Russian Su-24s Buzzed US Navy Destroyer in Simulated Attack Run

Photos of Russian Air Force Operations at Hmeymim Airfield, Near Latakia

The Russian MoD has recently made available some really cool photographs showing ordinary day life at Hmeymim airfield, near Latakia, the headquarters of the Russian Air Force contingent in Syria.

By taking a look at the images we can gather interesting details about the jets and helicopters deployed to the airbase in northwestern Syria: payload, mission markings, insignia (or lack of thereof) etc.

The Mi-8AMTSH reportedly carry the “Rychag-AV” active jamming station.

link.

Putin Pushing Belarus for Russian Air Base

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday signaled his intention to establish a Russian military air base in neighboring Belarus — a move sure to unnerve Poland and the Baltic nations.

Belarus has made clear it would not welcome a Russian base, but the former Soviet republic remains dependent on Moscow for credit and energy.

Putin ordered the Russian Defense Ministry, with the participation of the Russian Foreign Ministry, to hold talks with their Belarusian counterparts and sign the agreement that is reached.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has not commented on Putin's initiative. The two presidents met Friday in the southern Russian city of Sochi.

Russia has radar and a navy communications facility in Belarus, but this would be the first base.

link.

Stealth Saga #1: Russian "Stealth"

I'm stuck waiting for a callback.  Again.  Its a bit frustrating: hurry up and wait applies to far too much in life.  I really do look forward to the day when we all have digital assistants which will fill in calendars automatically and informs others which have been scheduled when something has intervened.  However, until that time, I have a small block.

Stealth technology was developed from a series of papers written by a Soviet scientist that the Americans realized could be used to model how to reduce the radar cross section of an aircraft.  That technology was developed by the Americans to use against the Soviets!  Oh the irony!  The reason the US was able to develop this technology ahead of the Soviets was that the US could model shapes of aircraft with computers.  The Soviets didn't have the computer technology to do so and would remain handicapped in that manner until after the Soviet Union fell.

The Russians, primogeniture heirs to the Soviets, have been scrambling since they decided the US was not their friend (many glyphs of complicated textured meaning there) has been pursuing the development of their own stealth aircraft.  The PAK-FA fighter and the PAK-DA bomber being the two programs have been acknowledged previously.

The PAK-DA bomber has been touted as many things.  First it was a hypersonic bomber which would blow past any American fighters and defenses.  Then it was a stealthy supersonic aircraft.  Even more recently it was claimed to be a subsonic flying wing like the B-2 bomber.  However, it seems to have run into trouble.  It may be simply it has run afoul of the sanctions directed at Russia over the Russo-Ukrainian War.  It might also be that the technologies the Russians need for their new bomber are a bridge too far.  Its hard to tell.  However, the fact the PAK-DA program is in trouble is a solid fact: the Russians have ordered a whole host more Tu-160s.  The last Soviet strategic bomber from the 1980s, albeit with upgraded avionics.

However, it also appears the PAK-FA seems to be in trouble, too.

There's no doubt the T-50/PAK-FA can fly and does so beautifully.  The Russian make a lot of strong claims as the fighter's capabilities and the equipment contained therein.  However, there are a lot of questions whether or not the aircraft really is all the Russians say it is.  

The Indians have stated they are unimpressed with the specs.  And they have also stated the Russians have been unwilling to work with them on developing the derivative fighter, the FGFA[1].  This has forced the Indians to consider just buying the Russian fighters rather than codeveloping a new one.  Or they may end up walking away.  They have elected to as least reduce the number of fighters they will be buying through the joint program.  India is really stuck between a rock and a hard place here though[2].

Those of you here have noted, I am sure, that I am very critical of the claims about the PAK-FA.  I pointed out the rivets on the first prototype and how incompatible that is with stealth.  In the picture above, ignoring the pylons with the missiles on them, take a look at the gratings.  Yeah.  Those.  They're really compatible with stealth.  On a personal, nonprofessional judgement, the PAK-FA is looking more and more like 4th+ generation fighter rather than a 5th generation, but that's just me.

There are signs the PAK-FA is in real trouble besides the spitspat between India and Russia.  The Russians have vastly scaled black their procurement of the fighter and delayed its entry into the Russian forces.  This could be a delay which often hits new programs.  *cough*F-35*cough*.   A second setback was one of the PAK-FA prototypes caught fire.  Again, this happens, even if it does mess with the schedule.  Nothing one should gloat about or really take notice of.  However...

However!  *IF* the PAK-FA was going to be ready in a timely manner or even in the next four years, then the Russians would not have just ordered 48 more Su-35s (in Russian, go translate).  That would sound the same trumpet as the Tu-160 buy did for the PAK-DA: the PAK-FA is now in serious trouble.

Despite that, the Russians just announced they will be starting a replacement program for the MiG-31 in the next five years called the PAK-DP.  oy.

You would think....but, no, because...THIS!  IS!  RUSSIA!

*head desk*

1.  This would include turning the single seat T-50 into a two seater and doing some production in India.  It could be the Russians are being a PITA: something they are known for.  OTOH, the Indians just flubbed the MMRCA acquisition for 126 Rafale fighters and seem to be doing their best to flub the off the shelf procurement of 36 Rafales now.  When it comes to military sales, the French are noted for being pretty flexible, sooo...

2.  India has repeatedly asked the Pentagon to discuss procuring the F-35.  It has been ignored.  There are three nations producing stealth aircraft currently (or supposedly).  The US, Russia and China.  The Americans are ignoring the Indians.  The Indians would not buy a fighter from China since that would be one of the two nations they might use it against (backdoors!).  That leaves the Russians.  Or perhaps they ought to talk to the Koreans at this point, not that I think about it.

MiG 1.44 Prototype to be Shown at MAKS?

Russia’s enormous International Aviation and Space Show, otherwise known as MAKS, takes place every other year and is one of the top aerospace spectacles and military gear expos in the world. The show will kick off on August 25th, and will be the first MAKS since Russia invaded Crimea a year and a half ago. As such, we can be assured that there will be some pretty awesome displays meant to showcase Russia’s military exports, intimidate its peer state competitors, and levitate nationalist sentiments. Apparently, this will include the display of the long-defunct MiG 1.44 fighter demonstrator, an enigmatic aircraft that has long captured the minds of military aviation aficionados.

link.

This was too cool to skip.  lol.  Broke my own rules on the first day.  However, let's turn this into a real post.   

Its obvious, now, from the pictures above a lot of online Russophiles were full of it when it came to the 1.44.  Its plainly NOT a stealth aircraft.  Those inlets alone!  ouch!  If anything it looks like Mikoyan took the Eurofighter design and Russianed the sh*t out of it.  Its plainly not an F-22 killer.  You can easily see why the Russian Air Force moved on to the PAK-FA design.  

Amusingly, I have seen that design before.  And I don't mean in fleeting picture online sort of way.

In ~1988 (!), there was an article called 'MiG 2000' which had an aircraft which was the spitting image of the above.  So much so, I really want to find the article again.  The inlets and canards were the most strikingly similar parts as I recall.  However, its almost been 30 (OMG!) years.

Russia Creates Unified Aerospace Force

Russia has merged several branches of its military into the Aerospace Forces — a reorganization aimed at enhancing coordination and efficiency.

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Monday that the decision offers "the optimal way of improving the system of the nation's aerospace defense."

The new branch will include the nation's air force, air defense, anti-missile and space forces.

Shoigu said that its creation has been prompted by the increasing importance of air and space components in modern warfare.

The air force chief, Col.-Gen. Viktor Bondarev, has been put in charge of Aerospace Forces.

link.

Report: Tu-160M2 to Incorporate PAK-FA Avionics

In addition to a new engine, Russia’s elite Tupolev Tu-160M2 strategic bomber (“White Swan”) is capable of carrying cruise and nuclear missiles and will receive cutting-edge avionics, said Vladimir Mikheev, the adviser of the deputy head of Russia’s Radio-Electronic Technologies Concern (RETC), according to Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

The new avionics and electronic warfare system of the Tu-160, codenamed Blackjack by NATO military experts, will begin this year. Construction of the design materials and documentation of battle performance characteristics and technical specifications are currently underway, Mikheev informed.

The new avionics system is currently being tested on the Sukhoi PAK FA Tu-50, Russia's fifth-generation fighter. After that, military engineers will take best elements tested on the Tu-50 and use them to create an aircraft with fundamentally new capabilities, the official representative of RETC said.

 link.

Tu-160M2 Production Significantly Delaying Russian PAK-DA Bomber

Russia's new-generation PAK DA bomber will be delayed past 2023 due to the development of the new-build Tupolev Tu-160M2 bomber, according to Russian deputy defence minister Yury Borisov.

"According to the plans, serial production of the [Tu-160] aircraft new version [the Tu-160M2] is to be implemented starting from 2023," Borisov said during a visit on 17 July to the Samara-based Kuznetsov Plant of the United Engine Corporation.

Answering a question about a possible shift in the PAK DA's timeframe because of the production of Tu-160M2s, Borisov said, "The PAK DA project will be somewhat shifted beyond [2023, when it is currently to begin entering service], otherwise there is no sense in it."

link.

To me, this says the PAK-DA was proving harder than they thought, so they are rewarming  the Tu-160 and then have an excuse as to why the PAK-DA is delayed.

Russian Air Force Cuts Procurement of PAK-FA: Serious Problems With the Sukhoi T-50 Program?

Defense Ministry will cut the first purchase party fifth generation fighter T-50, will be purchased only one squadron of the first trial, he told reporters on Thursday in St. Petersburg, Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov.

"Yes, we are reducing the purchase of fighter PAK FA, it will be purchased in the coming years one squadron. At the same time we will increase the purchase of Su-35 fighters, which are cheaper, but their tactical and technical characteristics of a head taller than their foreign counterparts," - Borisov said.

link.

Even Worse News for the PAK-DA Bomber: 50 Tu-160M2 Bomber Production to Resume in 2023

Russia is planning to resume production of Tu-160 supersonic strategic bombers after 2023, Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said on Thursday.

"According to the current schedule, this will happen sometime after 2023," Borisov, who is on a visit to France, said.

link.

VERY Bad Sign for the PAK-DA Bomber Project: Russia to buy AT LEAST 50 Tu-160 Strategic Bombers

“No less than 50 (Tu-160) aircraft over time will be purchased in order to cover the costs that will go into production,” Russian Air Force Commander Col.Gen. Viktor Bondarev said.

link.

Bad Sign for the PAK-DA if True: Russia Resuming Tu-160 Strategic Bomber Production

Russia will renew the production of its Tu-160 (Blackjack) supersonic strategic bomber and missile carrier, Russian Defense Minister Gen. Sergei Shoigu said Wednesday.

"Today it is already necessary to solve the task of not only maintaining and modernizing long-range aviation, we must also produce the Tu-160 missile carrier," Shoigu said during a visit at the Kazan Aviation Plant.

Shoigu said that the Tu-160 is "a unique machine, ahead of its time for many years and even until now has not been exploited to its full potential."

link. 

This is really not a good sign for the PAK-DA.  Consider: Russia's resources have been significantly reduced with the reduction in oil price; they are paying for the Ukrainian War; and the PAK-FA/T-50 program is having problems.  They cannot afford all of the above.

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.

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.

Russia Claims to Have Started PAK-TA: a Supersonic Transport Carrying 200+ Tons

A state-run Russian news site is reporting that the country has ambitions to build a huge, supersonic cargo plane capable of transporting tanks to the field in a matter of hours. While there's plenty of reason to be skeptical that transporting such heavy loads at high speeds is even feasible, let alone realistic, Russia's military is reportedly giving itself roughly the next decade to figure it out.

Russia's RT reports that the heavy transport craft, dubbed the PAK TA (Perspective Airborne Complex of Transport Aviation), could fly at supersonic speeds of up to 2,000 km/h (1,243 mph), carry up to 200 tons (181 tonnes) and have a range of 7,000 km (4,350 mi). The program could call for the construction of a fleet of 80 of the new craft to be built by 2024, giving the Russian military the capability to deliver 400 Armata heavy tanks or 900 more lightly armored vehicles to a battlefield in quick fashion.

The specs are sourced to an apparent anonymous leaker who claims to have attended a closed-door meeting with Russian military leaders and passed on details to the Russian language site, Expert Online.

According to the website Russian Aviation, Ilyushin Aviation Complex – an aircraft engineering outfit dating back to the early years of the Soviet Union – is handling the project. CEO Viktor Livanov is quoted as saying "Today it is just a project that may be implemented by 2030." He added that the exact specifications are still subject to negotiations and that the Russian Ministry of Defense is just one of several potential customers.

Whatever the real status of the PAK TA is at the moment and whatever their reasons, someone certainly seems to want the wider world to know that such an ambitious concept is being discussed.

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.

link.

A Look at the Russian Reform of the Russian Air Forces into the Russian Aerospace Forces

At some point, probably next summer, the Air Forces (VVS) will cease being one of Russia’s three armed services. The Aerospace Forces (VKS or ВКС) will take their place. The Aerospace Defense Troops (VVKO) will likewise disappear as a branch and get rolled into the new VKS. Russia will be left with three services and two branches (not three of each).

link.

War is Boring's take is Russia is recreating the US Air Force.

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).

link.

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.

link.

Kuznetsov Claims Completion of Bench Testing for PAK-DA Strategic Bomber Engine

Russian military aircraft engine designer Kuznetsov has announced completing bench tests of a new propulsion system in development for a next-generation bomber.

The Samara-based company says in a 7 November news release that the
early bench test supports the Russian government’s plan to complete first flight of the promising aviation complex - long-range aviation (PAK DA) aircraft by 2019.

link.