Russia leads successful third launch of new rocket
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On Monday, the Russian Angara-A5 heavy-lift rocket was launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome.
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The last launch of the heavy-class Angara rocket took place in December 2020.
Russia has launched its new heavy-class Angara rocket for the third time, the first developed since the Soviet Union fell apart 30 years ago.
Roscosmos said late Monday that a simulated cargo had been launched from Plesetsk in northern Russia by the next-generation Angara-A5 rocket.
After its first flight in 2014, this was the new rocket's third launch.
"Roscosmos congratulates the military-space forces and the entire Russian space industry," the agency said in a statement, calling the launch "successful".
The Defense Ministry added, "All prelaunch operations and the launch of the Angara-A5 rocket took place properly."
The last launch of the heavy-class Angara rocket took place in December 2020.
What about the Angara rockets?
The Angara rockets, named after a Siberian river that runs out of Lake Baikal, were the first new launcher family developed after the fall of the Soviet Union.
They will take the place of the Proton rockets, which were initially launched in the 1960s and have been beset by problems in recent years.
The new rockets, according to President Vladimir Putin, will resuscitate Russia's space sector and reduce the country's reliance on former Soviet states.
Officials believe that the heavy-class Angara rocket is better for the environment than its predecessors since it runs on oxygen and kerosene instead of the very poisonous heptyl.
The Russian space program launched the first satellite four years before sending the first man into space in 1961.
Russia holding talks on exports of S-400
Russia is holding talks on exports of anti-missile defense systems S-400 Triumph with several states, Russia Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation Spokeswoman Valeria Reshetnikova told Sputnik.
"At the moment, several states are working out a deal on the purchase of S-400, negotiations are underway," Reshetnikova said in an interview.
Russia inks 1st export deal for new NATO-standard assault rifle
In an interview with Sputnik, Valeria Reshetnikova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC), said Russia signed its first export contracts for the newly built AK-19 assault rifle, which uses NATO caliber rounds of ammunition, in 2021.
The AK-19 was initially shown to a global audience in February during the International Defense and Exhibition Conference 2021 in Abu Dhabi. The Middle East and other countries whose armed forces utilize NATO ammunition are expected to show interest in Russia's Kalashnikov armaments producer.
"This product has attracted great interest. Also, the first contracts for AK-19 exports have already been signed in 2021," Reshetnikova said.
The new assault rifle is based on the AK-12, but it fires NATO 5.5645mm cartridges and has Picatinny rails, a telescoping stock, a new dioptrical sight, and a suppressor that can be readily removed.
According to the manufacturer, it is reliable and effective in hot, humid temperatures and dusty environments.
