TOULA, 19 septembre - RIA Novosti

La Russie créera un "superholding" chargé de maîtriser les technologies hypersoniques, a annoncé mercredi à Toula le vice-premier ministre russe Dmitri Rogozine.

"Nous avons trouvé une solution acceptable de formation d'un superholding. L'idée principale du projet consiste à maîtriser les technologies hypersoniques", a indiqué M.Rogozine devant les journalistes.

"La première étape prévoit la création d'un grand superholding sur la base des groupes "Missiles tactiques" (KTRV) et "Constructions mécaniques" (NPO Machinostroenie)", a-t-il précisé.

NPO Machinostroenie a des partenaires indiens dans le cadre du projet bilatéral BrahMos qui porte sur la création de missiles de croisière supersoniques.

La possibilité d'effectuer un vol prolongé à des vitesses hypersoniques (cinq à six fois la vitesse du son) permettrait de créer des armes aux propriétés inédites. Selon M.Rogozine, ces propriétés "augmenteraient sensiblement l'efficacité des armes en les rendant plus rapides et invulnérables aux systèmes d'interception, en élargissant leur rayon d'action en portée et en altitude".

L'armée américaine a annoncé en novembre 2011 avoir testé avec succès le premier véhicule de concept d'Arme hypersonique de pointe (Advanced Hypersonic Weapon, AHW).

La Russie a lancé les recherches dans le domaine de l'arme hypersonique dans les années 1960, mais les a interrompues avec la "perestroïka". Ces travaux n'ont repris qu'en 2009. En mai dernier, M.Rogozine a déploré le retard que la Russie accusait sur les Etats-Unis dans ce secteur.

Hélicoptères Ka-52K et Ka-29

MOSCOU, 19 septembre - RIA Novosti

La Marine russe propose au ministère de la Défense d'équiper les deux BPC Mistral, que la France construit pour la Russie, de 30 hélicoptères Ka-52K et Ka-29 chacun, rapporte mercredi le journal Izvestia.

"La proposition concernant les unités aériennes, qui seront placées sur les BPC français au sein de la Marine russe, est formulée. Il s'agit de 30 hélicoptères au lieu des 16 prévus auparavant", a fait savoir au quotidien une source au sein du ministère de la Défense.

D'après Vladimir Chtcherbakov, expert dans le domaine de l'armement naval interrogé par le journal, l'équipement des Mistral avec des groupes aériens dotés d'une large autonomie est logique, mais insuffisant.

"Ce qui est le plus important, c'est qu'on ne comprend pas clairement comment ces navires seront utilisés. L'utilité des Mistral serait évidente s'ils servent de base pour un groupe amphibie en tant que porte-hélicoptères d'assaut et transporteurs de troupes. Un tel groupe devrait également comprendre trois ou quatre grands navires de débarquement capables de transporter des blindés, ainsi que des navires de garde", a indiqué M.Chtcherbakov.

Le contrat de 1,2 milliard d'euros prévoyant la construction de deux porte-avions de classe Mistral pour la Marine russe a été signé en juin 2011. Le premier navire baptisé Sébastopol sera construit en 2014 et le second, Vladivostok, en 2015.

MOSCOW, September 18 (RIA Novosti)

Sea trials of an Indian Navy aircraft carrier refitted by a Russian shipyard were unsuccessful due to design failures in the vessel's boilers, Russian daily Vedomosti wrote on Tuesday quoting the shipyard's former director Oleg Shulyakovsky.

The ship's handover to the Indian Navy was put back from December 2012 to at least October 2013 after propulsion failures occured when the Vikramaditya, formerly the Russian Navy's Admiral Gorshkov, underwent sea trials in the White Sea last month.

Shulyakovsky says three of the carrier's eight boilers failed, but the ship still managed to stay underway and reached 23 knots, below its design speed of 29 knots.

Boiler failures were a legacy of the original vessel's design, he said, with propulsion snags being a persistent feature of the four Project 1143 carriers built in the Soviet Union in the 1970's. The carriers boilers lasted just 20 percent of the design life stated by their makers, he said.

The replacement boilers installed as part of the vessel's $2.3 billion refit were guaranteed for just ten months, which expired before the ship took to sea, he said.

Specialists from the Baltisky Shipyard and boiler design bureau are already at Sevmash shipyard, where the carrier will arrive in the next few weeks. Engineers are focusing on the boilers' heat insulation as the core of the problem. Repairs could take from four months to a year depending on the damage to the insulation, he said.

The worst case would be damage to the pipes carrying steam from the boilers, Shulyakovsky said. The pipes are made from a special steel which is no longer made in Russia. The steel used in Vikramaditya's pipes was made in Ukraine.

A defense industry official quoted by Kommersant newspaper on Monday, who prepared the Vikramaditya for sea trials, said the reason for the boilers’ failure was that India refused to use asbestos to protect the boilers from heat, fearing that the material was dangerous for the crew. Instead, it used firebrick, which had poorer insulating properties.

The purchase and refit of the Vikramaditya has experienced a long-running catalog of failures and setbacks.

India and Russia signed the $947 million dollar deal in 2005 for the purchase of the carrier, with an original deadline for the refit's completion of 2008. Delivery was delayed twice, pushing up the cost of refurbishing the carrier to $2.3 billion.

Both sides were locked in protracted arguments over who would pay the extra costs, as it became clear that the refit would be much more complicated than originally envisaged. A new agreement was signed in 2009 with the Indians agreeing to pay for the extra work needed.

Another Sevmash shipyard director, Vladimir Pastukhov, was fired in 2007 over his poor management of the project.

The Vikramaditya was originally built as the Soviet Project 1143.4 class aircraft carrier Baku.

The ship was laid down in 1978 at the Nikolayev South shipyard in Ukraine, launched in 1982, and commissioned with the Soviet Navy in 1987.

It was renamed Admiral Gorshkov after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. In 1994, the Admiral Gorshkov sat in dock for a year for repairs after a boiler room explosion. In 1995, it briefly returned to service but was finally withdrawn and put up for sale in 1996.

The ship has a displacement of 45,000 tons, a maximum speed of 32 knots and an endurance of 13,500 nautical miles (25,000 km) at a cruising speed of 18 knots.

India has already started taking delivery of the MiG-29K naval fighter aircraft for the Vikramaditya, as they were ready before the refit was completed. The MiG-29Ks will operate in STOBAR (short take-off but assisted recovery via arresting wires) mode.

18/09/2012 Armée de l'air

Jeudi 13 septembre 2012, la base aérienne 120 de Cazaux a accueilli au sein de l’escadron d’hélicoptères (EH) 1/67 «Pyrénées» le lieutenant-général Viktor Bondarev, chef d’état-major de l’armée de l’air russe, accompagné d’une délégation franco-russe.

Le colonel Thierry Gouaichault, commandant la base aérienne, leur a présenté la plateforme de Cazaux dans son exceptionnel environnement. Le lieutenant-colonel  Fabien Gisbert, nouveau commandant de l’EH, a expliqué les missions, les moyens et l’engagement en opérations de son unité. Le commandant Franck Arnaudon, chef de l’escadron de transition opérationnelle des hélicoptères moyens,  leur a exposé le cursus de formation des équipages d’hélicoptères.

Le général Bondarev et la délégation ont pu réaliser un vol en Caracal à l’issue duquel ils ont assisté à une démonstration type RESCO (recherche et sauvetage au combat) qui mettait l’accent sur  les techniques d’insertion et d’extraction (aérocordage).

La délégation s’est ensuite rendue vers la base aérienne 118 de Mont-de-Marsan afin d’y célébrer le 70e anniversaire du «Normandie-Niemen».

17 septembre 2012 Par Rédacteur en chef. PORTAIL DES SOUS-MARINS

Le chantier naval Yantar (Kaliningrad) procédera au mois d’octobre à la mise sur cale d’une quatrième frégate du Projet 11356 pour la flotte de la mer Noire. Selon le représentant officiel de Yantar, le navire n’a encore reçu aucun nom.

Actuellement, Yantar construit trois frégates du Projet 11356 pour la flotte de la mer Noire : l’Amiral Grigorovitch (mise sur cale le 18 décembre 2010), dont la coque est déjà formée, l’Amiral Essen (mise sur cale le 8 juillet 2011), dont la coque est pratiquement terminée et l’Amiral Makarov (mise sur cale le 29 février 2012) dont les blocs sont en cours d’assemblage.

La première unité devrait être mise à l’eau en 2013. Il est prévu de construire en tout 6 bâtiments de ce type d’ici 2020, tous destinés à être affectés à la flotte de la mer Noire.

Référence : RusNav Intelligence

MOSCOW, September 17 (RIA Novosti)

Russia will reactivate mothballed ballistic missile silos around Moscow as part of deep modernization of a missile defense network protecting the Russian capital, former chief of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces, Col. Gen. (Ret) Viktor Yesin said on Monday.

The A-135 (NATO: ABM-3) anti-ballistic missile network is deployed around Moscow to counter enemy missiles targeting the city or its surrounding areas. It became operational in 1995 and consists of the Don-2N battle management radar and two types of ABM missiles.

“The A-135 system is being thoroughly modernized,” Yesin told RIA Novosti. “The missiles and other elements, including detection and tracking components, are being upgraded.”

Two launch sites with long-range 51T6 (NATO: SH-11 'Gorgon') exo-atmospheric interceptor missiles were deactivated in 2007 as the missiles became obsolete. They will be equipped with new long-range missiles and reactivated during the modernization.

“There are no plans to build new launch sites as the mothballed ones will be reactivated,” the general said.

The A-135 system is compliant with the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty from which the United States unilaterally withdrew in 2002.

MOSCOW, September 14 (RIA Novosti)

The Russian Navy is planning to receive over 100 new auxiliary ships by 2020 to satisfy the need for logistics support of its expanding combat fleet, Deputy Defense Minister Gen. Dmitry Bulgakov said.

“We have already signed a contract to buy five new auxiliary ships,” Bulgakov told reporters at the naval base in Novorossiisk on Thursday.

“By the end of 2020 we plan to purchase 96 vessels of this kind“, he said.

According to the general, the new vessels will feature full integration of logistics, technical and maintenance capabilities to ensure that each ship can perform a wide variety of missions, including firefighting and resupply of fuel, food, fresh water and munitions.

Russia’s current auxiliary fleet is ageing and lacks mobility and versatility as the majority of the ships can perform only a limited number of specific tasks, experts believe.

13.09.2012 La Voix de la Russie

Les navires de débarquement de type Mistral sont déjà les plus discutées parmi les nouveautés attendues de la Marine de guerre de Russie. La construction du premier bâtiment, baptisé Vladivostok, a commencé en février 2012 sans que tout soit clair à propos de son aspect et de ses armements. Du moins, on ne trouvera pas de réponse dans des sources publiques.

« Nous n’avons pas besoin de navires de transport privés d’armements »

C’est ainsi qu’est formulée l’un des principaux reproches, faites au projet original. Et elle est à bien des égards juste : la variante de base du Mistral de construction française n’a pour protection anti-aérienne qu’une rampe double « Simbad » (2 missiles Mistral) et plusieurs mitrailleuses de gros calibre. Selon une information, la défense anti-aérienne du navire sera renforcée par des canons mer-air de 30 mm « AK-630 » et peut-être avec des lanceurs de missiles. La défense anti-sous-marine du navire, qui n’est pas prévue dans le projet de base, sera assurée, selon certaines données, par un ensemble embarqué anti-sous-marin et contre-torpilleur de faible encombrement le « Paket-NK ».

Quels appareils va-t-il embarquer ?

Le parc d’hélicoptères embarqué par les futurs navires russes pose le moins de questions. La variante nominale prévoit 16 appareils : 8 Kamov-52K d’assaut et 8 Kamov-29 de transport et de combat.

La situation est moins claire avec les vedettes de débarquement pour les Mistral russes. En ce moment deux vedettes de type Serna ou une du type Diougon peuvent être embarqués.

Que faire avec ?

C’est en fait la principale question posée au sujet des Mistral. Quelles fonctions doivent-ils accomplir dans la Marine de guerre russe ? Son système informationnel de bord « SENIT-9 » permet de l’utiliser comme un navire de commandement, ce qui accroît considérablement ses atouts : des navires de ce type n’existent pas dans la Marine de guerre de Russie. D’autres options des Mistral, notamment, sa capacité de servir d’hôpital navigant, pour lequel tout l’équipement est prévu, sont un supplément agréable à ce qu’on vient de dire.

Dans les conditions de la Russie les navires du type Mistral peuvent donner à la Marine de guerre des possibilités d’opérations d’expédition qu’elle n’avait pas. Dans ce sens les navires du type Mistral entreront avec avantage dans la composante de la flotte russe.

September 13, 2012: Strategy Page

There was recently an outbreak of Anthrax 20 kilometers from a Russian airbase in Kyrgyzstan. Anthrax is a bacteria, and some people and animals can fight off infections and even develop an immunity. But there usually some fatalities during a major outbreak and Russian troops in Kyrgyzstan are unlikely to have any such immunity.

Russia leases space at the Kant Airbase in Kyrgyzstan and reported that it had disinfected many areas of the base and vaccinated personnel against Anthrax. Kyrgyzstan public health officials admitted that there had been numerous people infected in the area. This incident brings back memories of Russian efforts to weaponize Anthrax during the Cold War. Back then, when Kyrgyzstan was part of Russia (then called the Soviet Union) it was believed that weaponized Anthrax was tested in remote areas like Kyrgyzstan. But the Anthrax threat, as a biological weapon, turned out to be greatly exaggerated.

For thousands of years, Anthrax was known as a livestock pest, regularly killing animals that grazed on land infested with Anthrax spores. The animals breathed in the spores as they pulled up grass and released the spores from the soil. Humans could get infected as well, usually by getting spores on a cut. This skin (cutaneous) form of Anthrax was fatal in up to 20 percent of the victims, depending on how potent the Anthrax strain was and how many spores got into the sore. People who worked with sheep's wool also got cutaneous Anthrax, as did those working with the hides of animals that grazed in areas containing Anthrax. In the 1970s, imported wool from an Anthrax area, improperly cleaned, infected a number of Americans.

Anthrax has long been pitched as an effective bio-warfare weapon. Britain developed a military form of Anthrax during World War II. At the time, it was seen as an effective weapon, because the Germans didn't have antibiotics (only the Allies had this then-new medication that cured Anthrax infections.) Since then, work has continued on militarized Anthrax, developing more potent strains (so less of it was needed to kill) and making Anthrax resistant to antibiotics (difficult to do, although current genetic engineering techniques make this easier to do if you have the qualified scientists and engineers.)

The major problem with Anthrax-as-a-weapon is delivering it. The spores, in their natural form, don't travel well in the air. "Militarizing" Anthrax consists of processing the spores so they don't clump together and thus can more easily float away in a breeze. But sunlight and heat can kill the spores, and even if they float through the air, they can disperse so that anyone breathing them in will not get a fatal dose (10,000 to 50,000 spores.) All this created the need for militarized Anthrax to be grown from more powerful strains.

Naturally occurring Anthrax (which exists in most parts of the world) varies in its potency. Wealthier nations, like the United States, give animals in Anthrax ridden areas a vaccine that protects them. There have long been vaccines for humans as well, to protect farmers and veterinarians. Agricultural researchers have collected many strains of Anthrax, and the more potent ones are kept and cultured to provide material to test new vaccines.

Even the most potent militarized Anthrax isn't that powerful. We know this from a military Anthrax accident in 1979. A Russian biological warfare plant outside the city of Sverdlosk accidentally released some militarized Anthrax. Thousands of people were in the area were infected. But fewer than a hundred died. What was particularly discouraging to Russian military bioweapon scientists was that only one of the dead was of military age, and he was already ill from other ailments. All of those that died from the Anthrax were old, and usually sick. All the victims had weakened immune systems. Many had lung ailments. The Russians initially denied that there was an accident, and did not treat the locals for Anthrax. Later they said the deaths were caused by people eating meant infected with Anthrax (a common way for people to die from Anthrax.) It was only after the Soviet Union fell apart that Western researchers were able to get into the area and interview survivors and discover that people with normal immune systems were able to fight off an Anthrax infection.

The 2001 Anthrax attacks in the United States, delivered by letter, killed one and infected less than a dozen others. A form of natural Anthrax was used. More will die and get ill, but not from Anthrax. Millions of people are taking powerful antibiotics just in case they were infected. This massive use of antibiotics will cause other bacteria to become resistant to antibiotics and the resulting "super bugs" will kill a lot of people (a trend that has been noted over the last decade or so.) The problem with Anthrax as a weapon is that you have to use it in secret, and get a lot of people to breathe in the spores. While the less lethal cutaneous form announces itself with a ugly sore (which can then be treated with antibiotics), the pulmonary (breathed in) form announces itself with flu like symptoms a few days after the infection. By then, it is too late and death almost always follows. But if you know you have breathed it in (and a test can confirm this), you can be treated with antibiotics. So far, Anthrax has not really made the jump from livestock pest to biological warfare weapon.

MOSCOW, September 12 (RIA Novosti)

Two Russian Tu-95MS Bear-H strategic bombers have successfully completed a routine patrol mission over the Barents, North and Norwegian seas, the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

"Two Tu-95MS strategic bombers based at the Engels Airbase [in Saratov Region] carried out patrols over neutral waters in the Barents, Northern and Norwegian seas on September 11-12 in line with the plan of strategic deterrent," spokesman Col. Vladimir Drik said.

During the 17-hour mission, the crews practiced instrumental guidance flights and in-flight refueling.

They also carried out joint drills with MiG-31 Foxhound interceptors over Russian territory.

The Russian bombers were shadowed over neutral waters by NATO F-16 and F-4F fighter jets from Denmark, Norway and the UK.

Russia resumed strategic bomber patrol flights over the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans in August 2007.

According to the Defense Ministry, Tu-95 and Tu-160 strategic bombers have flown an average of 50 patrol missions every year. The same number of patrols is expected this year.

September 12, 2012: Strategy page

In late August a video began appearing on the Internet showing a Su-24 fighter-bomber flying above a highway in southern Russia, at an altitude of under 100 meters (310 feet). By the end of August military prosecutors said they were on the case. But TV interviews of former Russian pilots said training was often done at low altitudes, as that was how you could avoid being detected by anti-aircraft radar. But this sort of thing is not supposed to be done in populated areas, especially in a Su-24. That's because these aircraft are very old and are crashing more often. One went down last February 13th, and the next day all Russian Su-24s were grounded until the cause of the crash could be determined. This sort of thing is becoming increasingly common. In the last 12 years Russia has lost sixteen Su-24s to accidents. Many more have been retired because of old age. This is one of the reasons Russia is hustling to replace the Su-24s with Su-34s.

It was only four years ago that Russia began building the first (of 20) Su-34 fighter-bombers. These are now replacing the 43 ton Su-24s. The 45 ton Su-34 is yet another variant of the 33 ton Su-27 and is very similar to the 36 ton U.S. F-15E (a two seat fighter-bomber version of the 31 ton F-15C). But Russia still has about 400 Su-24s in service and only twenty Su-34s. It appears that the new Su-34s will not arrive quickly enough to replace most of the elderly Su-24s.

The Su-34 has a full set of defensive and offensive sensors (radars, targeting cameras, laser designators) and electronic warfare gear. It also can carry eight tons of missiles and smart bombs. Russia is currently planning to get 58 Su-34s to replace 300 older Su-24s (most of these are not fit for service). Russia is building the first 24 Su-34s at a cost of $36 million each (less than half the cost of an F-15E).

Meanwhile, some of the more recently built Su-24s were upgraded as the Su-24M2 standard. Most of the Su-24s built are over 25 years old and many have been grounded several times recently because of age related problems. The Su-34 has been in the works for several years and earlier versions of two-seater Su-27 bombers were known as the Su-32.

10/09/2012 Emmanuel Grynszpan, à Moscou – LaTribune

Le groupe d'Etat russe Uralvagonzavod s'apprête à racheter le constructeur de wagons ABRFI pour s'emparer de nouvelles technologies.

La société russe Uralvagonzavod (UVZ) est mieux connue comme l’un des principaux exportateurs mondiaux de tanks (du T-62 au T-90), mais ses ambitions internationales s’étendent désormais au rail. L’intérêt manifesté pour le groupe français Ateliers breton de réalisations ferroviaires (ABRFI), spécialisé dans la réparation, la maintenance et la fonderie ferroviaire, s’inscrit dans une logique d’importation du savoir-faire français.

Transaction bouclée avant la fin 2012

« Nous sommes entrés en phase de négociations actives » a déclaré dimanche Oleg Sienko, le patron de UVZ au quotidien Kommersant, précisant que la transaction devrait être bouclée avant la fin de l’année. UVZ veut consolider une participation de 60% dans le groupe français, qui emploie 300 personnes et connaît de grosses difficultés à cause de son endettement. La valeur d’ABRFI ne dépasserait pas 25 millions d’euros. Le Russe avait déjà acquis la division fonderie d’ABRFI (appelée très patriotiquement « Sambre et Meuse ») à la fin 2010 pour une somme non révélée, mais évaluée entre 20 et 30 millions d’euros. Oleg Sienko estime que l’achat de la maison mère permettra à UVZ d’obtenir « le cycle complet de fabrication » des wagons de fret. Il a ajouté qu’une expansion plus large en France n’est pas possible à cause « des limites du marché ». En 2011, UVZ a réalisé un chiffre d’affaire de 3 milliards de dollars pour un bénéfice net de 330 millions de dollars. Le groupe emploie 27 000 salariés. Le président russe Vladimir Poutine semble avoir une affection particulière pour cette entreprise, à laquelle il a plusieurs fois promis sa protection personnelle.