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Also, Russia's war in Ukraine has disrupted some military supplies to India, reinforcing New Delhi's long-term desire to diversify imports or replace them with home-built hardware, Indian defence officials said. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said that India intends to order weapons from the domestic arms industry worth over $100 billion over the next decade. "It is a reality, that we have to reduce dependence on Russia," said a senior Indian defence officer working on future capabilities of the Indian military, who declined to be identified. GAP WITH CHINAIndia still uses mostly Russian technology for traditional arms. Over time these purchases will reduce the share of Russian military technology used by India, but this would take at least two decades, Indian officials said.

Persons: Rajnath Singh, Narendra Modi's, Eric Garcetti, Washington, Arzan, Tarapore, Sukhoi Su, Bill Greenwalt, Derek Grossman, Grossman, Krishn Kaushik, David Brunnstrom, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: NEW, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Defence, GE, Stanford University, GAP, CHINA, U.S, Sukhoi, Pentagon, International, Rand Corporation, Thomson Locations: NEW DELHI, WASHINGTON, India, Ukraine, Russia, Stockholm, Indian, Washington, U.S, CHINA India, China, Pakistan, Russian, Australia, Japan, Moscow, DELHI

☆ Russian jets said to step up strikes on Syrian rebel enclave
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

White Helmets/Handout via REUTERSAMMAN, June 25 (Reuters) - Russian jets bombed villages and towns near the northwestern Syrian city of Idlib on Sunday, killing at least nine civilians and wounding dozens in a major flare-up of violence in the country's last opposition stronghold, witnesses and rescuers said. No immediate comment was available from Russia or its allies in the Syrian army, whose artillery pounded rebel areas in the countryside west of Aleppo. During past outbreaks of fighting, Damascus and Russia have said they only target insurgent groups and deny indiscriminate attacks on civilians. Damascus has in recent rounds of Russian-brokered talks with Ankara demanded that Turkey withdraw a formidable military presence in the last foothold of the Syrian rebellion. Turkish troops based in the region have held back Russia and Damascus from a final assault to wrest back control of the enclave.

Persons: Sham, jihadists, Suleiman Al, Khalidi, Giles Elgood Organizations: REUTERS, Russian Sukhoi, Ankara, Thomson Locations: Russian, Jisr, Shughour, Syria, REUTERS AMMAN, Syrian, Idlib, Jabal al, Russia, Turkey, Aleppo, Damascus, Turkish, Hayat, Qardaha, Latakia, Moscow

☆ Indonesia confirms buying used fighter jets for $800 million after deal criticised
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JAKARTA, June 14 (Reuters) - Indonesia confirmed on Wednesday it had bought 12 Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets previously used by Qatar, defending the nearly $800 million deal as a fast way to upgrade the air force after it was criticised by lawmakers who said the planes were too old. The defence ministry said in a statement that Indonesia had signed the deal for 733 million euros ($792 million) with Excalibur International a.s., a unit of Czech defence company Czechoslovak Group (CSG) in January. The country has long been seeking to overhaul its ageing air fleet which includes U.S.-made F-16 and Russian Sukhoi Su-27 and Su-30 jets. The country secured a deal to order 42 Rafale fighter jets for $8.1 billion in February. A planned purchase of F-15 fighter jets is also in advanced stages and awaiting final sign-off from the government, defence minister Prabowo Subianto said last year.

Persons: Tubagus Hasanuddin, Edwin Adrian Sumantha, Sukhoi Su, Prabowo Subianto, Ananda Teresia, Gayatri Suroyo, Peter Graff Organizations: Czechoslovak Group, Dassault Aviation, Indonesian Air, Thomson Locations: JAKARTA, Indonesia, Qatar, Czech, U.S, Russia, Jakarta

He has also said that there could be "nuclear weapons for everyone" who joined the Russia-Belarus union. Putin said Russia would remain in control of the weapons just as the United States controls its own tactical nuclear weapons deployed in Europe. Putin has repeatedly raised concerns about the 200 U.S. B61 tactical nuclear warheads deployed at bases in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Turkey. Russia's nuclear weapons are controlled and transported by the 12th Main Directorate of the defence ministry (12th GUMO). By putting nuclear weapons back in Belarus, Putin is showing that the architecture of post-Cold War nuclear arms control is crumbling.

Persons: Stringer, Vladimir Putin, Moscow's, Putin, Pavel Zarubin, Su, Lukashenko, Jens Stoltenberg, Guy Faulconbridge, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Kremlin, Street, Ukraine, Sukhoi, of American, WHO, United, NATO, B61, U.S, 12th, Directorate, State Department, Thomson Locations: Kakhovka, Nikopol, Ukraine, Dnipropetrovsk region, MOSCOW, Belarus, Russia, Soviet Union, Britain, United States, Belarusian, Lida, Lithuanian, Europe, U.S, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Kazakhstan, States

[1/3] Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko speak during a meeting at the Bocharov Ruchei residence in Sochi, Russia June 9, 2023. Putin announced in March he had agreed to deploy such weapons in Belarus, pointing to U.S deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in a host of European countries over many decades. It is still unclear where the Russian nuclear warheads - which will remain under Russian control - will be kept in Belarus. RANGEPutin, who is the ultimate decision maker on any nuclear launch, said Iskander mobile short-range ballistic missiles, which can deliver nuclear warheads, had already been handed over to Belarus. Putin has repeatedly raised the issue of U.S. B61 tactical nuclear warheads deployed at bases in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Turkey.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Putin, Moscow's, Vladimir Vladimirovich, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Su, Guy Faulconbridge, Kevin Liffey, Andrew Osborn, Frances Kerry Organizations: Belarusian, Sputnik, NATO, United, Sukhoi, B61, Cuban Missile Crisis, Thomson Locations: Sochi, Russia, Kremlin, Belarus, Europe, Putin MOSCOW, Soviet Union, Russian, Black, United States, Ukraine, Moscow, China, Washington, Minsk, Berlin, Stockholm, Soviet, Kazakhstan, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Nevada

☆ Footage appears to show low-flying Russian Su-34s dropping bombs on anti-Putin militias and missing the target, says report
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Footage appears to show Russian Su-34 jets bombing a checkpoint within their own borders. The video shows two jets dropping high-level explosives from an "ultra-low altitude." The video appears to show the jets missing the target, a building at Russia's own checkpoint. The legion said it sent units to Grayvoron, and footage purportedly from the checkpoint appears to show armored vehicles taking over the post, The Guardian reported on Tuesday. Last month, a Russian Su-34 accidentally dropped a bomb on its own city of Belgorod, Insider previously reported.

☆ Photos show how Putin massively scaled back his Victory Day celebrations compared to the ostentatious military displays of previous years
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Photos from this year compared to previous years show how much the Victory Day parade has changed:A Soviet T-34 tank during the Victory Day Red Square Parade on May 9, 2023, in Moscow, Russia. Russian tanks in Red Square during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, May 9, 2021. Armored vehicles drive past the Kremlin after a military parade on Victory Day, with an empty sky, on May 9, 2023. Russian soldiers march toward Red Square to attend a Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, May 9, 2023. A Russian service member walks across a street before a military parade on Victory Day in Moscow, Russia, on May 9 2023.

☆ Ukraine wants F-16s to shoot down Russian strike fighters dropping bombs it can't beat. Airpower experts say give them the jets.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Its defenses struggle to counter the bombs, so Ukraine wants tools to take out the Russian strike fighters. "Guided bombs are tricky for air defense because they have short flight times and usually very little infrared signature," he said. "The air defense system with the longest distance available to us is the S-300, but it's Soviet-era weapons." That is absolutely unrealistic," he said, challenging the arguments against sending fighter aircraft. There are significant training, supply chain, and operational hurdles to overcome, making essential ground-based air defense a priority in the meantime.

☆ Three Russian aircraft intercepted over Baltic Sea - German air force
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BERLIN, April 26 (Reuters) - Three Russian military aircraft flying without transponder signals have been intercepted in international airspace over the Baltic Sea, Germany's Luftwaffe said on Wednesday. German and British forces were deployed to identify the two Sukhoi Su-27 fighter aircraft and one Ilyushin Il-20 aircraft, the German air force said on Twitter. It posted several images of the Russian aircraft mid-flight. Reporting by Friederike Heine, Editing by Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Residents in Russia's Belgorod returning home after bomb scare
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, April 22 (Reuters) - More than 3,000 people in the Russian city of Belgorod were returning to their homes on Saturday after being evacuated while an explosive was disposed of, the local governor said. Two days earlier a Russian warplane accidentally dropped a bomb on the city, damaging local houses, authorities said. Military explosive experts decided to "neutralise" the explosive at a training ground, Belgorod region governor Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on Telegram. He said later that people had started to return to their homes after a "shell" was removed from the area. On Thursday, a Russian Sukhoi-34 supersonic warplane accidentally fired a weapon into Belgorod, causing an explosion and injuring three people, Russian officials said.

☆ Russian jets are dropping bombs rejigged with guidance systems that are delivering 'devastating hits' upon Ukrainian lines, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia is modifying regular bombs to have guidance systems, a report says. The regular bombs appear to be being converted to smart ones using UMPK (unified module for gliding and guidance) systems, according to Illia Ponomarenko of the Kyiv Independent. Ponomarenko wrote that the upgraded guided or gliding bombs pose "an especially serious threat to Ukraine" that can "deliver devastating hits upon Ukrainian lines and the rear front." In order to combat the Russian bombardment, Ukraine needs to defend against the jets using air defense systems such as the S-300. Germany this week approved Poland's request to transfer five MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine.

☆ Russia warplane accidentally fires into city near Ukraine, causing blast -Tass
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] A view shows the accident scene following a large blast in a street in the city of Belgorod, Russia, April 20, 2023. Mayor of Belgorod City Valentin Demidov via Telegram/Handout via REUTERSApril 20 (Reuters) - A Russian warplane accidentally fired a weapon into the city of Belgorod near Ukraine late on Thursday, causing an explosion and damaging buildings, Tass cited the defence ministry as saying. Local authorities reported a large blast in the city, which lies just across the border from Ukraine. "As a Sukhoi Su-34 air force plane was flying over the city of Belgorod there was an accidental discharge of aviation ammunition," Tass cited the defence ministry as saying. The ministry said some buildings had been damaged and announced a probe was already under way, according to Tass.

☆ Russia is equipping simple bombs with guidance systems, turning them into cheap substitutes for expensive cruise missiles
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia is modifying regular bombs to have guidance systems, a report says. They are a cheap and effective substitute for expensive guided missiles, which Russia's stock of is low. The regular bombs appear to be being converted to smart ones using UMPK (unified module for gliding and guidance) systems, according to Illia Ponomarenko of the Kyiv Independent. By comparison, a single Kalibr cruise missile, which Russia had been using widely in its invasion of Ukraine, is worth nearly $6.5 million. In order to combat the Russian bombardment, Ukraine needs to defend against the jets using air defense systems such as the S-300.

☆ The Russian air force's struggles in Ukraine reveal glaring problems in now Moscow trains its pilots
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Alex Hollings | Sandboxx News | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +35 min

Despite being bigger and more advanced than its enemy, Russia's air force has struggled in Ukraine. It's commonly said that Russian fighter pilots are not as well trained as their Western counterparts, particularly those from the United States. But however ineffective you may think Russian pilot training is compared to the West, the truth seems to be … much worse. A Russian air force pilot prepares to take off in an Su-35 fighter jet at Hemeimeem air base in Syria in September 2019. Put simply, the Gulf War air campaign creates a damning juxtaposition when compared directly to Russia's air campaign over Ukraine.

☆ There are more F-35s flying today than all other stealth aircraft combined
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Alex Hollings | Sandboxx News | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

But with over 890 F-35s delivered, there are more of them flying than all other stealth aircraft. With more than 890 F-35s delivered to date, there are more of these advanced fighters flying for nations around the world today than all other stealth aircraft on the planet ... combined. Jerod Harris/Getty ImagesAlthough the world's first stealth aircraft to enter operational service, the F-117 Nighthawk, began flying four decades ago now, the number of different stealth platforms in service today remains relatively small. There are about twice as many F-35s today than all other stealth aircraft combinedBritish Royal Air Force F-35s and a US Air Force B-2 fly along the English coast near Dover. Here are the tallies of stealth aircraft in service today, from most to least:

☆ Midair Video Shows Russian Jet Buzz U.S. Drone
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Daniel Michaels | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

BRUSSELS—The Pentagon released video footage from a drone that crashed over the Black Sea on Tuesday showing a Russian jet buzzing it, dumping fuel on it and apparently damaging its propeller. The Defense Department video, taken by the MQ-9 Reaper drone shortly before it was guided into the water by its remote pilot, shows a Russian Sukhoi 27 jet fighter flying in a way that Pentagon described as “an unsafe/unprofessional intercept.” The Defense Department has said the drone was flying in international airspace.

☆ Midair Video Shows Russian Jet Buzzing U.S. Drone
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Drew Hinshaw | Daniel Michaels | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

BRUSSELS—The Pentagon released video footage Thursday from a U.S. MQ-9 drone that crashed in the Black Sea on Tuesday showing a Russian jet buzzing and dumping fuel on it and apparently damaging the drone’s propeller. The declassified footage shows a Russian Sukhoi-27 jet flying very close to the unmanned surveillance aircraft, in one of the first direct military confrontations between the U.S. and Russia since the invasion in Ukraine began more than a year ago. It wasn’t clear whether the video showed one jet flying past the drone twice, or both Russian jets that the Pentagon says were there.

☆ India approves purchase of military equipment worth $8.5 bln
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] An armed soldier stands guard outside India's Defence Ministry building in New Delhi, India, February 27, 2019. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis/File PhotoNEW DELHI, March 16 (Reuters) - India on Thursday approved purchases of missiles, helicopters, artillery guns and electronic warfare systems worth $8.5 billion as it sought to add more teeth to its military. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), the top government body for capital acquisition approvals for the Indian military, approved the orders worth 705 billion rupees ($8.52 billion) for all its services, the Defence Ministry said in a statement. The list of purchases approved included 200 additional BrahMos missiles, 50 utility helicopters and electronic warfare systems for the navy. All three Indian military services have been using versions of the missile for over a decade.

☆ Iran to buy Su-35 fighter jets from Russia, Iranian broadcaster reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Sukhoi Su-35 jet fighter drives along the airfield during International military-technical forum "Army-2020" at Kubinka airbase in Moscow Region August 25, 2020. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File PhotoDUBAI, March 11 (Reuters) - Iran has reached a deal to buy advanced Su-35 fighter planes from Russia, Iranian state media said on Saturday, expanding a relationship that has seen Iranian-built drones used in Russia's war on Ukraine. "The Sukhoi-35 fighter planes are technically acceptable to Iran and Iran has finalised a contract for their purchase," the broadcaster IRIB quoted Iran's mission to the United Nations as saying in New York. read moreIran has acknowledged sending drones to Russia but says they were sent before Moscow's invasion of Ukraine last year. In 2018, Iran said it had started production of the locally designed Kowsar fighter for use in its air force.

☆ Western intelligence says Russia is amassing aircraft on Ukraine's border, as countries look to the skies to break deadlock
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia is gathering air power at Ukraine's border, according to unnamed Western officials. US defense secretary Lloyd Austin denied this, but called on the West to rush air defenses to Ukraine. NATO allies have noted both fixed-wing and rotary aircraft as part of the build-up, unnamed Western officials told the Financial Times. The reports come as Ukraine's allies embark on a renewed rush to bring air defenses to the country. He said that "we need to do everything that we can" to bring air defenses to Ukraine.

BENGALURU, Feb 13 (Reuters) - India wants to more than triple annual defence exports to $5 billion by 2024/25 from $1.5 billion currently as it looks to ramp up domestic manufacturing, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday while inaugurating the Aero India show. "Today, India is not just a market for defence companies, it is also a potential defence partner," Modi said in his speech at the show. "I call on India's private sector to invest more and more in the country's defence sector." India, for decades one of the world's biggest importers of defence equipment, now exports to 75 countries, he added. India's airlines are also expanding, with Tata Group's Air India expected to announce a potentially record deal to buy nearly 500 jets from Airbus and Boeing, worth more than $100 billion at list prices.

☆ Dutch F-35s intercept three Russian military aircraft over Poland - Netherlands' defence ministry
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 14 (Reuters) - Two Dutch F-35 fighters intercepted a formation of three Russian military aircraft over Poland and escorted them out, the Netherlands' defence ministry said in a statement late on Monday. "After identification, it turned out to be three aircraft: a Russian IL-20M Coot-A that was escorted by two Su-27 Flankers. The Il-20M Coot-A is NATO's reporting name for the Russian Ilyushin Il-20M reconnaissance aircraft while the Su-27 Flankers are NATO's reporting name for the Sukhoi Su-28 fighter aircraft. Russia's defence ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for a comment. The Netherlands' defence ministry said that eight Dutch F-35s are stationed in Poland for February and March.

☆ Dutch F-35s intercept three Russian military aircraft near Poland - Netherlands' defence ministry
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 14 (Reuters) - Two Dutch F-35 fighters intercepted a formation of three Russian military aircraft near Poland and escorted them out, the Netherlands' defence ministry said in a statement late on Monday. "After identification, it turned out to be three aircraft: a Russian IL-20M Coot-A that was escorted by two Su-27 Flankers. The Il-20M Coot-A is NATO's reporting name for the Russian Ilyushin Il-20M reconnaissance aircraft while the Su-27 Flankers are NATO's reporting name for the Sukhoi Su-28 fighter aircraft. Russia's defence ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for a comment. The Netherlands' defence ministry said that eight Dutch F-35s are stationed in Poland for February and March.

☆ Why China's and Russia's 5th-generation stealth jets don't quite live up to the hype, according to a former US Navy pilot
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Peter Suciu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Those jets have advanced features but aren't quite as advanced as US stealth jets, a former Navy pilot says. However, a copy of a fifth-generation fighter does not actually make it one. Russia's Sukhoi Su-57Russian Su-57 fighter jets. A Russian Su-57 fighter jet. Associated PressThough the Chinese and Russian aircraft are likely highly capable warbirds, some US aviation experts have suggested they shouldn't rightfully be considered "fifth-generation."

☆ Factbox: Will Ukraine get Western fighter jets and what are the challenges?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday several Western countries were ready to provide Kyiv with aircraft to defeat Russia's invasion. Ukraine has been asking allies to provide modern fighter jets - dubbed "wings for freedom" in Zelenskiy's speech to British lawmakers this week - to replace its ageing fleet of Soviet MiG and Sukhoi planes. WILL UKRAINE GET THE FIGHTER JETS? Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson did not rule out sending fighter jets but played down expectations, saying the issue was not on Stockholm's agenda at the moment. The Kremlin has said that Western countries would be moving towards direct conflict with Russia if they send jets.

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