Russian Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

"Recently, almost every month Kurganmashzavod reports on the shipment of two batches of BMP-3, i.e. production reached the level of 50-60 vehicles monthly.
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Since July 2023, after the restructuring of production, there has been a sharp increase in the production volume of refurbished equipment. For example, at the 560th armored tank repair plant (560 BTRZ) in 2022 it was planned to produce 60 repaired infantry fighting vehicles per year, and by 2024 to reach the level of 160 vehicles per year.
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Many units previously armed with wheeled armored personnel carriers are now receiving tracked vehicles. For example, the 228th motorized rifle regiment of the 90th tank division, according to the Ministry of Defense, received 30 units of BMP-3 , although it was previously equipped with BTR-80 and BTR-82A.
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A pre-production batch of 2S35 installations underwent military testing in combat conditions as part of the 236th artillery brigade of the 20th combined arms army. The brigade distinguished itself in battles and on March 31, 2023, became a guards brigade.
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the Motovilikha plants have restored the production of towed artillery guns 2A65 "Msta-B"
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Compared to 2022, the production volume of self-propelled artillery has increased 10 times, towed artillery - 14 times, mortars - 20 times, MLRS - 2 times. In addition, the production of components has been established. In particular, the production and repair of tank guns and artillery barrels has doubled."

As part of this year's state defense order, guided ammunition for the Pantsir-S air defense system is being delivered to Russian troops ahead of schedule. Rostec reported this today; the supply is carried out by the Shipunov KBP. Earlier, a Russian ship armed with a naval version of the Pantsir-M air defense system confirmed its combat characteristics. Currently, more than 50 Pantsir air defense systems are used to cover objects on Russian territory from drone attacks; according to experts, this is still not enough. The Pantsir air defense system is designed for close-in defense of civilian and military targets, as well as for covering long-range air defense systems

Russian robotic remote-controlled transport platform PGU-15 from DST-Ural. The platform is capable of transporting cargo weighing up to 15 tons on and off-road. It has been suggested that weapons can also be placed, but the manufacturer does not report this or technical details. The PGU-15 platform has fastenings for cargo and containers.

Military personnel of the Russian army and the army of Tajikistan conducted a joint bilateral exercise to destroy mock terrorist gangs. According to the legend of the exercises, Russian crews of the Orlan-10 UAV and the Supercam UAV discovered enemy SUVs during aerial reconnaissance of the state border of Tajikistan. The exercises took place at the Kharb-Maidon mountain-desert training ground in the Khatlon region from April 15 to 18. The enemy was destroyed using Piranha FPV drones, Mi-8MTV5-1, Mi-24 helicopters, BM-21 Grad and Uragan MLRS, and 2S3 Akatsiya self-propelled guns were used. The infantry was transported on Russian BTR-82A and Tajik BTR-80. T-72B3 tanks from Russia and T-72 tanks from Tajikistan also took part in the exercises. ZSA "Linza" ambulance armored vehicles were used. At the end of the exercises, in order to prevent the enemy from retreating to the state border and the complete defeat of illegal armed groups, a tactical airborne assault force was landed on the enemy’s retreat route.

i will not be surprized if Russia basically encourage Ukraine to use all kinds of missiles and drones to practically improve its air defense. this is risky and expensive way of technical development but this is the way things seem.

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According to him, for some reason, apparently due to a malfunction, the

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Armed Forces left the Solntsepek and left it empty all night.

“The next morning, the electronic warfare system on the “muted” vehicle was still able to protect it. “Solntsepek” stood in an open field for about six hours, the enemy spent about five or six of his drones on it and still couldn’t hit it,” said the developer.

He noted that after this the car was evacuated and repaired. After repairs, it continues to be used as part of a special military operation.

“Breakwater” was first presented at the military-technical forum “Army-2023”. This electronic warfare system is a small-sized (length - 484 mm, weight - 13 kg) cone, which is installed with magnetic Velcro on any military and civilian equipment. This system contains those frequencies that are necessary to suppress enemy FPV drones on a specific section of the front in real time.

Click to expand...

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited the Omsk factory which makes the T-80 tanks.

Assembly of T-80BVM tanks, inspection of the Omsktransmash tank plant. Footage of the visit by the Russian Minister of Defense to the T-80BVM tank production plant in the Omsk region. In the video you can see the assembly of T-80BVM tanks, gas turbine engines GTD-1250 or GTD-1500 at the Omsktransmash tank plant. The plant management reported that all T-80BVM tanks, while still on the assembly line, are equipped with the “Cape” camouflage system and a protective visor, also called a barbecue. It is worth noting that the tanks still do not have protection for the base of the turret and the engine compartment from FPV drones, these are the vulnerable spots of the tank, the main damage to tanks now occurs in these places. Despite the skepticism about the T-14 Armata tank, it is being produced and is being mastered by cadets; one of the new tanks will be shown at the end of the video, along with the T-90M Proryv tank, on which the Relikt dynamic protection was installed. The company’s management also reported to the minister about an increase in the production of heavy flamethrower systems TOS-1A “Solntsepek” by 2.5 times. This was achieved through the expansion of production capacity, the transition to a 24-hour work schedule and an increase in personnel by 1,200 people in 2023.
Summing up, the minister noted that the company promptly solves all assigned tasks. To date, the issue with the production and supply of new engines of higher power has been resolved.

“The Kalashnikov Concern presented a new Russian UAV SKAT 350M. The drone is the result of a modernization of the well-proven Supercam 350 UAV, which often works in conjunction with the Lancet kamikaze drone; there is a video about all drones on the channel.
The UAV is designed for aerial surveillance, searching for objects in the optical and infrared ranges. The SKAT 350M UAV received a new design of the wing and control elements; its mechanical strength and reliability were improved. Many functions have been automated, an automatic operating mode has been introduced, and a new battery controller has been installed. A new target load has appeared, and technical solutions have been implemented to improve the functioning of daylight and thermal imaging cameras. A module with updated algorithms is also installed, providing target acquisition and tracking.
The SKAT 350M UAV is equipped with an electric motor and is capable of reaching speeds of up to 120 km/h with a range of up to 100 kilometers at altitudes of up to 2000 meters. The weight of the UAV is 15 kg, the flight time is up to 4 hours, it is launched from a catapult.

Don't know why the Colosseum-RU quadcopter drone isn't mention despite being exhibited by ZALA on the same show. It's a six bladed quadcopter that looks like a heavy duty agricultural drone modified for dropping bombs. The advantage of using such large drones is the increased range and larger payloads over Mavic sized drones, qualities that made the Baba Yaga such a trouble for the Russians. Hopefully someone makes a video of it.

The VT-40 and the Upyr FPV drones appear to be crowded funded projects, but the "Piranha" FPV drone isn't, and is created by the Russian MIC. I heard this only mentioned in an exercise but it's more than possible the Piranha may already be on use. There are literally thousands of FPV drone videos but the Russian side hardly talks anything about them, keeping them strictly opsec.

Now it appears there's another Russian drone out there by the name Joker-10, and it's being used already.

This is an interesting video from a historical standpoint.

Roots and Role of the T-72M1 Main Battle Tank with Jim Warford​

An experienced U.S. tank commander [who also wrote a manual for the U.S. army] talks about the Soviet export tank, T-72M1.

It's really about the back-and-forth of projectile and armour development.


In the early 1980s, the latest 105mm ammo, such as the Israel Arrow, could penetrate a T-72 Ural [base model] from the front.

Consequently, the Soviets developed an export version of the T-72A, called the T-72M1.

The U.S. army realized that no 105mm ammo available at the time could defeat the T-72M1 frontally. Even in 1990, it was unclear if the latest 105mm ammunition would defeat a Soviet export T-72.

The T-72M1 that appeared in 1983 utilized similar composite armour as the early T-64s developed in the 1960s.


One lesson of the video is that the Soviets did strive to have an export tank that was at least protected against the most common calibre seen in export opponents of the time, although not necessarily the latest weapons. The tank succeeded in taking Western 105mm-armed tanks "off the table" for Soviet export clients.


However, it had the flaw of all late-Soviet tanks of not separating crew from ammunition. If armour failed to protect, the change of a catastrophic explosion was significant.


In 1987, the CIA acquired 12 examples of the T-72M1. The information gleaned from these tanks compelled the U.S. to put 120mm-armed tanks into the Middle East theatre.

Not all T-72M1 were created equal. The turret armour depended on where they were manufactured. It is likely that the non-Russian models lacked elements of the composite armour, instead using sand.


All of this will be familiar to people cognisant of Soviet tanks. But it is somewhat relevant today, as T-72 of various types are potentially facing 105mm guns in Ukraine. Also, usage of these models may be seen in the Middle East. This video reminds me of the Tankograd article on the T-72, but it is helpful to have some of it condensed in a short presentation.