suryaaa said:
d berwel is this ac of russia suposed to be a part of pak-fa a joint venture b/w ind -russia.if not is there any chance that ind will go for it ,i dont think so because hjt selection itself is an example. if i am the selecetor i will go for this new one . and one more thing will there be tot.
Mikoyan I-2000
The new Russian fighter MiG-I-2000 Development of Russia's LFI (logkiy frontovoi istrebitel) lightweight tactical fighter has been dramatically accelerated after the Russian Air Force decided it's priorities for the next 10 years.
The I-2000 (Istrebitel [fighter] 2000), is due to become operational in 2005 as Russia's basic front-line fighter. It is also likely to become the leading export product of the Russian aircraft industry. Available information on the I-2000 indicates that it will be closely comparable to the US Joint Strike Fighter,operating in both air-to-air and air-to-surface roles.
The aircraft comes from a long line of Mikoyan lightweight fighters, such as the MiG-15 and MiG-21. It is about the same size as the MiG-21 (shorter by 1.3m but wider by 4.5m), but noticeable smaller than its immediate predecessor, the MiG-29. Take-off weight is estimated at around 12 tonnes; maximum take-off weight at about 16 tonnes.
The design requirements for I-2000 call for reduced radar and infrared visibility and very high manoeuvrability, as well as short take-off and landing. The aircraft will have a blended fuselage/centre wing and a thick wing centre-section, with curved leading and trailing edges. The unusual aerodynamic configuration and powerful thrust-vectoring engines should provide excellent agility. Take-off and landing runs are short thanks to a specially designed landing gear that permits approaches at high angles of attack.
According to official sources, single and twin-engined variants of the LFI are under consideration. The graphics show a twin- engined variant with an all-new power plant. No engines of the required thrust currently exist in Russia.
The first design of a very light new-generation fighter was prepared by Mikoyan in the early 1980s, when design work also began on the heavy fighter, the MFI (sometimes known as the 1-42). The result was 'Product 33' powered by a single RD-33 engine from the MiG-29. It was of conventional design, appearing similar to the US Lockheed Martin F-16.
Although work on Product 33 became well advanced, it was not ordered due to the air force's reorientation towards multi-role aircraft - the lightweight Product 33 could be used for close air combat only. The basic Product 33 design is being offered by Mikoyan to China as the FC-1 fighter.
The only competition within Russia for the I-2000 is the S-54, developed by Sukhoi from an advanced trainer design of the early 1990s.
The S-54 is essentially a smaller, single-engined Su-35, with a more conventional layout than the I-2000. The status of the S-54 is unknown, but is thought to be in the initial stages of development. Having no real Russian Air Force support, the S-54 is intended for export as a complement to the heavy Su-27 and Su-30 aircraft sold to China and India.
It has been decided that the heavy fifth-generation MFI will not enter serial production. It will, however, begin flight tests this August as a technology demonstrator. Mikhail Korzhuyev, recently appointed Mikoyan's general director, said that flights of the MFI are now a matter of honour for the company.
The aircraft has been ready for flight tests for about five years, but grounded for lack of cash. An extensive upgrade programme for the MiG-29 is to continue in parallel with development work on the I-2000."
Source: Jane's Defence Weekly, vol.29
LFI
The design features are still unclear as the assembly of the prototype has not commenced yet. The code name of the latest Mikhoyan Gurevich fighter is LFI. The aim of this project is to make a lightweight multi role stealth fighter. This information comes with the official announcement of the Russian Airforce of its priority to build a lightweight multi-role fighter. This is being done to oppose the heavy weight fighters like the MiG-MFI and the S-37. The possible competitor of the MiG-LFI project of the S-54 which is being developed by the Sukhoi OKB.
Overview of the MiG-LFI Project
According to the Jane's defense weekly. The development of the Logkiy Frontovi Istrebilte project was aimed at producing a fighter which is capable of satisfying the requirements of the Russian Airforce for the next 10-15 years. The project is revealed to the Jane's defense weekly as I-2000 which means Istrebitel 2000 (fighter 2000). The project is believed to enter service by 2005 as the frontline strike fighter for the soviet air force. This project is also likely to be a major component of Russia's arms export. The revealed information about the I-2000 suggests that it is likely to be an archrival of the JSF of the US. The I-2000 is also revealed to be capable of both air-to-air as well as air-to-surface operations.
This project is a part of a long line of lightweight fighter projects by the MiG aircraft industry. The other lightweight projects include the MiG-21 and the MiG-15. The I-2000 is believed to be shorter than the MiG-21 by up to 1.3 m but is broader than it by about 4.5 m. the I-2000 is considerably smaller than its predecessor the MiG-29.
Design
The I-2000 is designed to have a reduced IR and Radar signature. This gives the aircraft the stealth capabilities. The I-2000 is also believed to be very light ,manoeuverable and with short take off and landing capabilities. The I-2000 has a blended fuselage and a thick wing center-section. The aerodynamic configuration of the I-2000 is considered to be very unusual and is equipped with powerful thrust vectoring system thus providing the aircraft with unimaginable agility. The landing gear of the I-2000 is specially designed so as to allow landing approaches at high angle of attacks.
The pilot and the and the WSO (Weapon Systems Operator) share the cockpit in tandem. The presence of a WSO improves the effectivity of the MiG-31 as the WSO is entirely dedicated to radar operations and weapons deployment. This decreases the workload of the pilot and increases efficiency.
Engine
The engine required for the I-2000 are currently not available in Russia. This means that the Russian scientists are working on a revolutionary new engine, which can be compared to that of the one used in the F-22 or the JSF. There are reports from official sources that the LFI project includes a single and a twin engine version.
The LFI is expected to be sold to countries which are heavily dependant on Russia for arms. This include India and China. India had recently bought a version of the Su-30 which is known as the Su-30MKI which was developed specifically for the requirements of the Indian Air Force(IAF). This plane is compared to the Su-37 is many respects and is better than the other versions of the Su-30. The Indian has signed a deal with the Russians to help them in the complete development of the S-37 which also means that the MiG-LFI projects will also be entertained.
MIG LFI Vs SUKOI MFI
As per my research i believe Mig & Sukoi both have shown there LFI & MFI concepts for Indias 5th Gen Fighter Requirement.
LIF also meets the M-MRCA specifications
The LFI version offered to INDIA is VITYAZ-2000 (futher development to basic LFI design)
Vityaz 2000 - Russian JSF?
By Andrei Yurgenson [27 May 2001] "A new generation of aircraft in any country has always meant money, big money. The increased cost for air vehicles development and production made it the deciding factor. Both the client and contractor have now not only to solve technical problems but also to find new ways to organize and finance development, production, procurement and operation of new aerial vehicles. The USA, one of the wealthiest nations, is not an exception, with the JSF program featuring fund raising problems. The clients and developing companies in the aviation powers had tried to meet requirements of their Air Forces. The aircraft manufacturers had not seen any difference between needs of domestic and foreign customers and the same high performance of the products had been provided for the both markets. The aviation market huge, the prices low, such an importing policy had been seen as a right thing. Now the things have changed: the international aviation market has narrowed in the recent decade and it will keep on going this way next 10-15 years. Thus, a tactical aviation combat aircraft has primarily to be a product meeting needs and financial capabilities of various countries, a foreign-markets-oriented product. On the other hand, potential customers are interested in a multipurpose combat aircraft, the reasons being the same. The analysis of the tactical aviation aircraft shows that about 20 thousand of them have take-off weights between 10 and 20 tons, mass-produced being the MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-29, A-4, F-16, Mirage III, Mirage F.1, Mirage 2000, J35 Draken, J37 Viggen, J39 Gripen, J-6, J-7. According to the life time and actual time in service, approximately 7,400 vehicles of the type are estimated to be replaced by 2005, about 35% of the fleet in operation. In economics terms, that means that aircraft of this take-off weight may be of great demand in the very near future. So, the new tactical combat aircraft will be of greater flight performance then the 4th generation fighters. It is going to have a multifunction radar with the multichannel tracking and engagement options for air and ground targets as well as to use high-precision weapons killing surface targets. The new system has to be simple in operation, easily put into mass production and easy for personnel training. To be successfully promoted, the new aircraft has to be able to meet the 'efficiency-cost' competition from the existing F-16, Rafale, Mirage-2000, EF2000 and developing JSF. The development of new Russian combat aircraft has always been associated not only with the Air Force demands but also with scientific and technical resources needed to make a more sophisticated aerial vehicle. "The 5th-generation fighter, including all necessary materials, technologies, avionics and armament systems can be developed and produced now only in Russia and the USA", the leading Russian experts say. The United States proved it by the F-22 project, while Russia has already fulfilled a number of programs that can form a science and technical basis for a 5th-generation combat aircraft. The aviation industry has been carrying out researches to assimilate new for Russia aerodynamic configurations as in the 'canard' MiG 1.44 project and Sukhoi Su-47 (S-37) "Berkut" (the Russian for 'golden eagle ') of the triplane forward-swept configuration, unusual even for international practice. The two aircraft are considered as the next-generation technology demonstrators. The designers tried to provide the systems with such 5th-generation characteristics as a decreased radar signature, supersonic cruise flight in the no-afterburner mode, high maneuverability within a wide speed range. In 1994-2000 the OKB 'Mukhamedov' design bureau carried out a separate research to find out what a 5th-generation combat aircraft should look like and what basic properties such an aircraft is going to have. The project has lead to the "Vityaz-2000"? multifunction combat system. The aircraft can be of interest for domestic, CIS and foreign markets, provided the international partnership and investment. Unlike the US JSF, Vityaz is aimed at markets in the CIS, Central Asia, Far East and Asia-Pacific region. Vityaz-2000 features a fundamentally new aerodynamic configuration, dubbed "integral", and allowing stable and controlled flights at extremely big angles of attack. Bureau President Fatidin Mukhamedov, D.Sc., said the company had been developing the "integral" configuration since 1985. Multiple aerodynamic tests of various versions testify to the fact that the configuration can be used for aircraft of various types. The company's first project was the "Evrasia-700" super capacity aircraft, unveiled in Le Bourget in 1993. In 1994, the "integral" configuration was granted the first patent. A year later, in Dubai, the TOO 'Evrasia' company (now OKB 'Mukhamedov') introduced a long-term "integral" configuration combat aircraft project. The most important thing about the aircraft is that the 'integral' configuration provides high aerodynamic performance at low as well as high angles of attack due to the aircraft optimal planform, and specially developed flight structure with reciprocal-type components: wing panels, 'disk' centerwing section, wing extensions and their fuselage parts. The wing extensions and disk turbulent flow systems provide smooth, without rapid changes, association of the lift and longitudinal coefficients according to the angle of attack to compensate for wing panel stalling. The more the angle of attack, the more the center-wing section works, which, supported by swivel leading edge flaps, increases the angle of attack and smoothes the decreasing of the lift coefficient up to 50-60 degrees. The Vityaz aerodynamic configuration differs from the above ones by powerful lift force direct control elements - swivel wing panels, allowing separation of the trajectory and angular aircraft movements, that is to perform a pitching turn with no change of the lift force, improving the aircraft performance in combat. US developing teams tried to translate the idea into reality in the mid-70s in the AFTI project. The president of OKB "Mukhamedov" believes that 'from the a variety of aircraft characteristics, a developer first of all has to pick out critical ones, what actually an aircraft is made for, then necessary characteristics not interfering with the "critical" section, and auxiliary characteristics aimed only at improving the critical ones'. The critical characteristics of the Vityaz project are high maneuverability at supersonic speeds with the energy level maintained stable, high maneuverability at speeds characteristic of a short-time close combat, supermaneuverability including a controlled flight at a 60њ angle of attack and maneuvers at a more than 90њ angle of attack, take-off and landing characteristics enabling the aircraft to be based near the combat zone. The 'necessary characteristics' section incorporates decreased aircraft radar signature in the thermal and radar ranges, high combat and aircraft survivability. Vityaz auxiliary property is the lift force direct control system allowing engagement of ground targets at low altitudes and high speeds, as well as increasing the aircraft supermaneuverability and improving the takeoff-landing performance. The swivel wing panels with leading-edge flaps allows operation in the normal flow mode within the required fuselage orientation range. This provides a higher level of controllability in the supermaneuverability modes, elimination of an involuntary spin and entering the supermaneuverability mode at higher speeds. The wing panels at negative local angles temporally reduce the maximum wing load capacity and existing loads almost two-fold. Combined with an increased controllability, this gives the aircraft a possibility to maneuver not exceeding the permissible loads. The aircraft has a full-authority digital automatic control system with a thrust controlled engine nozzle included in the longitudinal and flight control systems. The above aerodynamic characteristics will ensure the aircraft's superiority in a short-time close combat, other things being equal. When backing up ground forces, the aircraft survivability is ensured by armour protection of the critical aircraft units (which is quite a problem for the aircraft type in question) as well as by the fact, that, provided low altitudes (less then 300m) and high speeds (more then 850 km/h), such an air target is rather hard to be engaged by enemy's ground AD forces. On the other hand, in such a flight mode the aircraft cannot effectively engage ground targets without special techniques and technologies. In the Vityaz-2000 project, the problem is solved though separation of the trajectory and angular aircraft directions by the means of the swivel wing panels. It enables Vityaz to kill surface targets in the low-altitude and low-speed mode. At an altitude of 300 m (the attack altitude is usually not less then 100m) and speed of 850 km/h, provided the detection range is 3 km, a conventional versions have no chance of effectively engaging ground targets. In that case, the engage time is less then one second with the minimum range of 1.5 km, while Vityaz-2000 parameters are 5 seconds and 600 m with the aircraft attacking from a more convenient angle. The effective use an aircraft is very much subject to the takeoff and landing performance. The Vityaz-2000 project incorporates a number of technologies to reduce the landing distance and improve the takeoff performance. Compared with the drag parachute technology, which requires all in all two seconds for the parachute to deploy and billow, the Vityaz breaking system is faster, reaching the level of the takeoff run load factor. Mutually enhancing each other, they make the landing distance equal to that of the take-off, reducing the rollout to the minimum. OKB Mukhamedov has patented a number of Vityaz-2000 takeoff and landing technologies. Another important feature of the 5th generation combat aircraft is the considerably reduced radar and infrared signature. The characteristic is vital for the aircraft combat effectiveness in a long-distance combat, undercover missions and engagement of ground targets, especially while neutralizing enemy radars. However, the OKB Mukhamedov experts are convinced the desire to by all means reduce the scattering cross-section will lead to a F-117-like aircraft, when it cannot be detected by an individual SHF radar, but on the other hand not able to accomplish combat tasks due to the aerodynamics, disfigured by stealth demands. That is why the Vityaz project has all reduced scattering cross-section technologies, including weapons systems located in the inner fuselage sections, except for technologies degrading the aerodynamic and flight characteristics. So, predictably the technologies of the Vityaz-2000 project can lead to a new-generation combat aircraft. OKB President Fatidin Mukhamedov emphasized, that "all nations across the world had been focused on the quality, not the quantity in upgrading the armed forces. Vityaz-2000 is sure far ahead of the competition according to the combat effectiveness parameters due to its aerodynamics, other things being equal."
/Source: translated by Roy Cochrun, Air Fleet magazine, by Andrei Yurgenson, posted on rec.aviation.military by 'Ivan the Bear' on 5-27-01/
