Stealth Saga #69

Have Blue & Tacit Blue:

A test pilot that flew both the Tacit Blue and Have Blue prototypes recounts his experiences.

X-2:

Japan will conclude the X-2 program in March 2018.  The RCS was better than expected and all the data required was gathered in 34 flights.  What the path forward for the F-3 program will be will be based on the evaluation of the X-2 data brings to light.  Two options being considered are building a fighter indigenously or with a foreign partner.

FC-31/J-31:

Is the FC-31 being used to help sell...cars?

FGFA:

The Russians are trying to convince the Indians to not abandon the Su-57 derivative for India's first stealth aircraft.

Su-57:

A Su-57 prototype flew with the new engine for around 17 minutes.

Is the Su-57 program toast though?  Some think so.

B-21:

Is the construction at Area 51 related to the B-21 Raider?

B-2:

The B-2 Spirit might be deployed to South Korea for exercises.

The B-2 is getting a new GPS receiver.

F-22:

Six F-22s arrived in South Korea for exercises.

Watch an F-22 hunt and kill an A-4 in an exercise.

An F-22 can actually save fuel by flying faster.  

F-35:

US DOD gave Pratt & Whitney a $351 million contract for logistics and maintenance on the F135 engine.

South Korean media are reporting USAF F-35As deployed to the Korean Peninsula right after the F-22s.  They are both participating in exercises with South Korea.

Does the US Navy actually think the F-35C is important to the carrier air wing?

Some are STILL angry over the F-35 program.

Lockheed certified various weapons for the F-35.

Lockheed is touting the synthetic training capabilities of the F-35.

The F-35 is undergoing cold weather testing in Alaska.

Israel has declared its F-35I to be combat operational.

Two Dutch F-35s did a flyover in Star Wars canyon.

Drag chute deployment tests are underway in Alaska for the Dutch and Norwegian F-35s.

The Netherlands might have problems paying for their last three F-35As due to currency exchange rates.

Counter Stealth:

China is attempting to build a satellite based imaging system that can detect stealth aircraft.

Stealth Saga #57

Avenger:

General Atomics did its first flight of the extended range Avenger UCAV.

ATD-X/X-2/F-3:

Japan's X-2 proof of concept stealth fighter is being readied for MoD tests.

Some are suggesting Japan step up defense cooperation with Taiwan, including in the X-2 aircraft.

FCAS:

Spain wants a family of systems to replace the F/A-18s it has. 

J-20:

Some are claiming China will have a dozen J-20s declared having reached IOC by the end of the year.  Perhaps next year, I'd think, but I doubt in 2016.

KF-X:

South Korea is seeking to procure more technologies from the US for its KF-X 5th gen aircraft.

PAK-FA:

Russia claims to be developing a new anti radiation (radar killer) missile for the PAK-FA. 

A new engine is being designed for the PAK-FA.   

The Indian variant of the PAK-FA, the FGFA, is claimed to be superior to the Chinese J-20 and Russia thinks it will have the FGFA deal signed by January first.

Sixth Generation Fighters:

The next gen US 'fighter' aircraft are the programs to watch in 2017.

F-22:

F-22s had a weapon systems problem that impacted its stealthiness that has been fixed.

F-35:

McCain has stated the unilateral contract for the F-35 is demonstrating how broken the defense procurement establishment is.

The F-35 program is probably too big for even Trump to kill if he wanted to.

Is the F-35 program's development being cut short?

The developmental F-35s built early in the program are going to need a service life extension due to heavy testing and use.

The F-35 MRO work overseas has been outlined.  RUAG Australia made the list.

Repairs to F-35 insulation have been completed and the affected aircraft returned to flight.

The USMC is investigating the weapon's bay fire on one of its F-35Bs.

The USMC conducted trials of the F-35B on the USS America, one of its jeep carriers.   12 F-35Bs were aboard during the tests.

The USMC will deploy the USS Wasp as a Sea Control Ship with F-35Bs to relieve pressure on the USN's supercarriers in 2017.

Congress' final budget is leaving out the extra 11 F-35s asked for by the Pentagon.

Canada canceled its procurement of F-35s and ordered F/A-18Es.  However, it will remain in the F-35 program and remaining a part of the program is being questioned.  Is it really flipping off the Lightning?

Responses to Finland's RFI for the replacement of their F/A-18s including the F-35.

Israel has ordered 17 more F-35Is.  This brings the total on order for Israel to 50.

The first F-35Is will be arriving in Israel on December 12.

Japan has had its first F-35 delivered.

Poland is postponing it procurement of a 5th gen fighter (probably F-35) to replace its old MiGs and Sukhois.  

Turkey is expecting its first two F-35s in 2018.

Stealth Saga #56

Cloud Shadow UCAV:

China has unveiled its Cloud Shadow UCAV.  This UCAV is a parallel to the General Atomics Avenger.

Chinese Stealth Bomber:

There is speculation on the bomber and the number of engines it will have.

FC-31/J-31:

Despite the appearance of the J-20 at the Zhuhai airshow, the FC-31/J-31 was largely absent other than a display model.  AVIC officials did not discuss the status of the FC-31 (or J-20) with journalists.

New details about the FC-31 have emerged: it seems a second, improved prototype is being constructed.


J-20:

The Chinese J-20 stealth fighter has debuted with a new camo pattern.

The inside of the J-20 weapons' bay has been seen.  Now we hae an idea of what the Chinese plan for their new fighter.

A pair of J-20 did a flyby at the Zhuhai airshow and gets profiled a lot.  The J-20 is known as the 'Mighty Dragon.'

China may be working on a larger version of the J-20.

Aviation Week wonders just how stealthy the J-20 is.

The J-20 unveil was meant as a  display of Beijing's firepower.

Some are questioning just how good the J-20 is since Beijing keeps ordering Russian 4th gen fighters.

PAK-DA:

Russia claims it will unveil the PAK-DA in 2018 and have its first flight in 2023.

PAK-FA:

The PAK-FA testing is done and will start being procured by the Russian Aerospace Forces.  However, the first batch is only 5.  The Russians have stated they will only be buying 20 to 25 per year.

The PAK-FA will be tested with its final engines in 2017, supposedly.

Russia is rolling out a 9th PAK-FA prototype for testing.

The PAK-FA derivaive for India, the FGFA, is back to the discussion table between the Russians and Indians.

Simorgh:

Iran's test site for its RQ-170 derivatives has been geolocated.

X-2/ATD-X/F-3:

Japan's military scientists and engineers are to start testing the X-2.

It is becoming crunch time to decide on the F-3 or not for Japan.

Mitsubishi & Lockheed have teamed for the F-3.

Combat Support Unmanned Aircraft:

Japan is seeking to create a program for drone/UCAVs to accompany its F-3 fighters much like the American 'Loyal Wingman' project.

Sixth Generation Fighter/Penetrating Counter Air:

Boeing released its latest concept for the PCA/6th gen fighter.

We have three different takes on what the sixth gen fighter will look like and what capabilities it will have.

The US Air Force Advisory Board will be reviewing the Penetrating CounterAir program.

Northrop was awarded a contract for a beam director for a laser weapon for fighters.

X-32:

WiB takes a look at the war pigeon, ahem, Boeing losing design to the F-35 in the JSF program.

B-21:

B-2 pilots have stated the B-21 ought to remain a manned aircraft.

Some of the details of the Boeing protest over the contract being awarded to Northrop have been revealed.

Northrop won the contract primarily on cost.

F-22:

32 F-22s were moved out of the path of Hurricane Matthew.  

Moscow claims it could shoot down F-22s in Syria.  Others are skeptical because the F-22 was designed with those systems in mind.

F-35:

A fix for the insulation problems on some of the F-35As is nigh.    In fact, two have been returned to service.  Norway's F-35s are returning to flight.

The F-35 software update is hopefully going to silence the ALIS critics.

BAe is getting a contract to develop a new software to automatically adapt to new radar threats and jam them for the F-35.

During a recent exercise, F-35 avionics caused a problem because radars were not within the threat parameters and they were dismissed.

The Pentagon just awarded $743 million to Lockheed in support of the Lot 9 procurement of the F-35.  The supplier deal suggests the LRIP 9 & 10 contracts are nigh.  The LRIP 9 contract was awarded: $6.1 billion for 57 F-35s: 42 F-35As, 13 F-35Bs and 2 F-35Cs.  However!  The contract as a unilateral award meaning the gov got tired of negotiating with Lockheed and just stated this is how much they are going to pay, take it or leave it.  Lockheed is not happy and might sue.  LRIP 10 is still not done being negotiated.

US DOD is starting up the global support network for the F-35.

The F-35 was a major profit driver for Lockheed.

The F-35 capable USS Wasp is being deployed to Japan in support of the F-35B squadron to be based there.

The USMC is looking at teaming unmanned platforms with the F-35B.

A F-35B had a fire in its weapon's bay.  An investigation has started.

Israel wants FOC for its F-35Is ASAP.

Norway is looking to buy 12 more F-35s in a block.

Turkey has placed a second order for F-35s pulling forward its first two aircraft to 2018 instead of 2021.

META:

Some are still unhappy with US aircraft.

Stealth Saga #48

FC-31/J-31:

 

A new prototype of the J-31/FC-31 may have been spotted being transported by truck like the first was in China.

ATD-X/X-2/F-3:

Japan considers air superiority fighters to be the most important. 

PAK-FA:

Sukhoi has stated the testing for the T-50/PAK-FA is nearly complete.  

The testing may be only the first round.

The first deliveries of the PAK-FA to the Russian Aerospace Forces is set to be in 2018. 

Sixth Generation Fighters:

The US Air Force is seeking to reprogram almost $24 million to work on the 'next generation air dominance' platform.

F-22:

The most up to date F-22s are fighting in Syria.

SecAF James is NOT thrilled with the idea of restarting the F-22 line.

F-35:

Sharing data with allies on the F-35 presents problems for the US.

The USAF is hinting IOC for the F-35A may come faster than people expect.

Russia claims its 'Sunflower radar' can detect the F-35.

The first F-35A has flown to Britain.

USMC F-35Bs have been cleared for flight at Farnborough.

Video of the F-35As and F-35Bs crossing to Britain for the airshows.

Video of the F-35 taking off in Britain.

Construction programs are going to make it tough for the F-35s in Britain. 

The F-35s are showing off well at the British airshows currently.

Some pontificate on the import.

The next at sea qualifications for the F-35B will take place in October before being tested aboard the Queen Elizabeth class.

The British are about to start training F-35 pilots.

Lockheed is warning Canada about its industrial participation if Canada does not buy the F-35. 

Some are not so sure the F-35 is a good idea to say the least.

The F-35 faces an uphill fight for international sales past the current partners.

Pratt & Whitney got a $1.5 billion contract for F-35 engines.

Stealth Saga #17

META:

Who will win Asia's fifth generation fighter race?


UCAVs:

South Korea is developing a UCAV, that in the concepts looks a lot like the German Barracuda demonstrator.

The US Navy CNO has stated the UCLASS needs to be accelerated.

The British Taranis has completed a third round of test flights, but it is unclear if it will be tested further.

TF-X:

Rolls Royce has offered its EJ-200 engines for the Turkish TF-X program. 

KF-X:

South Korea's KF-X may not be a F-35 peer like South Korea originally wanted.

The US government has approved 21 technologies from the F-35 to be transferred to South Korea for the KF-X.

Sukhoi PAK-FA/T-50:

Supposedly the flight tests for the PAK-FA are virtually complete.  The procurement seems to be incredibly scaled back: only one squadron, the report states, is going to be bought.  Su-35s will be purchased instead.

Will India actually buy all 154 PAK-FA they originally were signing up for?

J-20: 

Supposedly, the Chinese military, despite significant changes to the latest prototype of the J-20 and the Su-35, is stating the flight testing for the J-20 is nearly complete.

F-35:

Denmark has, again, postponed the start of the procurement of its replacement fighter due to budget issues.  The F-35 is competing for the procurement.

South Korea has added diplomats to its negotiating team for its F-35 contract. 

Apparently, the F-35 office canceled a realistic cyber security test and now they are getting huge amounts of flak for the decision.

Lockheed will get all 45 of the F-35s planned for production this year done by December 31st.  43 are already done.

Northrop has delivered the center fuselage of the first Japanese F-35 to Lockheed.

Pakistan getting the F-35 would be India's worst nightmare, but its highly unlikely to happen any time soon.

The F-35A will begin flying 'Heritage Flights' at airshows.  

Stealth Saga #13

KF-X:

South Korea has set up a commission to get the KF-X stealth fighter program back on track.

PAK-FA:

Supposedly India has agreed to buy 154 PAK-FAs.

Yet in an article on the PAK-FA and PAK-DA, Russia Military Reform (blog) says the collaboration with the Indians has stalled.  It also casts doubt on the purported rate of development and development of both platforms given Russia has now said there will only be 12 PAK-FA's by 2020 in service when there were supposedly going to be 52.

B-3 Long Range Strike Bomber:

After all the zaniness working up to the announcement of who the LRS-B was going to made by, what do we really know about the oh so stealthy bomber?  Not much.

Boeing has been debriefed about why they lost the contract.  Now will we see them protest?

Three different generals make the case for the LRS-B.

The LRSB has taken a budget hit ($230M).

The USAF REALLY needs the LRS-B procurement to go off without a hitch.

War is Boring, of course, argues the US Air Force ought to buy more LRS-B bombers and a lot less F-35s.

"Potential" USAF UCAV:

General Otto, in an article about one man 'cockpits' for the Reaper drones, states the US Air Force wants an unmanned missile truck to accompany the F-35.  There are rumors this may already exist.

F-35 Lighting II:

Apparently, there are parts of the F-35 that only the US will have access to, even ones sold to foreign nations like Israel.

Republican Presidential Nominee candidate Donald Trump has come out against the F-35.  Or potentially so.

Prime Minister Trudeau will be consulting with President Obama prior to reopening the fighter competition and withdrawing from the F-35 program.

The F-35 test fired its gatling gun in the air.

Lockheed Martin has received a $5.37 billion contract action for 55 Lot IX Joint Strike Fighters, including 41 F-35As, 12 F-35Bs and 2 F-35Cs.  Six F-35As are for Norway,  seven are for Israel and two for Japan. Six F-35B are for the Royal Navy and six for the US Marine Corps.  The Marine Corps and Navy will each get a F-35C. 

The Italian pilots have passed the first steps of training on the F-35.

Stealth Saga #11

The South Koreans have been working on 3 of the 4 technologies the US banned export of already.  The AESA radar is the only technology the Koreans have not yet developed on their own.  The South Koreans have been trying to figure out how to acquire the AESA radar.  Saab and several others are already offering their solutions.

The Russians may not sell the Indians the S-400 SAM missiles unless India 'clarifies' its intentions with the T-50/PAK-FA derivative they had been working on with Russia.  India has been developing very cold feet recently over the project, worried about performance, quality control and the lack of real cooperative development with the Russians despit paying for a very large portion of the bill.  This could really backfire for the Russians.

The Canadian projected withdrawal the F-35 is going to shake up the fighter market.  Turkey is hoping to add the SOM-J cruise missile to the F-35 in software version 4.2

Bloomberg states the Long Range Strike Bomber contract will be announced tomorrow at 4 pm eastern time (after the markets close).  I'm surprised they are not waiting until friday.  Experts are split on who has won the contract.  What questions SHOULD be asked about the B-3/LRS-B and its contract?  Everyone in the aerospace industry is looking for clues as to which team won.

Stealth Saga #2: A Grab bag...if you could see it!

Jane's gives its take on the Long Range Strike Bomber award.  Rumor has it Northrop won.  Other sources are openly disagreeing in no small part because NG has moved a lot of its R&D engineers out of the program and, historically, this means a loss.  OTOH, if the bomber really is being based on an existing aircraft, as some have supposed, then that sorta makes sense to do.

Secretary of the Air Force James responds to the cost projection screw up for the LRS-B.

Despite LOTS of rumors, the Pentagon has stated its not going to be reviewing how many F-35s ought to be procured.

The US is deploying F-22s to Europe as part of reassuring Europe over Russian behavior.

There is more info on what missiles the Russian PAK-FA will be getting.  As an aside, the PAK-FA has some serious gaps there between the wing and the inlet based on pix.  That's another bit which just doesn't make a lot of sense from the low observables POV.

The PAK-FA and MiG 1.44 did appear at MAKS 2015.

A nifty pic of the MiG 1.44 is here.  A kewl plane, but definitely NOT stealthy.

Mikoyan claims it has a new 5th generation light fighter design combining features from the MiG 1.44 and the MiG-35.  Neither is stealthy, so....um.  yeah.  Sounds more like a 4+ gen.

Russia's United Aircraft Corporation is claiming to be working on stealthy UCAVs.  They have a model they claim is not just marketing at MAKS 2015, but largely intended to hunt the F-35.

The European NEURON UCAV has completed low observability flight tests  in Italy.

India Seeks to Build FGFA Fifth Generation Fighter at Hal's Ozar Plant

The Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) may use its Ozar facility to manufacture fifth generation fighter aircraft, for which it is already in talks with Russia for co-design and production.

T Suvarna Raju, chairman and managing director, HAL said, "We are co-developing the fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFAs). We have completed the first phase and are in talks with Russia for detailed design and manufacturing of the aircraft. We are planning to manufacture the FGFA at our Ozar facility.

link.

Russian Militaria: PAK-FA, FGFA, PAK-DA's Engine & Claims of a High Power Microwave Weapon

United Aircraft Corp. plans to deliver three more prototypes of an advanced stealth fighter jet to the Russian military for testing as early as next year, a company official said.

The president of the Moscow-based company, Yuri Slyusar, said three more of the T-50 PAK-FA, a fifth-generation stealth fighter made by United Aircraft subsidiary Sukhoi, will be transferred to the Russian air force in late 2016 or early 2016 as part of a test program.

“We can say that we are in the schedule and these three additional prototypes will allow us to greatly expand the testing program and do it faster,” he said through a translator during a briefing with reporters Monday at the Paris Air Show. “What we’re speaking about in the schedule is to deliver the first batch at the end of 2016, beginning of 2017 to the customer, the ministry of defense, so the aircraft demonstrate all necessary and design characteristics.”

That will bring the total number of T-50 prototypes to eight, according to a fact sheet distributed at the event. The PAK-FA first flew in 2011 and is designed to compete against such U.S. military aircraft as the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, both of which are made by Lockheed Martin Corp.

link.

Ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Russia on July 7, the Defence Ministry is toning down points of conflict about the joint Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) program to reach final agreement with Russia, said an MoD source.

FGFA is proposed to be jointly developed and produced by India and Russia and a preliminary development agreement was signed in 2011 between Russia's United Aircraft Corp. (UAC) and India's Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) when India paid its 50 percent share of US $250 million toward initial development cost.

However, a final agreement, which will release a payment of about $6 billion as India's share in FGFA development, has yet to be inked because of conflict over issues relating to work share, a firm aircraft order from the Indian Air Force, its desired mix of single- and double-seat aircraft, and changes demanded by the Indian Air Force.

The Defence Ministry wants to reach an agreement, will not insist on the Indian work share at this stage and will agree to delivery of single-seater aircraft as against the earlier demand of two-seaters, the source added.

A firm order of 154 FGFAs will also be included in the draft agreement, the source said.

Defense analysts said that despite the delays, the FGFA project will not be dropped.

link.

The first engine test bench (LED), created for the PAK DA (PAK DA) showed almost complete compliance with the required specifications, told RIA Novosti CEO of "United Engine Building Corporation" (UEC, is a Rostec) Vladislav Masalov at the air show Paris Air Show -2015.

link.

Russia’s United Instrument Manufacturing Corporation (UIMC), part of Rostec Corporation, has announced that it developed a super-high-frequency gun for BUK missile systems.

The newly-developed equipment is capable of deactivating the radio electronics of UAVs and the warheads of precision weapons, according to a representative of the corporation.

The equipment, informally named the microwave gun, has been developed for the needs of Russia’s Defense Ministry and will be demonstrated during the closed part of Army-2015, an international event organized by the Russian Defense Ministry, the Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) and state technology corporation Rostec, which will be held on June 16-19.

The UIMC representative has not revealed all the technical characteristics of the equipment but has mentioned that the impact range of the equipment is ten kilometers and that its defense perimeter is 360 degrees.

“The new system is equipped with a high-power relativistic generator and reflector antenna, management and control system, and a transmission system which is fixed on the chassis of BUK surface-to-air missile systems. When mounted on a special platform, the ‘microwave gun’ is capable of ensuring perimeter defense at 360 degrees,” the representative said.

link.

Flight Global questions the Russian military modernization plans.

More Information on the Problems Russia's Fifth Generation PAK-FA/T-50 Stealth Fighter is Facing

Just a short time ago, Russia planned to have 52 advanced T-50 stealth fighters by the end of the decade. At least, that was the plan.

Now the T-50 program appears to be in serious trouble, and Russia may cut back the fighters to a fraction of the planned strength.

The first sign something was very wrong appeared last month. On March 24. Yuri Borisov, Russia’s deputy defense minister for armaments, told the Kommersant newspaper that the military is drastically cutting its number of T-50s. Instead of 52 stealth fighters, Russia will build merely 12 of them.

That’s hardly anything.

The Kremlin has produced five T-50 prototypes so far — and one was heavily damaged in a fire. Meanwhile, India is co-developing the plane with Russia, and New Delhi’s funding helps keep the project alive. But now Indian Air Force officials have also stopped talking to their counterparts in Moscow.

Which all puts a spotlight on Russia’s problems building so-called fifth-generation fighter jets — which the country needs to compete with the best the United States and China have to offer.

[...]

“Given the new economic conditions, the original plans may have to be adjusted,” Borisov said. “It is better to have the PAK FA kept as a reserve, and later move forward, while squeezing everything possible for now out of the 4+ generation fighters.”

link.

Breaking News: India Considering Scrapping Russian PAK-FA/T-50 Participation

The programme for India and Russia to jointly develop a Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA), long touted as the flagship of a time-tested defence relationship, has run into a stone wall.

Documents available with Business Standard indicate India's defence ministry is cold-shouldering Russian requests to continue the negotiations on a "R&D Draft Contract", which will govern the partnership to develop a futuristic, fifth-generation fighter.

A letter from Russia's powerful export agency, Roso-boronexport, points India's defence ministry has not responded to Russian requests dated February 9 and March 3, which "suggested holding of the negotiations in February and March of 2015."

"(W)e have not received any data regarding readiness of the Indian side for the negotiations," the letter says. It goes on to request holding the next round of negotiations between April 6 and 9.

The letter refers to Project 79L, the code name for the FGFA project.

This is a precipitous fall from grace for a co-development project considered so strategic that an Inter Governmental Agreement (IGA) that New Delhi and Moscow signed in October 2007 exempts it from normal procurement rules. Indian defence planners have long held that co-developing the FGFA would help India build its own fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

Following the IGA came a General Contract in December 2008, which stipulated details like work share and cost, and the conditions under which the FGFA could be sold to other countries. Under a Preliminary Design Contract (PDC) in December 2010, New Delhi and Moscow contributed $295 million each to finalise the fighter's basic configuration, systems and equipment.

With that completed in June 2013, the R&D Contract is now being negotiated. This would govern the actual design and development of the FGFA, and is estimated to cost $3-4 billion each. Meanwhile, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has turned cold to the FGFA proposal. Sources tell Business Standard this is because air marshals fear the FGFA undermines the rationale for buying the Rafale fighter from France, a $18-20 billion contract that is sputtering through so-far unsuccessful negotiations.

The first sign of the air force's eventual volte-face on the FGFA came in October 2012, when then IAF boss, Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne, announced the IAF would buy only 144 FGFAs instead of the 214 that were originally planned.

In December 24, 2013, top IAF officials alleged the FGFA would not meet Indian expectations. Business Standard reported that air marshals at a high-level defence ministry meeting (January 21, 2014, "Russia can't deliver on Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft: IAF") claimed the FGFA has "shortfalls… in terms of performance and other technical features."

The IAF claimed the FGFA's current AL-41F1 engines were underpowered; the Russians were reluctant to share critical design information; and the fighter would eventually cost too much.

On January 15, 2014, at a MoD meeting to review progress on the FGFA, the deputy chief of air staff (DCAS), the IAF's top procurement official, said the FGFA's engine was unreliable, its radar inadequate, its stealth features badly engineered, India's work share too low, and the fighter's price would be exorbitant by the time it enters service.

link.

not a joke, so it had to wait until the 2nd.

Russian Sukhoi T-50 Stealth Fighter First Order cut From 52 to 12

Russia's ambitious T-50 fighter plane project was meant to develop a rival to two futuristic US jetfighters, the F-22 Raptor and the planned F-35 Lightning-II.

But now, the T-50 appears to be rivaling the F-35 another way: in development troubles. The Kremlin is slamming the brakes on its "fifth generation" fighter program and cutting its initial rollout to a quarter of those originally planned.

The decision seems a setback for Vladimir Putin's sweeping $800 billion rearmament program, a vital component of the wider effort to restore Russia to its Soviet-era status as a major global superpower. However, the sharp slowdown in plans to procure the sophisticated new jet may represent an outbreak of wisdom on the part of Russian military chiefs, who will remember how the USSR was driven into bankruptcy by engaging in an all-out arms race with the US.

Financial constraints are the key reason cited for cutting the military order from 52 to 12 of the planes over the next few years, according to the Moscow daily Kommersant.

"Given the new economic conditions, the original plans may have to be adjusted," the paper quotes Deputy Defense Minister Yuriy Borisov as saying. The project to build a cutting-edge fighter plane, which is partly financed by India, will not be canceled, but held in abeyance while the Russian Air Force makes the most of its existing "fourth generation" MiG and Sukhoi combat aircraft, he added.

No one knows whether technical problems may also have played a role in the decision to shelve the fighter.

link.

India may try to Accelerate Joint IndoRussian PAK-FA Derived Stealth Fighter due to Rafale Negotiation Problems

India's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has reportedly become so frustrated with the impasse in negotiations with Dassault over the contract for the Rafale fighter aircraft that it has decided to accelerate the timetable for the localised production of Russia's PAK-FA/T-50 fifth-generation fighter.

The contract for this programme, in which India has a subsidiary role in the development of a version of the aircraft tailored to their requirements, is in the final stages of negotiation.

link.

Report: First Production Russian Stealth Fighter PAK-FA/T-50s to be Delivered This Year

The Russian Air Force is set to receive the first batch of Sukhoi T-50 PAK FA jet fighters this year amid its strained business relationship with co-developer India.

Compared with the aircraft's previous version, the variant has been fitted with a number of new features, according to the manufacturer.

Despite this, Russia will need to cope with the increasing criticism voiced by India, which is partnering with Moscow on developing the aircraft, amid concerns over delivery delays and technical shortfalls of the program.

Local analysts say that the bilateral cooperation on the program has produced a sense of disenchantment by India's military circles.

While the program has been "announced with a great deal of promise for the overall Indo-Russian defense cooperation," the fighter jet project "is currently confronted with a myriad of problems. With India already having paid US $295 million for the preliminary design and development costs, Russian unwillingness to share design information on the aircraft is not being received well in New Delhi," said Monika Chansoria, senior fellow at the Centre for Land Warfare Studies think tank in New Delhi.

The T-50 is to serve as the basis for developing the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft program, which will be supplied to the Indian Air Force. In 2007, Moscow and New Delhi signed an agreement to jointly develop the fighter jet, following which Russia's state-owned Rosoboronexport and Sukhoi, and India's state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, signed a preliminary design development deal. The total worth of design, research and development works has been estimated at more than $10 billion.

Meanwhile, the capabilities added to the new variant of the stealth fighter include a new avionics suite that integrates the electronic pilot functionality, and an advanced phased-array antenna radar, according to Russia's state-run United Aircraft Corp.

With the new features, United Aircraft says it is aiming to significantly decrease pilot load, and enable data exchange in real time, not only with ground-based control, but also within the flight group, according to information obtained by local news agency ITAR-TASS.

The fifth-generation fighter jets will be made at the plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, a subsidiary of the Russian group. The aircraft is to be enabled with a maximum speed of 1,516 mph.

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Russia & India Finalize Sukhoi/HAL Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft Design

Russia and India have completed the preliminary design for the Sukhoi/HAL Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA), the regional director of international cooperation at the united Russian-Indian aircraft manufacturing company said Saturday.

“As of now, we and our Indian colleagues have completed the creation of the export version of the [Sukhoi] PAK FA, known in India as FGFA. We already have documents and understanding of the scope of the next phase of design, the scale of future production,” Andrey Marshankin said in an interview with the Russian News Service radio.

Marshankin noted that while the Russian version of the fifth generation fighter jet is operated by a single pilot, the Indian Air Force prefers aircraft that are operated by two pilots.

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Met With Skepticism: Russian Air Force Plans 55 PAK-FAs by 2020

The Russian Air Force (VVS) will have received 55 Sukhoi PAK-FA (T-50) fighter aircraft by 2020, according to Vladislav Goncharenko, the deputy director of the United Aircraft Corporation's (UAC's) combat aircraft department.

The first PAK-FA deliveries are scheduled for 2016.

"The number of prototypes is increasing; the state trial programme is being conducted as per schedule," Goncharenko told Echo of Moscow Radio on 16 December.

Five PAK-FAs have been produced and three more are now being constructed at the Sukhoi Aviation Holding Company Y.A.Gagarin in Komsomolsk-on-Amur (KnAAZ).

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PAK-FA New Engine has Slipped two Years to 2017 at Earliest

Lenta (citing Interfaks) says a source close to ODK General Director Vladislav Masalov says a PAK FA with the “second phase” engine will fly in 2017.

He reportedly said the “second phase” engine will replace “item 117″ and give PAK FA supercruise capability while being 15-18 percent more fuel efficient and cheaper to maintain.

Lenta notes the developmental engine is “item 30″ not “item 129″ as cited previously in Russian media.

The AL-41F1 is “item 117.” Current PAK FA prototypes and the Su-35S have “item 117S” (AL-41F1S) engines.

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Expectations for the Procurement and Deployment of 5th Generation Fighters

The entry into service of the US F-22 Raptor in 2005 marked the unofficial arrival of the era of the fifth-generation fighter. In the coming years, as the American F-35 Lightning II and foreign competitors such as the Sukhoi T-50 and Chengdu J-20 enter the market, the fifth-generation fighter will become an important element of the global fighter market. With revolutionary advancements such as reduction of radar and infrared visibility and supersonic cruise capability, fifth-generation combat aircraft will provide an impressive boost to any nation’s air force.

However, according to analysis by IHS, the development and deployment of fifth-generation fighters is accompanied by various costs.

Between the significant procurement price and the particular set of missions for which such aircraft are suited, nations with limited budgets for defense spending should carefully think through their options before committing to purchase these next-generation aircraft.

As with most complex procurement decisions, a number of factors will define the market size and direction; in some cases, less expensive and older aircraft – including retrofitted models and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) – may constitute a more sensible choice.

Already, expectations for purchases of fifth-generations have fallen. Original projections were for around 5,000 of these advanced planes to enter service. So far, only 430 – or less than one-tenth – of the expected total have been committed to or paid for by various countries. While many more are expected to be purchased in the coming years, demand has a long way to go before it fulfills the original projection.

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India Increasingly Unhappy, Worried About PAK-FA Program With Russia

New Delhi is increasingly concerned about the sluggish progress in the fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) project, a joint endeavour between India and Russia.

Driving India's worries is the fact that the Russians are neither explaining why a prototype aircraft caught fire during a technology demonstration earlier this year nor addressing other technical doubts expressed by India. In fact, the defence ministry is quite sceptical about reports from Russia that a final design contract for the next generation combat jet is on the cards.

New Delhi is particularly miffed with the fact that despite being an equal partner in the FGFA project in terms of financial contribution, Moscow is not keen to share technical details about its next generation stealth fighter PAK-FA, on which the Indian version of the combat jet will be based.

The Indian version, called the Prospective Multi-Role Fighter (PMF), is almost exactly the same as PAK-FA but with some variations. In fact, Indian money is key to keeping Russia's PAKFA programme alive. Russia has built six prototypes of PAK-FA and, after repeated requests from India, it agreed to hold a demonstration flight earlier this year for technical evaluation. The flight ended in a fire that embarrassed the Russians.

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heh.  Sounds a great way to cripple Russia by convincing the Indians to buy F-35s instead.  They might be able to order as many as 100 F-35s for what they are going to pay the Russians for the T-50s/PAK-FAs/PMF.  That's assuming the cost of the PAK-FA doesn't grow, but then again the Russians NEVER jack the price up after you've bought into one of their programs.  uh uh no.