At a cost of $70 billion a year, Russia has the world's third-largest defence budget. For that, the state boasts 845,000 troops, 22,550 tanks, and 1,399 combat aircraft.
Though the country is perhaps not considered the superpower it once was, Russia's armed forces have gone through a significant transformation since President Vladimir Putin's re-election in 2012. The army is being split into smaller, more dynamic brigades. The focus is on new technologies rather than brute manpower. (For instance, this Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft system is basically a tank with a load of extra cannons sticking out of it.)
Here's a review of some of Russia's more menacing military machines.
Bora-class guided-missile hovercraft: This ship is actually a catamaran with a skirt that turns it into a hovercraft. Armed with eight Mosquito missiles and 20 anti-aircraft missiles, the ship has a crew of up to 68 sailors and a cruising speed of 100km per hour.
The Pantsir-S1: A combined short-to-medium range surface-to-air missile and anti-aircraft missile system. The system consists of 12 surface-to-air guided missiles and two 30-mm automatic guns effective against planes, helicopters, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles.
A virtually invisible submarine: The first of six diesel-electric stealth submarines, the Novorossiysk was launched from a St. Petersburg shipyard last year. Its designers say its stealth technology makes it virtually undetectable when submerged.
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