Russia has decided to build a dedicated ship for helicopter training. This seems like a good choice. Helicopter practice is a huge time drain on operational ships, and Russia’s demand for maritime pilots is growing. It will also come in handy when the Helix helicopter is up for replacement in a few years.
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Estonia improves air defense with Mistral missiles
Estonia has signed a new contract for Mistral missiles with French manufacturer MBDA. This gives Estonia a more robust air defense. There are still many shortcomings in the Baltic air defense, but the new short-range missiles are an important step to building a more credible deterrent.
Sergey Shoigu nuances public image with art exhibition
Russia’s defense minister shows new sides of himself as an artist. While Putin has created an image of himself as the embodiment of masculinity, Shoigu appeals to a more reflective segment with his art exhibition.
Article recommendation: The Status Quo Killed 17 US Sailors. The Navy Must Change.
Jon Paris makes a compelling case that the U.S. Navy needs to change its education system and introduce specialized career paths for engineering and operations. This step is well overdue. The idea that one can have the responsibility of either engineering or navigation of a large warship with a one-size-fits-all educational background is just mind boggling.
Landing ship Ivan Gren ready for delivery after 14 years in production
Russia’s new landing ship Ivan Gren is finally ready for delivery. It has been an unending saga of delays, but now the government has approved the results of the sea trials.
Russia’s military budget has nothing to do with the GDP of Spain
An often used reference to the GDP of Spain says nothing about Russia’s military potential. Instead, Russia’s defense budget gives them the same purchasing power as Germany, France, and the United Kingdom combined.
Russia builds six more Borei-A submarines and cancels Borei-B project
Russia has decided to build six more Borei-A submarines. This will give Russia a total of 14 modern strategic nuclear submarines. The development of the Borei-B class has been canceled.
How could Israel destroy a cutting edge Russian air defense system?
Israel destroyed a Syrian Pantsir-S1 air defense system last week. Did this modern piece of Russian weapon technology fail, or is there another explanation? Poor tactics and neglect on the part of the Syrian soldiers have probably played an important role.
Forbidding soldiers to talk on the phone doesn’t improve security
Russia introduces rules to limit phone use in the military. The purpose is to save money on phone bills and to improve information security. The consequence may well be the opposite – worse security and wasted money on bureaucratic control.
Germany buys six C-130 transport and tanker planes for French-German squadron
The U.S. State Department has approved Germany’s purchase of three C-130J transport aircraft and three KC-130J tanker aircraft. Germany will use them in a combined French-German squadron where France also contributes with four C-130Js.
Ukraine adopts warship pennant number system from NATO
Ukraine has adopted the pennant number system from NATO. This means that Ukrainian warships will get a letter that matches their type according to NATO’s system. Incidentally there now is a Ukrainian training vessel with the same pennant number as the Danish royal yacht.
