Failed weapons projects cause Russia to be surpassed by China

Russia has enviable cyber warfare skills, a massive military, deadly nuclear weapons and the world’s best electronic warfare capabilities. However, the newly released US National Security Strategy report has labeled China as a more formidable military rival than Russia, with Beijing being mentioned more than Moscow, according toBusiness Insider.

Military experts say that despite prioritizing defense development for decades, Russia has faced many economic difficulties in recent years, leading to a decline in its defense budget and consecutive failures in advanced weapons projects, causing them to be quickly surpassed by China.

Failed military projects

Since the Cold War, the US has always considered Russia as the top military threat, forcing NATO to make efforts to contain its influence in Europe. However, in recent years, Russia's military projects seem to have made no significant progress.

Russian President Vladimir Putin in March unveiled a series of nuclear "super weapons" that are said to be able to penetrate any shield in the world. However, military experts say the strategic advantage these "super weapons" bring to Moscow is not great.

Right fromIn the 1970s, the United States declaredTheir Minuteman III nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles are also capable of penetrating any Russian defense system. The development of nuclear weapons is mainly for deterrence purposes, and the possibility of using them to gain an advantage on the battlefield is extremely small.

Russia’s weapons systems near Eastern Europe have the ability to reach out and overwhelm NATO in some cases, but they are unlikely to provide much of an advantage to Russia in a conventional conflict. Under President Vladimir Putin, Russia has largely focused on unconventional warfare and cyberattacks to advance its foreign policy goals.

To catch up with the US in the field of non-nuclear military technology, Russia has made efforts to develop the Su-57 stealth fighter to directly compete with Washington's 5th generation F-35 and F-22 fighters.

During the development stage,The Su-57 is considered an aircraft model that can help Russia enter the "stealth era", combining cutting-edge technology, sensors and the superior maneuverability of Russian fighter jets.

However, Russia has only produced 12 Su-57 fighters for testing and evaluation purposes. The Russian Defense Ministry recently decided not to mass produce this expensive fighter model, but will focus on upgrading older generation fighters. Analysts say the lack of funding is the main reason why Russia has to put its "stealth dream" on hold.

Similar to the Su-57, the T-14 Armata tank was also designed by Russian engineers with breakthrough technologies to counter NATO's main battle tanks. The T-14 Armata was predicted to bring a revolution in tank design and manufacturing, but in the end, Russia was unable to put it into mass production, most likely due to a lack of funds to purchase in large quantities.

Observers say that with heavy sanctions from the West and the impact of the costly military campaign in Syria, Russia will not be able to increase its defense budget and invest more in advanced weapons projects in the near future, causing the country to fall further behind in the field of military technology.

The Rise of China

China’s defense industry was once underestimated compared to the United States and Russia, when the country had to buy and copy Russian weapons systems to serve its research program. But now, when Russia shows signs of losing steam, China is showing a breakthrough and surpassing in the field of high-tech warfare.

While Russia shelved the Su-57 project, China was the first country to directly compete with the US's monopoly in the field of stealth aircraft, with the successful development and deployment of the Chengdu J-20 fighter model, before the Su-57 completed the testing phase.

China has also invested heavily and achieved significant success in software and computing, pursuing both quantum computing and artificial intelligence.Beijing has even beaten Washington in a series of technology races, even when it is not going all out.

To strengthen its navy, China has developed a series of new anti-ship missiles, notably the "aircraft carrier killer" DF-21D, which can destroy the US Navy's absolute superiority at sea, forcing the Pentagon to struggle to find countermeasures.

To fulfill its ambition to reach out to the sea, China bought an old Soviet aircraft carrier to convert into a training ship, but now they have planned to build at least three new aircraft carriers with increasingly advanced technologies.

Meanwhile, Russia has only one aircraft carrier in service, the Admiral Kunetsov, which is technologically outdated. Moscow has postponed plans to build its only aircraft carrier until 2022, whileAdmiral KunetsovCan't go out to sea without a tugboat.

Commentator Alex Lockie argues that with a population ten times that of Russia and an economy that promises to "dethrone" the United States,Beijing is gradually replacing Moscow as Washington's number one threat.