. It is currently in service with the air forces of Angola, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Indonesia, and Mauritania. The A-29 has been ordered by Senegal and the United States. February 27, 2013, the U.S. Air Force announced that it has selected the Embraer Defense and Security´s A-29 Super Tucano for its Light Air Support program.

Tier 1 aerospace armour company

Steen Tanderup, managing director of TenCate Advanced Armour EMEA states: “Embraer’s decision for supplier selection in this major high-end aerospace aircraft confirms that TenCate Advanced Armour has developed into a fully accepted tier 1 aerospace armour company. The EN9100 certified facility of TenCate in France is providing the design, development and production of dedicated high quality aerospace ballistic protection for a number of high-profile helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft projects. This production plant is at the required level and will further evolve in the near future. In this way TenCate will contribute to increase the protection of aircrews and aircraft platforms in hostile environments”.

Read more

November 19, 2013 By Carlo Muñoz - http://thehill.com

The Defense Department is ramping up its efforts to protect sensitive and classified details of its next-generation weapons systems, amid the growing threat of cyber espionage.

For the first time, the Pentagon will now require all defense contracting firms doing business with the department to install "established information security standards" on classified and unclassified computer networks.

Weapons makers with Pentagon contracts will now also be required to report security breaches of their networks "that result in the loss of unclassified controlled technical information from these networks," according to the Pentagon acquisition chief Frank Kendall.

"Defense contractors throughout the department's supply chain have been targeted by cyber criminals attempting to steal unclassified technical data," Kendall said Monday.

The cybersecurity initiative for the defense industry is a "high priority for the department" and is vital to ensuring sensitive details involving the U.S. arsenal are not compromised,  he said in a statement issued by the Pentagon on Tuesday.

Read more

20/11/2013 Armée de Terre

Ce récit, haut en couleurs, offre une nouvelle manière d’aborder l’histoire de l’engagement des forces françaises en Afghanistan en s’appuyant sur la narration d’un Américain, témoin fictif

Vivant, énergique, précis, ce livre passionnant donne la parole à ces hommes et ces femmes ordinaires qui ont décidé, un jour, de faire de leur vie quelque chose d’extraordinaire. C’est un récit de guerre qui plonge le lecteur au cœur de l’action, dévoilant d’une manière hyperréaliste les scènes de combat, comme la fraternité d’armes des parachutistes du 1er RCP qui ont payé un lourd tribut sur le sol afghan. Ecrit avec talent par le colonel Renaud Sénétaire, cet ouvrage publié aux éditions Mélibée, est dédié « aux 88 soldats français tombés sur cette terre afghane, à tous les blessés, à ses camarades américains et afghans, et à nos ennemis tués au combat »

Les bénéfices de la vente sont reversés à Terre Fraternité et l’Entraide parachutiste.

20 November 2013 Ministry of Defence

The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards have bid farewell to the Challenger 2 main battle tank and welcomed in the Jackal armoured vehicle.

With 60% of the regiment deployed on operations in Afghanistan, the Rear Operations Group in Bad Fallingbostel, northern Germany, led by Officer Commanding Major Steve Walters, formed up to pipe the last of the tanks out of the barracks that have been their home for nearly 30 years.

This is one of the first significant steps of the Army 2020 programme which sees the formation of the Adaptive and Reactive Forces.

The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards are currently serving as part of 7th Armoured Brigade, the Desert Rats, but under reroling and a move to Leuchars in 2015, the regiment will become part of 51 (Scottish) Brigade.

The Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Ben Cattermole, spoke to his soldiers in Kabul with fond sadness at the departure of the Challenger 2 main battle tank but also of the great opportunities that will come as they rerole to light cavalry.

Lieutenant Colonel Cattermole said:

Today marks a historic day in our 335-year history as our 3 remaining Challenger 2 tanks leave Wessex Barracks in Bad Fallingbostel.

Since our last deployment on Challenger 2 in 2008, the regiment has continued to conduct armoured training but has frequently reroled to fulfil counter-insurgency and training operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

So, today, 75 years from when our predecessors first took to tank soldiering we will hand over our tanks and focus entirely on our future as Britain’s leading light cavalry regiment.

We will integrate fully with the new Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry and shall stand together as Scotland’s Cavalry.

Corporal Stevie Barrett, who has qualified as a Challenger 2 driver, operator, gunner and most recently a crew commander, said:

It’s a sad day for the regiment to be fair, as the tanks have been around for a very long time, but it’ll be good to go onto something new and a new role. The regiment is very capable of doing that and so it will be good to step up and move on.

I’m looking forward to the challenge ahead and doing something new will keep the guys interested. As part of the Rear Operations Group we will be doing instructors’ courses and commanders’ courses so that when the guys come back we can teach them.

Corporal Andy Stewart drove the first Jackal into Wessex Barracks to mark the regiment’s new start. He said:

This is a big part of the regiment’s history; it’s a big part of my history. When I came I started on tanks and I have been on operations in the Challenger 2 as well.

However, it’s quite exciting to be part of this whole new transition to working on a new platform (vehicle) and being here on the day when the regiment will move into the future.

I’ve had good times with the Jackal on operations and in my training. It is one of the few vehicles in the Army that genuinely put a smile on my face when I got to drive it. People think it looks vulnerable, but it’s really quick and really effective.

It is a really reliable piece of kit and you can tell a lot of money and preparation has been put into it to make sure the vehicle is ready for us. We’re moving on and everybody likes a challenge – that’s why you join the Army.

20/11/2013 Sources : EMA

Le 16 novembre 2013, le ministre de l’Intérieur français, monsieur Manuel Valls, est venu saluer la force Serval à Bamako, lors de son déplacement en Afrique. Il a rendu visite au poste de commandement interarmées de théâtre (PCIAT) stationné à Bamako.

Accueilli au camp Damien Boiteux par le général de division Marc Foucaud, commandant de la force Serval, le Ministre a marqué son intérêt pour l’implication de la force dans les opérations de désorganisation des réseaux terroristes.

Accompagné de monsieur Gilles Huberson, ambassadeur de France au Mali et du directeur général de la gendarmerie nationale, le général d’armée Denis Favier, le ministre a évoqué, lors d’un entretien avec le détachement prévôtal de la Force Serval, l’appui apporté par le ministère de l’intérieur aux opérations menées par les armées.

Le ministre de l’intérieur a bouclé au Mali une visite de 48h qui l’avait d’abord amené au Sénégal et en Côte d’Ivoire. Cette visite s’est conclue avec la signature des accords de coopération dans le domaine de la sécurité, de la lutte contre le narco trafic et la cybercriminalité.

Environ 2800 militaires français sont actuellement présents sur le sol malien et poursuivent leur mission visant à affaiblir durablement les groupes terroristes, tout en accompagnant la montée en puissance des forces de la MINUSMA et des FAMA.

MOSCOU, 20 novembre - RIA Novosti

Deux régiments de l'armée russe seront dotés de systèmes sol-air S-400 Triumph d'ici la fin de 2013, a annoncé mercredi à Moscou le directeur général du consortium Almaz-Anteï Vladislav Menchtchikov.

"Cette année, deux régiments des Forces armées russes seront équipés de systèmes de missiles S-400", a indiqué M.Menchtchikov.

La Russie compte déjà cinq régiments dotés de systèmes de missiles S-400 Triumph (deux pour la région de Moscou, deux pour les flottes de la Baltique et du Pacifique et un régiment pour le district militaire du Sud).

Le S-400 Triumph (code OTAN: SA-21 Growler) est un système de missiles sol-air de grande et moyenne portée destiné à abattre tout type de cible aérienne: avions, drones et missiles de croisière hypersoniques.