Russian Air Force News & Discussion

Haavarla

Active Member
Flight trials of the second prototype of Sukhoi's fifth-generation T-50 fighter aircraft are due before the end of the year, Sukhoi holding CEO Mikhail Pogosyan said on Monday.

The first prototype of the aircraft made its maiden flight in late January and has conducted 40 in total, Pogosyan said.

Second prototype fifth-generation fighter to fly before yearend | Defense | RIA Novosti


How would you describe the Pak-Fa program progress this last year and what does the future bring?

Mr Pogo says the Program or the test flight at least is in fact ahead of schedule..:confused:
 

Scorpion82

New Member
40 flights isn't bad for a first prototype of such a new complex aircraft in a time frame short of 10 month. You have to consider that the aircraft had its down time for at least one modification and being partly disassembled and latter reassembled to be moved from Komsomolsk to Zhukowski. This compare rather well to other modern aircraft which flew much less in the same period. And as the aircraft is regularly seen flying it indicates that there have been no major issues found so far.
 

Spetsznaz

New Member
Flight trials of the second prototype of Sukhoi's fifth-generation T-50 fighter aircraft are due before the end of the year, Sukhoi holding CEO Mikhail Pogosyan said on Monday.

The first prototype of the aircraft made its maiden flight in late January and has conducted 40 in total, Pogosyan said.

Second prototype fifth-generation fighter to fly before yearend | Defense | RIA Novosti


How would you describe the Pak-Fa program progress this last year and what does the future bring?

Mr Pogo says the Program or the test flight at least is in fact ahead of schedule..:confused:
Nothing scary has come up so far on the T-50 and Sukhoi seems to be generally pleased, therefore we can probably expect a bright future for the T-50, perhaps one better than the F-35:confused: Maybe?
 

Feanor

Super Moderator
Staff member
Far more interesting then the so far uneventful T-50 testing, U-UAZ is expecting a relatively large contract for S-25UBM to come through within a couple of years. There was vague talk of this earlier, and it seems this is materializing. These will be new-built two-seat combat trainers for the Su-25SM program.

ÀÐÌÑ-ÒÀÑÑ

This gives us good indicators that the SM program for the Su-25 is and will continue, and that the trainer fleet for the aircraft in question will be renewed.
 

Haavarla

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November 19th, 2010
One more Sukhoi Su-34 frontline bomber made its maiden flight at the Novosibirsk-based Chkalov Aviation Production Association belonging to Sukhoi Holding on Friday.

“It is the third of four aircraft that will be delivered to the Russian Air Force before the end of the year,” a source on the company management told Interfax-AVN.

He said that the first two bombers are undergoing flight tests before delivery and work on the fourth bomber is nearing completion.

The source said that the Air Force has already received five Su-34 bombers. “The state contract provides for the delivery of 32 aircraft,” he said.

Source: Interfax-AVN



Edit: Judging by this there will be four new Su-34 bombers, adding a total of nine.
Reports from Paralay forum(from a worker at NAPO) the bottle neck of the Su-34 prod is all the electronics equipment and its sub-contractors that is a limiting factors at the moment.
The Assembly lines at NAPO was re-tooled last year, so they could turn out 12 airframe a year, but they have to follow the chain of supply and focus on completing aircraft this way.
 
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Haavarla

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A Thoroughly Modern CINC
Posted on November 20, 2010 by Russian Defense Policy| Leave a comment
You have to like Air Forces CINC, General-Colonel Aleksandr Zelin.

He’s open and candid about what Defense Minister Anatoliy Serdyukov’s ‘new profile’ reforms mean for him and his service. He’s talked earlier, more often, and longer about it than his Ground Troops or Navy counterparts. He’s matter of fact and accepting of the entire process.

Serdyukov’s changes turned General-Colonel into a trainer and force provider, and he nonchalantly admits as much.

At 57, Zelin understands he can be replaced at any time, or allowed to serve three more years or even longer.

If he were a tad younger, he would have been the right kind of general to command one of the new military districts / unified strategic commands (OSK / ОСК), say the Western or Central. An air or air defense officer would have been just the right choice for a potential future war on those axes. Instead, the Kremlin has three Ground Troops generals and one admiral (a step in the right direction). It’s hard to argue against Ground Troops leadership in Russia’s restive south. But Air Forces (VVS or ВВС) would have been a really good choice in the Western or Central Military Districts . . . a missed opportunity for now.

But back to Zelin. On Tuesday, he addressed a foreign military attaché audience (and the Russian media) about the future of the VVS.

According to Gzt.ru, Zelin said the VVS will be reduced by a third and spread among the four new OSKs. And its Main Command (Glavkomat) will be responsible only for combat training. The OSKs are in charge of employing the VVS in their theaters.

The VVS now consist of the Glavkomat, 7 operational commands, 7 first-rank air bases, 8 second-rank air bases, and 13 aerospace defense (VKO) brigades. Before the ‘new profile,’ the Air Forces consisted of 72 regiments, 14 air bases, and 12 independent squadrons and detachments, with a third more aircraft than the VVS now have.

Four of today’s 7 operational commands are subordinate to the new OSKs. Army Aviation also falls under them.

According to Zelin, in the future, the VVS Main Command (Glavkomat or Главкомат) could become a “branch department” of the General Staff responsible for the combat training of the Air Forces and Air Defense, while the OSKs employ the trained forces.

Zelin says VVS personnel will number 170,000 with 40,000 officers, nearly 30,000 sergeants, and the balance conscripts or civilian specialists. He says today’s personnel training system doesn’t satisfy him, and so he’ll probably change the system of flight schools. Only four remain today. Voronezh will be the main training center. Flight training will also be conducted in Krasnodar and Lipetsk. Yaroslavl will remain home to air defense officer training.

According to the CINC, the VVS airfield network won’t change. Base airfields will be first priority for reconstruction and modernization. Zelin says civilian airfields could be used for operational purposes in the future.

He noted the VVS plans to go to a fully automated command and control system in the future, and, of course, develop its VKO forces.

Lenta.ua quoted Zelin’s remarks to Interfaks. Zelin said the VVS will renew 30 percent of its inventory by 2015, and 100 percent new in some areas and 80 percent new overall by 2020. He doesn’t say where the VVS are today in this regard, but recall Defense Minister Serdyukov has said only 10 percent of equipment in the Armed Forces is modern.

Zelin said the VVS will get new aircraft, air defense, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare systems, but modernization of some existing systems is still part of the plan. Although the State Armaments Program 2011-2020 and its 19 or 20 trillion rubles have to be finalized, Zelin repeated that 10 T-50 (PAK FA) will be acquired in 2013-2015, and 60 more from 2016. He mentioned Military-Transport Aviation (VTA or ВТА) is a priority – including the An-124 Ruslan, Il-112, Il-476, Il-76M, and An-70 – but he doesn’t venture any numbers or dates for new production. Zelin does give a target of 400 new and modernized helicopters in the inventory by 2015.

Who knows what was or wasn’t covered in these media contacts, but it seems odd there’s still no mention of more S-400 deliveries. Zelin was still talking about getting 5-6 more battalions in 2010 earlier this year. But no sign of them. It’ll be a big deal when or if they appear. Also, no mention of S-500 development.

A Thoroughly Modern CINC | Russian Defense Policy
 

Feanor

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Staff member
Almaz-Antey is building three new factories to meet the S-400 contracts from the MoD. When China tried placing a request for those systems they were told the soonest they would see any was 2017. So I'm guessing we will see large-scale mass production in the 2012-2015 timeframe. Until then 1-2 units annually will be the limit.
 

Feanor

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Staff member
An interesting detail, apparently as many as 4 sqaudrons of Su-27SMs were delivered to the VVS in 2010. I'm wondering if this is a journalist error, and we're actually talking about total number of SMs in the VVS. But in that case it wouldn't make sense either, as ~60 SMs should have been delivered by now according to previous info. Assuming squadron size remains at 12 units, either KnAAPO landed a very juicy contract (which it fulfilled speedily) or the journalists screwed up somewhere.

Lenta.ru: Îðóæèå: ÂÂÑ Ðîññèè ïîëó÷èëè ÷åòûðå ýñêàäðèëüè èñòðåáèòåëåé Ñó-27
ÂÂÑ Ðîññèè ïîëó÷èëè íîâûå èñòðåáèòåëè è âåðòîëåòû — ÎÐÓÆÈÅ ÐÎÑÑÈÈ, Êàòàëîã âîîðóæåíèÿ, âîåííîé è ñïåöèàëüíîé òåõíèêè
 

Haavarla

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It looks that way yes, four SM Sq..

Could this also been the case why KnAAPO didn't start up the Su-35S production until now?
And What about the proclaimed Newly produced Su-27SM's`.. where does they fit in all this?
 

Feanor

Super Moderator
Staff member
I'm assuming they're one of the four. I doubt that this caused the delay in Su-35S production. More likely the other way around, to bail out KnAAPO emergency funds were spent on major modernization to keep the factory running at capacity, while the Su-35S is prepared for production.
 

Haavarla

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A rather nice Su-35 "901" Vid in HD from MAKS 2009.
Very good shooting quality.

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfINfouJbTE&feature=related"]YouTube - Su-35 thunderstorm at MAKS 2009[/nomedia]
 

T.C.P

Well-Known Member
I have a question, just to clarify things' is the SMT upgrade for the Fulcrums screwd or will they be taking place?
 

Feanor

Super Moderator
Staff member
As far as I can tell the SMT upgrade is not taking place. The MiG-35 will replace some of the 29s, and two squadrons of Mig-29SMT are in service as of right now (the Algerian returns).
 

T.C.P

Well-Known Member
Can anyone tell me how many countries have been offered the Su-34 and how many have shown interest in it?
 

Feanor

Super Moderator
Staff member
I doubt any export of the type will occur in the next 5-10 years. NAPO production is currently insufficient to meet MoD demand. I suspect quiet a few countries were offered the Su-34, back when it was still the Su-32.
 

Haavarla

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I'll be damn.
Looks like RuAF get its four new Su-34 this year after all.



16:00 28/12/2010© RIA Novosti. Igor Rumyancev Related News

Russia's Air Force received four new Su-34 Fullback fighter-bombers on Tuesday as part of its current modernization program, an Air Force spokesman said.

Russia started full-scale production of Su-34s in 2008 at a Novosibirsk-based aircraft-manufacturing plant, a subsidiary of the Sukhoi Aircraft Holding.

A total of 70 aircraft will be delivered by 2015 to replace outdated Su-24 Fencer fighter- bombers, which are currently undergoing modernization to prolong their service life.

Designed by Sukhoi, the $36-million Su-34 fighter-bomber is a two-seat strike aircraft fitted with twin AL-31MF afterburning turbofan engines.

It is designed to deliver high-precision strikes on heavily-defended targets under any weather conditions, day or night, and is equipped with a 30-mm GSh-301 cannon, up to 12 Alamo or Archer AAMs, ASMs, and bombs.

MOSCOW, December 28 (RIA Novosti)

Russian Air Force receives new Su-34 fighter-bombers | Defense | RIA Novosti
 

Feanor

Super Moderator
Staff member
Are those 4 in addition to the earlier 6? For a total of 14? Iirc NAPO production estimates for full scale serial production were around 10 airframes annually.
 

Haavarla

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So far this year i have only seen the bort nr 01, 02, 03, 04, 05 Su-34 out there.
I think it add up to nine totaly now.

I also think there will be two batch delivered next year, and four aircraft in each batch.
Aka eight new bombers next year.
 

Feanor

Super Moderator
Staff member
There was an earlier announcement of 6 aircraft being handed over before the end of the year. I linked to it, a page back...
 
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