On April 15, Russia test fired a ground-based, direct-ascent anti-satellite missile. U.S. officials did not say where the weapon was aimed but it does not appear that the test missile struck a satellite. The weapon employed was likely the PL-19 “Nudol,” which Russia has tested since 2014 and last flew in November 2019. The Nudol...
On April 2, Ukraine’s Luch Design Bureau successfully test fired its Neptune antiship missile at Alibey Training Ground in the country’s Odessa region. In a statement, Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council said the test verified “the tactical and technical characteristics” of the weapon, which entered Ukrainian service in early 2019. The Neptune cruise missile...
Russia test fired its Tsirkon hypersonic missile from a ship for the first time, Russia’s TASS news agency has reported. According to defense industry sources, Russia launched the missile from the frigate Admiral Gorshkov in early January, striking a ground target over 500 km away. The Tsirkon missile has a claimed range over 1,000 km and...
On February 22, Serbia’s Defense Ministry confirmed it had received delivery of two Pantsir-S1 short-range air defense systems from Russia. In a statement, Serbia’s Defense Ministry announced the successful outcome of the sale, which will include six Pantsir-S1 units in total. Russia and Serbia first publicly announced the Pantsir-S1 deal in late 2019. Related Links:...
On February 4, Russia’s Central Military District reported the successful conclusion of air defense exercises in the Urals, Siberia, and Volga region. In the drills, S-300 and S-400 systems repelled notional aerial targets represented by MiG-31 fighters and Army Mi-8 helicopters. The S-300 and S-400 are a family of Russian air defense systems which entered...
Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexei Krivoruchko has said Moscow will deploy its first serially-produced RS-28 Sarmat ICBMs in 2021. After conducting silo ejection tests in 2017 and 2018, Russia plans to flight test the Sarmat at least five times through 2020. Designed to replace the aging SS-18 “Satan,” the Sarmat missile possesses a range of...
On January 14, Russia announced it had flight tested its S-350 short-medium-range air defense system, the first of its kind for the Russian Aerospace Force. Russia is set to deploy its first S-350 units in January 2020; the first units were delivered to forces in the Leningrad Region in December 2019. Revealed in 2013, the...
Baghdad has resumed talks with Russia on acquiring S-300 or S-400 air defense systems, Iraqi officials have confirmed. According to Karim Elaiwi, an Iraqi lawmaker and defense committee member, Iraq’s security and defense committee reinitiated discussions started in May over an S-400 purchase. Iraq’s Ambassador to Iran, Saad Jawad Qandil, separately confirmed that the country...
On December 18, Russian General Staff Chief Valery Gerasimov confirmed that Russia is modernizing its orbital missile early warning system. The new satellites, designated Kupol, began replacing Russia’s Oko-1 satellites in 2015. As of 2019, the Kremlin has launched three Kupol satellites into orbit. The Oko-1 constellation comprised eight satellites; Russia plans to launch nine...
On December 16, a Russian media report said that the Russian military would enlarge its Iskander brigades from 12 to 16 launchers each. According to Kremlin officials, several brigades were reorganized to include new units, with all brigades scheduled to expand by 2021. However, the report gives no timeline on when Russia would equip those...
