18 mai 2011 par Rédacteur en chef. PORTAIL DES SOUS-MARINS

La compagnie d’état russe Rosoboronexport représentera désormais la Russie dans les négociations sur les porte-hélicoptères de la classe Mistral, a déclaré le vice-ministre russe Sergei Ivanov, cité par Interfax. L’an dernier, les négociations sur le Mistral étaient menées par des responsables du ministère russe de la défense. Désormais, ils ont tous été remplacés. « Je peux dire que Rosoboronexport représente maintenant notre délégation, » a déclaré Ivanov lors d’une conférence de presse. Il a refusé de nommer le chef de la délégation parce que ce n’était pas de sa compétence.

Référence : RusNavy (Russie)

MOSCOW, May 18 (RIA Novosti)

Russia will boost its strike nuclear capabilities if NATO refuses to cooperate with Moscow in the European missile defense project, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday.

The United States refused to comply with a Russian request that it provide legally binding guarantees that its European missile defense system will not be directed at Russia.

"I hope we will be able to forge a missile defense cooperation model," Medvedev told around 800 journalists at a news conference at the Skolkovo School of Management near Moscow. "If we don't, we will have to take retaliatory measures, which we do not want to have to do. This will mean forcing the development of our strike nuclear potential."

"This would be a very bad scenario, which would take us back to the Cold War era," the president added.

Medvedev reiterated a warning issued by the Foreign Ministry that Moscow may pull out of the New START disarmament agreement, which entered into force this year, in response to the United State's position on the shield.

"It is clear that the missile defense shield is directed at blocking the strategic capabilities of certain states," Medvedev said. "I understand that other states mentioned do not have Russia's [nuclear] potential and are unlikely to receive them in the coming years...So, it is directed against us."

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 there should be two independent systems that exchange information, while Russia favors a joint system.

Topol-M missile (RIA Novosti / Ilya Pitalev)

17 May, 2011, Robert Bridge, RT

In a thinly-disguised message to NATO, which remains uncommitted to the idea of co-operating with Russia in a European missile defense system, the commander of Russian Strategic Rocket Forces (RSVN) said its ICBMs will soon be “invincible”.

According to the commander of Russia’s Strategic Rocket Forces (RSVN), Lt. Gen. Sergey Karakayev, Russia's RS-24 new intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) will be capable of defeating any possible missile defense system within the next 15-20 years.

Speaking before journalists in Moscow, Karakayev said: "Speaking about combat effectiveness, it is necessary to note the new missiles' ability to be invulnerable before launch thanks to their mobility, as well as their ability to tackle the task of defeating any possible missile defense system within the next 15-20 years, should such a need arise."

Karakayev revealed that some missile complexes are already equipped with the RS-24 missiles.

"The first missile regiment, comprised of two batteries armed with Yars advanced land-based mobile missile systems, equipped with RS-24

intercontinental ballistic missiles with multiple warheads, entered duty

at the Teikovo missile division, based  in Ivanov region, on March 4,"  the commander told a press conference at Interfax. “This is a weapon that has accumulated the best qualities of the Topol-M missile and has acquired new combat possibilities.”

The missile has characteristics that make it possible to speak about the invulnerability of (these weapons) at all of the sections of their flight course, he added.

Although the Russian commander did not directly mention US plans to build a missile defense system in Eastern Europe, Moscow has said many times in the past that any missile defense system on its borders will necessarily be perceived as a potential national security threat.

At the NATO-Russia Summit in November, which saw the attendance of President Dmitry Medvedev, it appeared that the ground was set for a real co-operation between Moscow and NATO, the 28-nation military bloc that served as a balancing act against the Warsaw Pact countries during the height of the Cold War.

Medvedev stressed in no uncertain terms that Russia would be forced to defend itself if NATO went ahead and developed the system unilaterally.

If Moscow does not take part in the project, “we will have to defend ourselves,” he warned. The dialog on this issue will continue, but the results should be “clear” to Russia, he added.

Increasingly, and with tremendous possible repercussions for the much-hyped US-Russian reset, NATO seems reluctant to bring the Russians on board the system.

Meanwhile, as talks on missile defense sputter, NATO is attempting to “do its job without sharing know-how and its political and legal guarantees with Russia," Russian Ambassador to NATO Dmitry Rogozin told reporters on Monday.

Arguing that NATO is hoping the present standoff over missile defense in Europe will pass, Rogozin said there is no chance of this happening

“No, it won't pass,” he said. “We will get what we want with Russia's interests taken into account, one way or another.”

Meanwhile, Rogozin believes that Russia’s NATO partners will come around to the idea of creating a single European missile defense system with Russia’s direct participation.

Mutual participation in the ambitious project will not only enhance the level of our common security, he stressed, but create a unique co-operation potential.

However, in the unfortunate event that a shared missile defense system does not come to fruition, the NATO ambassador said “Russia will be forced to foot the expense of providing a military-technical answer."

President Dmitry Medvedev and US President Barack Obama are expected to continue their dialogue on missile defense, among other issues, in Deauville, France, where a G8 summit is scheduled for late May.

Preparations for the summit are continuing along diplomatic and military channels, Rogozin said, while mentioning that Russia is prepared to be patient on this extremely critical issue.

"We are in no hurry," he said.

Although Russia has declared its willingness to show patience with NATO on the question of a joint missile defense system, it is clear that Russia’s missile designers will not wait for the last minute to develop their technologies.

WASHINGTON, 17 mai - RIA Novosti

Le meilleur moyen pour la Russie de s'assurer que le bouclier antimissile américain ne la menace pas est de prendre part à sa mise en place, a confié à RIA Novosti un haut responsable du département d'Etat américain qui a requis l'anonymat.

"Comme nous l'avons déjà dit, notre système de défense antimissile n'est pas dirigé contre la Russie et ne constitue pas une menace pour ses forces stratégiques de dissuasion. Nous croyons que la coopération [dans la création de ce système] est le meilleur moyen pour la Russie de s'assurer que le bouclier antimissile américain n'est pas dirigée contre elle", a déclaré l'interlocuteur de l'agence.

Cette déclaration fait suite aux propos tenus la veille par le vice-ministre russe des Affaires étrangères Sergueï Riabkov. Intervenant lundi à la Douma (chambre basse du parlement russe), le chef adjoint de la diplomatie russe a fait savoir que Moscou était déçu par le refus de Washington de garantir que le bouclier américain ne sera pas dirigé contre la Russie. Selon M. Riabkov, en cas de poursuite du déploiement des éléments américains de défense antimissile en Europe, Moscou se réserve le droit de se retirer du nouveau traité de désarmement nucléaire START

MOSCOU, 16 mai - RIA Novosti

Moscou doit non seulement obtenir de l'Otan des garanties confirmant que son bouclier antimissile en Europe ne sera pas dirigé contre la Russie, mais renforcer aussi ses propres forces nucléaires stratégiques, estime le représentant permanent de la Russie auprès de l'Alliance atlantique, Dmitri Rogozine.

"La garantie de notre sécurité doit reposer sur deux piliers. Nos négociateurs doivent amener nos partenaires euro-atlantiques à signer un document garantissant que le système de défense antimissile [de l'Otan] ne sera pas dirigées contre la Russie", a-t-il déclaré lundi à la Douma (chambre basse du parlement russe).

"Mais la meilleure des garanties reste notre propre potentiel politique et militaire. Nous devons disposer d'une force stratégique nucléaire capable de riposter à toute agression en tout point du globe, qu'elle soit lancée par un seul pays ou par un groupe de pays", a indiqué le diplomate.

La sécurité de la Russie doit donc reposer sur une double garantie: "celle donnée par nos partenaires et celle constituée par nos propres capacités opérationnelles", a-t-il conclu.

MOSCOW, May 16 (RIA Novosti)

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and U.S. President Barack Obama will address the missile defense issue at a G8 summit in late May, Russian envoy to NATO Dmitry Rogozin said on Monday.

The summit will take place in Deauville, France.

Rogozin said Russia needed "credible guarantees" that a U.S. missile defense system in Europe would not be directed against it.

He said there was "no rush."

"We are ready to wait," Rogozin said.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said earlier on Monday Moscow was concerned by the United States' refusal to provide legally binding guarantees that its European missile defense system will not be directed against Russia.

"The Americans are insisting on the importance of launching practical cooperation without any preconditions," he said, adding that Russia "cannot start cooperation on specific projects without legal guarantees that a future system will not be directed against our security interests."

Moscow reserves the right to pull out of the new START Treaty, he warned.

"The new START Treaty may become hostage to the U.S. approach," the official said.

"The qualitative and quantitative buildup of the U.S. missile defense system, which will jeopardize Russia's strategic nuclear capability, can be regarded as an exceptional event under Article 14 of the said Treaty whereby Russia has the right to withdraw from this agreement," Ryabkov said.

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 there should be two independent systems that exchange information, while Russia favors a joint system.

Russia is opposed 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.

13/05/2011 LeFigaro.fr AFP

Le vice-premier ministre russe, Sergueï Ivanov, a annoncé vendredi que Moscou avait changé l'équipe de négociateurs russes chargés de l'achat de deux navires de guerre français de type Mistral, sur fond de pourparlers difficiles.

"De notre côté, la délégation chargée des négociations est dirigée par Rosoboronexport", l'entreprise publique russe chargée des exportations d'armements, a déclaré M. Ivanov à des journalistes qui l'interrogeaient sur le changement d'équipe, selon l'agence Interfax.

Une source militaire russe avait indiqué la semaine dernière que l'équipe de négociateurs russes avait changé après le limogeage de l'adjoint au commandant de la Marine, le vice-amiral Nikolaï Borissov, et la nomination du vice-ministre de la Défense, Vladimir Popovkine, à la tête de l'Agence spatiale russe.

Les négociations achoppent sur les transferts de technologie, avant tout le système de combat Zenith 9 et le système de commandement SIC-21, selon une source militaro-diplomatique citée par l'agence Interfax.

Ces difficultés pourraient repousser à l'année prochaine la signature du contrat évalué par Moscou à au moins 1,5 milliard d'euros, qui a fait l'objet d'un accord politique entre les deux pays, selon la même source.

La Russie achètera deux Mistral à condition que la France accepte de transférer les technologies du Zenith 9, a averti au début du mois une source du complexe militaro-industriel russe.

Fin janvier, la France et la Russie ont signé à Saint-Nazaire (ouest de la France) un accord très controversé qui prévoit la fabrication de quatre navires de type Mistral pour la marine russe. Deux bâtiments doivent être construits essentiellement en France et deux en Russie.

La fourniture à Moscou d'un tel navire est une première pour un pays de l'Alliance atlantique. Elle a suscité les critiques de Washington et des pays baltes, membres de l'Otan comme la France, ainsi que de la Géorgie.

MOSCOW, May 14 (RIA Novosti)

Russia's Space Forces commander said on Saturday that a new radar being built near the Baltic port of Kaliningrad would be tested by the end of the year.

"The westernmost radar Voronezh DM in the Kaliningrad Region may be tested by the end of this year," Gen. Oleg Ostapenko told a military council of the Space Forces in Krasnoznamensk outside Moscow.

Ostapenko said three more radars would also soon be completed near the cities of Irkutsk in Siberia, St. Petersburg and Krasnodar in the south.

He said the first two Voronezh class radars were already being tested near St. Petersburg and near Krasnodar.

"The radar in Lekhtusi [outside St. Petersburg] is ready to be put on combat duty, which will happen by the end of 2011," he said, adding that the Space Forces were working on further development of the early warning systems in Russia.

The Armavir radar near Krasnodar will be the second facility after the Lekhtusi complex to close a gap in radar coverage on Russia's western borders after radar sites were closed in Skrunda (Latvia) in late 1998 and recently in Mukachevo and Sevastopol (Ukraine).

With an effective range of 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) the Voronezh class radar has capabilities similar to its predecessors, the Dnepr and Daryal, but uses less energy and is more environmentally friendly.

MOSCOW, May 13 (RIA Novosti)

Russia's deputy defense minister has said action could be taken if the United States deploys its new missile defense system near Russia's borders.

In a news conference on Friday, deputy defense minister Anatoly Antonov said the Russian military was looking at ways to "protect our nation if Russia is not consulted in talks with NATO."

"There is not only talk, some serious work is also being done," Antonov said. "The Defense Ministry should allow for the worst possible scenario."

His comments come just hours after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters in Kazakhstan that the talks were going through a complicated phase.

"So far this matter is proceeding with difficulty, but the [U.S.] Secretary of State [Hillary Clinton] has assured us that measures are being taken on her side," Lavrov said.

Lavrov added that he had met Clinton during an Arctic Council meeting in Greenland on Thursday and had discussed missile defense.

"We agreed that it was necessary to give a political impulse to the work of experts, so that before our two presidents meet in Deauville for the G8 summit it will be possible to set out some results," Lavrov said.

The United States and Romania announced last week a deal to deploy missile interceptors in Romania as part of its plan to erect a missile shield over Europe.

The move immediately drew criticism from Russia, which fears the scheme may compromise its security by weakening its nuclear missile arsenal.

But U.S. Undersecretary of State Ellen Tauscher said Moscow need not worry.

"We have good relations with Russia. We have just ratified the New START treaty, we are working together on various other issues," she was quoted as saying in media reports last week.

"It is a system that will defend NATO and, if Russia chooses to work with us in a cooperative manner, the system will defend Russia, too."

Russia agreed to cooperate on NATO's European missile defense program at a NATO summit in Lisbon last year.

May 11th, 2011 By RIA Novosti – DEFENCE TALK

Talks between Russia and France on the purchase of Mistral class helicopter carriers have come to a dead end over Russia's demands on the transfer and licensed production of sensitive electronics, a Russian defense industry source said on Friday.

Mistral class ships are equipped with a NATO-standard SENIT-9 naval tactical data system and SIC-21 fleet command system. France is strongly opposed to delivering the SENIT-9 to Russia with a production license, and apparently does not want to deliver the SIC-21 at all.

"The Russian side wants to get all advanced technologies together with the ship...and the future of the contract totally depends on whether France would agree to part with these systems," the source said.

The official confirmed that talks were tough-going and their format was constantly changing.

Russia completely replaced its team of negotiators on May 5 hoping to change the course of the talks by literally starting from scratch.

Experts believe that the controversial issues of such a highly-publicized and politically-charged deal could be resolved only through a compromise between the Russian and French leaders.

Russia and France in January signed an intergovernmental agreement to jointly build two Mistral-class helicopter carriers at the STX shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France. Another two are planned to be constructed later at the Admiralty Shipyards in St. Petersburg.

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

11 mai 2011 Par Rédacteur en chef.PORTAIL DES SOUS-MARINS

Le bâtiment russe KIL-158, de la flotte de la mer Noire, participera aux exercices Bold Monarch 2011, organisés par l’OTAN en Espagne. Il a appareillé de Sébastopol, a annoncé mardi un porte-parole de la marine russe, Viacheslav Trujachov.

« Le KIL-158 a embarqué des équipes techniques pour installer un polygone qui sera utilisé pendant une des phases des exercices. Il sera rejoint par un sous-marin russe, l’Alrosa, et un submersible télécommandé, le Pantera Plus. Ce dernier appartient à l’escadre de navires de sauvetage de la Flotte de la mer Noire, » a indiqué Trujachov.

L’arrivée du KIL-158 dans le port de Carthagène est prévue pour le 27 mai. Il y rejoindra les autres navires de sauvetage qui doivent participer aux exercices de sauvetage d’un sous-marin en détresse au large des côtes espagnoles.

Outre le KIL-158, la Russie sera représentée par le sous-marin Alrosa, le navire de sauvetage Epron et le remorqueur Shajtior. Ils font ous partie de la flotte de la mer Noire, basée en Crimée.

Les exercices Bold Monarch 2011, qui dureront 12 jours, ont lieu tous les 3 ans. Ils commenceront le 29 mai.

Ce sera la première participation d’un sous-marin russe à des exercices organisés par l’OTAN.

L'analyse de la rédaction :

Le KIL-158 est officiellement un navire destiné au mouillage de bouées. Il est équipé un portique sur l’arrière qui lui permet de soulever des charges lourdes.

Référence : RIA Novosti (Russie)

GORKI, May 10 (RIA Novosti)

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday urged the government to come up with ideas on how to boost the flow of investment to the national defense industry.

"You should consider mechanisms to boost investments to the branch," Medvedev said at a meeting dedicated to the development of the national defense industry.

The president also urged the military brass present at the meeting not to drag their heels on tenders.

"Otherwise the completion of a range of crucial weapons will be threatened - as happened last year," he said.

"More than 30 ballistic missiles, sea-based and ground-based missiles, five 9K720 Iskander (SS-26 Stone) mobile theater ballistic missile systems, about 300 units of modern armored vehicles, 30 helicopters, 28 fighter jets, three nuclear submarines, one corvette class ship and eleven space vehicles," should have been procured in 2010, in line with the program of state defense orders. Medvedev said.

"In March [2010], at the meeting of Defense Ministry officials I said that that the state arms program had in fact failed. Now I want to hear from you why this happened, as well as who was punished and how."

Medvedev made a reference to the Soviet era practice of sending officials who stymied plans to labor camps.

The president also urged the government to complete the procurement of 2011 state defense orders by the end of May and provide him with a report on it.

May 9, 2011 By Thomas Grove and Andrey Ostroukh/Reuters AviationWeek.com

MOSCOW - President Dmitry Medvedev marked the anniversary May 9 of allied victory over Nazi Germany with a promise to arm Russian troops with the latest weapons and push reform of a military plagued by low morale and poor equipment. Medvedev made the pledge as Russia’s biggest missiles and most advanced tanks rumbled through Moscow’s Red Square to celebrate the 66th anniversary of the end of World War II. Analysts say most of Russia’s arms are upgraded versions of weapons made 20 years ago. Although the world’s second biggest arms exporter, a lack of investment and political will has prevented its own forces from getting new hardware. “The state will do everything so that our soldiers are adequately outfitted, so that the modernization of our armed forces is actively carried out, and so that troops have the most modern technology,” Medvedev said before a parade where 20,000 troops saluted him and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. The celebration of Nazi Germany’s surrender has been a staple of Soviet and Russian pride since World War II ended in 1945, giving leaders a chance to draw on patriotism and show off military might in annual ceremonies. In contrast to Western military budget cutting, Putin has promised to spend 20 trillion rubles ($718 billion) over the next 10 years to renew Russia’s armaments, including new submarines, nuclear missiles and air defense systems. Russia has been struggling for years to reform its armed forces, dogged by low morale and poor living conditions since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. While Russia crushed Georgia in a five-day war in 2008, the short conflict exposed technical problems and aging equipment.

FABRIC OF THE ARMY

The Victory Day holiday marking the end of World War II, during which Russia says 27 million Soviet citizens died, is among the most sacred in Russia and military units practise for nearly five months leading up to the celebrations. Weaponry on display May 9 included Topol missiles, T-90 tanks and military helicopters. But Russian military equipment is often outdated. “These systems were developed 20 years ago and they are produced in miniscule quantities today,” said military analyst Alexander Golts in a recent comment. Other military reforms aimed at boosting the number of professional soldiers will change the fabric of the army, as a fall in the birth rate is eating away at the number of conscripts called to mandatory service every year. Many young Russians say they pay bribes averaging $5,000 to avoid the doing military service, renowned for harsh conditions and endemic bullying. Medvedev has promised to boost the army’s professional contingent by next year. Monday’s parade in Moscow, and others across Russia are expected to cost about $43 million.