DTN News: Russia Reveals Detailed Data On Defense Spending Until 2013

DTN News: Russia Reveals Detailed Data On Defense Spending Until 2013

Source: DTN News / Ria Novosti

(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW, Russia - October 15, 2010: Russia has made public for the first time in many years a detailed account of its defense spending until 2013, the Vedomosti daily said on Tuesday.

State Duma Defense Committee head Viktor Zavarzin said last week that the country's defense spending, including R&D, would total 487 billion rubles ($16.3 bln) in 2010, 574 bln ($19.2 bln) in 2011, 726 bln ($24.3 bln) in 2012, and 1.16 trillion ($38.8 bln) in 2013.

The share of spending on R&D will drop from 22 percent in 2010 to 16 percent in 2013, the lawmaker said.

The spending will focus on procurement of RS-24 intercontinental ballistic missiles and Bulavasubmarine-launched ballistic missiles, Su-34 Fullback fighter-bombers, Su-35 Flanker-E long-range fighter jets, submarines, corvettes and frigates for the Black Sea Fleet, and battlefield command-and-control systems for the Ground Forces.

The share of spending on modernization of existing weaponry will be spread almost evenly throughout the four-year period - 13 percent in 2010, 15 percent in 2011-2012, and 14 percent in 2013.

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DTN News: Blackseafor Warships Complete Active Stage Of Drills

DTN News: Blackseafor Warships Complete Active Stage Of Drills

Source: DTN News / Ria Novosti

(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW, Russia - August 27, 2010: Warships from the Black Sea Naval Group, the Blackseafor, on Thursday completed the active stage of three-week drills, the Russian Black Sea Fleet press service said. The drills included tactical maneuvering by surface warships, air defense and communication, helping vessels in distress, vessel isolation, and inspection at sea, spokesman Capt. 1st Rank Vyacheslav Trukhachev said. The main focus of the drills has been on maintaining stability and peace in the region, promoting cooperation, and strengthening mutual understanding among the Black Sea countries. The Russian Navy was represented during the so-called Blackseafor Activation, which started on August 11, by the RFS Yamal large amphibious landing ship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, which is now on its way to the Bulgarian port of Varna, where the exercise results will be summed up. The previous Activation took place on April 9-27, with more than 50 drills conducted across an area of 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles). The Blackseafor was formally established in 2001 on Turkey's initiative and comprises Turkey, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Romania, Georgia and Russia. It conducts search and rescue operations and environmental monitoring, and organizes goodwill visits to Black Sea countries.

**This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail

Related News *Blackseafor exercises strengthen security on the Black Sea *Blackseafor warships to hold drills Aug. 11-30 *Blackseafor warships successfully complete drills in Black Sea *Blackseafor warships leave Bulgaria to conduct next stage of drills Multimedia *Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in Ukraine *Russia’s Black Sea Fleet warships in Sevastopol

DTN News: Russia's Defense Spending To Rise By 60% By 2013 - Paper

DTN News: Russia's Defense Spending To Rise By 60% By 2013 - Paper

* Russian Military Reform

Source: DTN News / Ria Novosti

(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW, Russia - July 30, 2010: Russian defense spending will increase by 60 percent, to more than 2 trillion rubles ($66.3 million) by 2013 from 1.264 trillion ($42 million) in 2010, a leading Russian business daily said on Friday. The Russian government made the relevant decision during a meeting on Thursday. The largest growth is planned for 2013, when the figure will rise by 0.5 trillion rubles ($16.6 million), Vedomosti reported. Konstantin Makiyenko from the Russian Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST) told the paper that the government is likely to spend more on the Navy, as well as the aviation and space industries. The construction of advanced submarines, including Yasen and Borei class subs, and Bulava ballistic missiles, as well as the construction of three new Talwar class frigates, three Improved Kilo class subs and other vessels for the Russian Black Sea Fleet are likely to require the largest part of the planned spending, Makiyenko said. The budged allocation should also consider spending on the construction of the first two Mistral class amphibious assault ships under a Russian-French deal, a Russian military plant manager told Vedomosti. This may account to about $0.5 billion, he estimated. Russia is currently in talks with France on the purchase of two Mistral class helicopter carriers and the construction of two others under a French license. Besides this, Russia is planning to spend 80 billion rubles ($2.65 billion) on 60 Su-family fighter jets starting 2010, and buy 26 MiG-29K Fulcrum-D carrier-based fighter jets, with the expected contract estimated at about 25 billion rubles (more than $828 million), a military aircraft plant manager told the paper. The plans also include the purchase of 32 Su-34 Flanker fighter bombers under the 2008 contract (a single plane then cost more than 1.1 billion rubles ($36.4 million), he said.

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DTN News: Russian Black Sea Warships Successfully Complete Drills In Black Sea

DTN News: Russian Black Sea Warships Successfully Complete Drills In Black Sea Source: DTN News / RIA Novosti (NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW, Russia - April 29, 2010: The warships of the Black Sea Naval group successfully completed exercises in the Black Sea on Tuesday in an effort to maintain stability in the region, a Black Sea Fleet commander has said. During the exercises, which took place April 9 -27, more than 50 drills were conducted, including joint operations on tactical maneuvering, combat conduct by surface ships, air defense and anti-terrorist activity, the commander said. The main focus was on maintaining stability and peace in the region, further cooperation and strengthening of mutual understanding among the Black Sea countries, Bulgarian Navy Rear Admiral Georgi Motyev said. The warships involve the Bulgarian frigate Verni (Faithful), the Caesar Kunikov Ropucha-I class large landing ship (Russia), the Macelariu corvette (Romania), the Yildirim frigate (Turkey) and the command ship Slavutych (Ukraine). During the drills, the warships covered more than 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) and paid three unofficial visits to the ports of Eregli (Turkey), Varna (Bulgaria) and Constanta (Romania). After leaving the Romanian port of Constanta, the Blackseafor warships passed alongside the flagman ship in line with a tradition which marks the end of the Black Sea naval task force group exercises. The official end of the drills resulted in the shift in command in control of the warships from the commander of the Black Sea naval task force group to the corresponding national Naval Forces of each country. The Russian Caesar Kunikov is scheduled to arrive at the Black Sea port of Sevastopol, Ukraine, on April 28. Blackseafor was formally established in 2001 on Turkey's initiative and comprises Turkey, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Romania, Georgia and Russia. It conducts search and rescue operations and environmental monitoring, and organizes goodwill visits to Black Sea countries. This year's drills are being conducted under the command of a Bulgarian admiral.

DTN News: Russia Plans To Upgrade Black Sea Fleet With New Warships

DTN News: Russia Plans To Upgrade Black Sea Fleet With New Warships Source: DTN News / Ria Novosti (NSI News Source Info) SEVASTOPOL, - April 14, 2010: Russia's Black Sea Fleet will receive up to four frigates and four diesel-electric submarines in the next five years, a Navy source told RIA Novosti on Tuesday. The Russian official said that the new warships were needed to replace vessels which have been in service for over 30 years and may soon not be fit for sea missions. "The need to revamp the operational strength of the Black Sea Fleet is dictated by the decommissioning of various outdated vessels," the source said. Earlier reports indicated that the Black Sea Fleet is set to decommission its Ochakov destroyer and a diesel submarine built in 1982. Next on the "scrap" list are the Kerch destroyer and several large support ships. The first new vessels that are likely to join the fleet in the near future are the Admiral Gorshkov frigate and the Lada class Sevastopol diesel submarine, which are still under construction. Russia needs to maintain a strong combat-capable fleet in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean not only to protect its interests in the region but also to contribute to international efforts in fighting sea piracy and drug-trafficking. Warships from the Black Sea Fleet regularly participate in the Blackseafor naval drills, the Black Sea Harmony and the Operation Active Endeavor counterterrorist operations. "The new ships will ensure the fleet's active participation in these operations and in other missions planned by the Russian Navy,' the source said. He added that the planned overhaul did not violate the 1997 agreements with Ukraine on the presence of the Black Sea Fleet in the Crimea. "Our plans are absolutely transparent and they will be discussed at meetings of a Russian-Ukrainian subcommittee on the Black Sea Fleet." Related News Russia sends additional missile cruiser to Indian Ocean Russian warship en route to Blackseafor naval drills Russia's Black Sea Fleet may lose all warships by 2015 Talks on presence of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Crimea to continue - Medvedev

DTN News: Russia Sends Additional Missile Cruiser To Indian Ocean

DTN News: Russia Sends Additional Missile Cruiser To Indian Ocean Source: DTN News / RIA Novosti (NSI News Source Info) SEVASTOPOL, - April 10, 2010: The Moskva missile cruiser will set sail on Friday on a long-range tour of duty, which will culminate with exercises in the Indian Ocean, a Navy official said. The flagship of the Black Sea Fleet will join other Russian warships in the region, including the Pyotr Veliky nuclear-powered missile cruiser, which left Russia's Northern Fleet headquarters of Severomorsk on March 31. "During the tour of duty, the Moskva cruiser will cross the Mediterranean, pass through the Suez Canal and conduct joint exercises with warships from other Russian fleets, including from the Northern Fleet, in the Indian Ocean," a spokesman for the Black Sea Fleet said. The cruiser, which has a compliment of naval infantry on board, will also make several port calls in the Indian Ocean. The Moskva is a Slava-class missile cruiser designed as a surface strike ship with some anti-aircraft and ASW capability. The ship has 16 SS-N-12 Sandbox supersonic anti-ship missiles, mounted in four pairs on each side. Russia announced in 2007 that it was building up its naval presence in the world's oceans. Once one the world's most powerful navies, Russia now has few ships regularly deployed. A Russian Pacific Fleet task force, comprising an Udaloy class missile destroyer, Marshal Shaposhnikov, a salvage tug and a tanker, is currently on an anti-piracy mission off the Somali coast.

DTN News: Russia's Black Sea Fleet May Lose All Warships By 2015

DTN News: Russia's Black Sea Fleet May Lose All Warships By 2015 Source: DTN News / Ria Novosti (NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW, Russia - April 5, 2010: The majority of warships in the Russian Black Sea Fleet have been in service for over 30 years and would not be fit for sea missions by 2015, a Russian newspaper said. "The crews will certainly try to keep their ships in decent condition until the last moment, but the "iron" has its service life. Nobody would dare to set sail on a ship whose bottom has rotten away," the Gazeta newspaper said on Friday citing a Navy source. Earlier reports indicated that the Black Sea Fleet is set to decommission the Ochakov destroyer and a diesel submarine built in 1982. Next on the "scrap" list are the Kerch destroyer and several large support ships. The fleet does not expect any additions in 2010 and the prospects of new deliveries in the next few years are also quite slim, the source said. The official said the only solution for the looming crisis would be the construction of at least a dozen of Project 20380 corvettes which have been designed to protect Russia's coastal waters and oil and gas sea transportation routes, especially in the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea. The first Project 20380 corvette, the Steregushchy, was put into service with Russia's Baltic Fleet in October 2008. The second, the Soobrazitelny, was floated out on March 31, and two other ships of the same series, the Boyky and the Stoyky, are under construction. The source said that the Russian shipbuilding industry simply does not have the capacity to build the sufficient number of warships and submarines to satisfy the needs of the fleet. "All shipbuilding yards are swamped with foreign orders years ahead, and it is difficult to raise the production capacity even with sufficient financing because they do not have enough skilled workers," the source said. He expressed hope that Russia would be able to order some warships to be built at Ukrainian shipyards now that Moscow and Kiev have set step on the way to improve relations that soured during the presidency of Viktor Yushchenko.

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DTN News: Black Sea Fleet Future In Ukraine May Become Clear In Few Years

DTN News: Black Sea Fleet Future In Ukraine May Become Clear In Few Years Source: DTN News / RIA Novosti (NSI News Source Info) KIEV, Ukraine - March 21, 2010: Russia and Ukraine could agree on the extension of the Black Sea Fleet's presence in the Crimea while Viktor Yanukovich serves his first term as Ukrainian president, a Russian lawmaker said. Russia's lease on the Black Sea Fleet's base of Sevastopol is due to expire in 2017, but the new president may look to step back from his predecessor Viktor Yushchenko's strict insistence that the foreign forces leave. "I do not see why we would not be able to agree and sign documents during Viktor Yanukovich's first term [as president] on the extension of the Black Sea Fleet's presence in Ukraine, in the Crimea and Sevastopol after 2017," Ukraine's UNIAN news agency quoted Russian MP Konstantin Zatulin as saying on Saturday. "As far as I know, over 70% of Ukrainians believe that the Russian fleet will not leave Sevastopol in 2017," Zatulin told a news conference in Sevastopol. He also said the issue could be linked with a new natural gas price agreement between Russia and Ukraine. During his meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on March 5, Viktor Yanukovych, who was sworn in on February 25, pledged to steer a more balanced policy towards Russia and to continue discussions on the future of the Black Sea Fleet bases in Crimea. Russia's Black Sea Fleet uses a range of naval facilities in the Crimea, including the Sevastopol base, as part of a 10-year lease agreement signed in 1997. A Russian-Ukrainian subcommittee on the Black Sea Fleet at the level of deputy foreign ministers holds regular meetings to discuss the implementation of 1997 agreement.

DTN News: Russia's Black Sea Fleet Conducts Anti-Submarine Warfare Drills

DTN News: Russia's Black Sea Fleet Conducts Anti-Submarine Warfare Drills

*Source: DTN News / RIA Novosti (NSI News Source Info) SEVASTOPOL, Crimea - October 7, 2009: Warships and aircraft from the Russian Black Sea Fleet are carrying out a series of anti-submarine warfare (ASW) exercises involving live-firing drills, a fleet's spokesman said on Tuesday. "The aim of the exercises is to practice anti-submarine search-and-destroy missions. The drills involve warships, aircraft and a submarine from the Black Sea Fleet," the spokesman said. According to the official, the Smetlivy destroyer and three ASW corvettes, assisted by two Be-12 Mail ASW aircraft will simulate an attack with torpedoes and depth charges on a "hostile" submarine near the Russian coast. The drills will end on Thursday. The fleet's ASW contingent comprises two ASW cruisers, an ASW destroyer, and at least six ASW corvettes. The fleet has only one submarine in active service, a Kilo-class Alrosa vessel.

DTN News: Russian Navy To Receive 4 New Amphibious Planes By 2013

DTN News: Russian Navy To Receive 4 New Amphibious Planes By 2013 (NSI News Source Info) GELENDZHIK, South Russia - August 30, 2009: Russia's Navy will put into operation four new A-42 amphibious planes by 2013, a senior military official said on Friday. The A-42 (Be-42) amphibious plane is the search and rescue variant of the A-40 Mermaid ASW aircraft, which can be used for reconnaissance and target designation during patrols over coastal and international waters. It is the largest amphibious aircraft in the world. "The Russian naval aviation will receive four A-42 amphibious planes by 2013, with the first one to be commissioned in 2010," the deputy commander of naval aviation, Maj. Gen. Nikolai Kuklev. He said the A-42 would become the main reconnaissance and ASW aircraft of the Russian Navy after 2015 and would replace the ageing fleet of Be-12 Mail and Il-38 May maritime patrol aircraft. At present, Russia deploys nine Be-12 aircraft with the Black Sea Fleet and has about 40 Il-38 planes operating with the Northern and Pacific fleets.

DTN News: Russia Set To Build Up Its Naval Facilities In Syria

DTN News: Russia Set To Build Up Its Naval Facilities In Syria

*Source: DTN News / RIA Novosti

(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW, Russia - July 21, 2009: The Russian Navy will expand and modernize its Soviet-era naval maintenance site near Tartus in Syria to support anti-piracy operations off the Somali coast, a high-ranking navy source said on Monday. About 50 naval personnel and three berthing floats are currently deployed at the Tartus site, which can accommodate up to a dozen warships. "Two tug boats from the Black Sea Fleet will deliver a new berthing float to Tartus," the source said. "Following modernization, the Russian naval maintenance site in Tartus will become fully-operational," he added. The Navy maintenance site near Tartus is the only Russian foothold in the Mediterranean. Russian navy commanders have long been calling for the expansion and modernization of the Tartus base. "The base in Tartus will provide all necessary support for the Russian warships which will be engaged in protecting commercial shipping around the Horn of Africa," the official said. According to the Russian Navy, the naval base in Syria significantly boosts Russia's operational capability in the region because the warships based there are capable of reaching the Red Sea through the Suez Canal and the Atlantic through the Strait of Gibraltar in a matter of days. Col. Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn, the deputy chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, said in January that the General Staff had backed the Navy command's proposal to develop naval infrastructure outside Russia. Russia has reportedly been involved in talks to establish naval facilities in Yemen, Syria and Libya, among other countries in the Mediterranean.

DTN News: Russia To Deploy 2 Armies In Belarus For Zapad Military Drills

DTN News: Russia To Deploy 2 Armies In Belarus For Zapad Military Drills

(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW - June 6, 2009: Russia will deploy two full-sized armies in Belarus during large-scale joint military exercises in September, the Russian chief of General Staff said on Friday. "This year we will start a series of large-scale drills in line with current military reforms. During the Zapad [West] large-scale exercises on September 8-29, we will deploy two full-sized armies in Belarus," Gen. Nikolai Makarov said. The exercises will, among other things, rehearse interoperability within the framework of the Belarusian-Russian integrated air defense system, which the two countries agreed to establish recently. Makarov also said that in addition to the Zapad exercises, Russia will conduct two large-scale drills and a brigade-level exercise on its own territory, which will involve units from three military districts and three fleets. "On June 29 - July 10, we will conduct a large-scale exercise involving all brigades of the North Caucasus military district, the Black Sea Fleet and the Caspian Flotilla," he said. "From August 10 to September 28, all units of the Leningrad military district, and several units of the Siberian military district, the Northern Fleet and the Baltic Fleet will take part in the Ladoga exercises," the general added. According to Makarov, over 60,000 military personnel will participate in the exercises. Russia's Ground Forces are deployed in six military districts: Moscow, Leningrad, North Caucasus, Urals, Siberian, and Far Eastern. The central focus of the current reforms is the reorganization of the military command and control system from a four-tier (military district - army - division - regiment) to a three-tier structure (military district - operational command - brigade).

DTN News: Ukraine, Russia To Discuss Black Sea Fleet Facilities In June

DTN News: Ukraine, Russia To Discuss Black Sea Fleet Facilities In June

(NSI News Source Info) KIEV - May 26 2009: Russia and Ukraine have agreed to hold their next round of talks on the future of Russia's naval facilities in the Crimea on June 10, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on Monday. The countries held a subcommittee meeting on the Black Sea Fleet in Moscow on May 20-21. "During the meeting, the working group coordinated the agenda and several documents that may be signed at the seventh session of the subcommittee, scheduled to be held on June 10 in Kiev," said Vasyl Kyrylych, head of the ministry's press service. Russia's Black Sea Fleet uses a range of naval facilities in Ukraine's Crimea, including the main base in Sevastopol, as part of a 1997 agreement, under which Ukraine agreed to lease the bases to Russia until 2017. Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko announced last summer that Ukraine would not extend the lease of the Sevastopol base beyond 2017, and urged the Russian fleet to start preparations for a withdrawal. Although the agreement on Russia's use of the base foresees a possible extension of the lease, and Moscow has repeatedly said it wants negotiations on the issue, Ukraine's leadership insists that it will not permit an extension of Russia's naval presence in the country after 2017. Kiev believes that the $98 million which Russia pays annually for the lease of the facilities in the Crimea is insufficient. The sum is subtracted from Ukraine's debt to Russia for supplies of natural gas to the ex-Soviet republic. Russia is considering opening a base at Ochamchira, a seaside town in the former Georgian region of Abkhazia, which has been recently recognized by Russia as an independent state, as a possible replacement for the Sevastopol base.

Russian, Italian Navies Hold Exercises In Ionian Sea

Russian, Italian Navies Hold Exercises In Ionian Sea

(NSI News Source Info) SEVASTOPOL - January 30, 2009: Russia's Black Sea Fleet flagship the guided-missile cruiser Moskva and Italy's destroyer the Andrea Doria held one-day drills in the Ionian Sea in the Strait of Messina on Friday, the Black Sea Fleet said. On Thursday all details of the joint exercises were coordinated on board the Russian cruiser. "The ships practiced elements of joint maneuvering, signaling, communications and joint actions on detecting surface targets. Ship-based helicopters from the two vessels were used in the exercises," the fleet press service said. The Russian cruiser's three-day unofficial visit to Messina port that ended today was timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Messina earthquake and Russia's participation in the international relief efforts. The Messina quake with an estimated magnitude of 7.5 on the Richter scale was followed by a tsunami that struck many coastal cities with 40-foot (12-meter) waves, causing more destruction. The earthquake and tsunami killed two-thirds of the city's then-150,000 population.