World news

An international scientific conference on military and technical problems will take place during the international weapons and defense technology expo MILEX 2017,  learned from representatives of the State Defense Industries Committee of Belarus.

In 2017 the international scientific conference on military and technical problems will be held in the format of panel sessions at premises of Belarusian defense enterprises to discuss eight main areas of interest.

The areas of interest include geoinformation control systems and automated systems to control weapons and troops; radio communication systems; systems to counter high-precision weapons, radio warfare systems, radar intelligence systems, and radio technology intelligence systems; the modern state and problems involved in improving radio electronics for military purposes and dual purposes; weapon mobility systems; Belarusian electronics components as the foundation for creating competitive radio electronics products.

Participants of the conference will discuss R&D efforts involved in creating and producing new and promising technologies and materials, equipment and instruments for defense and security purposes, dual-use technologies. Proposals will be worked out to advance and bolster military technology cooperation and scientific cooperation, to determine ways of integration and manufacturing cooperation with CIS and non-CIS states. Ways to advance and step up science-intensive products and raise the scientific and technological potential of the Republic of Belarus will be determined.

The previous international scientific conference on military and technical problems in 2014 gathered 354 representatives of defense industry companies from Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. As many as 83 reports were delivered.

The Belarusian Armed Forces have started a complex exercise to check combat readiness of a number of army units, representatives of the Belarusian Defense Ministry told.

The Belarusian army readiness exercise began on 30 January. The exercise is supposed to improve the combat readiness of Belarusian army units to carry out their missions. It will improve the cohesive operation of military administration bodies, the ability of commanding officers to manage their troops in various circumstances, and the ability of army units to prepare for carrying out their assigned missions within a specified timeframe.

Various army units will be involved in the combat readiness exercise. The national air defense system will be tested with control targets. A dynamic environment will be created for the troops involved. Their knowledge of military hardware and materiel will be tested as well as the ability to act with limited time and information. About 30 Belarusian army units will be tested. About 3,000 reservists will be recalled to active duty for the duration of the exercise, too.

Six helicopters Mi-8MTV-5 were solemnly handed over to the 50th air base of the Belarusian Air Force and Air Defense Command.

The solemn ceremony took place in Machulishchi, Minsk District on 28 November. It was the first batch of helicopters delivered as part of the contract on acquiring 12 military helicopters Mi-8MTV-5 from the Russian holding company Russian Helicopters. The contract was signed during the international defense technology expo Army 2015 in Russia.

The next batch of six helicopters is supposed to be delivered in 2017.

The Mi-8MTV-5 helicopter model is fitted with modern piloting, navigation, radio communication, and targeting solutions. The model is designed to carry out a number of tasks, including combat and transport operations. The body has been redesigned to increase the cargo load. The number of seats has been increased by a third. Now a Mi-8MTV-5 helicopter can land up to 35 paratroopers or transport up to 12 injured, who are accompanied by medics.

The helicopter has been fitted with a direct deployment system that allows four paratroopers to rope down to the ground at the same time. The piloting equipment has been fitted with night vision solutions. The helicopter is capable of carrying out missions in day and night time at low altitudes in complicated weather conditions in addition to being able to land and lift off in greenfield conditions.

During the handover ceremony three helicopter crews demonstrated how paratroopers can be deployed in complicated weather conditions.

The Mi-8 helicopter has been in production for decades and has become recognized as one of the world's best helicopters in its category. So far over 12,000 helicopters have been made and sold to over 100 countries.

The second batch of Mi-8 helicopters will be delivered to Belarus in late May – early June 2017, learned from Belarusian Defense Minister Andrei Ravkov during the ceremony held on 28 November to hand over six Mi-8MTV-5 combat and transport helicopters to the 50th air base of the Belarusian Air Force and Air Defense Command.

The Belarusian Defense Minister said he believes that the new helicopters will be mastered by the personnel as soon as possible. “By late May — early June we are going to get another six helicopters and will use a full-fledged squadron,” said Andrei Ravkov.

The contract on acquiring 12 military helicopters Mi-8MTV-5 from the holding company Russian Helicopters was signed during the international defense technology expo Army 2015 in Russia.

Director General of the Russian company Alexander Mikheyev noted that the handover of the first batch of helicopters made by the Kazan helicopter company to the Belarusian air base was an important event for the Russian helicopter industry. “These helicopters are some of the world's best. They have earned a good reputation in all the hot spots and special operations. We will honor our contractual commitments on time and in a quality manner. We are going to provide maintenance support to these helicopters through their lifecycle as part of the existing contracts,” he stated.

According to the source, the contract was a high-priority one for the Russian company. “We fulfilled all the requirements of the Belarusian side in full. The options were chosen to match requirements of the Belarusian Air Force and bearing in mind what kind of missions the helicopters will carry out later on. We intended to produce a helicopter capable of flying in any weather in day and night conditions and carrying out versatile missions,” said Alexander Mikheyev.

After the handover ceremony Chief of the General Staff of the Belarusian army, First Deputy Defense Minister Oleg Belokonev talked to reporters. He pointed out that the modernization of the Belarusian army proceeds in accordance with the schedule. “We have plans for all the stages. Getting the rather unique helicopters [Mi-8MTV-5] is one of the stages. It is a remarkable machine that has been seen in all the hot spots of the planet. It is a very effective fire support instrument and a good transport vehicle,” he said.

The Mi-8MTV-5 helicopter model is fitted with modern piloting, navigation, radio communication, and targeting solutions. The model is designed to carry out a number of tasks, including combat and transport operations. The body has been redesigned to increase the cargo load. The number of seats has been increased by a third. Now a Mi-8MTV-5 helicopter can land up to 35 paratroopers or transport up to 12 injured, who are accompanied by medics.

The helicopter has been fitted with a direct deployment system that allows four paratroopers to rope down to the ground at the same time. The piloting equipment has been fitted with night vision solutions. The helicopter is capable of carrying out missions in day and night time at low altitudes in complicated weather conditions in addition to being able to land and lift off in greenfield conditions.

The Mi-8 helicopter has been in production for decades and has become recognized as one of the world's best helicopters in its category. So far over 12,000 helicopters have been made and sold to over 100 countries.

Major General Oleg Polguyev, Commander of the contingent of Russia at the maneuvers, has informed today that Russian, Belarusian and Serbian special forces soldiers defeated a group of imaginary terrorists and freed hostages during the “Slavic Brotherhood 2016” maneuvers.

International tactical maneuvers “Slavic Brotherhood 2016” have been held from the 2nd until the 15th of November near Belgrade. Subunits of the Armed Forces of Russia, Belarus and Serbia have been participating in them.

“The main forces air dropped during the first stage of the maneuvers near Kovin aerodrome have moved forward to the area of Oresac firing range where they blocked a large terrorist group holding hostages. Russian, Belarusian and Serbian special forces groups having landed from Mi-8 helicopters have assaulted a building and freed hostages directly on the firing range”, Mr. Polguyev said.

“After the evacuation of the hostages, the military of the three countries have successfully accomplished the task of destruction of a camp of illegal armed groups with the fire support of Serbian infantry combat vehicles”, the General added.