Russia continues to develop innovative military technology which designers say are more capable than Western equivalents.
President Vladimir Putin recently announced a plan to spend $400 billion by 2020 to modernize the Russian military. In addition to the Armata tank and new amphibious assault ships, military sources have recently announced the development of two new artillery systems, according to Sputnik News.
New gun reportedly far more advanced than Western rivals
The designer of the new, self-propelled anti-aircraft artillery system claims that it will be far more powerful than its Western counterparts.
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“We are developing a 57 mm self-propelled artillery system for our antiaircrafters,” said Georgy Zakamennykh, head of the Burevestnik design bureau, during an interview with the RIA Novosti news agency.
Engineers at Burevestnik are also developing a rapid-fire cannon for the Russian Navy. “It’s up to the Navy command to take it onboard, along with our remote-controlled machineguns of various caliber,” Zakamennykh added.
Russia boasts several high-profile military research centers, and Burevestnik Central Scientific Research Institute is part of the Uralvagonzavod Corporation.
New anti-ship shells allow one-strike destruction
As well as the new cannons, Russian defense researchers are also working on delayed-action detonators which could allow ships to be sunk using just one strike.
Valery Lebedev, department head at the NIMI (Engineering Scientific Research Institute), states that the institute is working on programmable detonators for artillery shells which cause far greater damage to ships.
The shell penetrates the hull of the ship before detonating after a programmed delay, exploding inside the hull and causing widespread damage. The U.S. Navy is also reportedly working on a similar system which is part of the MEMS microchip project.
“The international trend that we follow is the creation of intellectual detonators which allow for the explosion of the shell in optimal temporal and spatial coordinates,” Lebedev said.
Lebedev went on to say that the new technology means fewer shells are needed to complete destroy naval, coastal and aerial targets. Alongside the advance in shell technology, the institute is also considering working on low-sensitivity explosives. Such materials would reduce the likelihood of unintentional detonation.