Western Tech In Russian Weapons

Conflict Armament Research, a British-based independent investigation group, reveals that Russia uses foreign technology in its advanced missile systems and helicopters.

In its report, CAR said Saturday (September 3, 2022) that its field investigation team traveled to Ukraine in mid-July to document components that Ukrainian officials had recovered from Russian weapons.

CAR identified that components used in the weapons came from 144 non-Russian manufacturers supplied after 2014 when Russia illegally annexed the Ukrainian territory of Crimea, leading to sanctions from the European Union and the United States.

CAR found that four Russian weapons contractors -- Almaz-Antey Concern, Raduga Design Bureau, Splav State Research, and Novator Design Bureau -- use identical foreign components in the on-board satellite navigation signal receivers for their Kh-101, KH-59, and 3M14 cruise missiles, as well as 9M55K rockets.

“CAR continues to investigate the exact chains of custody to the Russian defense industry, mainly by tracing these components with their manufacturers to confirm their provenance and how they came to be present in Russian weapons,” the report reads.

Last month, a report by the Royal United Services Institute -- a British defense and security think tank -- found hundreds of foreign-made components in Russian weapon systems used in the Ukraine war.

In one case, RUSI identified 31 foreign components in a Russian 9M727 cruise missile, one of the country’s most advanced weapons. The parts came from companies that included U.S.-based Texas Instruments Inc and Advanced Micro Devices Inc, as well as Cypress Semiconductor, owned by Germany’s Infineon.