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| Vladislav Perminov |
Russia Mulls a Larger MiG-35 Contract | Defense News: Aviation International News: Russia is close to ordering a significant batch of the latest "Fulcrum" variant.
Russia’s defense ministry has received its first MiG-35UB two-seat multirole fighter from the August 2018 contract that was signed at ARMY’2018, covering an initial six aircraft. Aircraft side number 11 was spotted in the past month flying from the airfield at RAC MiG’s Lukhovitsy plant in the Moscow region. Upon completion of the manufacturer’s tests, it was ferried to an air force base for participation in state acceptance trials.
The tests began in the fall at the Valery Chkalov State Flight Test Center (GLITs) at Akhtubinsk in southern Russia. When visiting GLITs on May 14, President Putin was shown a MiG-35, among other aircraft. At the time, the center was operating two such aircraft: a MiG-35UB side 712 and MiG-35S single-seater side 702. Completed in late 2016, they had made a public debut at MAKS’2017, billed as “the new MiG-35.” After manufacturer’s tests, they were handed over to the MoD in the middle of 2018. For state acceptance trials to complete as planned in 2020, GLITs requires several more airframes to arrive over the next few months.
The defense ministry expects one more MiG-35UB and four MiG-35S deliveries in 2019 and is preparing a second contract for signing at ARMY’2019, which opens on June 25. Reportedly, the State Armament Program 2018-2027 (GPV-2027) authorizes procurement of between 24 and 36 MiG-35s. In a recent interview, RAC MiG general director Ilya Tarasenko confirmed that the type was included in GPV-2027, but declined to give an exact number due to the classified nature of this document. He gave the MiG-35’s gross weight at 23.5 tonnes, and fuel capacity as twice that of the baseline MiG-29.
Outwardly, the MiG-35S/UB for the Russian Air and Space Force (VKS) looks similar to the customized Egyptian MiG-29M/M2. Cairo ordered 46 such aircraft under a contract worth $2 billion, and deliveries are ongoing. These land-based aircraft are based on the carrier-borne MiG-29K/KUBs, of which production for the Indian and Russian navies was completed in 2015.
Reportedly, the new MiG-35s will feature further improved RD-33MK engines to address reliability issues and KRET/Phazotron Zhuk-A radar with active electronically scanned phased-array (AESA) replacing the older Zhuk-M with mechanical scanning. Other changes include installation of a more modern electro-optics system with distributed apertures, MSP-418KE active jamming pods, and a mysterious “laser weapon,” about which UAC president Yuri Slyusar reported to Putin in January 2017.
Although RAC MiG has a stated annual production capacity of 36 of the “Advanced Fulcrum” family, actual manufacturing rates have been considerably slower due to weak demand. Since 2008, when production commenced, the manufacturer has delivered about 100 airframes including 70 for carrier operations.
The MiG-35 has been on offer since 2005. At AeroIndia in 2007, the manufacturer exhibited side 154, rebuilt from a MiG-29M. Later, this demonstrator received an experimental Zhuk-AE with AESA radar. The company also made use of Side 156: another MiG-29M rebuilt as the MiG-29OVP vectored thrust demonstrator. For customer demonstration purposes two MiG-29K/KUBs were converted into MiG-35s but returned to the original standard after RAC MiG’s removal from the list of Indian MMRCA contenders. The company flew side 747, the first aircraft designed and built as a MiG-35UB in 2012, followed by the side 741 single-seater in 2015.
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| RT |
Production of 100 Mi-28NM helicopters for VKS began in Rostov - Rossiyskaya Gazeta:
Translated by google
Production of 100 Mi-28NM helicopters began in Rostov-on-Don. Up to 2027, the upgraded "Night Hunters" will be delivered to the Air and Space Forces of the Russian Federation.
“The Supreme Commander decided to put 100 vehicles into the troops until 2027, the first vehicles were put into production, ” Deputy Minister Alexei Krivoruchko told Zvezda .
In addition, the existing fleet of army aviation helicopters will be equipped with modern airborne defense complexes and means of destruction of increased range. This is a new anti-tank guided missile "Chrysanthemum-M" with a dual-channel guidance system. The use of this rocket will increase the range of destruction of armored targets to 10 kilometers, while the existing “Attack” hits six kilometers. Note that these missiles are installed on the export version of the Night Hunter, shown at the international forum Army-2018.
However, the main difference between the Mi-28NM and the previous version, in addition to the perimeter radar of the circular view, is the duplicated control system - if necessary, the pilot can also pilot the helicopter. In addition, the helicopter can now interact with UAVs in flight and remotely control drones.
The upgrade also affected engine power and blades, due to which flight performance improved in high-altitude and hot climates. The helicopter's cruising speed has increased and the possibilities for performing complex aerobatic maneuvers in flight have expanded. In March, there were reports that the latest Mi-28NM were tested in the sky in Syria .
Type 055 destroyer ‘pillar’ of North China Sea fleet: report - Global Times
China's first 10,000-ton-class Type 055 destroyer Nanchang is reportedly joining the North China Sea Fleet of the People's Liberation Army Navy, a move that Chinese military experts hailed as crucial to the fleet's combat capability.
They also predicted that other Type 055s will also be commissioned into the East China Sea and South China Sea fleets.
Nanchang made a brief appearance in an introduction video released by the North China Sea Fleet on Thursday afternoon.
Although the video did not elaborate, Weihutang, a column on military affairs affiliated with China Central Television, reported Sunday that the warship would likely join the North China Sea Fleet and become "one of the pillars to the fleet's combat capability."
The first Type 055 could be commissioned into the North China Sea Fleet as it can form an aircraft carrier combat group around the carrier Liaoning, Li Jie, a Beijing-based naval expert, told the Global Times on Sunday.
Nanchang could serve as lead escort to Liaoning, which is based in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province, Li noted.
Another reason behind the naval vessel's potential commissioning in the North China Sea Fleet was that China has already commissioned other advanced warships in the East China Sea and South China Sea fleets.
Deploying the first Type 055 destroyer to the North China Sea Fleet balances up the allocation of military resources, according to Li.
With a strong air defense capability, Nanchang could protect the Chinese capital region from warplanes or missile attacks in the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea areas, analysts pointed out.
Future Type 055s will likely also join the South China and East China fleets, Li expected, as the US have frequently sent warships to the South China Sea and across the Taiwan Straits to cause stirs under the excuse of freedom of navigation recently.
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| besthqwallpapers.com |
Bulgarian Air Force may switch to Typhoon or Gripen because of F-16V’s high price - The Aviation Geek Club: Bulgarian negotiated with Washington about the purchase of eight new F-16V Block 70s to replace the ageing MiG-29s of the Bulgarian Air Force.
“They must offer prices similar to that offered to other countries, for example, Slovakia,” Krasimir Karakachanov, Bulgarian Defense minister.
In December 2018, the National Assembly gave the Bulgarian government a mandate to negotiate with Washington (USA) about the purchase of eight new Lockheed Martin F-16V Block 70s to replace the ageing MiG-29s of the Bulgarski Voenno Vzdushni Sili (BVVS, Bulgarian Air Force).
Recently, these negotiations are likely to halt due to the high price of these brand new F-16Vs and the Bulgarian government may switch the deal in the favor of new build Swedish Saab Gripens or used Italian Eurofighter Typhoons.
As reported by Scramble Facebook News Magazine, Bulgarian Defense minister Krasimir Karakachanov said: “Government authorities are not expecting to receive anything for free from the USA, but we expect them to offer the aircraft for normal prices. They must offer prices similar to that offered to other countries, for example, Slovakia.”
As we have already explained the F-16V has already been selected by Slovakia which will be buying 14 F-16 Block 70/72 aircraft for USD 1,78 billion.
In January 2019, Lockheed Martin tried to sell the eight F-16Vs for USD 1,05 billion (1,8 billion levs), and the Bulgarian government approved this amount. But now it is reported that the USA bid exceeds the budget by USD 174 million (300 million Levs). Next month it is expected that the manufacturer as well as governmental officials of both sides will discuss the subject during a meeting in Brussels.
The announcement of Bulgaria that they may sway to Gripen or Typhoon is of course a good negotiation in which they force Lockheed Martin and the USA to drop their price.
According Lockheed Martin the F-16V Block 70/72 is the newest and most advanced F-16 production configuration, combining numerous capability and structural upgrades.
The F-16 Block 70/72 in fact combines capability upgrades, most notably the advanced Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar with a new avionics architecture, and structural upgrades to extend the structural life of the aircraft by more than 50 percent beyond that of previous production F-16 aircraft. F-16 Block 70/72 software takes advantage of technologies not available when earlier Block F-16s were developed and produced. Operational capabilities are enhanced through an advanced datalink, targeting pod and weapons; precision GPS navigation and the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto GCAS).
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| UAC |
Source: in Russia they collected the second sample of the Il-112V military transport - the Army and the military-industrial complex - TASS:
Translated by google
The interlocutor of the agency said that the tests will begin in July - August
MOSCOW, May 23. / Tass /. Specialists of the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute named after NE Zhukovsky (TsAGI) and the VASO manufacturer completed the assembly of a second sample of the Il-112B military transport aircraft, intended for life tests, which will begin in July-August 2019. This was on Thursday Tass told a source in the military-industrial complex.
"The TsAGI has assembled a second Il-112V for life tests. The last preparatory work is underway, the tests will begin in July-August of this year," the agency’s source said. He clarified that he could remain at the institute for several years.
The first sample of the Il-112B is used for flight tests and first flew on March 30, having made a full-time landing at the airfield of the Voronezh Aircraft Building Company (VASO). According to the source, if it is not decided to build two more aircraft for flight tests, the second resource sample, located in TsAGI, can be involved in flights.
The second Il-112V was delivered to Zhukovsky in a disassembled form in December 2018 to conduct static resource tests at TsAGI. On January 18, Alexey Rogozin, then the general director of Il, reported that the assembly of the third and fourth prototypes of the Il-112B light transport aircraft should begin in 2019.
Work on the creation of IL-112V are conducted since 2014. According to the stated tactical and technical characteristics, he will be able to carry up to five tons of cargo. Turboprop Il-112V is designed to transport soldiers, military equipment and weapons.
Changes were made to the news (16:06 Moscow time) - information on the text was added .
