Russian Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

The Russian Army has started to receive the new MPO-A "Borodach" hand-held flamethrower.
Designed for urban combat, it is essentially a single-use rocket launcher with thermobaric ammunition.



Also, some nice images of the Russian aircraft factory in Komsomolsk-on-Amur. Two assembly lines are operating simultaneously: one for the Su-35S and the other for the Su-57. Both in the same workshop.
In the TV report, the Superjet-NEW passenger aircraft factory was also shown as well as the Amur shipyards.

The Su-57 should deserve its own assembly line. I wonder how far the expansion of KNAAPO plant going.

There are not enough orders to justify that. They will just convert Su-35 production lines to Su-57 as those contracts are delivered.

What I find baffling is how they want to produce the Su-75 in the same factory. I think they are excessively concentrating aircraft production in that city.

gelgoog said:

There are not enough orders to justify that. They will just convert Su-35 production lines to Su-57 as those contracts are delivered.

What I find baffling is how they want to produce the Su-75 in the same factory. I think they are excessively concentrating aircraft production in that city.

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What's more, this city has 300k inhabitants and apart from the Su-35/57 it also has one of the best shipyards in Russia, the Amur, and produces civilian aircraft ...

New artillery system... 2S43 Malva

Right_People said:

one of the best shipyards in Russia, the Amur

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I wouldn't call the Amur Shipbuilding Plant one of the best considering their track record with the Akula class delays and accidents.

Repost from the Breaking News Thread:

Russia’s first-ever wheeled self-propelled howitzer, the 2S43 Malva, has successfully completed trials and will enter service, Director of Uralvagonzavod Aleksandr Potapov said on Wednesday.

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Not exactly breaking news. Its been coming already for awhile. Russia is officially adopting the wheeled SPH, Following the likes of the French CAESAR and the Chinese PCL-181.

Yes, the Malva should soon join [the troops]. Everything is fine with it,” Potapov told TASS news agency on the sidelines of the MILEX-2023 arms expo in Minsk, Belarus.

Equipped with a 152-mm gun, the Malva (Mallow) is designed to fire at a wide range of targets, including enemy artillery batteries and armored convoys. It is more mobile and less expensive to produce than tracked systems.

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This shows that the European and Chinese mass-adoption of the wheeled SPH is well justified. For Russia to accelerate the adoption of the Malva, even with the Koalitsiya-SV already in production during the Ukraine War. Its a strong sign of approval for the wheeled SPH on the modern battlefield. Wheeled SPHs are much cheaper to produce and maintain than tracked systems. They are also an upgrade over towed artillery pieces. Hence, a very practical system for the modern battlefield.

Its supposed to be a no-brainer. But a number of major militaries have not adopted them yet. The US military being the most obvious one. Even the Russians preferred their traditional tracked systems up until recently.

Fan created video for the Malva. Gives a summary overview of it.

Tam said:

Fan created video for the Malva. Gives a summary overview of it.

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The system have clearly a bigger footprint than tracked one tho. Will it fit on the same Railroad car used for tracked vehicules ?

Atomicfrog said:

The system have clearly a bigger footprint than tracked one tho. Will it fit on the same Railroad car used for tracked vehicules ?

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It does not necessarily appear wider than other trucks in service.
The base vehicle is the BAZ-6909 which is already used by many other platforms, so I don't think there are any logistical complications.
In reality, this vehicle is nothing revolutionary, they took a reliable truck they already had and put a reliable cannon they already had (it's the Msta's cannon), add modern communications and firing control equipment and you have a platform ready.
The Malva was announced to the public in 2019 and is already in production, it's not something complex ...