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Russia says U.S.-Georgia military exercises threaten peace


By Thomas Grove
MOSCOW | Fri Mar 22, 2013 10:48am EDT
(Reuters) - Russia criticized the United States and Georgia on Friday over their joint military exercises in the former Soviet republic, accusing Washington of putting peace at risk five years after a war between Moscow and Tbilisi.

The United States started annual training exercises in Georgia in 2010, two years after Tbilisi fought a five-day war with its former Soviet master over two breakaway Georgian regions.

The Russian Foreign Ministry voiced "concern" about the exercises at Vaziani military training ground, in which 400 U.S. marines are participating. They started on March 11 and continue until April 5.

"We believe that any foreign military assistance to Georgia, whatever the motivation, complicates the prospects for strengthening peace and stability in the region," the ministry said in a statement.




Russia and Georgia accuse each other of starting the 2008 war, in which Russian forces repelled a Georgian offensive in breakaway South Ossetia and drove deep into the small ex-Soviet republic before a ceasefire brokered by the European Union.

Moscow has repeatedly warned that U.S. military aid or cooperation could encourage pro-Western Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, portrayed by the Kremlin as bellicose and unbalanced, to unleash a new conflict.

The United States and Georgia say the exercises are aimed at training for combat in Afghanistan, where Georgian soldiers have served since 2004, underscoring the nation's desire for closer cooperation with NATO.

Ties between Russia and Georgia have improved since Saakashvili's party lost its dominance in parliament in elections last October and billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, who made his fortune in Russia, became prime minister.

Saakashvili's efforts to bring Georgia into NATO angered the Kremlin and added to tension that led to the war in the South Caucasus nation, which has pipelines carrying Caspian oil and gas westward toward Europe, bypassing northern neighbor Russia.

(Additional reporting by Margarita Antidze in Tbilisi; Editing by Steve Gutterman)

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In Moscow, new Chinese leader Xi warns against meddling


By Vladimir Soldatkin
MOSCOW | Sat Mar 23, 2013 8:48am EDT
(Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping warned against foreign interference in the affairs of other nations during a speech in Moscow on Saturday, sending a signal to the West and echoing a message often repeated by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Permanent U.N. Security Council members with veto power, Russia and China have frequently teamed up diplomatically to blunt the influence of the United States and its NATO allies and have blocked three draft resolutions on Syria.

"We must respect the right of each country in the world to independently choose its path of development and oppose interference in the internal affairs of other countries," Xi told students at an international relations school.

He spoke a day after meeting Putin on his first foreign trip since becoming president, a choice both said underscored a "strategic partnership" between Russia and China. In the Kremlin, he told Putin: "you and I are good friends."

Xi told Russian students on Saturday: "Strong Chinese-Russian relations ... not only answer to our interests but also serve as an important, reliable guarantee of an international strategic balance and peace."


Putin, who began a six-year term last May, has often criticized foreign interference in sovereign states.

Russia and China have resisted Western calls to pressure Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over the two-year-old civil conflict that has killed more than 70,000 people.

They both criticized the NATO bombing that helped rebels overthrow Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 and stood together in the Security Council in votes on the Iranian and North Korean nuclear programs.

Both China and Russia have bristled at U.S. and European criticism of their human rights records.

Putin said in a foreign policy decree issued at the start of his new term that Russia would counter attempts to use human rights as a pretext for interference, and his government has cracked down on foreign-funded non-governmental organizations.

FRIENDSHIP AND FEAR

Xi told Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev his visit had "surpassed my expectations" and said he had chosen Russia as his first foreign destination as president to "show the special importance of our relations."

Despite the warm words, Moscow is concerned that its far more populous, faster-growing neighbor could pose a threat, something that has not made for easy deals between the world's biggest energy producer, Russia, and its biggest consumer, China.

Xi's visit produced an agreement for Russian state giant Rosneft to gradually treble oil supplies to China, but the sides are still short of a deal on the supply of pipeline gas to China, thwarted for years over prices.

Viktor Yaskov, a student who attended Xi's address, said the Chinese leader made "a good impression", but expressed fears about the neighbor. "We're worried about Chinese economic expansion," he said.

Xi arrived in Moscow with glamorous first lady Peng Liyuan, prompting speculation about whether Putin's wife Lyudmila - last seen at a state event last May - would make an appearance.

That did not happen, and Peng kept a low profile after her first steps off the airplane caused an Internet sensation in China.

After Russia, Xi will visit Tanzania, the Republic of Congo and South Africa, where he and Putin are expected to meet again at a summit of the BRICS group of emerging economies next week.

(Additional reporting by Megan Davies; Writing by Steve Gutterman; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

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Second Borey-Class Sub to Join Russian Navy by Yearend

© RIA Novosti. Sergei Mamontov
20:00 22/03/2013

MOSCOW, March 22 (RIA Novosti) – A second Project 955 Borey-class nuclear-powered strategic submarine will be handed over to the Russian Navy by the end of the year, a Navy official told RIA Novosti on Friday.
“The Navy is planning to adopt the Alexander Nevsky submarine before the end of this year. Everything is going according to plan,” the official said commenting on reports the submarine would only be commissioned in 2014.
The Alexander Nevsky has been undergoing trials at the Sevmash shipyard since 2012.
There will be three sea trials this year and a Bulava ballistic missile will be test-launched from the submarine in the summer, the official said.
A Sevmash official representative also confirmed to RIA Novosti that the submarine will be handed over to the Navy this year.
The Alexander Nevsky is the second Borey class submarine. The first, the Yury Dolgoruky, entered service with the Northern Fleet in January, and the third, the Vladimir Monomakh, was floated out last December and is due to enter into service in 2014.
The first three vessels in the Borey series are capable of carrying 16 Bulava submarine-launched ballistic missiles.

© RIA Novosti.
Timeline of Bulava missile launches
A total of eight Borey-class submarines are to be built for the Russian Navy by 2020.
Sevmash will start construction this year of two upgraded Borey class Project 955A submarines - the Alexander Suvorov and the Mikhail Kutuzov - capable of carrying 20 ballistic missiles each.
Borey class submarines are to become the mainstay of the Navy's strategic nuclear deterrent, replacing the ageing Project 941 (NATO Typhoon class) and Project 667 class (Delta-3 and Delta-4) boats

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Russia’s 5G Submarine to Feature New Stealth Technology
MOSCOW, March 19 (RIA Novosti) - The distinguishing feature of Russia’s newest, fifth-generation submarines will be stealth rather than higher speed or greater depth capabilities, Vladimir Dorofeyev, head of the Malakhit Design Bureau, said on Tuesday.
“It is quite possible that new technological solutions will appear to protect submarines from detection,” he said in an interview with RIA Novosti.
The fifth-generation submarine will acquire new capabilities through close interaction with other components of the Armed Forces, including surface warships, warplanes, spacecraft, satellites, as well as other submarines, based on an integrated information space, he said.
He added, however, that the incorporation of submarines, alongside surface warships and warplanes, into a single communications system is at odds with the idea of a “stealth vessel,” insofar as the sheer exchange of information is a “telltale sign.”
“But that is a field that requires serious scientific-technical research,” Dorofeyev said
Rubin Central Design Bureau head Igor Vilnit said on Monday work is in progress on fifth-generation nuclear-powered and diesel submarines.
The new submarine will have a service life of about 50 years, he said.
The fifth generation will be distinguished by its lowered noise, automated control systems, reactor safety, and long-range weapons.
The Russian Navy currently relies on third-generation submarines with fourth-generation subs of the Yury Dolgoruky (Project 955 Borey) and St. Petersburg (Project 677 Lada) class just beginning to be adopted for service. In addition to Rubin, Defense Ministry research centers and the Navy Institute, as well as Rubin’s partners and contractors, are currently working to develop a basic design of the fifth-generation submarine.
The Defense Ministry previously said Russia is planning to develop its fifth-generation submarine by 2020 under a 2011-2020 arms procurement program, to be armed with both ballistic and cruise missiles.
Russia also plans to build eight fourth-generation strategic nuclear subs by 2020 and arm them with Bulava submarine-launched ballistic missiles.

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Russia to Resurrect Titanium Submarines
MOSCOW, March 5 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Navy will refit, modernize and recommission two Sierra class (Project 945) titanium-hull nuclear-powered attack submarines by 2017, the Zvezdochka shipyard said on Tuesday.
The Sierra class has a light and strong titanium pressure hull, enabling these boats to dive to depths of up to 550 meters (1800 feet) and enhancing their survivability, as well as having a low magnetic signature.
A total of four Project 945 and 945A submarines were built in Russia. In addition to the Karp and the Kostroma, the Pskov and the Nizhny Novgorod were built in the early 1990's and are currently in service with the Northern Fleet.
The K-239 Karp (Carp) was the first Project 945 (Barrakuda) submarine, which entered service with the Soviet Navy in 1984.
The K-276 Kostroma was commissioned in 1986 and had to be repaired after a February 11, 1992 collision with the American submarine USS Baton Rouge (SSN-689) while on patrol off Kildin Island near Severomorsk. The US Navy said the collision occurred more than 12 miles (22 km) from shore, in international waters.
The shipyard signed a modernization contract for the Karp and the Kostroma with the Defense Ministry in December 2012 , a Zvezdochka representative told RIA Novosti.
Karp has been sitting at the shipyard since 1994, he said, adding the submarine’s titanium hull “is in a very good condition” but a significant part of its equipment is missing.
The submarines’ sonar and navigation systems will be replaced and their reactors refuelled, he said.

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Russian Air Force readies for massive drills
20/03/2013 RIA Novosti
More than 70 aircraft and some 1,000 troops will be deployed in a series of tactical drills in preparation for a large-scale exercise next week in northwest Russia, military officials said on Tuesday.
Preparations for the exercise, codenamed Ladoga-2013, have begun in the Republic of Karelia, and the Leningrad, Smolensk and Tver regions with tactical drills by fighters, bombers and army aviation.
Aviation to be used includes MiG-31 Foxhound and Su-27 Flanker fighters, MiG-25RB Foxbat interceptors, Su-24M Fencer attack aircraft, Su24MR reconnaissance aircraft and Mi-8 Hip multirole helicopters and Mi-24 Hind attack helicopters.
Ladoga-2013 will start next week over Lake Ladoga in Karelia, which borders Finland, the Western Military District operation command said.

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Mi-24, Legendary Russian Attack Helicopter, Turns 40 This Year


(Source: Russian Helicopters JSC; issued March 20, 2013)

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MOSCOW --- This year marks the 40th anniversary of production of the Mi-24, the first purpose-built Russian combat helicopter, at Rostov Helicopter Plant, today called Rosvertol, a Russian Helicopters company. The design of the Mi-24, a strike and transport helicopter was, was so successful that versions are still in use today: some 1,500 Mi-24s serve with the armed forces of 60 countries worldwide.

In 1978, helicopter test pilot and Hero of the Soviet Union Gurgen Karapetyan set a world helicopter flight speed record of 368.4kmh in an Mi-24. For Russian-made helicopters this record stands to this day.

The Mi-24 was used as the model for development of the Mi-35M, which entered production at Rosvertol in 2005. As well as having substantially superior flight capabilities and manoeuvrability to its predecessor, the Mi-35M can fly combat missions round the clock and in a range of geographies and climates such as high-temperature and high-altitude environments. The Mi-35M is in demand around the world, particularly in Russia and other CIS countries. A new market is South America, where countries have also begun incorporating this unique military machine into their fleets.

The Mi-35M is equipped with advanced high-precision weapons, and it can be used day and night to destroy armoured targets or to provide air support for ground operations. It can be configured as a strike, ground assault, medevac or transport helicopter, making it not only effective but also highly valuable, as it can replace a number of different rotorcraft.

A key advantage of the Mi-35M is its round-the-clock combat capability. It comes with advanced navigation equipment and multifunctional colour displays, surveillance and targeting systems that include thermal imaging and television channel, a laser range finder and a location finder. This not only reduces demands facing the crew, but also allows the helicopter's guided and unguided weapons to be used at any time. The helicopter is also able to take off and land in unprepared and poorly-equipped areas.
The multi-role Mi-35M, developed based on the illustrious Mi-24, is unique in its class. Russian Helicopters is rightfully proud of its accomplishment in developing this aircraft, which has become a touchstone for helicopter manufacturing worldwide.


Rosvertol, OJSC is a subsidiary of Russian Helicopters that produces widely used Mil-brand helicopters and also carries out repair and upgrade work and supplies technical equipment and services. Rosvertol currently mass-produces the Mi-28 Night Hunter (Mi-28NE in its export version); the new Mi-35M combat support helicopter; and the multi-role transport Mi-26T, the world's heaviest-lift helicopter.

Russian Helicopters, JSC is a subsidiary of UIC Oboronprom, which in turn is a part of the Rostec State Corporation. It is one of the global leaders in helicopter production and the only helicopter design and production powerhouse in Russia. Russian Helicopters is headquartered in Moscow. Russian Helicopters was established in 2007. In 2011 its IFRS revenues increased 27.8% to RUB 103.9 billion. Deliveries reached 262 helicopters.

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Russian Air Force Approves New Bomber Design – Commander

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18:17 11/04/2013
The Russian Air Force has approved the conceptual design and specification of its future PAK-DA strategic bomber, paving the way for development of components for the aircraft, Air Force Commander Lt. Gen. Viktor Bondarev said Thursday.

MOSCOW, April 11 (RIA Novosti) – The Russian Air Force has approved the conceptual design and specification of its future PAK-DA strategic bomber, paving the way for development of components for the aircraft, Air Force Commander Lt. Gen. Viktor Bondarev said Thursday.

“The development of the aircraft is going as planned. The outline of its design and characteristics has been approved and all relevant documents have been signed allowing the industry to start the development of systems for this plane,” Bondarev said at a meeting with Russian lawmakers.

The PAK-DA (meaning future long-range aircraft) project has been in the works for several years but was given the formal go-ahead by the Russian leadership last year. It is due to replace Russia’s aging fleet of 63 Tupolev Tu-95MS Bear and 13 Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers in the next decade.

According to recent reports in the Russian media, citing defense ministry sources, the Tupolev design bureau has won the PAK-DA development tender with its concept for a subsonic aircraft with a “flying wing” shape which provides superior “stealth capabilities.”

The Defense Ministry insisted that the PAK-DA should be equipped with advanced electronic warfare systems and armed with new nuclear-capable long-range cruise missiles in addition to a veriety of high-precision conventional weapons.

The new bomber is expected to go in production by 2020 and will be built at a new aircraft assembly line at Russia's Kazan plant (KAPO), according to defense ministry officials. The same plant previously built the Tu-95MS and Tu-160.

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MiG-29 said:

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MOSCOW, April 11 (RIA Novosti) – The Russian Air Force is hoping to receive a new long-range fighter-interceptor by 2020 and retire its existing fleet of MiG-31 interceptors by 2028, Air Force Commander Lt. Gen. Viktor Bondarev said on Thursday.

“We have started development of a new aircraft of this type and I think we can develop this plane before the state armament program ends in 2020,” Bondarev said at a meeting with Russian lawmakers.

“The new plane should replace the existing fleet by 2028,” he said.

Bondarev spoke out against restarting production of the MiG-31, which was stopped 20 years ago, saying the country needs a totally new interceptor to meet modern requirements.

The Russian Air Force has 122 MiG-31 interceptors in service and more aircraft in reserve, he said.

The MiG-31, the fastest fighter-interceptor in service anywhere in the world, has recently been the subject of a comprehensive upgrade to MiG-31BM standard.

The MiG-31BM has a range of 900 miles (1,450 km) on internal fuel, which can be extended to 3,355 miles (5,400 km) with air-to-air refueling.



© RIA Novosti.
Russian MiG-31 Fighter Jet

The modernized version boasts upgraded avionics and digital data-links, a new multimode radar, color multifunction cockpit displays, and a more powerful fire-control system. It can simultaneously track up to 10 targets.

The two-seat MiG-31 can intercept targets up to 124 miles (200 km) away thanks to its advanced radar and long-range missiles. The Air Force said in 2012 it was testing a new long-range missile for the MiG-31, which analysts who spoke to RIA Novosti said was likely to be the K-37M, also known as RVV-BD (NATO AA-X-13 Arrow).

The Russian Air Force has previously said it intends to take delivery of up to 60 MiG-31BMs by 2020, under a contract signed with United Aircraft Corporation in 2011.

MiG-31 interceptors are an integral part of a comprehensive aerospace defense network being created in Russia to thwart any potential airborne threats, including ballistic and cruise missiles.

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Skywatcher said:

2020 is an absurdly optimistic time frame, unless they intend on doing a "design" so the leap would be similar to that between the MiG-25 and MiG-31, and even so, that is also highly optimistic as well.

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Skywatcher said:

2020 is an absurdly optimistic time frame, unless they intend on doing a "design" so the leap would be similar to that between the MiG-25 and MiG-31, and even so, that is also highly optimistic as well.

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