Russian Air Force News & Discussion

Klaus

Klaus

New Member
In the news section of the latest AIR International there are several articles concerning the Russian Air Force.
Dmitrij Rogozin announced that until 2020 about 250 new transport aircraft will be delivered, including 60 An 70s, 100 new Il 76/476 and 15 An 124 Ruslan. Another 10 Ruslans will be upgraded over the next years.
The two Tu 214Rs ordered by the MoD will be handed over in 2013 and not this year, as it was planned.
After having completed work on the Ka 52Ks radar, Phazotron is now concentrating on a new radar, which is probably destined for the Mi 28MN.
The most interesting announcement, to me, was that MiG plans to deliver 24 combat aircraft to the Russian armed forces and foreign customers this year. As the author writes about new aircraft, does this mean that the first MiG 29K will be handed over on 2012? (afaik there are no other Mig jets on order at the moment)
 
Feanor

Feanor

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Klaus said:
(afaik there are no other Mig jets on order at the moment)
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That's not true. There are MiG-29S orders from Myanmar, and MiG-29M2 orders from Syria, as well as MiG-29K for the AVMF and for India.

EDIT: There are also MiG-29 upgrade orders for iirc Peru, India, and some East-European NATO member. There might even be upgrade orders for VVS MiG-29S models, though that's unlikely. MiG might even be in the business of doing overhauls for the VVS. Deliver doesn't necessarily mean new aircraft.

On an unrelated note, a Russian blogger recently visited AirGroup 4 of Airbase 6983, the former 22nd Gds Regiment at Centralnaya Uglovaya. This unit was previously reported flying Su-27SM. The blogger was told that the unit now flies the Su-27SM2! The unit also normally has two Su-27UB and Su-30M2, but all three are out for overhauls/repairs. There's a cockpit shot there.

No details were given as to how these SM2s differ from the SMs used by another airgroup, at Dzemgi. It's entirely possible that these SM2s have nothing to do with the original SM2 project which was supposedly a retrofit of the Su-35S gear to the legacy Su-27S, and may simply be the nomenclature for the contents of the SM3 package when applied to an older airframe (as opposed to the new SM3s that operate out of Krymsk).

The full photo report is here. Unfortunately text is in Russian.

http://alexeyvvo.livejournal.com/17584.html?view=35504#t35504
 
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Klaus

Klaus

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@Feanor: I meant that the VVS and VMF don't have new MiG 29s on order, besides from the 24 MiG 29K/KUB. The planned order for the MiG 35 hasn't been placed yet, or am I wrong at this?
 
Feanor

Feanor

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Klaus said:
@Feanor: I meant that the VVS and VMF don't have new MiG 29s on order, besides from the 24 MiG 29K/KUB. The planned order for the MiG 35 hasn't been placed yet, or am I wrong at this?
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No orders have been placed, and to the best of my knowledge the MiG-35 hasn't passed state trials.
 
Klaus

Klaus

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That's a bit surprising as under the current State Arms Program the VVS are obliged to buy 48 MiG 35 until 2020. Originally service entry had been planned for 2014, but this looks more than doubtful.
 
Feanor

Feanor

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Klaus said:
That's a bit surprising as under the current State Arms Program the VVS are obliged to buy 48 MiG 35 until 2020. Originally service entry had been planned for 2014, but this looks more than doubtful.
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The current arms program is very strange, and will probably be changed before 2015, nevermind 2020. Not just with regards to the MiG-35. If you look at what going on with the BMD-4M, which is also part of the program, but the MoD is consistently refusing to purchase, it gives you a good idea of what's likely to come.
 
Klaus

Klaus

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That would be logical.
I'm asking myself what sense would there be in buying a combat aircraft, which offers no capabilities other aircraft don't have. They should simply order additional Su 30s and Su 35s.

As ruaviation.com reports, there are already 50 new Mi 8s in service (Mi 8AMCh, MTV 5). Does the navy also get these versions? The additional 350 on order/planned seem to be for the RAA only.
 
alexkvaskov

alexkvaskov

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Klaus said:
That would be logical.
I'm asking myself what sense would there be in buying a combat aircraft, which offers no capabilities other aircraft don't have. They should simply order additional Su 30s and Su 35s.
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Well the Mig-35 has an AESA radar, versus a PESA on the Su-35, but the Su-35 will likely be upgraded with the same or better radar over time, eliminating even that advantage.

From a recent interview with the commander of the fourth PVO and VVS Command (southern strategic command):

25 aircraft have been delivered this year, with another 52 planned. The percentage of modern tech in the district is currently at 30%, it is planned to increase this figure to 50% by the end of 2014. The commander mentions that Mig-35's will eventually be delivered, although this seems more fantasizing by the officers as opposed to any serious intention to order the aircraft.

http://twower.livejournal.com/855576.html
 
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Feanor

Feanor

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Klaus said:
That would be logical.
I'm asking myself what sense would there be in buying a combat aircraft, which offers no capabilities other aircraft don't have. They should simply order additional Su 30s and Su 35s.

As ruaviation.com reports, there are already 50 new Mi 8s in service (Mi 8AMCh, MTV 5). Does the navy also get these versions? The additional 350 on order/planned seem to be for the RAA only.
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The number is probably closer to 200, and the AVMF hasn't gotten any of them as far as I know. Additional Su-30SM and Su-35S are planned before 2020.

Among other fun facts, a few Eurocopters have been spotted in Russian military colors, probably in preparation for state trials. 3 Eurocopter AS350B3 Ecureuil, and 2 AS355NP Ecureuil. They're meant for pilot training, and light transport roles.

http://bmpd.livejournal.com/315738.html
 
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Feanor

Feanor

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Unsurprising. The Mi-8 family has been enjoying increasing orders for the last decade. The question is whether they'll be able to complete increasing domestic orders, and foreign ones. Some producers have already run into a problem fullfilling both the state defense order, and the export contracts together.
 
Haavarla

Haavarla

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Klaus

Klaus

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In the latest AIR International Piotr Bukovski reports on the production and further development of the Yak 130. Currently there are 11 aircraft in service with 55 (or 65) more to be delivered until 2015. In total, the VVS intends to acquire 300 of the type to replace all L 39 trainers and a part of the current MiG 29UBs, Su 27UBs and Su 25UBs. It seems doubtful whether this target can be reached on time, although it is planned to set up a second production line. Currently, the capacity is only 30 aircraft per year.
Work on a dedicated attack version, called Yak 133, continues, despite the aircraft being eliminated from the VVSs tender for a CAS aircraft in favour of an extensively modified version of the Su 25. It will have just one seat, an integrated or podded radar and will be able to carry Kh 31, Kh 38 and R 77 missiles.

Besides that, 19 Ansat-Us will be delivered until the end of this year with 21 more on order.
 
Feanor

Feanor

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Klaus said:
In total, the VVS intends to acquire 300 of the type to replace all L 39 trainers and a part of the current MiG 29UBs, Su 27UBs and Su 25UBs.
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There were rumors floating around that some modernized L-39s might be retained because of the Yak-130s high operating costs.

It seems doubtful whether this target can be reached on time, although it is planned to set up a second production line. Currently, the capacity is only 30 aircraft per year.
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With a production of 30 a year, the number can be reached in a decade. Currently the problems are a lack of funds rather then production facility.
 
Klaus

Klaus

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Irkut has already received export orders, so with a capacity of 30 per year, it would take quite a long time to produce the 300 units for the RuAF. Syria has ordered 36, although no one knows whether these will still be delivered, Belarus and Kazakhstan are seriously interested in the aircraft and other countries might also place orders.

How old are the L 39, which are currently used?
 
Feanor

Feanor

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Klaus said:
Irkut has already received export orders, so with a capacity of 30 per year, it would take quite a long time to produce the 300 units for the RuAF. Syria has ordered 36, although no one knows whether these will still be delivered, Belarus and Kazakhstan are seriously interested in the aircraft and other countries might also place orders.
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Export orders are 36 for Syria, 15 for Algeria. That's it for the time being.

I'm also not sure 300 is a realistic number. There are only going to be 600-700 frontal aircraft in the VVS (Фронтовая Авиация) not counting helos, in the 2025 timeframe. Roughly 100 MiG-31BMs, 96 Su-35S, 124 Su-34, 60 Su-30SM, 60 Su-27SM, and 60-100 Su-25SM/UBM, 34 MiG-29SMT/UBT, 4 Su-30M2, and ~150 PAK-FA. I'm not sure that merits 300 trainers, since currently the Su-30 series will fill part of the UB roles.
 
Klaus

Klaus

New Member
There will probably be more tactical combat aircaft in the inventory. By 2020 there should be at least 60-80 Su 27, 150 Su 35/30SM, several dozen MiG 29, 96 MiG 31, (according to current plans) 48 MiG 35 and 60 T 50. Bombers include 129 Su 34 and 60 Su 24M2. Besides that, there will be about 130-150 Su 25.
What makes me wonder is that after 2020 there will be less manned combat aircraft, but such a huge number of trainers. The new tactical bomber, which is destined to replace the remaining Su 24 will be unmanned, a smaller UCAV us currently being developd by Transas, which could also be added to the inventory, and all new Su 25 are planned to be two-seaters.
 
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