Vladimir Putin has ordered his military to modernise and create "intelligent weapons", the country's Deputy Prime Minister has warned.

The announcement comes just weeks after the country's rustbucket aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov was mocked as it belched out acrid smoke while steaming through the English Channel towards Syria.

But Dmitry Rogozin says Russia is ready to unleash a hi-tech military within years.

He told Russian news agency TASS:  "Much has been done, we have made major technological progress.

"But everything that has been made was designed in the Soviet era.

"I can feel it in my bones that we won't be able to advance using only innovations of the past.

"Even the Syrian campaign has shown that the future belongs to robotics and unmanned aircraft.

"We are moving towards intelligent weapons because we need them."