BERLIN, April 15 (RIA Novosti)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called on foreign leaders on Friday to begin negotiations on conventional arms control to overcome a stalemate in the sphere. During a Russia-NATO Council meeting at the level of foreign ministers in Berlin, Lavrov discussed the issue with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. "This regime has been in a very deep deadlock. We are interested... in beginning talks to overcome the existing situation," Lavrov said after the talks. Russia has long been calling on NATO countries to ratify the adapted Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE Treaty), signed in 1999 and so far ratified only by Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan. The original CFE Treaty was signed in 1990 by 16 NATO countries and six Warsaw Pact members and came into force in 1992. The treaty set equal ceilings for each bloc on five key categories of conventional armaments and military hardware, including tanks, combat armored vehicles, artillery, assault helicopters and combat aircraft. The CFE Treaty played a crucial stabilizing role during the breakup of the Soviet Union and its satellite states in Eastern Europe. However, the later document became largely outdated and irrelevant amid large-scale changes in the military and political environment. Russia imposed a unilateral moratorium on the CFE treaty in December 2007, citing concerns over NATO's eastward expansion, U.S. missile defense plans for Europe, and the alleged refusal of the alliance's new members to ratify the adapted treaty. Moscow has repeatedly said it will resume its participation in the CFE if NATO member states ratify the adapted treaty.

In 2004, Russia signed a deal to refit and deliver the Admiral Gorshkov

for $974 million, but the deal was delayed after the Russians subsequently

demanded more money. (Alexander Zemlianichenko / AFP)

15 Apr 2011 By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI- DefenseNews

NEW DELHI - Russia will deliver the aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov to the Indian Navy next year, a Navy official said. A team of 150 personnel - technicians, managers and others -from the Indian Navy has already arrived in Russia for training on the 45,000-ton carrier, currently being refitted for Indian needs there. India is paying Russia $67.5 million for the training, the official said. The carrier will ultimately be manned by some 1,500 sailors. In 2004, Russia signed a deal to refit and deliver the Gorshkov for $974 million, but the Russians subsequently demanded more money. The work was delayed until the Indian government finally agreed to pay a total of $2.33 billion, the official said. The Navy also placed a $526 million order for 16 MiG-29K aircraft, which began arriving last year and are currently on shore at Goa. These aircraft will fly from the carrier, which will be renamed INS Vikramaditya. India currently operates one carrier, INS Viraat, and is building another, the Air Defense Ship, slated to enter service in 2014.

MOSCOU, 13 avril - RIA Novosti

Moscou a réussi à persuader la partie française de lui livrer les porte-hélicoptères français de type Mistral avec tous les systèmes et les dispositifs nécessaires, a annoncé mercredi à RIA Novosti une source haut placée au ministère russe de la Défense. "Lors des négociations bilatérales passées, nous avons convenu que la partie française tiendrait compte des exigences du Ministère de la Défense en matière d'équipement des navires à l'aide de systèmes et de dispositifs répondant aux normes de la Marine russe", a indiqué l'interlocuteur de l'agence. Auparavant, certains médias russes avaient annoncé que les négociations étaient dans l'impasse, la partie française refusant de fournir les systèmes de communication et de commandement.

"Les préparatifs de l'achat par la Fédération de Russie des bâtiments de projection et de commandement (BPC) de type Mistral progressent de façon régulière dans le cadre de négociations avec la partie française", a affirmé le haut responsable militaire. Il a souligné que le contrat négocié sur l'achat par la Russie de porte-hélicoptères Mistral prévoyait la livraison de deux navires de ce type, de pièces de rechange, des instruments et de la documentation technique. "Ledit contrat prévoit la livraison de matériel et la prestation de services permettant la construction en Russie de deux navires Mistral, ainsi que l'octroi au client (le ministère russe de la Défense) du droit de se servir de la documentation de travail", a ajouté l'interlocuteur de l'agence.

RIO DE JANEIRO, April 13 (RIA Novosti)

The arms market in Latin America, especially in Brazil, show a great potential for exports of Russian weaponry, a senior Russian defense industry official said. More than 300 types of weaponry are being showcased by Russia at the Latin America Aero and Defense 2011 (LAAD-2011) arms show in Rio de Janeiro on April 12-15. "The arms market of Latin America is expansive and promising. Brazil holds a leading position among our partners in terms of its potential for the acquisition of [Russian] military hardware and equipment," said Sergei Goreslavsky, the head of marketing at Russian Technologies State Corporation, who leads the Russian delegation at the LAAD-2011. In addition to the wide array of combat aircraft and helicopters, including the Sukhoi Su-35 and Su-30MK2 multirole fighters and Ka-52 Hokum B attack helicopters, Russia will focus on marketing its highly-acclaimed air defense systems, such as S-400, Tor-M2E, Buk-M2E, Tunguska-M1, Pantsyr-S1, and Igla-S. "Modern warfare, as the recent events in Northern Africa confirmed, is conducted mainly from the air," Goreslavsky said. "That's why the purchase of advanced air defense systems offered by Russia becomes a serious consideration." "We are hoping to gain some ground in this direction," the official added. Russia, the world's second largest arms exporter after the United States, sold $8.6 billion worth of weaponry last year and is looking to increase its arms sales to almost $10 bln in 2011. Rosoboronexport has established mutually beneficial arms trade ties with Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Uruguay, and Ecuador through active marketing efforts. These countries express their interest in Russian air defense systems, radars, combat aircraft and helicopters, naval equipment, and small arms.

April 11, 2011 Forecast International, Inc. – defpro.com

NEWTOWN, Conn. | The Russian government is intent on reviving the nation's arms industry while simultaneously modernizing the armed forces. To this end, the Kremlin has revised its State Armaments Program (SAP) and is now calling for RUB20 trillion ($704.9 billion) to be spent on the military's modernization from 2011-2020. There are three key factors that will determine the extent to which the SAP can be implemented.

First, in order to meet the funding goal of RUB20 trillion, approximately 4.5 percent of the nation's GDP must be directed toward military funding. However, given Russia's current financial position, this may be a bit ambitious. According to Rebecca Barrett, Eurasian defense analyst at Forecast International, the recent global economic crisis "exposed the structural faults of the Russian economy.” She noted, "While equity markets have improved since mid-2009 and capital markets have re-opened, the repair of the financial system is far from complete." The government is now hoping that the economy will reach pre-crisis levels by the end of 2012, at which time GDP should be on par with the levels achieved in 2008.

At the same time, the crisis has also exposed the financial weaknesses of the Russian aerospace and defense industry. Fortunately for Moscow, the timing could not have been better. The Kremlin leveraged this exposure to consolidate the defense sector under government control and will now use the industry's capabilities to complete the military's modernization plan. However, Barrett points out in the "Market Overview" report on Russia that the government must invest in research and development programs for the defense sector in order to stave off the pending industrial decline. Without the investment, the industry's defense technology base could become a major impediment to the SAP.

The third key factor is the defense budget. The MoD has begun transitioning funding streams to support additional arms procurements through two major reform processes. The first is a cost-saving reform which calls for the reduction of some 200,000 personnel by 2012. The second major reform is the adoption of a new budgetary framework. According to Barrett, "The process is designed to modernize the Kremlin's fiscal practices and provide longer-term price and policy signals to the Russian defense industry."

In order for the SAP to be fully implemented, the government must continue to invest heavily in both the military and the nation's defense industry. Furthermore, because the SAP calls for 11 percent of existing military equipment to be upgraded and a full 70 percent to be replaced with modern weapons, the Russian defense industry needs to stay afloat and the economy must continue to rebound at a steady rate.

SOFRINO (Moscow region), April 8 (RIA Novosti)

Russia's Almaz-Antei design bureau is planning to complete the development of the advanced S-500 air defense system by 2015-2016, the company's deputy general director Yury Solovyev said Friday. The S-500, a long-range missile system, is expected to become the backbone of a unified aerospace defense system being formed in Russia. "Our design bureau is working to complete the development of the S-500 system by 2015-2016," Solovyev said. He said the designers were facing a number of problems, including a lack of reliable and efficient electronic components. "But we will be able to resolve them," the official said. The S-500 is expected to have an extended range of up to 600 km (over 370 miles) and simultaneously engage up to 10 targets. Russia's Defense Ministry has demanded that the system must be capable of intercepting ballistic missiles and hypersonic cruise missiles.

source www.armyrecognition.com

MOSCOU, 5 avril - RIA Novosti

En visite de travail aux Etats-Unis jusqu'au 9 avril, le commandant en chef des Forces aériennes russes, le général Alexandre Zeline se rendra au Pentagone et à l'état-major du Commandement de la défense aérospatiale de l'Amérique du Nord (NORAD). Cette visite, entamée ce matin, découle de l'invitation du chef de l'état major de l'armée de l'air américaine Norton Schwartz, a annoncé mardi le service de presse du ministère russe de la Défense. "Dans le cadre de sa visite de travail, le commandant en chef de Forces aériennes russes prendra part à une série de réunions consacrées à la stratégie du développement de l'armée de l'air américaine, aux programmes de modernisation de l'armée de l'air, au rôle de la reconnaissance aérienne et spatiale à l'époque contemporaine, ainsi qu'au rôle et à l'activité du commandement des forces aériennes (Global Air Strike Command, ndlr)", précise le service de presse. Selon ce dernier, le général russe doit également s'entretenir avec de hauts responsables militaires américains et visiter la base aérienne d'Andrews.

KAZAN, April 4 (RIA Novosti)

Shipbuilders in Russia's republic of Tatarstan floated out a second Gepard class frigate for the Russian Navy, the Zelenodolsk Shipyard said on Monday. The Dagestan frigate is expected to join the Caspian Flotilla in 2011 after a series of sea trials. The first Gepard class frigate in the Russian Navy, the Tatarstan, has been serving as the flagship of the Caspian Flotilla since 2002. "The Dagestan is equipped with better electronics and weaponry compared with the Tatarstan," the shipyard said in a statement. A Gepard class frigate is designed to engage surface ships, submarines and air targets, both independently and as part of a task force, as well as to perform escort and patrol tasks. The ship has a displacement of 2,000 tons, a length of 102 meters, a maximum speed of 23 knots, a crew of 103 personnel and a cruising range of 5,000 miles. The frigate is armed with the Uran-E anti-ship missile system, a 76.2-mm gun mount AK-176M, a Palma air defense artillery system, two 30-mm gun mounts AK-630M, and 533-mm torpedo tubes. It can carry a Ka-28 or a Ka-31 Helix naval helicopter.

Source Barentz Observer

28 mars 2011 RusNavy Intelligence

En 2011, la Marine russe débutera le programme de modernisation du croiseur nucléaire lance-missiles "Amiral Nakhimov" (Projet 1144.2 Orlan, classe Kirov) a annoncé l'agence Interfax, se référant à une source de l'Etat-major de la Marine.

29/03/2011 MER et MARINE

Une bonne partie des avions de combat de la marine russe pourrait être intégrée dans l'armée de l'Air en fin d'année. C'est ce qu'a indiqué à l'agence de presse RIA Novosti une source militaire présentée comme « de haut rang ». Selon ce responsable, les appareils concernés seraient les bombardiers à long rayon d'action Tu-22 M Backfire, les intercepteurs MiG-31 Foxhound, Su-24 Fencer et Su-27 Flanker. Les avions de combat Su-24 de la flotte de la mer Noire, basés en Crimée, resteraient toutefois à la marine, en vertu d'un accord de défense signé avec l'Ukraine. De même, la flotte russe conserverait le contrôle des Su-33 Flanker D et des Su-25 Frogfoot, embarqués sur le porte-avions Kuznetsov, ainsi que des avions de patrouille maritime II-38 May et des hydravions Be-12. Il en serait de même pour le nouveau MiG-49K Fulcrum, appelé à renouveler le groupe aérien embarqué russe. On notera que ce dernier devrait être développé dans les prochaines années. L'amirauté russe travaille en effet sur un projet de construction de trois nouveaux porte-avions nucléaires destinés aux flottes du Nord et du Pacifique.

MOSCOW, March 28 (RIA Novosti)

Russia's Ground Forces will start taking delivery of new Tornado-G multiple rocket launching systems (MRLS), replacing the current Grad systems, Army spokesman Lt. Col. Sergei Vlasov said on Monday. This will further increase the Army's firepower and standoff capability for effective engagement, Vlasov said. Tornados are superior to Grads in their effectiveness, automated control, aiming and satellite navigation systems, Vlasov said, without disclosing any technical details. The Grad truck-mounted system featuring 122-mm rockets with a range of 30-40 km was developed in 1962 and has been in service since 1964. A Tornado MRLS vehicle can carry up to twelve 300-mm rockets with an effective range of up to 90 kilometers.

Mar 27 2011 TRDEFENCE

The Russian Northern Fleet and the Norwegian Navy will conduct the Pomor-2011 joint drills in the Arctic in May, a spokesman for the Northern Fleet said. “The exercise will take place in the Barents and Norwegian Seas, and will include firing of live artillery rounds at simulated surface and aerial targets, anti-submarine warfare drills, anti-piracy operations, and search-and-rescue missions,” Vadim Serga said on Thursday. Russia and Norway held similar naval drills last June to practice interoperability during missions in the Arctic. The Norwegian Navy was represented by guided missile frigate Otto Sverdrup, Coast Guard ship Nordkapp, the Orion patrol aircraft, F-16 fighters and Lynx helicopters, while Russia’s Northern Fleet contributed the Severomorsk destroyer, Il-38 ASW aircraft, Su-33 fighters and a Ka-27 naval helicopter