Russia’s Airborne Force to get advanced anti-tank missile systems

Russia’s Airborne Force will receive advanced Kornet-D1 self-propelled anti-tank missile systems within two years, Airborne Force Commander Colonel-General Andrei Serdyukov said, TASS reports.

"Joint state trials will be held in the next two years and new Kornet-D1 self-propelled anti-tank systems will start arriving for the troops," the commander said.

In the next two years, the Russian Airborne Force is also expected to get Taifun special task armored vehicles air-droppable by parachutes, and also standardized Bakhcha-U-PDS parachute systems for airdropping BMD-4M airborne infantry fighting vehicles and BTR-MDM armored personnel carriers with crews inside them from Il-76 planes. Over the same period, the Airborne Force will receive airborne training simulators to practice operating Arbalet special parachute systems from parachute-jumping to landing.

An official ceremony was held in Ulyanovsk on April 28 to transfer a set of BMD-4M and BTR-MDM (Rakushka) combat vehicles to the 31st separate Guards air assault division. Overall, about 50 items of the most advanced weaponry were transferred to paratroopers.