This article first appeared in Aviation Week & Space Technology.
Russian air force ambitions stretch far beyond the $2.65-billion Sukhoi fighter order at the MAKS 2009 show. Aspirations include fielding an unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) alongside its fifth-generation fighter and developing a next-generation strategic bomber.
The fighter deal is a fillip to the air force and Sukhoi. The military will acquire 48 Su-35S fighter aircraft from 2010–15, along with 12 Su-27SMs and four Su-30M2s. Delivery of the last two versions of the Flanker should be completed by 2011.
Securing an air force order bolsters Sukhoi’s export aims for the Su-35, while also providing production work for its Komsomolsk-on-Amur site.
Maj. Gen. Oleg Barmin, chief of procurement for the Russian air force, says the Su-35S offer was particularly attractive to his service. “We are not bearing any development costs, and it is saving us money,” he told a press briefing here last week. If MiG is able to do the same with its MiG-35 development of the MiG-29 Fulcrum, this would benefit a possible purchase, he noted.
The S-35S will operate with the air force’s fifth-generation fighter, known as PAK-FA, when it enters service.
The PAK-FA’s radar design was unveiled at the show, with Russian manufacturer NIIP showing a prototype of the active, electronically scanned array (AESA) device. The radar had initially remained covered on the company stand, since government clearance was needed to show the design.
The 1,500-element array is a slight ellipse, likely reflecting the cross section of the PAK-FA nose. While NIIP officials say they have looked at an AESA design in which the antenna face can be moved, the approach being taken with PAK-FA is for a fixed antenna. Test flights of the radar are due to begin in 2010. The first PAK-FA prototype is still expected to fly before year-end. The aircraft design also could use secondary conformal array antennas to provide additional angular coverage.
NIIP previously developed a variety of passive, phased array radars; however, the shift to an active array poses a leap in technology — not least of all in manufacturing the transmit/receive modules.
The air force procurement chief maintains that fielding the Su-35S will provide his service with a near-term counter to the U.S. Air Force’s Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor.
In addition to the PAK-FA, the air force is looking at its UCAV needs. Barmin suggests it will carry “the same weapons as the fifth-generation fighter.“
MiG and Sukhoi are already working on UCAV developments. Two years ago, MiG unveiled its Skat project and showed a mockup of the design. The company is continuing its UCAV work, although its exact status is unknown. Sukhoi General Designer Mikhail Pogosyan, who also leads MiG, suggests the development of a UCAV could be the first common effort between the two fighter manufacturers. Both are to form the combat aircraft business unit of Russia’s United Aircraft Corp (UAC), with Sukhoi as the dominant element.
MiG is struggling with considerable debt, and this is hindering bringing it within the ambit of UAC. The financial malaise at MiG may be hampering UCAV work. The government has already provided MiG with 15 billion rubles ($470 million). During the show, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said discussions are underway covering an additional 15 billion rubles.
Pogosyan says the air force is now drawing up its requirements for a UCAV. This initial work may be concluded during 2010. Alongside looking at unmanned strike platform needs, the air force is considering long-endurance reconnaissance requirements.
While a full-blown UCAV development and program may appear ambitious for an air force that has struggled with chronic underfunding for nearly two decades, this pales beside what would be required for a next-generation strategic bomber program to replace the Tu-160 Blackjack and Tu-95 Bear. The nascent bomber project is known as PAK-DA (AW&ST Aug. 17, p, 26).
Barmin says work is underway on a replacement for the Blackjack and the Bear. But he declines to say whether any funding to support the PAK-DA will be included in the government’s 2011–20 defense acquisition program. Some form of preliminary research and development contract has been concluded with Tupolev, according to a company executive.
Whether Tupolev has the technical resources — even when it becomes part of the UAC — to sustain development of a next-generation strategic bomber remains an open question. Tupolev is involved in implementing staged upgrades for the air force’s small number of Tu-160s and for the larger Tu-95MS fleet. The aim is to improve both types’ strategic and tactical strike capabilities and extend their useful service lives.
Having signed the Su-35S deal, Barmin says the air force is now preparing the contract for an associated weapons purchase. This is part of a wider and badly needed effort to refresh the service’s air-launched weapons inventory.
“There are over 20 types [of new weapons] in different stages of development,” says Barmin, and some of them will provide “high precision” and “long range.“
Some of the systems to which Barmin is referring were displayed by Russia’s Tactical Missile Corp. during the show.
Read the rest of this story, see why Navy labs are off their rocker, ponder the eternal question of alternate engines and check out a cruise-missile-warning blimp from our friends at Aviation Week, exclusively on Military.com.
– Christian
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
Now entering Cold War 2 the Tac side.
Now the US has to compete with Russia?
How good is theyre stuff.
Need some ‘copies’ to the US for testing.
IE post WW2, post Korean War era.
Russian UCAV?
This is NOT Firefox- Eastwoods 1982 jet thriller movie.
Good Morning Folks,
Yea, 68 Fighters in six years, and at that the Russian’s most like will not be able to meet production. For now the Russian Fighter Defense consist of about 380 Mig F-31′s. Hardly the stuff you need F-22′s to deal with. As for the Su. 35, if I recall 18 have been built 12 sent to India who will co-produce the Su. 35 and the other six are used for factory demo’s for foreign buyers in Russia.
The Mig 35 and a new Tupolev bombers maybe in 2020, or mayby not. For now the Russian Federation Air Force is largely a “Ghost” force.
ALLONS,
Byron Skinner
Without the government purchase, it is possible that Sukhoi and Mig could have gone under. I heard the Russians also bought back a number of Mig-29s and absorbed them into their own forces.
Now we’re suppose to be afraid over another improved version super next gen sukhoi SU-27? Everything that’s makes this plane a world beater is in paper. Awacs killing missiles? In development. AIM-120 class missiles. development.This is simply them catching up to the early 90′s. Good for them. I’m not impressed .
AvWeek are systematically optimistic when it comes to Russian systems and the F-22 while being pessimistic when it comes to stuff like the F-18 and the F-35.
Russia’s hurting from the recession. Plus, they have a lot of work to do on infrastructure, training, and logistics. New Su are just a sideshow.The fact is that no one in the world is anywhere close to achieving the level of networking and warfighting sophistication that allows the U.S. to retain overwhelming superiority – especially situational awareness – even when individual components in its system are no longer themselves overwhelmingly superior to the threat on a one-on-one basis. The day Russia begin to mount numerous Red Flag-type exercises on a yearly basis and their pilots get close to the flying hours of their U.S. counterparts, that day I might begin to be somewhat concerned. Until then, Russian and Chinese Sukhoi pilots will have a very nice-looking aircraft in which to very quickly die should a shooting war ever come to pass.
The fartmeister is off his meds again…
just how many planes can they buy?–
well, if you will look in a same way on USA, its economical capabilities and debts, then compared to Russian Federation USA should be chinese colony now..
aside that russian defense industry is owned by russian goverment. so it can be red so much it wants but they will still build their jets when they need them.
peace
flying fart proudly joyned:My observation is :the Russian are not a danger to America anymore.
well thats where russians are very good. their airborne, marines and airtransports are very in a same shape as american does. iroicaly they dont have wars far away from own country to show this logistic and landing power to the world at work.
Yea right flying fart. No offense but the russians struggle to send a few ships to south america.
Logistics is something they lack very very much. Its like another poster once said something like ‘invading georgia was the equivalent of the us army invading jaurez mexico.’
Russia is to corrupt atm for much. To justify even what they have now they must pump out massive ammounts of propaganda stunts like there bomber over flights and those 2 subs from a few weeks ago.
flying fart proudly joyned:My observation is :the Russian are not a danger to America anymore.–
i know, you are an idiot.
No offense but the russians struggle to send a few ships to south america.–
i talked about airborne and airtransportation.
I have friends who fly Uk tornadoes and they say the Russian
airforce is a joke . The tornado would take out any soviet fifth gen jet because of way superior radar , ECM and missiles and most importantly crew training .
Imagine what the f22, jsf , typhoon would do .
The Russian military is broken like the country .
Well done mr Putin !!
Russia is getting a new strategic bomber why don’t we get one oh thats right obama cut spending for it.
flying fart proudly joyned:I did not insult you ; if you have not the capacity of show your arguments politely or insult like a 12 tears old kid go to post in youtube or some other place for teenagers.This blog try to be a place to put ideas ,no to insult others
I don’t think that Russia ever intends to fight us or match us conventionally. Their continues to be in their WMDs. In fact,any major conflict they plan on starting,they plan on starting it with nuclear & any other WMDs. I’d think they would also plan to fight unconventional & asymetrical against us & not toe to toe. They(& China) also have their “satellites(Iran,North Korea,Pakistan,Venezuela,Cuba)” to irritate us & keep us busy. We may laugh at their conventional weapons,but we mustn’t forget what else they have.
What I really worry about is our country getting tangled up in Russian, Georgian, and Ukrainian disputes.
@Drake1
lol. you should ask tha CIA paid idiot who invested there into color revolutions.
Flying fart besides showing pretty much everyone is pissed off at russia which is true. What did you bring to that conversation besides rabid anti-americanism, Arrogant smart a$$ comments and generaly know it all attitude?
:)
Stay Classy
flying fart proudly joyned is a troll, he only spews insults and offensive remarks.He believe that yelling louder and more means to be right.Sadly,he assume to have knowledge that he doesn’t possess.He usually insert the maximum B.S. imaginable.
@Valcan
still not reading your post.
@elgatoso
i know you are an idiot already.
We shouldn’t feed the trolls, just ignore them. I wonder what China’s plans are for their air forces?
What? Russia bought some planes? I’m shaking in my boots!
Folks, seriously. The only reason Russia is still there is because the country is so huge and cold that you’d pretty much have to come at it seasonally for about 75 years to take it. They’d probably have to stop to refuel before they even cross the border.
@Valcan
still not reading your post.
……….But you would have to inorder to know i was talking about you. So your just saying i WIN!!!
Woot
Good Evening Hibby,
Good question Hibby, what about China?
Well lets take a look, OK. The numbers I will be quoting from “Modernizing China’s Military” by David Shambaugh. This is one of three books currently out that deals with the PLA, this book is used as a text in several university programs. The numbers are from 2000-2004.
The PLAAF Plane Inventory:
Total Airframes, regardless of readiness is 2,724
1,500 J-6′s 50-60′s era Mig 19 technology
624 J-7′s 60-70′s era Mig 21 technology
170 J-8′s 70′s era Mig 29 technology
300 Q5′s Trainers
90 Su-27′s Russian Built, best in the PLAAF stationed in Beijing
40 Su-30′s Russian Built, best in the PLAAF stationed in Beijing
513 Transports including Airline planes, 150 dedicated military transport of Russian Mfg.
170 Helicopters, all Russian mfg. 28 are MI-17-s, 25 Mi-6 and Mi-8′s rest are mixed lot of Korean War/Vietnam era helicopters, noted that China has no Helicopter Gunships such as the Hind D.
12 J-12 Chines Mfg. Mig 30, Su-27, technology currently in production. all 12 J-12′s made (2008) are based on Hainan Island in the South China sea.
00 J-13′s an attack version of the J-12, none yet built.
Besides the above China still has some some aging medium, bombers about 200 H-5′s (Russian Il-28 Beagle) and 120 H-6′s (Russian Tu-16 Badger) none have a range of over 1850 Km.
There you have it Hibby, the mighty Chinese PLAAF.
General notes,… the J-6′s and & J-7′s along with 4 J-8′s are no longer considered front line fighters… In helicopters the Chinese also have 28 U.S. UH-60 Blackhawks that are downed waiting for parts that the U.S. has embargoed… The Su’27′s and Su-30′s are considered the only air threat from the Chinese have and they are tightly guarded on bases near Beijing and never do the Su’s take off fully fueled so that a pilot won’t fly it to Taiwan, Japan or South Korea.
The Chinese historically have had trouble manufacturing aircraft and the Chinese J series fighters are not considered front line. The Chines has no domestic helicopter manufacturing. The bomber factories have been closed down since the 60′s and converted to other uses.
I hope.but I know it won’t put to rest the might Chinese PLAAF coming over the horizon loaded down with nuc’s ready to blow the U.S. away. I’m not saying that there some, even many in China that would be very receptive to that idea, but it won’t happen, at least not in this century.
ALLONS,
Byron Skinner
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