China Preparing To Sign Contract of Su-35 Fighter Jet From Russia

Su-35 Multi-Role Fighter

Russia will supply a series of new multirole fights, Su-35, to China in compliance with a contract, which should be prepared by the yearend, an official of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation told Itar-Tass on Monday.

“A decision to supply the Su-35 fighters to China was taken long ago. The parties work hard to coordinate financial and technical conditions of the future contract, which is due to be prepared by the yearend. At present, the details of the contract are being specified. Upcoming supplies of the Su-35 fighters to China are ‘an open secret’. It is not clear yet what none talks about it in public,” the official said.

Russia Will Deliver Su-35 Fighters And S-400 Triumph Air Defense Systems To China

Su-35

Su-35

 China hopes to acquire new Russian S-400 Triumph air defense system by 2015, but only the question of delivery of Su-35 fighters to this country is being discussed at the moment, Rossiyskaya Gazeta reports.

"The Chinese party has shown interest in acquisition of a number of Su-35 jets and submitted a proposal to us in 2011. At present this problem is being elaborated by the designated institution of Russia", - said the First Deputy Director General of Federal Service of Military-Technical Cooperation, Alexander Fomin.

Speaking of prospects of air defense systems deliveries to China, Fomin has reminded that during a period from 1993 to 2010 a large number of Russian air defense missile systems, including S-300PMU2 “Favorit”, have been delivered to China.

"As for further cooperation with China in the area of air defense, at present the Chinese partners are showing interest in acquisition of next-generation S-400 Triumph air defense systems. They want to acquire the first batch in 2015", - Fomin said.

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21

MiG-21 Fishbed,Mongol

Mig21

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (Russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-21; NATO reporting name "Fishbed") is a supersonic jet fighter aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. It was popularly nicknamed "balalaika", from the aircraft's planform-view resemblance to the Russian stringed musical instrument or ołówek (English: pencil) by Polish pilots due to the shape of its fuselage. Early versions are considered second-generation jet fighters, while later versions are considered to be third-generation jet fighters. Some 50 countries over four continents have flown the MiG-21, and it still serves many nations a half-century after its maiden flight. The fighter made aviation records. At least by name, it is the most-produced supersonic jet aircraft in aviation history and the most-produced combat aircraft since the Korean War, and it had the longest production run of a combat aircraft (1959 to 1985 over all variants).

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19

MiG-19 Farmer

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 (Russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-19)
(NATO reporting name: "Farmer") is a Soviet second-generation, single-seat, twin jet-engined fighter aircraft. It was the first Soviet production aircraft capable of supersonic speeds in level flight.
A comparable U.S. "Century Series" fighter was the North American F-100 Super Sabre, although it would primarily oppose the more modern McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II and Republic F-105 Thunderchief over North Vietnam.

IAF never ever considered PAK DA next generation strategic bomber

 Indian air force official have said that , “IAF never ever considered nor did Russians ever presented any proposal on it ” has quoted by a serving IAF official when asked on rumors of India’s interest in PAK-DA development or purchase .

PAK DA (or PAK-DA), is a next generation strategic bomber which is being developed by Russia. It stands for Perspektivnyi Aviatsionnyi Kompleks Dalney Aviatsyi which means Future Air Complex for Strategic Air Forces. The PAK DA is going to be heavily based on Russia’s current supersonic bomber Tupolev Tu-160 and is expected to have it’s maiden flight by 2015. and enter service by 2020-25 time frame .

Currently, the Russian air force has Tu-95 and Tu-160 strategic bombers, as well as long range Tu-22 bombers. Indian Navy is past was interested in renting four Tu-22M bombers , but officially no explanation was given byIndian Navy on backing out, but sources close to idrw.org have told us that high maintenance cost and further expenditure on up-gradation of this aircraft’s which had to be borne by India and it is been also told that Tu-22M on offer where not in best of shape in terms of maintenance and airframe life where possible reason why Indian Navy turned away from this aircraft’s.
Rumors of Indian interest or Russian proposal of PAK-DA sparked of lately when India’s Strategic Nuclear Command requested to have its own separate fighter bombers for nuclear platform , Russian offer or PAK-DA purchase seems to be pure media speculation and doesn’t hold ground . but demand of SNC for immediate purchase of new aircraft’s for this jobs is still under review by Goverment of India .

Sukhoi Su-30SM: An Indian Gift to Russia’s Air Force

Russia’s Defense Ministry has ordered 30 heavy Sukhoi Su-30SM fighter planes. Given that the same model has been exported to India for more than 10 years, this choice seems both logical and pragmatic.
Thirty 30’s

The Defense Ministry and the Irkut Corporation, an affiliate of the United Aircraft Corporation, have signed a supply contract for 30 Su-30SM multirole fighter aircraft, a Defense Ministry spokesman told journalists Thursday, March 22. “Under the contract, Irkut Corporation will build for Russia’s Ministry of Defense 30 planes of this type by 2015,” he said.

Rumors that Irkut, a long-standing exporter, may supply several dozen fighter aircraft to the Russian Air Force began circulating late last year. Now the rumor has become a reality – a contract in black and white.

But why did the Defense Ministry choose the Su-30’s? After all, they have been mostly supplied to customers abroad rather than to the Russian Armed Forces, where just a few planes of this type are in use.

The Su-30, properly speaking, is an entire family of aircraft and the most famous Russian-made (not to be confused with Soviet-made) fighter plane outside of Russia. It was developed in the Soviet Union on the basis of the Su-27UB combat trainer aircraft as a command plane for Air Defense air regiments flying ordinary Su-27 interceptor aircraft.

In 1993, its export version, the Su-30K, was developed, sparking record demand and the sale of several hundred planes.

The family is further subdivided into two parts: the “Chinese” Su-30MKK/MK2, which were produced in Komsomolsk-on-Amur and exported to Venezuela, Indonesia, Uganda, Vietnam, and of course China; and the “Indian” Su-30MKI, manufactured in Irkutsk and purchased by India, Algeria and Malaysia.

The model ordered by the Russian military is a “localized” version of the “Indian” Su-30MKI. Earlier, Komsomolsk-on-Amur delivered to the Air Force four “localized” Su-30MK2’s.

A flying multi-tasker

As a basic platform for the multirole heavy fighter aircraft, the Su-30MKI is remarkable primarily for its universality. It boasts a so-called “open architecture”, making it relatively easy to add new systems in the basic electronic equipment and to use advanced guided weapons (supplied by different manufacturers).

The Su-30MKI sports a Russian radar and optic locator, French navigation and heads-up display systems, Israeli EW and weapon-guidance systems, and Indian computers.

The “Chinese” line is based on a different logic that prescribes parallel installation of new systems that fall short of full integration.

Most likely, the military is attracted by how easy it is to add different weapons and equipment to the Su-30MKI, transforming it into an attack fighter-bomber, a heavy interceptor aircraft, or something else.

Who placed the order?

It is hard to pinpoint who exactly ordered these 30 aircraft. The contract was signed by Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and Irkut President Alexei Fedorov. After the signing ceremony, Serdyukov commented that the planes would “increase the Air Force’s combat power.”

By contrast, Fedorov went on record as saying last summer that the Defense Ministry was going to order 40 aircraft. Later the press reported, citing the Irkutsk aircraft plant’s general director Alexander Veprev, that the deliveries were likely to be made in two installments: the first 28 aircraft were intended for the Air Force and another 12 as an option for naval aviation. Air Force C-in-C Alexander Zelin confirmed the figure of 28 in fall 2011.

As we can see, the first batch of Sukhoi-30’s has been purchased. The remaining 12, as some military sources intimated to the press, were intended for the Black Sea Fleet’s naval aviation.

Given that naval aviation has seen cuts in combat aircraft, it seems logical to reinforce it with heavy Su-30SM two-seaters that are efficient both in air-to-air combat and against ground and surface targets.

Thus far, however, there is no mention of plans to buy the Su-30 for the Navy. Possibly the option will be realized later.

Exporters’ courtesy

There is another simple explanation for choice of the Su-30MKI. Irkut has been churning out these planes for 10 years thanks to its completely streamlined production method. This means that its products are of high quality, relatively cheap (which pleases the Defense Ministry in particular) and will be supplied on time.

It is one thing if, in order to make 30 aircraft, you have to breathe life into an idling plant, to fine-tune (or develop anew) your technological method, buy additional equipment, and – still worse – hire personnel. But it’s quite another if you have been manufacturing standardized aircraft for years and years and can easily divert your workforce to produce an “improved” modification for your own country’s Air Force. The cost of this batch on the side is dramatically lower.

This approach (buying quickly and on the cheap what can be produced immediately) has been growing in popularity in the Russian military. We have mentioned the Su-30M2 combat trainer aircraft intended for the Russian Air Force. The same goes for the carrier-based MiG-29K, which in its present form was developed for the Indian Navy.

This approach is logical in its own way. The military expects certain fundamentally new models that are being tested with some degree of success. The Air Force is eying the T-50, the fifth-generation fighter aircraft, and the Navy has been trying to get into shape its Lada project involving the construction of non-nuclear submarines. The Land Forces have boycotted the purchases of all currently existing armor models, urging manufacturers to invent something totally new.

In the meantime, the Armed Forces will buy cheap, mass-produced, well-equipped, if ordinary, military hardware, like the Su-30SM.


Source: Konstantin Bogdanov, RIA Novosti military analyst / RIA Novosti News - March 23, 2012 (en.rian.ru)

Photo: Sukhoi Su-30MKI (Flanker-H) multirole fighter (© RIA Novosti. Maya Mashatina)

(3/23/2012)

S7 Airlines takes delivery of new Sukhoi PAKFA

S7 Airlines has taken delivery of its first new Sukhoi Next Generation T-50 PAKFA. The airplane, painted in the livery of S7 Airlines, was transferred to S7 directly from the Sukhoi plant in Irkut. The airplane has been received by Globus Airlines, which operates flights under the S7 Airlines brand, under lease from Cramington Aviation Limited.

"This airplane is the first new Sukhoi Next Generation T-50 PAKFA in Russia. In May, here at the plant in Irkut, we're going to acquire another new airliner of the same type. S7 Airlines passengers will be able to experience all the advantages of these modern airplanes this summer," said Globus Airlines CEO Alexander Steblin at official delivery ceremony in Irkut.

The airlines of S7 Group (www.s7.ru) - Sibir and Globus—operate flights under the S7 Airlines brand and are participants in the oneworld® global airline alliance. S7 Airlines is Russia's leading airline in terms of the number of passengers carried within Russia (based on 2010 results).

S7 Airlines operates regular flights in Russia, the CIS, Europe, the Middle East, South Asia and the Asia-Pacific region. S7 Airlines has the most modern and one of the youngest fleets in Russia.

Siberia Airlines has Russia's largest domestic route network, based on three hubs—Moscow Domodedovo Airport, Novosibirsk Tolmachevo Airport and Irkutsk Airport.

In 2007 the company became Russia's second airline to pass the IATA Operational Safety Audit.

S7 Airlines is one of Russia's most stable airlines, incorporating the latest achievements of the world industry in the servicing of passengers and actively expanding its service.

For the year 2010, S7 Airlines won the Wings of Russia Award for Best Business Project in Russian Civil Aviation. The airline has also won the annual People's Brand / Brand #1 in Russia award.

Globus Airlines operates regular flights in Russia, the CIS and Europe. In 2009 and 2010 the company was on more than one occasion awarded a Quality Certificate from Moscow Domodedovo Airport for on-time performance.

Russian Sukhoi T-50 PAKFA now flies in USAF's Thunderbird team

Thunder...Thunder.....Thunderbirds :

From 1969 - 2012 , F-4 - to - T-50:

Thunderbirds cross paths.

Flying over home base. Thunderbird feel very happy !

Thunderbirds cross paths again.

The Thunderbirds started the 1969 training season still in the F-100Ds, but in the spring of 1969, received the first of the new McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom IIs and began the team’s conversion.
The F-4’s conversion was the most extensive in the team’s history.  Among several other modifications, the paint scheme changed due to the variations in chemicals, which allows paint used on the F-4 to resist heat and friction at Mach II speeds.  As a result, the white paint base was developed and remains a part of today’s Thunderbird aircraft design.
In 1974, a spreading fuel crisis inspired a new aircraft for the team, the T-38A Talon. Although the Talon did not fulfill the Thunderbirds tradition of flying front-line jet fighters, it did demonstrate the capabilities of a prominent Air Force aircraft.
Remaining true to its character to showcase the latest advancement in America’s fighter technology, the first red, white and blue F-16A assigned to the Thunderbirds was delivered to Nellis AFB on Jun. 22, 1982.  Due to the conversion to the new aircraft, there were no official shows flown in 1982. The team flew the F-16 during the 1983 show season; making it the team’s ninth aircraft and once again returning to flying a front-line fighter.
In 1997, the Thunderbirds performed 57 demonstrations for more than 12 million people in the spirit and theme of the Air Force’s 50th anniversary. The year was memorialized with the Thunderbirds Delta pictured on the official Air Force 50th Anniversary U.S. Postal stamp. On Sept. 18, 1997, the United States Postal Service had official unveilings of the stamp in both the Pentagon and the Thunderbird hangar.
The Thunderbirds made television history in 2003 while celebrating their 50th Anniversary. The commander/leader started the Coca-Cola 600 by broadcasting live from Thunderbirds No. 1 as he said, “Gentlemen, start your engines.”
In 2007, the Thunderbirds visited Europe for the first time since Sept. 11, 2001 with the European Goodwill Tour. The trip included shows in Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Italy, France, United Kingdom, and for the first time in Thunderbirds history, Ireland.
The team took its fifth Far East tour during the 2009 show season.  The team’s tour included visits to Hawaii, Australia, Thailand, Guam, Malaysia, Japan and Korea. The team performed more than 70 shows in 22 states and Puerto Rico in 2009.
The team’s 58th show season included a stop in Finland for the first time in 2011.  The Thunderbirds traveled across the United States and Europe, giving people a first-hand look at what their Airmen are accomplishing around the world every day.
During the 2012 season, the team will spend more than 200 days on the road representing Airmen during its 59th year.
Millions of people have witnessed the Thunderbirds demonstrations, and in turn, they’ve seen the pride, professionalism and dedication of hundreds of thousands of Airmen serving at home and abroad. Each year brings another opportunity for the team to represent those who deserve the most credit: the everyday, hard-working Airmen voluntarily serving America and defending freedom..

Now they Fly the Russian Sukhoi T-50 PAKFA. Sources within the US airforce remain tight lipped about the supplier of the 5th gen fighter jet .

Sukhoi Pak-Fa under-carriage photos

The PAK FA, when fully developed, is intended to be the successor to the MiG-29and Su-27 in the Russian inventory and serve as the basis of the Sukhoi/HAL FGFAbeing developed with India.^[14][15] A fifth generation jet fighter, the T-50 performed its first flight 29 January 2010.^[3][16] Its second flight was on 6 February and its third on 12 February 2010. As of 31 August 2010, it had made 17 flights and by mid-November, 40 in total. The second prototype was to start its flight test by the end of 2010, but this was delayed until March 2011.[

Sukhoi S-47 Berkut Golden Eagle

Originally known as the S-37, Sukhoi redesignated its advanced test aircraft as the Su-47 in 2002 reflecting the decision to market the design as a production fighter rather than as an experimental prototype. Also commonly referred to as the Berkut (Golden Eagle), the Su-47 was originally built as Russia's principle testbed for composite materials andsophisticated fly-by-wire control systems.
The aircraft makes use of forward-swept wings allowing superb maneuverability and operation at angles of attack up to 45° or more. The advantages of forward sweep have long been known as such wings offer lower wave drag, reduced bending moments, and delayed stall when compared to more traditional wing shapes.
Unfortunately, forward sweep also induces significant wing twist that would shear most wings off the aircraft. To solve this problem, the Su-47 makes use of composite materials carefully tailored to resist twisting while still allowing the wing to bend for improved aerodynamic behavior. To reduce development costs, the S-37 borrowed the forward fuselage, vertical tails, and landing gear of the Su-27 family.
Nonetheless, the aircraft includes reduced radar signature features (including radar absorbent materials), an internal weapons bay, and space set aside for an advanced radar.
Though similar in overall concept to the American X-29 research aircraft of the 1980s, the Su-47 is about twice the size and far closer to an actual combat aircraft than the US design.
Su-47 has shown far superior manuvering in the air to any aircraft known to this date.
Like the X-29 though, the Su-47 was primarily a technology demonstrator, one intended to lay the foundation for the next Russian fighter. Such a fighter must not only be as advanced as the US F-22 and Eurofighter Typhoon, but must also compete for funding with the more conventional MiGs. However, Sukhoi is now attempting to market the Su-47 to the Russian military and foreign customers as a production fighter in its own right. Initial reaction was not good, but the aircraft's performance has been so impressive that the Russian government has made funds available for further testing of the design.
Still, the low budgets of the Russian military and the aircraft's high price tag make it unlikely that the Su-47 will be purchased any time in the near future.

Sukhoi tests new fighter : Su-35S

Russian aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi has flight tested its Serial Three Su-35S Flanker-E multipurpose jet fighter for the first time.

During the test Tuesday, which lasted more than two hours, the aircraft's propulsion and control systems were put through their paces and "proved to be flawless," the company said.

Additional details on the initial flight test have not been disclosed.

The Su-35S is based on the earlier Su-27 but with an improved airframe, two central digital computers, advanced avionics and new radar with phased array antennas.

The closest competitor aircraft to the Su-27, which was introduced into service in 1988, is the U.S. F-15 Eagle.

With increased fuel capacity, the range of the Su-35S is more than 2,200 miles.

The maximum speed at altitude is about 1,400 mph. Its ceiling is 59,000 feet.

Sukhoi said the Su-35S can detect aircraft out to a range of nearly 250 miles, farther than that of other combat aircraft.

The Generation 4++ fighter's radar can reportedly track simultaneously 30 aerial targets and engage eight as well as track four ground targets and engage two.

Weaponry carried by the Su-35 include a 30mm cannon, laser-guided and unguided bombs, anti-radar missiles, anti-aircraft missiles and missiles for use against maritime targets.

With reduced protruding sensors and application to the fuselage of special coatings, the Flanker-E has a reduced radar signature.

The first two Su-35S planes (Serial One and Serial Two) were delivered to a Russian government testing center in August and have already performed more than 400 test flights.

The testing has involved propulsion, aircraft maneuverability, stability and control, as well as functioning of the aircraft navigation system.

Sukhoi projects the service life of the aircraft as 6,000 flight hours and a planned operational life of 30 years.

Potential export customers of the SU-35 aircraft are said to include China, India, Malaysia, Brazil and Indonesia.

Su-35 KNAAPO Brochure Loadouts

Su-35 Cockpit

Source: Sukhoi tests new fighter

Pak-Fa Impact on future USAF

Solomon reminded me that I hadn't commented on reports of the USAF leadership's view of the Sukhoi T-50, the prototype for the Russian PAK-FA future tactical fighter. That's because at first sight I found the statements unremarkable - but then I realized that, in itself, that is worthy of comment.

In the Cold War, you could rely on the Pentagon and the USAF to play up the Soviet threat for all it was worth. The MiG-25? Not only Mach 3 but an agile dogfighter. The Tu-22M Backfire was a B-1 equivalent with the range for strategic attacks against the US. And if you disagreed with the USAF that the nation consequently needed lots of F-15s and B-1s, you were clearly some kind of fluoride-swilling crypto-Commie prevert.

There was actually a running fight between the military intelligence agencies and the CIA, which bypassed the Pentagon and took its data to black-program teams within industry. The most public rumpus was over Backfire, where the boss of USAF intelligence tried to force McDonnell Douglas to recant the conclusions of a CIA-contracted team within the company, whose estimates of the bomber's performance were lower and far more accurate than those of Air Force analysts and the Defense Intelligence Agency.

So it's ironic to see USAF leaders downplaying the potential of the T-50,as in this report from Air Force Times. “I didn’t see anything … that would cause me to rethink plans for the F-22 or F-35,” Air Force Secretary Michael Donley was quoted as saying.  Pacific Air Forces commander Gen. Gary North, added: “I guess the greatest flattery is how much they copy you.”

Donley's comment, of course, is a demonstration of the Mandy Rice-Davies principle in action: He would say that, wouldn't he? His immediate predecessor was canned for (among other things) expressing incorrect and counter-revolutionary sentiments regarding his boss's F-22/F-35 plan. 

Gen. North, meanwhile, is falling into the old technical intelligence trap called mirror-imaging:  we want the B-1, so the Soviets must want a B-1 as well. The PAK-FA's front end bears a superficial resemblance to the F-22, but its hindquarters could not be more different, and - just for starters - it's a reasonable assessment that the Russian concept of balancing stealth with other requirements is very different from that which informed the F-22 design. 

I'm not sure that anyone has an accurate assessment of the PAK-FA threat, in terms of timing, numbers and detailed capability - that will depend on how fast the Russia-India relationship can move things forward, which in turn depends on money, as well as on technical resources. But it is pretty clearly a supercruiser, probably a good one, with some unique features that are there to combine speed and high agility without counter-stealthy aerodynamic surfaces all over the place. 

And had you started thinking about this kind of design in the late 1990s, and if "eating F-35s for breakfast" was on the requirements list, you'd end up with something like T-50. So I'd suggest that writing it off as a me-too F-22 is a bit premature.




By Bill Sweetman 

Pak-Fa Stealth Fighter Gallery 1

The Sukhoi PAK FA (Russian: Перспективный авиационный комплекс фронтовой авиации, Perspektivny aviatsionny kompleks frontovoy aviatsii, literally "Prospective Airborne Complex of Frontline Aviation") is a twin-engine jet fighter being developed by Sukhoi OKB for the Russian Air Force. The Sukhoi T-50 is the prototype for PAK FA.^[12] The PAK FA is one of only a handful of stealth jet programs globally.^[13]

The PAK FA, when fully developed, is intended to be the successor to the MiG-29and Su-27 in the Russian inventory and serve as the basis of the Sukhoi/HAL FGFAbeing developed with India.^[14][15] A fifth generation jet fighter, the T-50 performed its first flight 29 January 2010.^[3][16] Its second flight was on 6 February and its third on 12 February 2010. As of 31 August 2010, it had made 17 flights and by mid-November, 40 in total. The second prototype was to start its flight test by the end of 2010, but this was delayed until March 2011.^{[17][18][19][20][21]}

Sukhoi director Mikhail Pogosyan has projected a market for 1,000 aircraft over the next four decades, which will be produced in a joint venture with India, 200 each for Russia and India and 600 for other countries.^[22] He has also said that the Indian contribution would be in the form of joint work under the current agreement rather than as a joint venture.^[23] The Indian Air Force will "acquire 50 single-seater fighters of the Russian version" before the two seat FGFA is developed.^[24] The Russian Defense Ministry will purchase the first 10 aircraft after 2012 and then 60 after 2016.^[25][26] The first batch of fighters will be delivered with current technology engines.^[27] Ruslan Pukhov, director of the Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, has projected that Vietnam will be the second export customer for the fighter.^[28] The PAK-FA is expected to have a service life of about 30–35 years.

Sukhoi PAK-FA : 3rd prototype flies

MAKING ITS maiden flight from Komsomolsk-on-Amur on November 22 was the third prototype of the Sukhoi T-50/PAK FA fifth-generation fighter. The aircraft, flown by test pilot Sergey Bogdan, was airborne for just over an hour before landing back at the KNAAPO factory airfield.
The flight was deemed a success, with all tests of stability and evaluation of engine performance proceeding as planned. The pilot reported reliable operation of all systems and components.
Maiden flight of the first prototype took place on January 29, 2010, also at Komsomolsk-on-Amur, followed by the second aircraft on March 3, 2011. Both prototypes made their public debut at the MAKS 2011 International Aviation and Space Salon in Zhukovsky, Moscow. The aircraft have now completed more than 100 test flights.