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...
In a December 9 statement, Russia’s Northern Fleet reported the completion of missile launch trials for the Project 20385 Gremyashchiy, a corvette first laid down in February 2012. During the test, the warship fired SS-N-27 Sizzler and P-800 Oniks antiship missiles against simulated enemy ships. The SS-N-27 is a subsonic missile with a range of...
On November 30, Russian state media reported the country’s military test fired a Kh-47M2 Kinzhal missile from a MiG-31K earlier this month. The fighter aircraft took off from Olenegorsk air base and fired the Kinzhal against a ground target at the Pemboi training ground in Russia’s Komi Republic. The launch reportedly took place in mid-November....
From November 24-26, Russia’s Ministry of Defense displayed the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) to U.S. officials. According to a Russian Ministry of Defense statement, the visit was arranged “for the purpose of keeping the New START Treaty viable and effective;” the system is expected to go on combat alert in December 2019. The Avangard...
On November 17, the head of Russian defense firm Rostec confirmed that India had completed an $800 million advance payment for the S-400 air and missile defense system, with deliveries expected for completion in 2025. India and Russia had signed a $5.5 billion deal for five S-400 batteries in October 2018. In total, the deal...
