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could MIG-21 jets be converted to cruise missiles?
- Thread starter We7det_el_qetal
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One Australia has the Popeye and I don't think Australia has the need for a long range bomber let alone convert F111's to be UAV's. I think converting MIG-21 to cruise missiles would ber a good option for countries like russia which need a better strike capability and have a massive surplus of the jets. Just think an FAC or strike plane along with about 10 migs packed with explosives, that's pretty good.
Hello was i away for too long, russia in need of another cruise missile, Oh come on.
Will they not be better off improving the existing cruise missiles?
Now with my dear India, i might take in the press hoopla over MiG 21s being flying coffins and what not (the air force guys deny this http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Info/Aircraft/MiG-Tipnis.html and http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/MONITOR/ISSUE2-4/rupak.html) and say yes.
Will they not be better off improving the existing cruise missiles?
Now with my dear India, i might take in the press hoopla over MiG 21s being flying coffins and what not (the air force guys deny this http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Info/Aircraft/MiG-Tipnis.html and http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/MONITOR/ISSUE2-4/rupak.html) and say yes.
Russia doesn't have any MiG-21 left really. We're talking China and India, mostly, in particular the first.
I bet they do, they are just hidden away in that vast country of theres...I'm guessing that they probably have a field just like Davis-Monthan AFB... Well they could convert that whole fleet ie. UAV B-52's, F4's, F5's, F15's, F-14's etc.
I guess if it is economical to do so(instead of just producing a missile), after basic R&D they can be ready for this, just in case, its not like the technology involved is anything complex.
If scrapping them (the old migs) is more expensive than wasting some land on them (well here i must say they have a lot of empty land), however i am sure that selling these metal beasts for scrap will get them lots of money.
There should be something on google earth if a huge russian field exists.
Converting planes that have been lying around for a long time into flying drones, i dont know about that, once tried converting a old junk of a car into something like a new machine, the estimates that were shown to me by the mechanic were a shock.
The airplanes might be far more complex and expensive (to reacivate).
I don't think the Mig-21 would be at a viable proposition.
As I said something more like the F-111 you start getting into the type of aircraft with the range, payload, sensors, power, space, controls it starts to make sense. Over say a missile. And they don't make UAV's generally that size. The swing wing design could be very useful for long endurance flights with additional tanks etc. Providing long loiter times etc.
Mig 25 might start getting into a very interesting area. With its high speed/ceiling etc. Making it a UAV might make a really good cheap sat launch platform. With the pilot taken out of the equation it no longer has to be man rated, and given the circumstances could make an interesting addition. It would have the sort of power to run a lot of sensors etc as well.
Strap a 15 ton rocket engine onto it and it could make a very weird reuseable platform.
Its exactly the sort of plane that if used in a high risk manner, could throw some really spanners into the mix..
A Mig-25 going bannanas burning its engine out decending from some impossible height towards some formation at beyond mach 3.2, pulling some airframe bending manourver before firing a volly of missiles before attracting a huge amount of fire would be one very interesting operation. It could create the confusion, chaos or mistakes you need.
If they have F-22's and you have a few old Mig-25 it would proberly be the most effective way of using them.
As I said something more like the F-111 you start getting into the type of aircraft with the range, payload, sensors, power, space, controls it starts to make sense. Over say a missile. And they don't make UAV's generally that size. The swing wing design could be very useful for long endurance flights with additional tanks etc. Providing long loiter times etc.
Mig 25 might start getting into a very interesting area. With its high speed/ceiling etc. Making it a UAV might make a really good cheap sat launch platform. With the pilot taken out of the equation it no longer has to be man rated, and given the circumstances could make an interesting addition. It would have the sort of power to run a lot of sensors etc as well.
Strap a 15 ton rocket engine onto it and it could make a very weird reuseable platform.
Its exactly the sort of plane that if used in a high risk manner, could throw some really spanners into the mix..
A Mig-25 going bannanas burning its engine out decending from some impossible height towards some formation at beyond mach 3.2, pulling some airframe bending manourver before firing a volly of missiles before attracting a huge amount of fire would be one very interesting operation. It could create the confusion, chaos or mistakes you need.
If they have F-22's and you have a few old Mig-25 it would proberly be the most effective way of using them.
The Russians must have 100s of MiG-21s, for spares, foreign sales/modernisation, and in reserves.
http://englishrussia.com/?p=533
http://englishrussia.com/?p=533
IMO, MiG-27 would also make impressive UCAV, both for recon and ground attack. Also, Su-20 series are similar to MiG-21:
I wouldn't use a lot of hangar space for them- but just a few recon/bomber UCAVs may not be a bad choice for retired
Su-24s are also not without potential of being used as UCAVs:
So, as far as MiG-21s are concerned, they aren't the best aircraft to choose from for CM conversion!
The USAF estimate 2 years ago was approx $3-4m for a QF-16 conversion.
On another note, the chinese aren't using Mig21's anyway, they've already started modding aircraft about 3 years ago.
These aircraft are located in the "first band" of airbases.
hey gary, what do you mean by "modding aircraft"?
There's apparently already evidence of Tier 3 aircraft being used as QF assets. Principally F-6's but I also believe F-7's.
China has a bucket load of old aircraft that they can turn into drones with the idea of swamping air defences. Every threatening contact needs to be dealt with and for ships the added danger is that you could easily run out of SAMs and leave yourself and your HVUs open to destruction.
JED ran some numbers a few years ago on the PLAAF use of QF aircraft in a cross Strait event.
The assumption is that PLAAF will deploy QF-6's and QF-7's in an attempt to overwhelm ROC defence and discrimination systems.
The fact that there has been a gradual build up of QF designated aircraft along the Tier 1 airfield belt (ie, the immediate 0-150 km band from the shoreline) seems to lend credence to it.
In rough terms it costs a similar amount to fully qualify a fighter pilot as it does to effect a QF conversion. (plus there are a whole pile of other advantages)
A jet converted to a drone in absolute terms is a QF deployable asset.
The reason is that in older aircraft, even though you may retrofit new control systems, you will not reharness the aircraft. The newer the aircraft (eg an F-16) then the easier it is to reharness if neccessary (ie cabling runs are modular, panel access is easier, there is merit in changing over to a lighter harness etc...)
In older aircraft such as the J-7's they are using kapton cabling. they are at an age where any attempt to remove the kapton could destabilise the sheathing and render the platform a flying accident. (it might not happen today, but it will happen). In absolute terms, a reharness on an older aircaft is a major pulldown event and akin to a centre barrel replacement as it must go through the same pull down requirements.
If you don't reharness the aircraft then you still have a platform that can be used as a missileer or bomb truck.
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oh you mean drones, yeah I read about that too. Heard that they are adding navigation system and attack system to those F-6 drones. But yeah, they are pretty much just used as a bomb trucks.
If china told mexico it would forgive their debt for a base on the board near the USA, mexico would do it. Then all they would need is a bunch of Twin Prop Jobs to fly on whatever bomb or whatever they want. Our radar can't stop it how do you think drug dealers fly so much in every year. It's a numbers game our skys are so full of 300-500 mph planes and jets that our controllers don't even watch the traffic beyond X amount of miles from the airports they are based which leave no time should a plane be found on it's way in with a bad load or something else. This makes prop jobs of the business class private planes a bigger threat in my mind. As far as converting them to a cruise weapon easy. My company has software for that now that with in a couples of weeks we could modify for said use. The machanics of it are off the shelf to convert a slower(500mph) plane to a cruise missile. Think about it.