Xinhua News Agency, Moscow, November 4, report: Putin presided over a Russian defense conference focusing on advanced weapons research and development
From November 1 to 3, Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted a military conference on national defense in the southern Russian city of Sochi. “The development of the Russian air and space forces and the navy”, “the application of unmanned aerial vehicles in the military”, and “the importance of the Russian army’s high-tech weapons” have become the main topics of this conference. The topics highlighted Russia’s focus on the development of its military modernization.
The meeting showed that the development and mass production of high-tech weapons has become one of the key directions for the development of the Russian military. At present, the Russian army is receiving the latest weapons and military equipment at a high frequency, including ships carrying “caliber” cruise missiles, and “zircon” hypersonic missiles in the final stage of national testing.
Putin introduced at the meeting that “Zircon” has accurately completed ground and sea target strike missions in the test, and it is expected to be installed in the navy next year. At the same time, the characteristics of the “Pelethwaite” laser weapon system and the “Pioneer” and “Dagger” hypersonic missile systems have also been confirmed in the test. In the next few years, Russia will deliver more than 200 aircraft and 26 sets of S-350 and S-400 air defense missile systems to the air and space forces. In addition, the first mass production samples of Russia’s latest S-500 air defense missile system will also be delivered in the near future.
Putin believes that the development and mass production of Russian high-tech weapons can ensure the country’s military security in the coming decades and help strengthen the strategic balance between Russia and other countries. In addition, artificial intelligence technology should be more actively applied to military command and control systems, communication and data transmission facilities, high-precision missile systems, and the development of robots with higher autonomy.
In recent years, with the outstanding performance of drones in armed conflicts in Syria and other places, the Russian army is also accelerating its pace in the application of drones. There are currently more than 2,000 UAVs in service in the Russian army. According to Putin, Russia has mastered effective methods to counter drone attacks, and will accelerate the application of artificial intelligence in the research and development of military drones in order to substantially improve the combat performance of weapons and equipment.
At the same time, in view of the research and development of advanced high-speed attack weapons by major countries in the world, as well as the changes in the military and political situation of the world today, Russia will continue to strengthen its air and space defense capabilities. At the current rate, between 2025 and 2027, the proportion of modern weapons in the Russian air defense and anti-missile forces will not be less than 80%.
In addition, equipping modern weapons has also become a very important task for the Russian Navy. In the past four years, the Russian Navy has received 49 new ships and ships, 9 sets of coastal defense missile systems and 10 aircraft. By 2027, the proportion of modern weapons and equipment of the Russian Navy will exceed 70%.
Putin said in his State of the Union address this year that the construction and updating of Russian weapons and equipment is normalized. This year, the proportion of modern weapons in Russia’s “Trinity” nuclear force will exceed 88%, and by 2024, the proportion of modern weapons and equipment in the military will be close to 76%.
Russian Defense Minister Shoigu once stated that the modernization of the Russian military’s weapons and equipment has now reached 71%, which is the highest percentage in the global military.
In accordance with established practice, the Russian President presides over a military conference on national defense in May and November each year. The leaders of the Russian Ministry of Defense and representatives of military industrial enterprises participate in the conference.