You can tell that a company is in a very bad state when despite selling almost as many warbirds as Dassault in the last decade, customers are vary of long term support. Present users of MiG-29 do no even want to evaluate MiG-35 (Malaysia) and are replacing 29's after just a decade and half of service, despite Mikoyan promising a load carrying capability of Rafale or SH, the speed and acceleration of Typhoon and a flyaway cost of Gripen.
Havaarla you were wondering about Flankers in service. I addition to the squadron at Khotilovo, it appears there are two squadrons in Petrozavodsk. There are also at least two squadrons maybe three at airbase 6972. One of them is the SM3 unit. There may be a number of them in Center MD, but I'm not sure.
Over all this accounts for 5 regiments out of the 7 that existed pre-reform.
2 regiments of SMs, 1-1.5 regiments in South MD, and 1.5 regiments in West MD.
MOSCOW, February 22 (RIA Novosti)
The Russian Defense Ministry is planning to buy at least 45 light multipurpose helicopters from a foreign manufacturer, Vedomosti daily said on Wednesday.
The paper cited a defense industry source as saying that a contract worth over 6 billion rubles ($201 mln) for the purchase of fifteen AS350 and thirty AS355 Ecureil helicopters made by Eurocopter is in the works.
The Defense Ministry may order a total of 100 helicopters of this type mainly for training purposes.
A joint venture with Eurocopter could be set up for the assembly of AS350/355 in Russia, the source said.
The purchase of light helicopters abroad shows the urgent need for light helicopters by the Russian military, as domestic Ansats and Ka-226s are just entering the market while the Mi-34 is still under testing.
The Eurocopter AS350 is a single-engined light helicopter while the AS355 is a twin-engine variant. Both versions have been produced since the mid-1970s and sales remain strong.
Russian Military Plans to Buy Foreign Helicopters – Media | Defense | RIA Novosti
An interesting angle of the Pak FA that shows that something is happening with the way the engine inlets are designed.
Maybe Sukhoi will get a lot of money for it, but as we all know the Chinese are masters of copy-paste....It starting to look like China actually did request some Su-35S last year after all..
If true, so much for China not interesting in the Su-35S
China requests Su-35 fighter buy
I'm sure China are willing to pay copious amount of funding here..
Cause those units will not come cheap, at all.
Ofcourse the next issue now is; are Russia interesting in ToT much of their hard earned High-tech radar and engines to China?
And if this indeed is a large order, what does this tell us about the current status of PLAAF deveopment and proccurment capability?
Edit:
It looks like the 4th Serial Su-35S been delivered too.
Maybe Sukhoi will get a lot of money for it, but as we all know the Chinese are masters of copy-paste....
The Russian Defense Ministry has signed a contract with aircraft maker MiG for the delivery of 20 MiG-29K and four MiG-29KUB carrier-based fighter aircraft, MiG said on Wednesday.
Russia Signs Contract for Navy MiG-29K Fighter | Defense | RIA Novosti
I must say.. VVS are in a state of mass ordering and proccurment phase that has no historical equall sine SU times..
When VVS and Navy finely bags(signing) that Su-30SM deal, they will get new fighters and upgrades which is only compairable to US and then some.
Until the F-35 finnish all the LIRP production that is..
So whats next for VVS after those Su-30SM, some follow ups on those Su-35S and Su-34 deals i guess..
@Feanor: As I understood it, only 5 Ka 226 were delivered, the rest will be handed
over over the course of this year.
If the Ka 226 is already in service, what would the Air Force need the Eurocopter Fennec for?
It's a follow-on contract, now 124 are on order. They are going to be delivered until 2020 and will replace the largest part of the VVS's current inventory of Su 24s (220 or so).
Afaik 15 have already been delivered, with 10 more planned for this year. So another 99 would have to be built within the next seven years.
Wow!
Feanor, u nailed this one nicly.
I guess a congratulation is in order.
Well done Sukhoi.
Yeah i know, you'll have to excuse my entusiasm on the matter though.
Ok, the nearest country that are in a position to sign a Su-34 export deal would be India.
Isn't those new Super MKI configurated to carry brahmos etc. It sounds to me it is indeed planned for a strike and NC role.
That would imply an conciderable weight increase for those MKI..
And No doubt they will be the most expensive Flankers ever exported.
Now that Russia has sign a long term Su-34 contract, which should help reducing the fly away cost to some degree.
The way i see it, IAF should instead opt for 2-3 Sqads of Su-34 instead.
And the shared chain of supply & logistic parts from MKI to Su-34 should not have any negative impact.
Anyway, the next contract should be those IRKUT produced Su-30SM.
Remins to see if a contract will come this year, IAPO are currently engaged in the Yak-130 production and MS-21 re-tooling phase.
Do Su-30SM deliveries are still some year ahead.