More than 4,700 units of new and repaired military equipment will receive the RF Armed Forces this year. It is assumed that two-thirds of Russia’s military budget will be spent on the purchase of these weapons. The indicator of the equipment of constant readiness units with the latest weapons will exceed 71% by the beginning of 2022 (now it is 70% for general-purpose forces), while the supply of military equipment in accordance with the state defense order (SDO) will be more than 98%.
Speaking at the end of December 2020 at an expanded meeting of the collegium of the Ministry of Defense, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin set the task of continuing to re-equip the army and navy with modern weapons and equipment and accurately fulfill the tasks of the state defense order in a timely manner.
“In the strategic forces, we have already created a serious scientific and technical reserve for weapons and equipment that have no analogues in the world. General purpose forces should develop in the same direction. I will add that the Ministry of Defense and defense industry enterprises should work out the issue of concluding long-term contracts on all major types of weapons. At the same time, it is necessary to absolutely exclude an unjustified increase in the cost of orders, to use effective methods of pricing,” Putin said.
Strategic Missile Forces (Strategic Rocket Forces)
This year, they will receive 13 launchers with Yars intercontinental ballistic missiles and Avangard hypersonic complexes. To ensure the functioning of these strategic weapons systems, it is planned to complete the construction of infrastructure facilities in Kozelsk, Yasny, Uzhur, Novosibirsk and Yoshkar-Ola.
It is assumed that by the end of this year, the first regiment of the Avangard hypersonic complexes, which took up combat duty at the end of 2019 in the Orenburg region, will be brought up to its full complement – six silo launchers.
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At the same time, the improvement of infrastructure facilities for testing the latest strategic weapons systems will continue. In particular, it is planned this year to equip a range for flight tests of the Sarmat missile near the settlement of Severo-Yeniseisky in the Krasnoyarsk Territory.
Additional funding allocated for the production of the latest strategic weapons systems will allow bringing the level of modern technology in the strategic nuclear forces to 88.3%.
Navy
The fleet will receive a significant number of both surface ships and submarines. In particular, it will be replenished with four submarines (including two nuclear submarines (nuclear submarines) of project 955A Borey-A with ballistic missiles Bulava – Prince Oleg and Generalissimus Suvorov, as well as one nuclear submarine of project 885M Yasen-M – Kazan). By the way, in accordance with the current state armament program until 2027, the transfer of 14 nuclear submarines of the Borey-A and Yasen-M projects is envisaged.
The Navy’s combat strength should include six surface ships, as well as 22 boats and support vessels. Among them are one Project 22350 frigate Admiral Golovko and two Project 20380 corvettes – Zealous and Rezky. It is also assumed that one Project 12700 Alexandrite mine defense ship, Yakov Balyaev, will be delivered to the fleet.
The Navy also expects the transfer of a significant number of ships after repair and modernization. In particular, TASS sources reported that by the end of the year, nuclear submarines of Project 671RTMK Tambov and Project 971 Leopard will return to the fleet. The transfer of the Project 775 large landing ship Alexander Shabalin is planned.
The military department pays considerable attention to the modernization of the auxiliary forces of the fleet. So, in 2021, the fleet will receive an oceanographic research vessel of project 02670 Evgeny Goriglezhan, one large hydrographic catamaran boat of project 23370G, two anti-sabotage boats of project 21980 Grachonok, a torpedo boat of the new project TL-2195, logistics support vessel of project 23120 Vsevolod Bobrov and a number of others. auxiliary ships and boats.
The modernization and repair of the AS-36 Bester submarine of the Northern Fleet will be completed.
Aerospace Forces (VKS)
The Aerospace Forces and naval aviation of the Navy will receive more than 100 new and modernized aircraft.
This year, state tests of the modernized strategic missile carrier Tu-160M are to begin, after which it will enter service. The improved aircraft made its maiden flight in February 2020. In the course of modernization, the aircraft received new flight and navigation equipment, an onboard communications complex, a control system, a radar station, and an electronic countermeasures system.
It is expected that in 2021, the Ministry of Defense and the United Aircraft Corporation (under the control of the Rostec state corporation) will sign a contract for the construction of modernized Su-34M front-line bombers. Under another contract, about 20 Su-34s are being built for the Aerospace Forces.
The fighter aircraft of the Aerospace Forces is to receive four newest fifth-generation multirole fighters Su-57. It was reported that the first serial Su-57 entered service with one of the aviation regiments of the Southern Military District in December last year. By the end of 2024, the number of these vehicles in the army will increase to 22 units, and by 2028, 76 Su-57 fighters will be transferred to the Ministry of Defense.
The Aerospace Forces helicopter fleet is also expected to be significantly strengthened – the troops are to receive the latest Mi-38 helicopters manufactured by the Russian Helicopters holding (part of Rostec). The heavy military transport helicopter Mi-26T2V is expected to reach the stage of serial production in the first half of this year, which will significantly increase the mobility of units and the ability of troops to transport personnel and cargo.
It is also planned to receive the first ten Mi-8AMTSh-VN transport and combat helicopters, including for the army aviation brigades that support the landing.
It was reported that PJSC Rostvertol began mass production of Mi-28NM attack helicopters, modernized taking into account the experience of using in Syria. He received a new engine, avionics with a perfect sighting and search system and the ability to interact with drones. Also, a new missile has been developed for it with a range of up to 25 km. It is planned that 98 of these machines will be delivered by 2027.
The Aerospace Forces training aircraft fleet will be replenished with the Yak-152 light piston aircraft intended for initial flight training. In conjunction with the Yak-130 jet training aircraft, it will provide a full cycle of training for cadets.
Ground troops
As part of the state defense order, the Ground Forces are expected to replenish more than 400 units of armored vehicles. Among them are the newest T-72B3M, T-80BVM and T-90M Breakthrough tanks, BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles and modernized BMP-2 with the Berezhok fighting compartment, as well as armored personnel carriers BTR-82A.
Thus, the formations and military units of the tank army of the Western Military District (ZVO) in Moscow, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Smolensk, Ivanovo and Yaroslavl regions will receive more than 200 tanks, armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, tank support combat vehicles (BMPT) Terminator and engineering vehicles, as well as training systems for training their crews. The Taman motorized rifle division will be replenished with more than 18 Khrysanthem-S self-propelled anti-tank missile systems, which will replace the older Shturms.
Serial deliveries to the troops of the latest T-14 tanks on the Armata platform, developed and manufactured by the Uralvagonzavod concern, are to begin. It was reported that a number of military universities have already begun training crews for these machines.
Artillery units of troops will continue to be equipped with the latest barrel artillery systems – the newest self-propelled artillery units Coalition-SV will be supplied to the armament of the units, units and formations of the Southern Military District. The capabilities of the artillery subunits will also be increased due to the new systems – experimental military operation of ammunition for the newest TOS-2 Tosochka heavy flamethrower system is planned for the current year.
In addition, it is expected to start serial production of the 82-mm Drok self-propelled mortar, the Phlox 120-mm self-propelled artillery gun and the Magnolia artillery system based on a two-link tracked conveyor. These new vehicles, developed by the Central Research Institute Burevestnik as part of the Sketch development work, will significantly improve the effectiveness of direct fire support for ground units on the battlefield.
In addition, the RChBZ troops will receive a modernized TOS-1A Solntsepek heavy flamethrower system. According to the developers, the modernization made it possible to increase the range and accuracy of fire, and reduced the rate of ammunition consumption.
Airborne Forces (VDV)
It is planned to start deliveries of the latest airborne armored vehicles with an increased level of security Typhoon-VDV. These vehicles are equipped with a remotely controlled weapon station with a 30-mm automatic cannon, PKTM machine gun, and an automatic transmission.
In addition, it is expected that the Airborne Forces will begin to receive a new communication and control system, which will reduce the time for transmitting and receiving information at all decision-making levels by at least half.
In total, more than 500 modern armored combat vehicles should be delivered to the Ground Forces, the Airborne Forces and the coastal troops of the Navy.
Air Defense Troops
It is planned to put into service two regimental sets of S-400 Triumph air defense systems and 18 Pantsir-S anti-aircraft missile systems. Also, the Ministry of Defense reported that this year they plan to complete the process of testing the newest anti-aircraft missile system (SAM) S-500 Prometheus and its adoption.
The construction of a high-availability radar station (radar) Voronezh in Vorkuta and its delivery for experimental combat duty is to be completed. Also, work is expected to begin on the construction of the Yakhroma radar in Sevastopol and individual over-the-horizon air target detection units in Kaliningrad and Zeya. Yakhroma will become a unique station – it will operate in four bands (meter, centimeter, decimeter and millimeter), while the radar viewing angle will be 270 degrees.
The air defense forces should also receive an installation batch of reconnaissance and control vehicles for the Gibka-S tactical air defense systems.
Also, the re-equipment of the anti-aircraft missile subdivisions of the Central Military District, stationed in the Krasnoyarsk Territory and Khakassia, with the newest anti-aircraft missile system S-350 Vityaz will begin. Previously, this complex was supplied only for training specialists at a training center in the Leningrad region. In total, until 2027, it is planned to supply 12 S-350 divisions.
Other technique
At the final military collegium of the Ministry of Defense, it was reported that by the end of the year, complexes with multifunctional unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of long range and duration of flight will be received for equipping. These UAVs will be armed with both guided airborne weapons (AAS), used on front-line aircraft, and specialized ammunition. It is assumed that the new drones will be able to hit both stationary and mobile targets.
In the current year, the serial production of small-sized controlled ASPs for shock UAVs will begin. The development of these ammunition is already being completed, and their samples are already undergoing experimental military operation.
Considerable attention is also paid to the creation of land-based robotics. Thus, the newest robotic platform Marker will pass control tests, which will then be transferred to the RF Ministry of Defense.
To equip the units of radiation, chemical and biological (RCB) protection, a multifunctional robotic complex MRK-RCBZ is being created, which will include ground-based robotic platforms and unmanned aerial vehicles. It will be able to carry out the whole range of works on conducting RCB reconnaissance. The robot will participate in eliminating the consequences of the use of weapons of mass destruction by the enemy in wartime, and in peacetime, the complex can be used in the event of accidents at RCB-hazardous facilities.
Roman Azanov, Dmitry Fedyushko. TASS.
