Russian Air Force News & Discussion

C

colay

New Member
Maybe the Russians took a cue from LM who have proposed an unmanned F-35 variant.

I guess if you could reliably link a remote pilot into the jet's fusion engine, he would enjoy a 360-deg. spherical SA just as if he was on board the aircraft.

Lockheed Martin reveals plans for unmanned F-35 JSF among other new UAV concepts

Lockheed Martin reveals plans for unmanned F-35 JSF among other new UAV concepts

An optionally-manned F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is among designs being studied by Lockheed Martin as it races to catch up with other unmanned air vehicle (UAV) system developers...
Lockheed’s Palmdale, California-based Advanced Development Programmes organisation – better known as the Skunk Works – has developed concepts for both optionally piloted and dedicated unmanned versions of the F-35. The unmanned version has extra fuel in place of the cockpit.
 
Feanor

Feanor

Super Moderator
Staff member
Meanwhile MiG has just announced that they're renaming the MiG-29M/M2 to the MiG-35. In other words the real MiG-35, with AESA and all the other modern features, is so far from being ready that for marketing reasons they're going to try and sell the current Fulcrum variant under that name.

bmpd -
 
Klaus

Klaus

New Member
In the new AIR International there are several articles written by Piotr Butowski concerning Russian aircraft and the VVS.

The report on MAKS 2013 includes an overview of current MoD orders. The total number of Su-30s to be procured is now 110, of which 80 (20 M2 and 60 SM) have already been ordered. The target numbers for the Su-34 and Su-35 still stand at 124 and 96 respectively.

Another article sums up the latest developments in the Mi-28 program. Of the 167 Mi-28N ordered, about 70 have been delivered to five bases. In total ten attack helicopter units will reequip with the Mi-28N and Mi-28UB.
The first flight of the planned Mi-28NM version, which will have a radar, is scheduled for 2015, so initial deliveries will probably not take place in the near future. The radar planned for the Mi-28NM and for retrofit to existing Mi-28Ns is apparently far from being ready for service.

There is still some confusion about the MiG-35. Some sources say deliveries will start in 2015, others claim in 2016, while there is still speculation whether the aircraft will be bought at all. The VVS intends to acquire at least 28 of the type. In the meantime an updated version of the MiG-29SMT, which features the MiG-35's radar and weapons suite, will enter service. 16 to 36 of these will be ordered by the MoD.
 
Feanor

Feanor

Super Moderator
Staff member
It's a 16+16 contract, so up to 32 SMTs.

Overall this is a fairly massive re-armament, but the aircraft are hardly well chosen.
 
Klaus

Klaus

New Member
There it was written "an order for 16 and options for about 20 more". 32 would make sense as they still got 4 surplus SMTs from the initial batch.
I think the Su-30 is a good choice anyway. It's an affordable and mature multi-role aircraft and certainly more capable than the MiGs. Besides that no one knows for sure when the T-50 will be available in reasonable numbers.
What I can't understand is why the MoD still refuses to cut the order for the Mi-28.
That helicopter is clearly inferior to the AH-64 and also the Ka-52, and it's not even significantly cheaper.
 
C

Crunchy

New Member
I reallly hope that Russia will use the A/B/C/D or Block XX designation for the PAKFA. All those different Su-27/30 versions It's confusing.
 
Feanor

Feanor

Super Moderator
Staff member
Crunchy said:
I reallly hope that Russia will use the A/B/C/D or Block XX designation for the PAKFA. All those different Su-27/30 versions It's confusing.
Click to expand...
There will probably be relatively few variants. The Su-27 family has so many different variants because of the exports, and the chaos following the collapse of the USSR. A lot of it was very poorly planned.
 
J

Jonton

New Member
I never found it so confusing to be honest - the differences between the Su27, Su33, Su30 and Su34 all seemed quite clear. But I think the USSR always had a history of this - look at all of the different Yak variants during the second world war. Yak 1, 3, 7, 9.
 
Feanor

Feanor

Super Moderator
Staff member
No the Flanker designation issue is pretty messed up. There's an Su-27S and Su-27P. There's an Su-27M which is an Su-35. There's an Su-30 which is a modified Su-27UB, Su-30K, Su-30KI, Su-30M which is also an Su-30MK, Su-30M2 which is also an Su-30MK2. However an Su-27K is an Su-33, while an Su-27S is also an Su-27SK. There's also an Su-27SM and SMK, there are Su-27SM2, and Su-27SM3. There's an Su-30MKI which is also an Su-30SM, there's a Su-30MKM, and MKV.

The rest are fairly simple. An Su-35BM is also an Su-35S, but completely unrelated to the Su-27M/Su-35. There's an Su-37, but it's a non-production prototype that doesn't matter. There's also the Su-34.
 
ASSAIL

ASSAIL

The Bunker Group
Verified Defense Pro
Feanor said:
No the Flanker designation issue is pretty messed up. There's an Su-27S and Su-27P. There's an Su-27M which is an Su-35. There's an Su-30 which is a modified Su-27UB, Su-30K, Su-30KI, Su-30M which is also an Su-30MK, Su-30M2 which is also an Su-30MK2. However an Su-27K is an Su-33, while an Su-27S is also an Su-27SK. There's also an Su-27SM and SMK, there are Su-27SM2, and Su-27SM3. There's an Su-30MKI which is also an Su-30SM, there's a Su-30MKM, and MKV.

The rest are fairly simple. An Su-35BM is also an Su-35S, but completely unrelated to the Su-27M/Su-35. There's an Su-37, but it's a non-production prototype that doesn't matter. There's also the Su-34.
Click to expand...
Very Monty Pythonesque:D
 
alexkvaskov

alexkvaskov

New Member
Feanor

Feanor

Super Moderator
Staff member
alexkvaskov said:
Not to mention the Il-112 project that just might get resurrected..
Click to expand...
Heh yeah. It's getting pretty silly. These days almost any new aerospace project in Russia, that has no market and wants government support, tries to get it from the military.
 
R

Rimasta

Member
I did some research and found many differing answers, so I'm hoping I could get a little clarification. Is there a NATO code name for the Sukhoi PAK-FA or a planned codename?
 
Feanor

Feanor

Super Moderator
Staff member
Well it looks like the Eleron-3SV UAV has finally made it into service, as part of the BPDM Tayfun-M. It has nothing to do with the MRAPs, the BPDM is a BTR-80/82 based security vehicle, that also carries a pair of UAVs. A grainy photo of the UAV in flight, at the Serpukhovskaya RVSN training center.

http://militaryrussia.ru/i/284/758/LUMMD.jpg

The source: http://militaryrussia.ru/blog/topic-758.html

To be honest it would make a lot more sense to start Eleron-3SV procurement for all short-range UAVs for the Land Forces. But to the best of my knowledge Grusha procurement is continuing alongside the more modern Orlan. Looks like they're going to end up with the same zoo of equipment in UAVs, that they have in everything else.

Meanwhile the industry is lobbying for continuing production of the Israeli Searcher Mk2, under license in Russia, for the VVS, while the Altius and Inohodets UAVs are still under development.
 
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