Russian Air Force News & Discussion

[Feanor]

The MoD just bought 15 An-148s. It looks like they'll be in passenger format, and not a special purpose platform. The sum is listed as 18 billion roubles, which means they're paying over 1 billion roubles per aircraft, i.e. 30-35 million dollars.

Lenta.ru:
bmpd.livejournal.com/538201.html

 

[Klaus]

@Feanor: I meant the article cited by Haavarla. In wikipedia I also found an entry that the MoD plans to order 37 MiGs. (Russian Air Force - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Does being awarded a NIOKR contract mean that the state definitely has the intention to buy the aircraft or could it be that they simply want two projects to choose from?

 

[Feanor]

NIOKR contract is exactly that, a contract for a NIR, and an OKR. НИР (NIR) is научно-иследовательская работа (scientific-research work). ОКР (OKR) is опытно-конструкторская работа (trials-construction work). The first represents development on paper, on a computer, in a lab, etc. The second represents building physical prototypes, testing, modifying, etc. A НИОКР is both. So the MoD has just funded development of the program up to but not including state trials. Whether this means they will buy it or not, is anyone's guess. Especially these days.

37 MiG-35s doesn't sound right. There is news that a contract for 24 is about to be signed. That's all I've read. I doubt 37 is the right number, since squadrons are still 12 birds.

 

[alexkvaskov]

At 27:26 in this video from Vesti, the exact coverage of the Armavir early warning arrays.
I didn't realize they reached that far into Africa. I wonder why they want to build another array at Barnaul if the southeast array at Armavir covers central Asia. Redundancy?

http://tv-novosti.ru/news/2013-06-06/rossiya/512

 

[mAIOR]

At 27:26 in this video from Vesti, the exact coverage of the Armavir early warning arrays.
I didn't realize they reached that far into Africa. I wonder why they want to build another array at Barnaul if the southeast array at Armavir covers central Asia. Redundancy?

http://tv-novosti.ru/news/2013-06-06/rossiya/512

Or to cover another area. Over China and India for example.

 

[Haavarla]

An Pak-Fa update coverage, sadly in Russian:

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfG0dr8cPRU"]ИÑтребитель пÑтого Ð¿Ð¾ÐºÐ¾Ð»ÐµÐ½Ð¸Ñ Ð¢-50 уÑпешно прошел первый Ñтап иÑпытаний - YouTube[/nomedia]


The Spin recovery flight test looks like its going well.

 

[Haavarla]

Another batch of Hellducks will be delivered within the week.
Possible four units.

 

[Haavarla]

HAL deal signed on the Super MKI?

bmpd -

It says, Su-30SM.. but i'm not sure..

Edit:
Never mind, it seems its about Computers and radar Upgrade, the very same configuration that is on the New Su-30SM.

It may be for the coming MKI Upgrade to New standards.

 

[Feanor]

The new Vityaz was just demonstrated publicly for the first time. It will be interesting to see what they use it for, in the current force org. It overlaps the Buk and S-300P roles. So far the S-300P has been getting phased out for the S-400.

bmpd -

Also, apparently the Il-112V project is going ahead, which puts a big question mark over the transport variants of the An-140, for the VVS. The contract for engine development was just signed.

bmpd -

The first ever air to air missile launch was done by an Su-24MR. 6 targets total were hit, by several aircraft. In other words even with the very ambitious buy of Su-34s, the Su-24M will remain in service for a long time, and new capabilities for it are being explored.

http://bmpd.livejournal.com/553734.html

 

[Klaus]

The VVS will start using its planned base in Belarus this year already. RIA Novosti reports that the Belarussian side will hand it over later in 2013, after this a unit with Su-27SM3 fighters will be deployed there.
Russian officials didn't rule out that the Belarussian air force will also use the base in the future.

Russischer Luftwaffenstützpunkt in Weißrussland wird noch 2013 eröffnet | Sicherheit und Militär | RIA Novosti

 

[Feanor]

Some not very good news. West MD is holding exercises to figure out if it can use the Be-200 aircraft for fire fighting and rescue operations. In other words, they've already bought 6 aircraft, deliveries are to start next year, but they're only now trying to figure out whether they can even use the things, nevermind actually needing the planes. This confirms my suspicions that the buy was forced down their throats as part of an attempt to help out the industry.

Lenta.ru:

 

[Klaus]

Yesterday the new issue of AIR International arrived with two articles concerning the VVS.

The first one is a news article about the MiG-31. Still no decision on the types future has been made. Of the 122 aircraft in service a large part will be kept operational beyond 2020 with a planned out-of-service date in 2028 or even later.

The second article by Aleksandr Mladenov describes the ongoing development of the Ka-52 Alligator. Another 12 are due to be handed over until yearend. In total 140 Alligators and 50 Ka-52K Katran are planned to be delivered to the VVS and VMF.
Chief test pilot Papayev claims the Arbalet radar has a range of up to 15 km for airborne targets and 16 km for vehicles on the ground. On the other hand the Vikhr and Ataka missiles only have a range of 6-10 km. That is the main reason why the new Hermes missile will be integrated.
The helicopters gun is claimed to be extremely accurate thanks to low in-flight vibration. Muzzle velocity of grenades fired by it is 980 m/sec. Unguided rockets can also be fired with high accuracy.
Later units are planned to be equipped with new engines with 2400 hp each in comparison to 2200 with the old ones.

 

[Haavarla]

More Hellducks out:

Воронеж СУ 34 - YouTube

Looks pretty unified on the latest batches. No New mod or Add-On as far as i can see.

 

[alexkvaskov]

Has anyone heard anything about the Kh-101 ALCM? Or the Kh-55SM? The former supposedly deployed this year. I understand both are an upgrade of the Kh-55, but were both/either deployed?

 

[Haavarla]

Su-30SM(2?) is reported to be delivered in August.

 

[Feanor]

Su-30SM2? What are you talking about? There is only the Su-30SM, and it's the designation for the MKI in VVS service...

EDIT: The new Vityaz is designated S-350. Apparently the S-300 will be replaced by two separate systems, the S-350, and the S-400. Imo it would be more sense to replace the Buk with the S-350, and the S-300 by the S-400. But now it could end up with the Buk-M3 replacing the Buk-M. I'm not sure having more types of missiles and systems is a good idea.

 

[alexkvaskov]

To be honest, it looks like the S-400 is more of a replacement for the S-200 than the S-300 (maybe only the PM-1/2). But the air defense "zoopark" is one helluva clusterf***

I mean look at the short range PVO SV: Shilka, Tunguska, Osa, Tor.. It would sure help for them to replace all the various SHORADS with the Tor and unify the Buk and Vityaz.

 

[Feanor]

Except the S-200 has been phased out for a while (save that one btln, at Kaliningrad), and the S-400 is replacing the S-300. If you look at configuration, capabilities, and development history, it makes perfect sense to replace the S-300 with the S-400. Consider that the original name for the S-400 was the S-300PMU3.

 

[Haavarla]

Su-30SM2? What are you talking about? There is only the Su-30SM, and it's the designation for the MKI in VVS service...

Yeah i know Feanor, i find it weird too. But Su-30SM2 has been mention in some Russian media.
I'll try to find it and post it.

On the flip side, we have Su-27SM3 and Su-30M2.
Thats VVS designation for you.. go figure..


Edit: And reading articles like this one:

http://www.defencetalk.com/irkut-russian-air-force-agree-on-su-30sm-tests-48306/

It makes me wonder if Irkuts and VVS has opted for a newer and deeper outfit upgrade of the Su-30SM to SM2..
Or this could just be the normal bad media coverage we'd see around the block.

 

[Haavarla]

To be honest, it looks like the S-400 is more of a replacement for the S-200 than the S-300 (maybe only the PM-1/2). But the air defense "zoopark" is one helluva clusterf***

I mean look at the short range PVO SV: Shilka, Tunguska, Osa, Tor.. It would sure help for them to replace all the various SHORADS with the Tor and unify the Buk and Vityaz.

What is happening is this, the R & D programs in Russia for these Anti air systems are moving forward a X 10 times the speed of manufactors out-put rate, hense the cluster-f*** myriad of different systems.