Jets, Drones, Tanks – Moscow’s Army-2022 Showcases Newest Tech in the World of Modern Warfare

Russia’s Ministry of Defense has invited more than 1,300 arms and equipment manufacturers from 15 countries to showcase their products, with around 500 Russian and foreign journalists covering the event.

Hundreds of military and civilian vehicles are on display outside the Patriot Expo near Kubinka in the Moscow region. Some of them have a long history behind them. Others, like the Sukhoi Su-57 multirole stealth fighter jet have become stars of the Army Forum for the first time.

The Su-57 (NATO reporting name: Felon) is a direct competitor of the American F-35 and the Chinese J-20, and the technical characteristics of its air-to-air missiles reportedly outweigh certain drawbacks of the Felon’s stealth capabilities.

While domination in the skies remains one of the key advantages in modern warfare and conventional planes have great importance, a lot is being done in Russia to implement newer airborne technologies, such as unmanned aerial vehicles and means to combat them. Their effectiveness and use on the battlefield have increased enormously during Russia’s Special Military Operation in Ukraine, and it seems that this year’s Army Forum has a lot more UAV-related content than the previous one – from drones and drone jamming systems to flying targets.

The Tatarstan-based company Enics has brought several of its UAVs to Army-2022.

“What you see here are the so-called aerial target systems, or simply false targets,” Enics employee Leonid said. “They simulate subsonic maneuvering targets, such as cruise missiles, glide bombs and UAVs, and can be used for testing air defense systems. The E-95 model which we manufacture, has been deployed more than 1000 times already.”

No matter how sophisticated UAVs and drones may have become, there are always ways to counter them, and there is a variety of drone countermeasure technologies on display at Army-2022. The Moscow-based Defense Systems has parked its white pickup truck right by the exhibition’s entrance. It reads “Repellent Patrol” on the side, and houses equipment that can jam the signals of all small UAVs. The company underlines that the system is for civilian use, but it’s apparent that with minor modifications and a different carrier vehicle, it can be used on the battlefield.

According to Roman Lopyrev, who is the deputy chief of international sales and marketing at Defense Systems company, “Repellent Patrol” is capable of jamming radio signals of all types of small drones, including tactical ones, as well as quadcopters:

Besides the Army-2022 Forum, on Tuesday Patriot Park will be hosting another international event – the 10th Moscow Conference on International Security (MCIS), with arms and defense experts, as well as military top brass from all over the world in attendance.

Dozens of bilateral meetings on international military cooperation, as well as signing ceremonies for arms sales contracts are usually held on the sidelines of the Army Forum.

Besides the Army Forum, the Russian Ministry of Defense has organized the 8th International Army Games, which are being held simultaneously at 30 training grounds in 12 countries around the world, including Iran, Vietnam, Venezuela, Mongolia, Belarus, and others.

Some aerobatic performances are held right outside the Army Forum venue, at the nearby Kubinka airfield, and tank exercises can be seen at the Alabino range.

The Army Forum has been held annually since 2015, and even the COVID pandemic has not held it back, with the 2020 exhibition being one of the few major public events that were not canceled that year.