In an interview with the military newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda, Aerospace Force commander-in-chief Colonel General Sergei Surovikin said that the A-135 surface-to-air missile system, which protects Moscow, "will soon get an upgraded multi-purpose radar station and modernized missile interceptors." Test launches of the upgraded missile have been conducted.

Surovikin commented on the importance of the upgrade, noting, "No doubt, the upgrade of the existing A-135 ABM system that is on combat duty in the city of Moscow is a major task for defense enterprises."

Moreover, Russia is overhauling the early warning system in Sevastopol, located on the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Surovikin noted that the military "made a decision to deploy a pre-fabricated meter-band radar in Sevastopol, which will be ready in 2024." He added that construction of two-band radar complexes is underway in Murmansk and near Vorkuta. These facilities should be completed in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

In December 2019, Russia put into service a Container-3M missile warning system in Mordovia which "conducts reconnaissance of airspace over Europe and the Middle East," Surovikin said. He noted, alongside this site, Russia will put into service another three Container-3M systems. These are to be built in Kaliningrad, Siberia, and Russia's far east.

Surovikin said that these will enable the military "to monitor airspace from all strategic aerospace directions."

Furthermore, the Aerospace Force is looking to put new hardware into service that can help guard the country's airspace against hypersonic threats. Russia's military has put a hypersonic glide vehicle into service, and other major powers are currently developing various weapon systems that utilize hypersonic technology.

As a result, Russia is working on a radar station named Nioby, to detect incoming hypersonic threats, Surovikin said.

Source:  TASS Russian News Agency
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Speaking to Krasnaya Zvezda, the military's newspaper, Navy commander-in-chief Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov said, "The small missile ship Odintsovo is the first corvette armed with the Pantsir system. On June 30, its state trials began at the Baltic Fleet’s naval ranges." Odintsovo, of Project 22800, should be commissioned later this year into the Baltic Fleet.

Odintsovo is the first corvette to utilize the Pantsir-M, a naval version of the mobile ground-based air-defense system. The Baltic Fleet will receive another three missile boats from the class armed with the Pantsir-M, in addition to Sovetsk and Mytishchi, which have already been commissioned into service but do not have the air-defense system.

Project 22800 corvettes also feature the Kalibr-NK cruise missile and AK-176MA 76.2mm artillery weapons.

Separately, Admiral Yevmenov noted that the next frigate in Project 22350, named Admiral Kasatonov, should be commissioned into service later this month. He stated that the class would service as the basis for the Navy's ocean-going vessels in years to come, and confirmed that the warship design "will be further developed relative to some shipborne systems and armament."

Admiral Kasatonov is the second frigate of the class, behind Admiral Gorshkov. Several more are under construction.

The Pacific Fleet should soon receive its first Project 636.3 submarine, Admiral Yevmenov told Krasnaya Zvezda. The Pacific Fleet has six on order and the first, Volkhov, is nearly finished with testing. Its trials should conclude later this month.

Source:  TASS Russian News Agency
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In addition, the British Army's strength could fall to 55,000 and the the Royal Marine Brigade could lose its artillery, engineers and landing craft. The Royal Air Force could close several airbases, as well as retire Hercules transport aircraft and Puma helicopters.

Source:  Sunday Times
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