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SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) on December 7 published new data showing that sales of arms and military services by the sector’s largest 25 companies totalled US$361 billion in 2019, 8.5 per cent more than in 2018. The largest companies have a geographically diverse international presence.

A two-component system can offer a way to fight cruise missiles. The first component is a joint use of forces engaged in cruise missile fight. The second one is an organizational-technical system capable of implementing the methods to fight cruise missiles. It provides a complex strategic approach to cruise missile fight and unites arms and various command levels.

The analysis of various-scope modern armed conflicts, strategic command-staff exercises and research results convincingly shows a trend of increased engagement of precision weapons and their massive use in a war. Experts believe cruise missiles should be fought at the strategic level and offer a model to fight them by a strategic group of troops engaged in an air operation in the theater of warfare, Retired Colonel PhD Military Sciences N. Simanenkov and Lieutenant-Colonel A. Burukhin write in the Military Thought theoretical journal.

The Heavy Hermes 900 drone used by Azerbaijan was created by Elbit Company with a normal aerodynamic scheme and V-shaped tail fins. The maximum takeoff weight is 1,100 kg. The wingspan is close to 15 meters. Hermes 900 can loiter at an altitude of 9100 meters (outside manpad range) for 40 hours. The payload may include an optical-electronic system or a radar with a synchronized aperture. In 2017, Azerbaijan had at least two Hermes 900 drones.

The Russian defense industry created over two dozen electronic warfare (EW) systems in the past five years which exceed foreign analogues. EW troops switched from traditional jamming to innovative solutions. The share of modern hardware exceeded 70 percent by the end of the year. EW units promote the operations of various arms and types of forces, the Independent Military Review writes.

Since 2000, Russia’s sole arms exporter, JSC Rosoboronexport (a subsidiary of state corporation Rostec), has delivered defense hardware worth some USD180 billion to its foreign customers, a spokesperson for the company told the TASS news agency on November 24 : “Since 2000, the [Rosoboronexport] company has exported systems worth approximately USD180 billion,” he said.

Russia’s air defense exports have amounted to approximately USD30 billion since late 2000, a spokesperson for JSC Rosoboronexport (a subsidiary of state corporation Rostec) told the TASS news agency on November 20 : “Since its establishment in November 2000, the company has exported air defense weapons worth some USD30 billion to its foreign customers,” he said. According to him, air defense items hold the second place in the structure of the entity’s export structure.

Since 2000, Russia’s exports of Kalashnikov assault rifles have amounted to more than 1,000,000 firearms, a spokesperson for the Rosoboronexport arms exporter (a subsidiary of state corporation Rostec) told the TASS news agency on November 19 : “More than 1,000,000 AKs in various configurations have been exported to 30 countries,” he said on the occasion of the company’s anniversary.

Russia’s exports of land hardware have exceeded 7,000 systems since 2000, a spokesperson for the Rosoboronexport arms exporting company (a subsidiary of Rostec) told the TASS news agency on November 18 : “Rosoboronexport has exported more than 7,000 land armored platforms worth approximately USD30 billion to 44 countries,” he said.

Army Recognition interviewed John M. Lazar, Oshkosh Defense Vice President and General Manager, International Programs, about the JLTV at the opportunity of the contract received from the Belgian Ministry of Defense for the supply of 322 JLTVs. The JLTV is already in service with Montenegro, Lithuania, and Slovenia. In Europe, United Kingdom and Portugal also showed interest to acquire JLTVs.

Russian and U.S. diplomats are discussing numerous issues for the prolongation of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START). The inclusion of new Russian strategic deterrence is considered. The Izvestia daily writes about the development stage of the weapons and which of them Russia can drop without detriment to the national security.

China is mulling amendments to its Law on National Defense amid profound changes in the world over the past two decades by adding key formulations, including threats to the country's development interests, as reasons for defense mobilization, and involvement in global security governance. Liu Xuanzun and Liu Caiyu report on Global Times (Chinese website).

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper spoke on Oct. 15 about Army modernization efforts that harness new technologies that will benefit the warfighter. His remarks were given during the Association of the United States Army's annual meeting. "Today, emerging technologies are expanding the geometry of the battlefield and transforming how we think about, prepare and plan for war," he said. David Vergun, U.S. DoD, reports.

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu summed up the results of Caucasus-2020 strategic command-staff exercise in the National Defense Command Center. The minister said the exercise engaged a total of 79,500 men and up to 280 tanks, 450 infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, 200 artillery guns and multiple launch rocket systems.

According to the official catalogue of the Kurgan Machine-building Plant (Kurganmashzavod, a subsidiary of Rostec’s holding High-Precision Weapons), since the beginning of the BMP-3’s mass production, more than 1,000 vehicles have been delivered to foreign customers, including the United Arab Emirates [UAE], Kuwait, South Korea, the Republic of Cyprus, Azerbaijan, and Indonesia.

The Caucasus-2020 strategic command-staff exercise was a key combat training exam and a platform to test new engagement tactic. One of the elements was the use of combat tank support vehicles (BMPT). They participated in several tactical episodes, supported offensive and defensive infantry and interacted with tanks, the Independent Military Review writes.