Новости – Digest
Digest
Good News: from new ships to information technologies
Launching of the icebreaker “Ilya Muromets” in Saint Petersburg. Photo by: Anatoly Medved /TASS
Despite domestic and foreign opposition, Russia keeps on working and developing and demonstrates promising results in various spheres
15 июня, 2016 16:30
7 мин
The last week was marked with a number of positive moments in Russian economy: from the first wheeling of a twin-engine short- to mid-range jet airliner Irkut MC-21 (“Airliner of the 21st Century”) to a humble reduction of interest rates by the Bank of Russia. Those are just few of many other achievements; some of them are listed below.
New ships
On June 10, at the Admiralty Shipyard in Saint Petersburg, an icebreaker of new generation was put afloat. Ilya Muromets, built on demand of the Russian Navy, is the first military icebreaker for the last 40 years, and first construction of the Project 21180 (tonnage – 6000 t, length – 84 m, beam – 20 m, hull height – 9.2 m, speed – 15 kn). One of the major features of the new vessel are steering units fixed outside of the hull by hinge mechanism. This enables the ship to freely rotate about its axis and move with its stern, bow or board ahead.
The vessel can break ice up to 1 meter thick, and the endurance of its autonomous passage is 12 thousand miles, which is almost twice the length of the Northeast Passage (distance from Murmansk to Yokohama is 5770 nautical miles). In addition to its main functions, the ship can freight cargo, put out fires and deal with oil leaks. Finally, Ilya Muromets features a helicopter pad.
In years to come, four more icebreakers of the Project 21180 will have been built at the Admiralty Shipyard. It should be reminded that the last Russian military icebreaker (Project 97B) had been completed back in the 1970s.
Two days prior to the launch of Ilya Muromets, on June 8, the second dredging vessel of the Project TSHD 1000 Kronschlot was launched from the Krasnoye Sormovo Shipyard in Nizhny Novgorod. The vessel’s characteristics are: length – 62,6 m, beam – 14 m, draft – 4.25 m, hold – 1000 cubic meters. Kronschlot is named after the first fortress of the island of Kronstadt.
Kronschlot’s big brother, dredging vessel Sommers, named after one of the rocky islands in the Gulf of Finland, had been put afloat back at the beginning of the current year.
The third ship of the same project, Kadosh (name of one of the capes extending into the Black Sea), is to be completed in the course of the following months.
Arctic Floating University
At the beginning of June, the research vessel Professor Molchanov set off to the sea for the eighth time with members of the Arctic Floating University on board. This time, the expedition celebrates the Year of Ecology in Russia.
The Arctic Floating University is the joint project of the Northern Federal University and Northern Directorate for Hydrometeorology and Monitoring of Environment. The aim of this expedition is to conduct environmental research and provide new experience for students and post-graduates, which is completely different from theorizing in lecture halls and libraries.
Besides, some territories of the High North, particularly Franz Josef Land, will be cleaned of the implications of human activity. The works will presumably begin in July when the weather is a little bit warmer.
Franz Joseph Land is an archipelago of 192 islands. It is part of the Primorsky District of the Arkhangelsk Oblast. Its territory is fully ice covered; there are no permanent residents. Average temperature in July varies from -1,2 to +1,6 Celsius.
All things Russian
The design and manufacturing company Russian Helicopters is planning to have transferred to the Russian program system Astra Linux by the end of 2018. This is expected to reduce the use of Microsoft production by 50% minimum. The Astra Linux had been designed for national security structures and services. It is capable to perform a wide variety of complex operations.
The use of domestic software is becoming a natural necessity in the sphere of state security. As the representatives of Russian Helicopters point out, “IT infrastructure that is based on foreign technologies can at any moment be left without tech support and modernization.”
Last but not least, implementation of Russian software will allow to reduce expenses on foreign systems and programs approximately by half.
Stars shining in Voronezh
The Russian developer and manufacturer of electronic warfare Sozvezdie (Russian for Constellation) is building a new factory in Voronezh where its headquarters are based. The factory will create 1000 more jobs and produce up to 200 thousand electronic modules each year. It is expected to launch operations by the end of 2016.
Sozvezdie is the leader of manufacturing of electronics in Russia. This conglomerate has already created 5000 jobs and netted 22 billion rubles in 2015 alone. Sozvezdie is part of the United Instrument Manufacturing Corporation within State Corporation Rostec. The conglomerate is comprised of twenty electronics manufacturers based all over the country. They produce equipment for military and special needs, and also dual-use goods and technologies.
Testing ground for Internet of things
The Internet Initiatives Development Fund and technology city of Innopolis in the Republic of Tatarstan have agreed to create the first Russian cross-industrial testing ground for project in such sphere as Internet of things. The Fund is ready to allocate up to 500 million rubles for these purposes.
Internet of things (IoT) is one of the fastest developing technologies of the modern world. Fantastic and futuristic projects connected with this phenomenon may well become reality sooner than we have expected. According to the body of analytical research, the number of people connected to Internet of things will have increased from 5.2 billion in 2016 to 25 billion in 2020. Russia has every opportunity to become one of the leaders in this global tendency.
For example, the Internet Initiatives Development Fund in cooperation with the Ministry of Industry and Trade are working on a road map for development of the technologies of IoT in the Russian Federation. First projects will be implemented in such spheres as smart urban infrastructure, medicine, agriculture and industry.
Tax benefits for cattle and poultry breeding
However ambitious technology projects may be, it is impossible to rise to greatness without proper nutrition. To increase the quality of breeding stock, the State Duma relieved from value added tax all “operations of realization (transition for individual needs) of pedigree cattle, breeding pigs, sheep, goats, horses, embryos and semen taken from them, and also pedigree poultry and eggs”. This benefit will remain in effect until the first day of 2021. The seller will have to have a pedigree certificate to receive this benefit. The expected result of this novelty is the fast increase of production rate in cattle and poultry breeding. Budget expenses are to be compensated by the increase of number of bargains in these industries. The ultimate result of this initiative will appeal not only to businessmen but to every Russian: prices of domestic products are expected to decrease.
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