How Russia’s Military Plans to Counter the Pentagon’s Drone Swarms

Over the past decade, Russian armed forces and Russian defense industry have made strides in developing, testing and fielding domestically produced unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs). While lagging behind their Western and East Asian counterparts in reach, distance and strike capability, Russia nonetheless was successful in using smaller and lighter UAV concepts for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance … Read more

What Everyone Wants to Know About Russia’s New MiG-35 Fighter

A decade after the MiG-35’s first flight, the Kremlin’s new warplane will finally begin testing with the Russian air force in January 2017, according to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin. The fighter should be fully operational in 2020. It’s not every day the Russian air force starts flying a new-ish plane. New-ish because despite … Read more

Russian armed forces 14% stronger in 2016 – Defense Minister Shoigu

The combat potential of the Russian armed forces increased by 14 percent in 2016, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to President Vladimir Putin during the end-of-the year defense meeting on Dec. 22, explaining that this improved performance had helped maintain the country’s defense capabilities at an appropriate level. In turn, Putin noted that “still … Read more

Why America (and the World) Fears the Su-27 Flanker

To the West, most of the legendary Soviet aircraft of the Cold War came from the design bureau Mikoyan Gurevitch, which spawned such aircraft as the MiG-15 “Fagot,” MiG-21 “Fishbed,” MiG-25 “Foxbat” and MiG-29 “Fulcrum.” The single best Soviet fighter of the Cold War, however, was Sukhoi’s Su-27 “Flanker.” Intended both to defeat U.S. fighters … Read more

Russian Air Force disrupts secret rebel commander meeting in East Ghouta

The Russian Air Force continued their pinpoint airstrikes over the East Ghouta region of rural Damascus, targeting a secret meeting bettween Jaysh Al-Islam and Faylaq Al-Rahman commanders in Al-Shifouniyah at 2 A.M. (Damascus Time) on Wednesday. According to an Al-Masdar field correspondent in Damascus, the Russian Air Force carried out a powerful airstrike just south … Read more

Russia tested over 160 new weapons in Syrian operation – defense minister

While the primary goal of Russia’s military operation in Syria is to prevent the disintegration of the country, it has also provided a chance to field-test 162 advanced Russian weapons, Russia’s defense minister reported. “During the operation in Syria, 162 advanced and upgraded weapons have been tested in combat. They have proven to be highly … Read more

Russia forces believed to use thermite to bomb residential areas of Aleppo

Russia is breaching international conventions by dropping incendiaries similar to white phosphorus on to residential neighborhoods in the Syrian city of Aleppo in what is thought to be the prelude to a ground assault to retake the city from rebel forces, British national newspaper The Times reported. Video footage has emerged showing the glowing showers … Read more

Russia, Syria Halt Airstrikes on Aleppo for 8 Hours

Russian and Syrian warplanes on Tuesday halted their airstrikes on Syria’s besieged city of Aleppo in preparation for a temporary pause in the military push that Moscow has announced for later in the week, the Russian defense minister said. According to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, the halt in the strikes should help pave way for … Read more