MOSCOW, February 5 (RIA Novosti)

Russia will build a reliable aerospace defense system to effectively counter NATO missile threats, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Sunday.

Rogozin, recently appointed as a deputy prime minister to oversee Russia’s defense industry, said on his Twitter that the global security conference being held in Munich had failed to come to a compromise on creating a European missile defense system.

Rogozin quoted NATO Secretary General Anders Fog Rasmussen as saying that NATO would continue “to develop a missile defense system because we feel a strong responsibility to protect our populations effectively against the missile threat."

“Well, as for us, we also feel responsibility for protecting our population from your missile threat and will create a reliable air and space defense,” Rogozin, who served as Russia’s envoy to NATO before his new appointment, wrote on his Twitter account.

Russia and NATO agreed to cooperate on the so-called European missile shield during the NATO-Russia Council summit in Lisbon in November 2010. NATO insists, however, there should be two independent systems that exchange information, while Russia favors a joint system with full-scale interoperability.

Russia has retained staunch opposition to the planned deployment of U.S. missile defense systems near its borders, claiming they would be a security threat. NATO and the United States insist that the shield would defend NATO members against missiles from North Korea and Iran and would not be directed at Russia.

MOSCOW, February 4 (RIA Novosti)

There has been no shift on the issue of a European missile defense system, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday.

“Unfortunately there have been no changes,” he said commenting on reports of a compromise between Russia and the West.

Ahead of a global security conference in Munich, which runs from February 3 to 5, its chairman Wolfgang Ischinger expressed hope that it would help Russia and its Western partners reach a “compromise” on the missile defense issue “so that cooperation with Russia can move forward at the NATO summit in May in Chicago.”

Moscow is seeking written, legally binding guarantees that the NATO missile shield will not target Russia.

Washington, however, refuses to provide such guarantees, saying the shield is designed to protect NATO members against missile attacks from North Korea and Iran.

ST. PETERSBURG, February 4 (RIA Novosti)

Russian strategic nuclear submarines will resume routine extended patrols in international waters around the world in June 2012, Russian Navy Commander Adm. Vladimir Vysotsky said.

“On June 1 or a bit later we will resume constant patrolling of the world’s oceans by strategic nuclear submarines,” Vysotsky said at a meeting with naval personnel on Friday.

The annual number of extended patrols performed by Russian strategic nuclear submarines and nuclear-powered attack submarines has dropped from more than 230 in 1984 to less than 10 today.

The Russian military believes, though, that the submarine fleet is still the backbone of the Russian Navy, and that it will continue to play an important deterrent role in the future.

The Russian Navy has 12 nuclear-powered strategic submarines in service, including five Delta-III class, six Delta-IV class and a Typhoon class vessels. Two Typhoon class submarines, the Arkhangelsk and the Severstal, remain in reserve at a naval base in Severodvinsk in north Russia

Russia has decided to suspend the planned disposal of strategic nuclear submarines currently in service with the Navy and plans to build eight new Borey class strategic submarines until 2020.

The first Borey class submarine, the Yury Dolgoruky, may join Russia’s Pacific Fleet as early as in June this year.

MOSCOW, February 3 (RIA Novosti)

A surface warship in Russia’s Northern Fleet has for the first time achieved 100-percent manning by contract servicemen, a Western Military District spokesman said on Friday.

There are no conscripts aboard the Vice Admiral Kulakov Udaloy-class destroyer, Captain 1st Rank Vadim Serga said.

Contract servicemen are paid on average 60,000 rubles (about $2,000) a month, he added.

President Dmitry Medvedev earlier said there should be 425,000 contract soldiers in the Armed Forces by 2017, a little less than 50 percent of total manpower.

Submarines started using 100-percent contract personnel earlier.

MOSCOU, 2 février - RIA Novosti

La Russie est hostile à toute livraison d'armes au régime du président Mikhaïl Saakachvili, a déclaré jeudi aux journalistes le vice-ministre russe de la Défense Anatoli Antonov.

"Nous nous opposons résolument à toute livraison d'armes au régime de Saakachvili. Si une telle décision a été adoptée, elle ne manquera pas de déstabiliser la situation dans le Caucase", a affirmé M. Antonov.

Le responsable commentait les informations de certains médias selon lesquelles les négociations américano-géorgiennes à Washington auraient abouti à une entente sur la reprise des livraisons d'armes américaines à Tbilissi.

MOSCOW, February 2 (RIA Novosti)

Russia has no plans to export S-400 Triumf air-defense systems before 2015 and may not start deliveries to Belarus and Kazakhstan until after 2014, a state-controlled arms exporter said on Thursday.

“Until 2015 all the S-400s will be manufactured for Russian needs only,” Rosoboronexport head Anatoly Isaikin said.

The S-400 (SA-21 Growler) air defense system is expected to form the cornerstone of Russia's theater air and missile defenses by 2020.

The S-400 can engage targets at a range of up to 400 km and an altitude of 40,000-50,000 meters. The system uses an array of assets optimized for engaging ballistic and cruise missiles.

SEVERODVINSK, February 2 (RIA Novosti)

The cost to repair the Yekaterinburg, a Russian nuclear submarine damaged by fire late last December, will total about 500 million rubles ($16.5 million), Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Thursday.

“The repairs will cost about 500 million rubles,” Rogozin said.

Some media reports previously said the costs would exceed 1 billion rubles but Rogozin denied those reports.

On December 29, the outer hull of the Yekaterinburg, a Delta-class nuclear submarine, caught fire during repairs at a shipyard in northwest Russia's Murmansk Region. Seven crewmembers and two responders were injured as they battled the fire, which was put out the following day.

There was no radiation leak because the reactors had been shut down before repairs began.

The submarine’s hydro acoustic system was disabled by the fire and will need to be replaced before it is brought back into service.

Delta-class submarines have an outer skin of anechoic rubber, designed to absorb sound from sonars to make the boat harder to detect, that can burn in a dry environment. However, the boat has a double hull of thick steel, which would protect its interior from external fire.

The repairs are scheduled to start this summer

02.02.2012 par P. CHAPLEAU Lignes de Défense

DCI vient de confirmer sa participation au programme de livraison par DCNS de deux BPC à la Russie. DCI, en tant que partenaire de DCNS, sera en charge de la formation à l’emploi à quai et à la mer de 2 équipages russes (soit environ 350 personnes).

Cette prestation s’inscrit dans le cadre  de la signature par DCNS en juin 2011 d’un contrat avec la Fédération de Russie. Il prévoit la fourniture à la Russie de deux BPC de type Mistral avec les services et prestations associés comprenant principalement la logistique initiale et la formation. DCI rappelle que ce programme est le plus important parmi ceux jamais réalisés par la Russie et par un pays occidental dans ce domaine.

Cette formation se déroulera en Russie, puis en France, à Saint Nazaire pour la formation pratique à bord. Elle débutera à partir du premier semestre 2014 pour une période de six mois.

ST. PETERSBURG, February 1 (RIA Novosti)

The first Mistral class amphibious assault ship will be put in service with the Russian Navy in 36 months, Russian Navy Commander Adm. Vladimir Vysotsky said on Wednesday.

Russia and France signed a $1.2-billion contract on two French-built Mistral class ships, including the transfer of sensitive technology, in June 2011. Two more ships are expected to be 80% built in Russia, 20% in France.

“The first Mistral class ship was laid down at a DCNS shipyard in Saint-Nazaire on February 1,” Vysotsky said.

The French-built ships will be named Vladivostok and Sevastopol, the admiral said.

A Mistral-class ship is capable of carrying 16 helicopters, four landing vessels, 70 armored vehicles, and 450 personnel.

The Russian military has said it plans to use Mistral ships in its Northern and Pacific fleets.

February 1, 2012: STRATEGY PAGE

The new Russian Graney (Yasen) class SSGN (nuclear powered cruise missile sub) has been delayed yet again. Undisclosed problems with the first Graney have postponed entering service for at least a year. That will mean, if the latest delay is the last one, the first Graney will enter service twenty years after construction began. These problems are not restricted to the Graney, as other new sub designs are also encountering numerous construction and design problems.

Last February, the fifty man crew of the first Graney took their boat to sea, or at least around the harbor, for the first time. Sea trials were to begin in three months, but first the sub took baby steps to ensure that everything worked. These harbor trials were seen as major progress. Things went downhill again after that, with a growing number of delays as more and more problems were encountered.

Russian submarine building has been on life support since the Cold War ended in 1991. Many subs under construction at the end of the Cold War were cancelled, and the few that avoided that spent a decade or more waiting for enough money to get finished. The first Graney crew was put together six years ago, and has been training, and waiting, ever since. The crew now continues training on their new boat, which was supposed to have entered service by now.

Three years ago, construction began on a second Graney. Russia plans to complete six boats of this class by the end of the decade. Construction of the first Graney class boat, the Severodvinsk, began in 1993, but lack of money led to numerous delays. Originally, the Severodvinsk was to have entered service in 1998. Work on the Severodvinsk was resumed eight years ago. If work is not interrupted, the second Graney class boat should be ready in less than five years.

The 9,500 ton Graneys are armed with 24 cruise missiles, as well as eight 650mm (25.6 inch) torpedo tubes. Some of the cruise missiles can have a range of over 3,000 kilometers, while others are designed as "carrier killers." The larger torpedo tubes also make it possible to launch missiles from them, as well as larger and more powerful torpedoes. The ship is highly automated, which is why there is a crew less than half the 134 needed to run the new U.S. Virginia class boats. The Graney design is based on the earlier Akula and Alfa class SSNs. Russia had originally planned to build 30 Graneys, but now eight seems the most optimistic goal.

01.02.2012 par P. CHAPLEAU Lignes de Défense

DCNS a lancé aujourd'hui sur le site des chantiers STX de Saint-Nazaire la production industrielle du premier des deux BPC commandés par la Fédération de Russie. A cette occasion, une découpe de tôle a été effectuée. Cette opération symbolique fait suite aux études de conception des navires qui ont débuté le 1er novembre 2011 pour prendre en compte les spécificités russes. A cette occasion des locaux dédiés à l'équipe du programme russe ont également été inaugurés pour lui permettre de suivre les travaux au sein du chantier STX.

La découpe de tôle a eu lieu en présence de Mr Andrei Petrovitch Vernigora (Directeur par intérim de Département du Ministère de la Défense de la Fédération de Russie, chargé du suivi d'exécution de la commande militaire de l'Etat), du Capitaine de Vaisseau Valeri Pletnev, Attaché Naval à l'ambassade de la Fédération de Russie en France, et de Ivan Goncharenko, Premier Directeur Général Adjoint de Rosoboronexport.

Le contrat prévoit la fourniture à la Russie de deux BPC de type Mistral avec les services et prestations associés (logistique initiale, formation, transfert de technologies). Le Groupe DCNS est maître d'œuvre de la réalisation des deux BPC et réalisera l'intégration du système de direction des opérations du navire et du système de communications. STX France intervient dans le contrat en qualité de sous-traitant de DCNS, chargé de la construction de la plateforme des navires.

La livraison du premier bâtiment est prévue en 2014, soit trois ans après l'entrée en vigueur du contrat. Le second BPC sera livré en 2015.

MOSCOW, January 31 (RIA Novosti)

Russia will complete development of advanced tactical air-launched missile systems for the Sukhoi T-50 fifth-generation fighter within the next two years, the head of the Tactical Missiles Corporation (KTRV), Boris Obnosov, told RIA Novosti.

“The development of Kh-35UE (AS-20 Kayak), Kh-38ME, Kh-58UShKE (AS-11 Kilter), and RVV-MD (AA-11 Archer) class missiles will be completed in 2012-2013,” Obnosov said, adding the missiles were currently being tested.

By the time the T-50 fighter enters service with the Russian Air Force in 2014, its missile systems will be fully operational, Obnosov said.

Some of the missiles intended for the fighters – such as Kh-31PD (AS-17 Mod 2) class missiles – have already been tested using Sukhoi Su-34 (Fullback) fourth-generation strike aircraft and put into serial production, he added.

According to KTRV, the Kh-35UE tactical anti-ship missile has a maximum range of 260 kilometers; the supersonic Kh-31PD anti-radiation missile for use against air defense systems, can fly up to 250 kilometers; the Kh-58UShKE missile, designed to destroy pulse radars, can hit targets within 245 kilometers, and the short-range RVV-MD air-to-air missile has a maximum range of 40 kilometers.

The T-50, developed under the PAK FA (Future Aviation System for Tactical Air Force) program by the Sukhoi OKB, is Russia's first new major warplane designed since the fall of the Soviet Union. The jet made its maiden flight in January 2011 and two prototypes have since been undergoing flight tests.

MOSCOW, January 30 (RIA Novosti)

Two new warships will be laid down for the Russian Navy, a Defense Ministry spokesman said on Monday.

The Project 22350 Admiral Golovko frigate and the Project 20385 Gremyashchy corvette will be built at the Severnaya Verf (Northern Shipyard) in St. Petersburg, he said.

These will be the first in a series of short and mid-range frigates and corvettes, he added.