Russian Airborne Troops (VDV) News:

http://en.rian.ru/video/20120316/172214556.html

Sorry, can't post the vid here as it isn't one of the three types that work.

Shows French soldiers handling Russian weapons that include the SVDU with a thermal scope, the PP-2000 SMG, and firing an AGS-30.

I wonder if they showed them the ADS rifles that they are getting too?

Yes it also says the VDV will be going over to France and trying out some of there weapons. That should be exciting

Another video. I thought I saw an English version but I can't quite remember where.

Looks nice and neat. Hope it reaches the VDV and the mvd and fsb antiterror units . It would be cool to see this tested on an VSS and a VAL....The guy in the video got a good grouping on the target tooo

gloriousfatherland wrote:Looks nice and neat. Hope it reaches the VDV and the mvd and fsb antiterror units . It would be cool to see this tested on an VSS and a VAL....The guy in the video got a good grouping on the target tooo

I can definitely see the shahin being used on the VSS and the VAL. Would be well suited to night ops where stealth is necessary.

I would suspect the 9 x 39mm has a fairly curved trajectory so range estimation would be critical to getting hits on target.

With a ballistic computer and laser range finder in addition to night capability... and importantly on the battlefield the ability to see through smoke and light camouflage would make it a real force multiplier.

Military Churches Ready to Drop From the Sky
29 March 2012
The Moscow Times

Russian paratroopers might soon become the most spiritually well-armed part of the Russian military with the rollout of "inflatable church-tents" that can be deposited in a drop zone — but only if the Russian Orthodox Church backs the idea.

"If the churches are officially introduced, they might be put on the ground from aircraft" along with other paratroopers' equipment, including self-propelled guns, the Defense Ministry's Air Force spokesman, Colonel Alexander Kucherenko, said Wednesday, according to Interfax.

But Dmitry Smirnov, head of the Moscow Patriarchate's department in charge of cooperation with the armed forces, told Russkaya Sluzhba Novostei radio that "the inflatable churches" are a private effort by one priest in the Air Force and that they haven't yet been sanctioned by the church.

Earlier this month, paratroopers and priests tested the world's first paradrop church in the Ryazan region southeast of Moscow, RIA-Novosti reported.

The church construction was funded by the church to "satisfy the religious needs of the military," the Defense Ministry said in an earlier statement.

According to Kucherenko, a great number of people serving with the Air Force are Orthodox believers. He said that currently dozens of military priests serve with the Air Force, with most as contract servicemen.

"Some priests have already fulfilled their service with the Air Force, which helps them encourage young people" parachuting for the first time, Kucherenko said, Interfax reported.


Read more: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/military-churches-ready-to-drop-from-the-sky/455676.html#ixzz1qWdYycLS
The Moscow Times

Mr.Kalishnikov47 wrote:

That's a good question.

Why an Orthodox church? there are how many religions in Russia? Why do they feel the need for an Orthodox church but no other church?

VDV is 90% Orthodox.

This whole policy - of introducing religion into the military, education system, etc... as well as the growing influence of religion and the Russian Orthodox Church in particular - is completely bollocks. We don't need such bullshit.

Well if you are going to create a god you need a box to keep it in...

Personally I question the value of such things... unless the Clerics are also medics or social workers that help all soldiers of all denominations, what sort of needy person needs a priest following them around all the time at work?

flamming_python wrote:This whole policy - of introducing religion into the military, education system, etc... as well as the growing influence of religion and the Russian Orthodox Church in particular - is completely bollocks. We don't need such bullshit.

one of unfortunate consequences of USSR collapse, Russia across the board has receded back into widespread religious following.

In contrast to Catholic Church, Orthodox Church is national Church. Also clerics are good in psychology, so they could be for good help for soldiers in hard moments.

Do not underestimate spiritual power especially when the shooting starts.. A good priest can be a great morale booster.
During a battle, soldiers don't need their mothers or girlfriends. They need good military leaders (officiers) and spiritual leaders (priests).
By the way, priests can shoot too.
We had priests together with our troops in the Nagorno-Karabagh war. These clerics were getting the utmost respect from the troops.

Photo of Armenian Army Clerics during last year's parade.

As I said... a good social worker or medic, or indeed better than average with a weapon because they feel they have something to prove.

I have no experience in the military but I know people who were and while they were not religious at all they occasionally had problems they didn't want to take to their commanders... their parents were too far away, so they turned to the unit chaplain and it helped.

If the role is to be someone interested in the welfare of their fellow soldiers then I fully support the idea, but of course they need to care about all the soldiers or all denominations...

The Russian Defence Ministry plans to modernize 40-year-old airborne infantry fighting vehicle 1, the newspaper "Izvestia". As a result, the machine will get new engines, guns, fire control systems and communications. In total, through the modernization program must pass 135 BMD-1, in which the Defense Ministry will spend 1.9 billion rubles, or 14.8 million rubles for each machine.

As a result of modernization of old cars will be on the characteristics correspond to a new BMD-2, whose production is not carried out for the past ten years. According to the War Department, through modernization of the troops will be able to get a more modern technology at a lower cost. In particular, the value of the BMD-2 in terms of prices in 2012 amounted to 50 million rubles, and BMD-3 - 60 million.

The company, which will deal with the modernization of the BMD-1, the Russian Ministry of Defense will determine on the basis of the ongoing tender. One of the participants intend to become the Volgograd Tractor Plant, which produced the BMD-1. According to a source at the newspaper VgTZ, the company intends to offer a military replacement, 73-mm gun 2A28 with a new automatic 30-mm 2A42.

The Russian Defense Ministry will accept applications for participation in the tender until 19 April and 2 May this year will determine the winner.

Earlier it was reported that Russian Defense Ministry has decided to adopt a policy of upgrading existing military armored vehicles, instead of buying new. Because of this war can save money the defense budget in order to subsequently invest in the purchase of new combat platforms developed today. In particular, the planned modernization of the T-72 tanks to the level of T-90. According to the military establishment, such modernization is three times cheaper than a new T-90.

In the future, upgraded tanks will be replaced with new machines on the platform, "Armata".

http://www.lenta.ru/news/2012/04/03/billions/

So based on the logic of the last few sentences what they are currently doing is upgrading the BMD-1 to a level comparable but not equal to a BMD-3 for perhaps 25% of the cost of a new build BMD-3, with the intent to save money so that when a brand new replacement vehicle, either based on the Boomerang-10 or perhaps the Boomerang-25 or Kurganets-25 becomes available.

The Navy has already revealed it is getting a navalised version of the tracked Kurganets-25 with better sea keeping properties to allow operation in rough sea states (the Army vehicles will be amphibious too but just need to be able to handle rivers and lakes rather than beach landings and rough seas).

I would assume the VDV will look over the new vehicle families and pick one or perhaps more based on their unique requirements.

Hopefully the upgrade will include modern thermal night vision and communications and navigation equipment so that the step to the next vehicle isn't too much of a leap in performance so they can get training in with this new/old stuff.

No way this upgrade takes it anywhere near BMD-3/4 levels.

This is supposed to bring them up to BMD-2 levels, hopefully with at least some modern sights.

BMD-3 was never really produced serially, so I don't know why they even talk about unit costs. BMD-4M is the only BMD in production today.

TR1 wrote:No way this upgrade takes it anywhere near BMD-3/4 levels.

This is supposed to bring them up to BMD-2 levels

Wha? I guess Russia should upgrade all it's BMP-1's to BMP-2 level while they're at it. Or maybe their T-55's to T-62 standard.

I rather suspect this upgrade is designed to be the bare minimum to be useful for the next 2-3 years before they decide on a new vehicle which will either be boomerang or kurganets based.

I kinda agree there is no point spending the extra money for a stopgap design... though it really begs the question why spend any money at all...

I suspect the upgrade will probably be in communications, navigation, and night vision to allow proper communication and night vision as the problems exposed in Georgia were centred around communications, night fighting capability and of course navigation thanks to the US turning off civilian GPS for the region.

Yeah that makes enough sense I suppose. Still though the money could probably be more effectively invested elsewhere.

Also I have to agree having a proper navigation systems are a must. While I admit the U.S turning off civilian GPS to intentionally hinder Russian efforts in the war was a very low blow (and that's a delicate way of putting it) The fact that the Russians were using civilian GPS in the first place is a little

GarryB wrote:I rather suspect this upgrade is designed to be the bare minimum to be useful for the next 2-3 years before they decide on a new vehicle which will either be boomerang or kurganets based.

I kinda agree there is no point spending the extra money for a stopgap design... though it really begs the question why spend any money at all...

I suspect the upgrade will probably be in communications, navigation, and night vision to allow proper communication and night vision as the problems exposed in Georgia were centred around communications, night fighting capability and of course navigation thanks to the US turning off civilian GPS for the region.

Yeah I think so too, new radios, GLONASS recevers, and hopefully some kind of night equipment.
Keep in mind this cost includes KapRemont of the vehicles, so they might have an expired resource without the upgrade. Some vehicles are better than none.

Perhaps also commonality in units with main gun (30mm) ammunition.

http://www.arms-tass.su/?page=article&aid=106054&cid=25

Russian VDV units receive 6 portable 1L122 radars for evaluations in VDV air defense units.

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?197506-Russian-Armed-Forces-News-amp-Discussion-thread&p=6148548&viewfull=1#post6148548

Sad news! The legendary man himself, lived through so much conflict, only to die from a bloody motorcycle.

Moral of the story, drive a car! In the past year alone several of my friends+ their family got into serious motorcycle accidents.

Sad that after surviving so many wars that it is a motorbike that kills him...

Such a powerful story with such a hollywood ending... if he was American there would be 5 movies made about him and 20 books written about his life...

Russia has lost a great hero

R.I.P