Russia wants a significant Su-35 order from China, not a 2-4 jet fleet jet that will be used for reverse engineering a J-35 Chinese version. As for plant consolidation, it will have to happen, especially with falling energy prices. The Russian government will be cash starved because of this and Putin's adventures in the Ukraine.
Don't be surprised. The contract has been in the works for a long time. It's 24 jets, and the latest news is that they plan a signing in November.
No it won't. It's far more likely they will do what the did in the 90s. Cut orders from all plants equally, and put the more ambitious programs on life support (like the MiG-41 hypersonic interceptor, or the PAK-DA).
I think the dynamics have changed quite a bit in thhe past year or so and the Chinese have Russia over a barrel in any negotiations. The jury is still out on the Su-35 deal though I think conditions now make it more likely. Maybe they should make hay while the sun shines and sell what tech they still can before the Chinese completely surpass them.
We flew to Quincy, Il yesterday and had a chance to examine 2 of the possible four Mig-29s under civilian registration in the US. There is a least one other at Quincy that is airworthy, but it is kept in hangar, and not flown much if at all these days. It is rather sad to see these beautiful aircraft deteriorating from the elements. We were on a rather tight schedule and I was only able to snap a few cell phone pics, but it is rather cool to be able to put your hands on what was at one time one of the premier fighter aircraft in the world. I would love to see one of the Mig-29Ks up close, as they look very slick.
Well give it a few years. Line units have open doors days, when they put their equipment on display, and let people come and see it up close. Once the MiG-29K is inducted in numbers, it's only a matter of time before it makes it into one of those displays. Of course you'd have to keep your finger on the pulse of AVMF news, celebrations, demos, etc.
Do you have any clue as if this missile uses its rocket motor for the terminal phase or the initial boost? Thanks in advance.
Really? :faints:
Well what do you want? Nobody has done real work on a jet bomber engine since the USSR fell apart. Why would they? There's no money, and no project for it. The PAK-DA is literally a program that just started. They have to start somewhere. And we already know the PAK-DA won't be cutting edge. It'll be a Russian B-2. A subsonic VLO design was announced. The reason I posted it here, is to illustrate the situation.
No idea. I strongly suspect that this won't be open source info at this point in time, though I may be wrong. Even the index of the missile suggests secrecy or deception. Clearly it's not a Kh-58 variant, it's a whole new missile. Yet it shares the name, giving a reader the impression that Russia is still tinkering with the same old Soviet missile.
I don't, for a fact, know much about the Il-96s in general. However their biggest operator is SLO Rossiya, which is a government airline for highranking officials. The Il-96 in particular has been used by them as a VIP transport for the president, with a ton of special command and control gear packed into it. I'm not sure if it replaces the Il-86VKP/Il-80 or not, but it certainly carries some high-level comms.
Hopefully nobody in the CDN govt sees this. Someone might pull Avro's Iroquois engine out of a museum.
