Russia vows to strengthen navy to ward off NATO

Russia announced plans Tuesday to bolster its navy with more advanced weapons in response to NATO's vow to halt the Kremlin's push into Ukraine and feared expansion into eastern Europe.

 

Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told a general security meeting that he expected to hear a detailed report from Russia's navy commander about how this could be achieved efficiently over the coming six years.

 

"These proposals must ensure that our forces are reequipped with modern weapons and military equipment," Russian news agencies quoted Shoigu as saying.

 

The new strategy "must also improve the operational readiness of Russian naval forces in locations posing the greatest strategic threat," said Shoigu.

 

"I will not hide that this in large part is linked to events of recent months," he said in reference to the pro-Russian insurgency convulsing eastern Ukraine.

 

NATO and the United States have both stepped up air defences of former Soviet satellites that are growing increasingly wary of Russia's military ambitions and see President Vladimir Putin as a fast-emerging threat.

 

US President Barack Obama unveiled a $1 billion security plan for eastern Europe during a June visit to Poland that is aimed at helping countries on Russia's western periphery build more modern armies.

And outgoing NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen expressed concern last week that Putin's ambitions went "beyond Ukraine" and now covered a Russian-speaking region of ex-Soviet Moldova and two separatist parts of the small Caucasus nation of Georgia -- both now closely allied with the European Union.

 

Russian news reports did not immediately outline what proposal Shoigu and the navy command had in mind.

 

The Defence Academy of the United Kingdom -- the official post-graduate school for the British military's higher command -- said Russia's current plan through 2020 that Shoigu wants to update is focused on the development of nuclear-powered submarines and aircraft carriers.

 

France has irritated the United States by pushing through plans to deliver two Mistral-class helicopter carriers that Russia wants to station in Ukraine's seized Crimea peninsula and near a string of disputed islands claimed by Japan.

 

- 'Major problems with readiness'-

 

Russia has only one functioning aircraft carrier that was first commissioned in the Soviet era and has been lacking the money and know-how to develop a more modern class.

 

The 10 active carriers available to the United States have posed one of the biggest obstacles to Putin's hopes of countering Washington's global domination with a new alliance between the Kremlin and nations such as China.

 

Putin promised ahead of his 2012 third-term election to nearly double Russia's military spending over the coming decade to 23 trillion rubles ($635 billion, 475 billion euros).

 

But Russia's current economic downturn has seriously threatened those plans.

 

The defence ministry's attempts in the past two years to procure new weapons from its huge network of defence production facilities were hampered by the discovery that plants simply lacked the technology to churn out modern weapons in any significant quantity.

 

The Defence Academy of the United Kingdom notes that Russia's "industrial base... remains a significant area of concern".

 

"The Russian navy continues to have major problems with readiness and the quality of both personnel and equipment."

 

Shoigu said that Russia's recent attempts to improve procurement by awarding contracts to outside companies had also failed to live up to expectations.

 

"Outsourcing did not become the universal method of ensuring the Russian army's needs," Shoigu told the security meeting.

 

"We therefore must reform the existing system of providing for the armed forces."

Russian Defense Ministry Discloses Rearmament Plans

Russia’s Defense Ministry has disclosed details of the timing of its plan to increase the share of modern weapons in the armed forces to 70 percent by 2020.

The new document reveals that the proportion of modern submarines should be 47 percent by the end of 2014. That figure is due to grow to 51 percent in 2015, before reaching the target of 70 percent by 2020.

Plans have also been revealed for new destroyers that would replace the Project 956 Sarych (Sovremenny class) destroyers that are currently being decommissioned from the navy. Development of the new destroyers is expected to be complete by late 2018, and their serial production is to start from 2019.

The proportion of new military aircraft will increase to 56 percent by 2017, while modern helicopters will comprise 76 percent of the fleet by the same date.

In 2015, the Defense Ministry also plans to complete the development of a new tank.

Russian Navy Plans to Assign 30 Helicopters to Each Mistral

Each of the two Mistral class amphibious assault ships being built in France for the Russian Navy will have air wings consisting of 30 Ka-52K and Ka-29 helicopters, Izvestia newspaper reported on Wednesday.

“These will be air wings comprising carrier-based and land-based elements to ensure fast rotation of the helicopters for repairs or replacement due to combat losses,” Izvestia quoted a Defense Ministry source as saying.

A Mistral-class ship is capable of carrying 16 helicopters, four landing vessels, 70 armored vehicles, and 450 personnel.

“The actual number of helicopters on board will vary according to the operational tasks,” the source said.

Prototypes of a naval version of the Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopter are under construction at the Progress plant in Russia’s Far East. The flight tests are expected to start in 2014.

Ka-29 Helix has been originally designed for the Soviet navy as a dedicated assault transport helicopter, and its adaptation for Mistrals will be less time-consuming and costly.

Russia and France signed a $1.2-billion contract for two French-built Mistral class ships, including the transfer of sensitive technology, in June 2011. Two more ships are expected to be 80% built in Russia, 20% in France.

The first Mistral class warship is expected to be put in service with the Russian Navy in three years.

The Russian military has said it plans to use Mistral ships in its Northern and Pacific fleets.

Russian Navy Plans to Revamp Its Fleet of Auxiliary Ships

The Russian Navy is planning to receive over 100 new auxiliary ships by 2020 to satisfy the need for logistics support of its expanding combat fleet, Deputy Defense Minister Gen. Dmitry Bulgakov said.

“We have already signed a contract to buy five new auxiliary ships,” Bulgakov told reporters at the naval base in Novorossiisk on Thursday.

“By the end of 2020 we plan to purchase 96 vessels of this kind“, he said.

According to the general, the new vessels will feature full integration of logistics, technical and maintenance capabilities to ensure that each ship can perform a wide variety of missions, including firefighting and resupply of fuel, food, fresh water and munitions.

Russia’s current auxiliary fleet is ageing and lacks mobility and versatility as the majority of the ships can perform only a limited number of specific tasks, experts believe.

Russian Airborne Gets New ECM System

VDV have accepted into service the new Infauna electronic warfare vehicle

 Russia’s Airborne Forces (VDV) have accepted into service the new multirole Infauna electronic warfare vehicle capable of jamming radio-controlled mines and improvised explosive devices, the Defense Ministry said on Friday.

“The multirole Infauna system has undergone tests since the start of 2012 at a VDV base. It has been accepted into the service’s electronic countermeasures units,” said the VDV’s spokeswoman Major Irina Kruglova.

Infauna is designed to interfere with radio-controlled explosive devices and electronic fusing systems as well as jamming the enemy’s tactical communications systems. The service has taken delivery of the first four systems, Kruglova said.

The VDV also recently took delivery of the Judoist electronic warfare system based on the MKTK-1A vehicle, which is optimized for the electronic intelligence (ELINT) role, and locating enemy air defense radars.