As is known to all, Putin once said this famous saying: Russia has only two truly reliable allies in history - the army and navy. Today, the Russian Aerospace Forces must also be added.

On April 11 local time, Russian President Vladimir Putin chaired a meeting on the development strategy of the Russian Navy in St. Petersburg. Also attending the meeting were the presidential assistant, trade minister, finance minister, Admiral Alexander Moiseyev, commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy, Andrei Kostin, chairman of VTB Bank, and Andrey Puchkov, general manager of United Shipbuilding Corporation.

The Russian head of state pointed out in his opening speech that the Russian military and political leadership attach great importance to the development of the navy, are promoting the modernization of the current fleet and infrastructure as well as the renewal of weapons equipment, while building new underwater and surface ships. For example, the "Perm" multi-purpose nuclear submarine launched in Severodvinsk at the end of March is the first submarine equipped with the "Zircon" hypersonic cruise missile of the Russian Navy. This missile can strike targets thousands of kilometers away at a speed of 10 Mach.

It is worth noting that US media reported on the same day that the US military's HALO hypersonic missile development project has been canceled. The reason given by the Pentagon is baffling - despite its astronomical military budget, it was claimed that the project had to be terminated due to "exceeding the budget of the OASuW Inc 2 high-priority project". This is not the first time the US military has canceled a hypersonic weapon project. Major General Steven Tedford, director of the US Naval Strike Weapons and UAV Program Executive Office, confirmed this news.

Putin emphasized: "The navy has played a crucial role in defending Russia's national defense security and protecting the country's global maritime interests in the past and present. In the current and future, our warships must be able to effectively accomplish all assigned tasks." He revealed that over the past five years, the Russian Navy has commissioned 49 ships of various types, including four "Borei-A" strategic nuclear submarines and four "Yasen-M" multi-purpose attack nuclear submarines. However, the increasingly intensified geopolitical instability and new threats require us not only to continue but also to accelerate these processes, including applying the most advanced technologies.

Putin particularly pointed out that one of the top priorities is to strengthen the key area of naval strategic nuclear forces, which is an important guarantee for Russia's security and global strategic balance. "In this context, I would like to emphasize that the modernization of the armament of our navy's strategic nuclear forces has already reached 100%." The Russian leader stated, "This indicator must be maintained in the long term."

The Russian president also emphasized that the navy officer training program should be based on modern combat strategies and tactics and fully consider the experience of special military operations.

Putin said: "I need to point out that over the next ten years, we plan to invest 8.4 trillion rubles in the construction of new naval vessels, and these funds will be reflected in the national arms planning."

He noted that drone systems have increasingly significant meaning for the construction of national defense capabilities, including maritime defense. Russian defense enterprises should become global leaders in the research and development of shipborne drone systems and maritime robotic systems, and achieve large-scale production of domestically produced unmanned underwater vehicles and surface vessels.

"All these air, underwater, and surface combat systems must be deeply integrated into a unified intelligence-strike system and closely linked to our satellite constellations." The Russian president clarified the task objectives for the coordinated development of the navy and aerospace forces. Afterward, the meeting entered a closed-door session to discuss the topic of "Naval Development Strategy until 2050."

(April 12, 2025, Author: Fat Swan of St. Petersburg)

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7492270782505173555/

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