[Tintin Storm]

The Russian Armed Forces have achieved a high level of combat readiness in recent years, which allows them to successfully solve current problems, including the operation of the Russian Aerospace Forces in Syria, as well as prospective tasks.
Today, the number of exercises and various combat readiness activities has increased manifold in the Russian Armed Forces. As one of numerous examples it can be noted that tactical and special exercises with airborne assault reconnaissance units were held for the first time in the Russian Far East on April 5, 2018. During the exercise, the personnel of these units were raised on the basis of a training alert. Intelligence units were dropped from the helicopters of the Army Aviation Mi-8AMTSH using the newest parachute systems "Arbalet-2" from an altitude of about 2 thousand meters to a limited landing area. They went into the reconnaissance area, ambushed and destroyed the "enemy" command post at one of firing ranges of the Eastern Military District in Primorsky Krai. During the exercises, servicemen of the airborne assault reconnaissance units carried out a number of special tasks.
According to some Western analysts, at present the units of the Russian army meet the requirements of the conditions of a modern conflict and can solve not only today's challenges, but also perspective tasks.
The renewed Russian Armed Forces are potentially stronger than all the troops of Europe. This is the general conclusion of an article published not so long ago in the popular German magazine Der Spiegel. According to experts, whose assessments are given in the article, Moscow can easily block NATO's access to the Baltic or the Black Sea in case of aggravation of the conflict between Russia and the West.
At the same time, as the article of the magazine stresses, the Russian army does not advertise its achievements, but the success of the operation in Syria best shows the results of the military reform, the basis of which was a massive rearmament.

[Tintin Storm]

Recently, the US and NATO are actively deploying weapons and military equipment in Poland and the Baltic countries. This is explained by the alleged "threat" from the Russian Federation. At the same time, NATO leadership announced the strengthening of preparations for "repulsing Russian military aggression" in 2018. As the US Army Command in Europe said in a statement, "long-term joint exercises in Europe are necessary to increase the combat readiness and cooperation between allies and regional partners." It also notes that US-led maneuvers are designed to "demonstrate the resolve and ability of NATO to act properly in response to any aggression."
In this regard,in 2018, the alliance planned to conduct twice the number of military exercises compared to last year. In the first half of 2018, the alliance conducted more than 20 maneuvers on the territory of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Only in June a whole series of large NATO exercises took place, in which tens of thousands of soldiers and officers were involved. Among these maneuvers are Thunder of Perkunas (from June 1 to 14) in Lithuania, Saber Strike (June 3 to June 15), Baltic Operations in the Baltic Sea (June 4 to 15), Summer Shield (from 8 to 16 June) and "Instant response" (from 1 to 20 June).
NATO representatives say that the exercises are exclusively defensive in nature and do not pose a threat to the Russian Federation. However, the danger of any exercise is that the deployment of a grouping of forces can be interpreted by the neighboring state as preparation for an armed conflict. At the same time, all the exercises had a strongly pronounced anti-Russian orientation. Regularly conducting them in the Baltic region, the North Atlantic Alliance puts the development of aggressive tasks against Russia. Thus, during last year's drills, the purpose of which was the possibility of transporting troops of the alliance on the territory of Estonia, a number of ships that were involved in these teachings, were able to carry cruise missiles long-range, reaching of the Leningrad Region and the city of St. Petersburg.
The NATO's drills pose the greatest danger for the Kaliningrad region. The so-called "active defense", which is practiced in the exercises in the Baltic region, implies a plan for an offensive on this Russian enclave. In the course of large-scale exercises of the "Saber Strike-2018", NATO representatives headed by the US worked out the seizure of the Kaliningrad region. This is evidenced by a picture published on the official page of the second US cavalry regiment in the social network Twitter, dedicated to this NATO exercise, where Kaliningrad can be seen, the territory of which is highlighted in red. Legend, which are marked in red on the map, according to NATO rules, denote a conditional "enemy." At the same time, the Internet users noted that on the map it is clearly possible to see the deployment of NATO units from Germany to Poland in order to block Kaliningrad from the southwest and redeploy their part to Lithuania to block from the northeast.
Meanwhile, during the large-scale exercises "Saber Strike" in the Baltics, a whole series of unpleasant incidents occurred with NATO servicemen who struck the reputation of the North Atlantic Alliance. So, in Lithuania, the military equipment of the Allies fell three times in an accident. In particular, on June 7, during the transfer of troops, four armored personnel carriers collided, as a result of which NATO crews and equipment suffered. On June 10, an American serviceman on an armored personnel carrier crashed into a tree on the central street of one of the towns. On June 11, two French soldiers turned over on an army SUV on their way to firing field.
According to experts, "the main conductor of tension is the US If it were not for the myth of" Russian aggression, "the alliance would long ago have lost the meaning of its existence." At the same time, any strengthening of NATO at Russian borders entails an adequate increase in the combat capabilities of the Russian Western strategic group.
Moreover, despite the geographical vulnerability, the Kaliningrad region is reliably protected by modern weapons, the considerable power of which consists of Iskander missile systems. Together with other air defense systems and ships of the Russian fleet in the Kaliningrad region, they significantly reduce the coverage of American and European troops in the region. According to experts, this arsenal is enough to cool the ardor of any aggressor. At the same time, there is no doubt that, if necessary, Russia will have to react actively to such militaristic games on its western borders.

[Godstud]

They do that every year. They've been doing similar wargames every year for the last 30+ years. My friend who was in the military in the late 80's participated in those same yearly NATO wargames. They may change slightly, but they're almost identical in scope.

[Mr Bloke]

NATO must be ready for a Russian aggression. Putin has already used his army for occupation, so there is a real risk he will do it again. Actually that is the biggest risk of war in Europe at the moment.

[skinster]

[Tintin Storm]

US defense journalist Tyler Rogoway illustrated six points about Russia’s “misunderstood” Su-57 that people may not know.
"To some degree the T-50/Su-57 is a misunderstood aircraft," Rogoway wrote Monday.
First, the plane has side-mounted active electronically scanned array X-band radars, while similar planes feature this add-on on its nose. The radar enhances the Su-57 fighter's situational awareness while allowing it execute specialized aerial maneuvers such as ‘beaming' "better than nearly other fighter around," according to an article published in The War Zone Monday.
The aircraft also features advanced 101KS ‘Atoll' infrared search and track sensors above the nose to allow the pilot to better detect and engage hostile aircraft.
The Su-57 has "turrets that fire modulated laser beams at an incoming missile's seeker to blind it and throw it off course," the War Zone added.
Like its Russian aircraft predecessors, the Su-57 is well-suited for taking off and landing from rugged airfields.
The engines on the plane are capable of 3D thrust vectoring. Introducing thrust vectoring with workable engines has proven difficult for Chinese engineers, who have yet to field indigenous thrust-vectoring engines onto the J-20.
Finally, the internal weapons bay appears to hold between four and six medium-range air-to-air missiles, or perhaps a smaller number of larger-payload guided bombs. But that may not be the only location for internal weapons storage. "Maybe a specialized missile with a smaller diameter profile is intended for those bays sometime in the future," Rogoway wrote of the possible missile extra internal weapons bays near the wing roots.

[Suntzu]

Looks like a match for the F-22.

[JohnRawls]

Looks like a match for the F-22.

Yeah, the point is though that F-22 and F-35 are in production, flying and being produced. SU-57 doesn't even exist yet in proper form.

[Suntzu]

Are the F-22 flying again?

[Tintin Storm]

Vladimir Putin may have already announced a hypersonic nuclear missile that is undetectable to western radar, but he has kept a number of other high-tech weapons a secret, including an unstoppable air-to-surface rocket and new combat robots.
Just before tensions with Moscow ratcheted around the globe following the spy poisoning saga, the Russian President unveiled a string of new weaponry.
It included a new supersonic weapon that cannot be tracked by anti-missile systems.
But he has a number of other surprises up his sleeve, according to pro-Moscow website Russia Insider.
It claims Russia's military are already equipped with Kh-32 air-to-surface missiles.
The rockets enter the stratosphere after being launched before diving back down to earth with such speed and dexterity they cannot be defended against, it is claimed.
Those missiles, capable of carrying nuclear warheads, could be potentially deadly to any surface target, military chiefs say.
They have a range of around 1,000km and can hit speeds of 5,400km per hour, making them more advanced than anything in the US arsenal.
Alongside the missiles, the Kremlin also claims to have developed combat robots that can mount attacks on land.
The contraptions are said to have been designed to take on armoured enemy weaponry and can operate alongside drones.
A four-legged machine dubbed the Lynx will carry a machine gun and anti-tank guided missiles and is capable of travel across any terrain.
Moscow also has a number of bombs invisible to radar.
The Drels, or gliding bombs, were unveiled in the brutal Syrian conflict and can soar through the skies for 30km.
Mr Putin unveiled a series of new weapons in early March ahead of his election victory.
The despot bragged of underwater drones that can carry nuclear warheads are also being tested by the secretive nation, the President said.
Once operational, they could be used to strike against aircraft and launch attacks on enemy shores.
And the Russian leader said military chiefs had an operational ballistic missile with a limitless range.
He claimed the missile could not be stopped by an US shield, as a video simulation played on a big screen.
Mr Putin said a nuclear attack on any of Moscow’s allies would be regarded as an attack on Russia itself and draw an immediate response.
It was unclear if he had a particular Russian ally, such as Syria, in mind, but his comments looked like a warning to Washington not to use tactical battlefield nuclear weapons.
His remarks were greeted with scepticism in the US, where officials cast doubt on whether Russia has added any new capabilities to its nuclear arsenal beyond those already known to its military and intelligence agencies.
The Pentagon, which recently announced a nuclear policy revamp based partly on the bellicose posture from Moscow, said it was not surprised by Mr Putin’s presentation.
Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said: “We’ve been watching Russia for a long time. We’re not surprised.
“These weapons that are discussed have been in development a very long time.”

[Tintin Storm]

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived on Thursday at the Tsugol Range in Russia's Zabaikalsky Territory to attend the main stage of the Vostok-2018 maneuvers.
Vostok-2018, set to become the largest military exercises held by Russia in over 30 years, are scheduled for September 11-17 at five ranges in the east of Russia, and in the waters of the Sea of Japan, Bering Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk. According to previous estimates, about 300,000 troops were set to participate in the maneuvers. The drills have gained an international status, with troops from China and Mongolia set to take part in one of the stages.
"Russia is a peaceful state, we do not have and cannot have any aggressive plans," Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday at the Tsugol range.
However, the Russian army must be ready to protect national sovereignty and security as well as to support the country's allies, Vladimir Putin stressed.
"Our duty to our country and Motherland is to be ready to protect sovereignty, security and national interests of our country and, if needed, to support allies," Putin said.
In addition, the Vostok-2018 war games demonstrated that the Russian army is capable of countering significant military threats, Putin stressed."You demonstrated the military prowess, showed your capability to successfully counter potential military threats," Putin said addressing to the troops that participated in the drills.
Putin further stressed that he highly assessed the performance of the Russian army and navy in the Vostok-2018 drills.
"Today here, at the Tsugol range in the Zabaikalsky Territory, the most active stage of the [Vostok-2018] drills came to an end. You demonstrated the high-level performance. All units and formations have fulfilled the set tasks," the Russian president added.
The president also stated that the Russian army and navy had never faced such a difficult exam.
"Our army and navy have passed such a difficult and big exam for the first time… All components of the troops' combat readiness, preparedness of the management bodies, units and formations as well as the organization of their cooperation… are subjected to comprehensive checks," Putin explained.
The president went on noting that the Armed Forces will be further boosted, supplied with weapons and equipment of latest generations. Moreover, military cooperation will be further developed.
The large-scaled Vostok-2018 war games involve troops from the Eastern and Central Military Districts, the Northern Fleet and the Airborne Troops, as well as some units from the Russian Aerospace Forces.
Earlier, the Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov saidthat the exercises were preceded by a full cycle of preparatory measures, including sudden checks, as well as command and staff training.
For example, a surprise inspection of the Northern Fleet took place in mid-August, while similar inspections of the Central and Eastern military districts happened later that month.
Russian Deputy Defense Minister Col. Gen. Alexander Fomin stressed last week that the Vostok-2018 war games are not anti-NATO event despite claims made by Western media, and that they are held several thousand kilometers away from Russia's western borders. The official noted that 91 observers from 57 countries, NATO Military Liaison Mission and EU Delegation to Russia attend the large-scaled exercises.
Vostok-2018, involving nearly 300,000 servicemen, 36,000 vehicles and over a thousand aircraft, is Russia's largest military exercise since the Zapad drills in 1981. The exercise involve Russian land, air and naval forces, while Chinese and Mongolian troops will also take part in one of its stages.

[Independent_Srpska]

Good show-off!
Stronger Russia, more peaceful Europe!

[Tintin Storm]

Russian diplomat Andrei Belousov confirmed Friday that Russia is preparing to defend its territory against any aggression, while the unilateral withdrawal from the INF Treaty by the US signals that Washington is preparing for such aggression.
Andrei Belousov, deputy director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Department of Nonproliferation and Arms Control, commented on the US unilateral withdrawal from the INF Treaty by saying that Washington is "preparing a war," and that Russia has to get ready to defend its territory, principles and values.
"Recently at a meeting [of the committee], the US stated that Russia is preparing for war. Yes, Russia is preparing for war, I can confirm it," Belousov said after a failed UN First Committee vote on Russia's resolution in support of the INF.
"We are preparing to defend our homeland, our territorial integrity, our principles, our values, our people — we are preparing for such a war," he added.
However, he underscored it is not Russia that is preparing to start the war. According to the diplomat, there is a big difference between Moscow's preparations and Washington's.
"Linguistically, this difference is in just one word, both in Russian and in English: Russia is preparing for war, and the US is preparing a war," Belousov said. "Otherwise, why would the United States withdraw from the treaty, build up its nuclear potential [and] adopt a new nuclear doctrine?"
Belousov, commenting on the failed UN committee vote on Russia's draft resolution, warned that refusal to introduce the draft could seriously affect world security.
"If the United States comes out of the treaty and starts building up its nuclear potential in an uncontrolled manner, we will face another reality," he said, adding that the procedural issues the UN focused on in recent days will seem insignificant.
The INF Treaty is a Cold War-era pact signed by then-leader of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev and then-US President Ronald Reagan in 1987. The two sides reached a historic agreement to cut their nuclear arsenals and pledged to destroy all cruise or ground-launched ballistic missiles with ranges between 310 and 3,400 miles.
Last Saturday, US President Donald Trump announced his country's intention to withdraw from the INF Treaty over Russia's alleged violations of the accord.
On Friday, Russia introduced a draft resolution to preserve the INF to the UN General Assembly's First Committee, tasked with disarmament and international security. However, the committee voted against reviewing the draft, with 55 countries voting against the draft resolution, 31 nations supporting it, and 54 abstaining from the vote.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Belousov commented that Russia has had questions for the US regarding the implementation of the treaty since well before 2000.

[Tintin Storm]

Russia is ready to call off retaliatory measures imposed in response to Brussels’ sanctions on Moscow, but the European Union should make the first move, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday.
"We have repeatedly expressed our readiness to cancel countermeasures. But the first move in this direction should be made by the European Union, which went on with unwinding the sanctions spiral. We hope that common sense will ultimately prevail. After all, objectively, sanctions are not beneficial to either Russia or the European Union," Lavrov said in an interview with the Spanish El Pais newspaper.
The European Union, according to some estimates, has lost over 100 billion euros (almost $114 billion) from imposing the sanctions on Russia, Sergey Lavrov said on Monday.
"There are various figures on the losses of the EU states from the sanctions. According to some estimates, it is a sum far exceeding 100 billion euros. It is important that this understanding finally comes to the European politicians," Lavrov said.
The business community of the bloc is far closer to an objective assessment of the situation, the foreign minister underlined. "The August report of the German Eastern Business Association is indicative in this regard as it calls for a review of the EU strategy towards our country, for start of the development of full-scale economic cooperation," Lavrov added.
The West’s desire to remain a global leader in international affairs has led to a standoff with Russia, Sergey Lavrov has suggested.
"The main reason is a desire of some Western countries to maintain at all costs their leading positions on the global arena, to continue imposing their will and values and to manipulate the international community to resolve issues in their own narrow interests," he told El Pais, a Spanish newspaper.
Lavrov added that Russia’s independent foreign policy is perceived as a threat to US and, in general, Western world dominance, as evidenced by unilateral economic sanctions, military build-up on Russian borders, unprecedented information campaigns and other attempts to deter Russia.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also said Monday that he hoped domestic rows in US politics would eventually stop blighting Washington's relations with Russia and that the cooperation between the two countries would resume.
"The United States is currently at a very important internal development stage and this impairs normal interaction… I hope that at some point the US political elites will work everything out and that their rows will eventually stop poisoning the Russia-US relations," Lavrov said.
The minister added that Moscow had repeatedly called on Washington to address the existing problems in their bilateral relationship but the United States refused citing the general unfavorable climate. Moreover, the decision by the US Republican government to quit the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) with Russia aimed to strengthen the party’s competitive position ahead for this Tuesday’s voting, Russian Foreign Minister suggested.
"Our joint work is severely hindered by internal political disputes in the US. Unfortunately, even bilateral disarmament pacts needed to maintain global stability are not immune. It is symptomatic that the Republican administration declared its intent to quit the INF ahead of the November 6 Congressional midterms, apparently hoping, among other things, to boost GOP candidates ahead of the vote," he said in an interview with El Pais.

[Tintin Storm]

As the largest economies in the EU increasingly do business with Moscow, a growing number of diplomats in the west now privately admit that sanctions against Russia are a failure.
Introduced against Russia in March 2014, the west's sanctions regime promised to isolate Moscow, cutting off access to key business and financial resources. With the increasing international sales success of the nation's cutting-edge, truck-mounted S-400 missile launchers, however, it appears that the punishment regime is in its death throes.
At the equivalent of $400 million each, Russia's S-400 — the world's most advanced air defense system — is a hot ticket, with sales rocketing upward even as Washington and its allies attempt to punish those nations making the purchases.
India and Turkey both signed agreements to acquire S-400s in 2018, even as China has already received the first shipments. Negotiations have also begun between the Kremlin and Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Qatar to buy the state-of-the-art mobile defense systems.
"There is no question about the isolation of Russia. Nobody is even talking about it," noted the editor-in-chief of Russia's Arms Export journal, Andrei Frolov, cited by Ft.com.
"There are major breakthroughs thanks to China and India […] the message is that Russia is still open for business," Frolov observed.
US measures designed to punish Moscow have, at the very least, fallen short, although many in diplomatic and financial circles consider the sanctions regime to be an outright failure, according to reports.
Deepening ties between Beijing and Moscow have circumvented US efforts to block access to financial and trade resources while concurrently strengthening the Kremlin's hand in global diplomacy, according to Ft.com.
Israel, Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia boast warming relationships with Moscow, allowing expansion and not a little influence in the Middle East, even as Washington has pulled back from its former heavy-handed foreign policy moves in the region.
A rising European demand for Russian oil and gas alongside increasing foreign direct investment from the continent have been accompanied by a consistent run of diplomatic visits from EU leaders, a move that flies in the face of bellicose rhetoric from Brussels ostensibly in support of the Washington-led sanctions.
In considering the likelihood of the west successfully hemming in the Kremlin through a series of financial and political blockades, Russian experts tend to say out loud what Western analysts continue to only whisper.
"Isolation is impossible, that is clear," pointed out Valdai Discussion Club chairman Andrei Bystritsky, cited by Ft.com.
"Now there are so many options," for Moscow on the international stage, the Russian think-tank head added.
"It is pretty clear from where we sit that by trying to isolate Russia, America is doing a good job of isolating itself," noted a Moscow-based Asian diplomat who requested anonymity as he was not authorized to speak publicly to the press, according to the Financial Times.
"Even the Europeans are developing their own independent Russia policy," the unnamed source added.
Whether Democratic gains in Washington following the 2018 midterm elections will result in additional pressure on Moscow is not yet known, but global demand for Russian output continues apace, most recently evidenced in a $5 billion arms deal with India.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his administration's sentiment with regard to Moscow's growing global influence.
"We will continue to closely follow the trends of the global arms market, and to offer our partners new flexible, convenient forms of co-operation," Putin stated at a recent meeting of foreign arms sales officials.
"This is all the more important in the current conditions, when our competitors often resort to unscrupulous methods of struggle: they try to crush and blackmail our customers, including through the use of political sanctions."

[Tintin Storm]

Sukhoi will begin deliveries of its new fifth-generation air superiority fighter jet to the Russian military in 2019, with the aircraft packed with cutting-edge avionics, electronics and weapons systems.
A correspondent from Zvezda, the official TV channel of the Russian defence ministry, has been given an extraordinary opportunity to check out just how the Su-57's components are tested at Russia's largest anechoic chamber to calculate the plane's stealth characteristics.
The video shows the plane's nose section as it is irradiated with electromagnetic waves to determine the plane's expected radar visibility (a.k.a. its effective radar cross section) to enemy radar systems.
All of the Su-57's components, including its wings and engines, have been tested at the anechoic chamber, which involves putting them on a stand in the center of the chamber and rotating it, during which electromagnetic waves are applied.
Speaking to Zvezda, Andrei Lagarkov, veteran Russian physicist and director of the Su-57 program's special characteristics department, explained that the testing allows designers to determine whether the aircraft has enough layers of camouflage to avoid radar detection. If not, the plane is fitted with additional coatings of a special paint.
"You can create an airframe out of the radar-absorbing material. This is also an option. This would be the best option, but raises the question of the aircraft's durability," Dr. Lagarkov explained.
Pointing to the example of the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, Zvezda noted that the tradeoff for impeccable radar visibility characteristics often include reduced speed and maneuverability performance.
The multirole, single-seat, twin-engine Su-57 jet, known as PAK FA and T-50 during development and production stages, is designed for engaging all types of air, ground and surface targets. The jet will be equipped with a broad range of guided and unguided weapons, making it an irreplaceable asset to the Russian military. The stealth jet has already proved its worth during a combat mission in Syria, where Russia last year deployed four planes to test them in real combat scenarios.

[Tintin Storm]

On October 20, 2018, US President Donald Trump announced the US intention to withdraw from the treaty on the elimination of intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles with Russia, and to begin developing new weapons. He called the reason for the alleged violations of the agreement by Moscow, without providing any real evidence of violations by Russia.
Washington has repeatedly accused Russia of violating the INF. Moscow categorically rejected such statements, pointing out that it was the United States that deployed missile defense systems around the world, the launchers of which allow the combat use of Tomahawk medium-range cruise missiles and other strike weapons from the ground, which is a direct and blatant violation of the INF Treaty.
The United States also uses a whole class of weapons that Washington is trying to withdraw from the INF (DMSMD) - these are unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which are similar in their characteristics to medium and short range missiles in the interpretation of the Treaty. In addition, Russia suspects the United States in the development of new technologies of ballistic missiles banned by the Treaty.
It is worth recalling that the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles was signed in December 1987 by the leaders of the USSR and the USA, Mikhail Gorbachev and Donald Reagan. The document prohibits Washington and Moscow to develop and have ballistic and cruise missiles with a range of from 500 to 5,500 km. The treaty has been recognized for many decades as one of the cornerstones of international, regional, global security and stability.
Currently, the head of the White House declares that the United States intends to increase its nuclear potential. Its active supporters of the INF Treaty collapse are corporations of the American military-industrial complex, which will have the greatest benefit from the arms race. In addition to receiving large-scale domestic military orders, they are confident in expanding the international sales market.
European countries fear that Moscow will respond with mirror measures in the case of the delivery of new American missiles to Europe, where they remember the words of Vladimir Putin that countries that agree to host American weapons should understand that they are putting their own territory at risk of a possible retaliatory strike.
In this regard, the world community condemned the decision of President Trump, noting the importance of keeping the Treaty unchanged for world security. According to Western analysts, the withdrawal of the United States from the INF Treaty can be threatened by a “new cold war”. It is especially emphasized that such a policy of the United States can lead to a new multilateral arms race at a high-tech level, and this will happen in Europe.
At present, the world community is hoping for positive results from the talks between the leaders of Russia and the United States on strategic stability and the US intention to leave the INF Treaty that will take place at the G20 summit from November 29 to December 1, 2018 in Argentina. Undoubtedly, the world’s security directly depends on relations between Russia and the United States. Today, US actions are aimed at undermining international security, the arms race and pose a serious threat not only to Russia, but also to all countries of the world.

[SSDR]

Well not only that current Russian military equipment is good, but Russia has a high population. Russia also is the largest country in the world, meaning they have a lot of natural resources, and space... hiding space. Russia can fight a really deadly war, and still keep its non-military population by moving it around the big country. Russia can also build secret military bases in the middle of Siberia, and they would be hard for enemy land forces to get to because of how big the country is.

[Tintin Storm]

Recently, relations between Ankara and Washington have noticeably deteriorated. This deterioration of relations between the two countries is connected, on the one hand, with the support that Americans have for the Kurds, on the other, with the purchase of the C-400 systems from Russia.
Meanwhile, despite a significant deterioration in relations between the United States and Turkey, the States continue to hope that Ankara will not leave NATO. Moreover, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Erdogan should "maintain deeper relations with the United States and with Europe." Deeper relations imply the inclusion of Turkey in the general air defense and missile defense system of NATO. This is evidenced by a report submitted to the US Congress.
According to Washington, Ankara is a "key player" in deterring "barbarian states" and terrorist groups. And, despite the difficult period, the joint activities of Turkey and the United States is successful in some areas. First of all, this is the joint work of the two countries in Syria. In addition, there are two thousand American troops in Turkey, and the Turkish Air Force and radar equipment assist the American forces. Moreover, Turkey plans to fulfill the US requirement to increase defense spending to 2% of GDP by 2024.
At the same time, Ankara plays a special role in ensuring the security of NATO’s southeastern flank. According to military analysts, Turkey is a suitable place for both the deployment of anti-missile radar and interceptor missiles.
Its convenient geographical position contributes to the deployment of systems that can block the rocket-hazardous directions, the trajectories of which come from the Middle and Near East. But, despite the statement of the Erdogan’s representative about the defensive purposes of the Patriot air defense systems, they can be used for other, far from defensive purposes.
Turkish authorities began to consider the option of installing a missile defense system back in 2013. Among the sellers for deliveries were considered China with long-range air defense systems, the United States with the Patriot systems and the SAMP / T air defense system manufactured by the Italian-French concern Eurosam. Negotiations with China ended in November 2015 due to disagreements of the parties on various issues, including technology transfer and co-production. At the same time, the authorities decided to cancel the tender in general.
The tensions between Turkey and the United States most likely will not affect Washington’s far-reaching plans to promote a global missile defense system. Meanwhile, the decision of Ankara remains unknown. Thus, the press secretary of the President of Turkey, Ibrahim Kalyn, said that Ankara could agree to the American proposal, if the contract for the Patriot air defense systems will provide for joint production.

[Tintin Storm]

In December 2018, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported on the modernization of about 600 airborne combat vehicles. It is planned that the modernization of BMD-2 to the level of BMD-2K-AU and BMD-2M will begin in 2021.
BMD-2 - unpretentious in service, highly passable combat vehicle, but given the characteristics of modern weapons, which in recent years has stepped far forward, it became necessary to upgrade these systems. The new BMD will be equipped with an anti-tank missile system, a modern digital reconnaissance, control and communications complex, an integrated automated control system at the tactical level, as well as automatic target tracking for firing various types of weapons during the day and night, on the go and afloat. In addition, the upgraded BMD will remain airborne and will perform tasks as part of the airborne paratroop units.
The new version of the combat vehicle will be equipped with a single Bereg military compartment with standardized weapons of the latest modification of the BMD-4 airborne combat vehicle. Due to this, it will be possible to fire not only on manpower, but also on armored vehicles and air targets.
The Kornet anti-tank complex mounted on the BMD -2M was also upgraded, which made it possible to fire at battle tanks and other armored vehicles 6 km away. In addition, the shooting of the UM "Cornet-EM" is carried out on the principle of "shot-forgotten" in the exceeded mode to reduce the likelihood of detection.
The new version of the machines is also equipped with radio stations R-168-25U-2, weapon stabilizers 2E36-6. Thus, the modernized BMD-2M was able to fire all kinds of weapons from the spot, on the move, afloat, day and night using a target tracking machine.
Innovations will also affect the commanding machines BMD-2K. This project also assumes installation on existing commander automated unified machines of the new equipment. Such a revision affected only the complex of radio-electronic means and is intended to enhance the capabilities of the commanding BMD in the management of the paratrooper battalion.
Thus, a complex of automation equipment and communications of the 3rd type (so-called KSAS-3) will be installed on the base BMD-2K, intended for use by the commander of the parachute battalion. This equipment is part of the automated control system of airborne assault division "Polet-K". The remaining characteristics of the machine, including the power plant and weapons, remain the same.
This approach to modernization will not only greatly facilitate the simultaneous operation of equipment, but also ensure their joint combat work.