Tri-Service

Russia To Spend £40 Billion Uniting Air Defences

Russia has announced that it's to spend £40 billion reorganising its armed forces.

The move comes in response to the perceived danger of NATO missile and air strikes.

The new military formation will be called the "Aerospace Forces", and will include Russia's Air Force, anti-missile defences and 'space forces.'

They'll be armed with S-400 and S-500 missile systems, aimed at protecting Russia from air and space-based attacks.

Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu told the state-backed Tass news agency:

“Air forces, anti-missile defences and space forces will be under a unified command structure.”

He added that the formation of the new Aerospace Forces was a result of the growing importance of air and space components in modern warfare.

State television, meanwhile, said the forces would protect Russia from "any attack from air or space."