# The Russian Military Merged Thread- Air Force



## JBP

Ever seen any? I need info! I'm dying to find out what's over there and/or what's in the works! Last stuff I seen was something on TV about the newest Russian fighter having forward "Canards" and being at least partially stealth+super manuverable!!!

Seen a pic of it too, looked absolutely BEAUTIFUL and deadly. Anyway, any pics+info would be much appreciated on any current/new Russian aircraft. Not anything like Mig-29 (old but cool) or Su-27 Flanker (also old but cool)...

Thanks,
Joe

PS> Any good websites to find this stuff would be appreciated!


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

Type in MIG or Sukhoi into Google and your bound to get numerous hits, I know I did.


----------



## condor888000

This it?

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/row/mfi.htm

Or is it this?

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/row/s-37.htm

Possibly this?

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/row/su-37.htm

1st is a Mig 35, 2nd is a S 37 and the 3rd is a SU 37

Here's a site with a fair bit of info

http://www.fas.org/main/content.jsp?formAction=325&projectId=22


----------



## Jeff Boomhouwer

It's called Firefox and it's flown by Clint Eastwoodslav


----------



## Cloud Cover

On the Su-37 website above, the aircraft is described as a "counter air fighter" - is this a new term for interceptor/air superiority fighter?

Cheers,

W601


----------



## JBP

Condor, dude, I love you!

Thanks, suppose I wasn't looking hard enough, wicked pics and info!

Thanks for the website etc.

Joe

PS> That Clint Eastwood movie is OLD and was made about the Mig-25 Foxbat (even older) which was Russia's front-line intercepter like 25 years ago and broke several world records until the F-15 Eagle came out...


----------



## Jeff Boomhouwer

Joe Joe Joe,no The Firefox had canards on the front of the fuselage and a delta wing configuration. The foxbat is totally different and looks like the Eagle.( thats the F 15)


----------



## JBP

Hrm... I suppose I must watch that movie again, haven't seen it for about... 6 years now that I think of it! Something like that...

Now who here misses the Avro Arrow? I mean, c'mon! It seriously almost makes me feel like crying when I think about what came of that aircraft!!!

Now, it would have been a wicked Interceptor aircraft, but I was looking over the specs in a book I have and noticed that the Arrow was quite large... And it's shape makes it look as if it wouldn't have performed well in dogfighting. Not unless at high speed and/or high altitude, anyone have any info about that?

Joe


----------



## Inch

As you said, the Arrow was an interceptor, not an air superiority fighter, thus it wasn't designed to be maneuverable or be able to dogfight, just get to the bad guys as fast as possible, shoot them down with a missile and head home. 

From what I've been told by old Voodoo drivers, dogfights are actually kinda slow, they've done at Va (maneuvering speed) since at Va you can pull as hard as you want and the aircraft will stall before you overstress it. Any faster and you risk overstressing it, ie. you'll get shot down because your aircraft is busted. Any slower than Va and you'll stall before you can pull maximum G and it's the pulling that allows you to get into a firing position, whoever can pull the most usually wins, or so I've been told.

So no, the Arrow couldn't have been used in aerial combat, it just wasn't designed for it.

Cheers


----------



## JBP

I still wonder to this day what kinda spinoff technologies we could have had back then even if we kept the jet...

It was the first jet to have MANY modern fighter capabilities!

First to have:

Internal weapons bays (In a fighter)
Autopilot/Computer controlled flight system
Almond cockpit (Not necessarilly a benefit)

That's just a couple things. Shame it really is, they had to create new metals and ways of fabricating them just for that. It had hundreds of innovations. Also the first fighter to have a wing shaped like it did, not the "Supercritical" wing aspect, but the break half way down the leading edge of the wind to assure it didn't become uncontrollable after it passed the supersonic/subsonic barrier. What came out shortly after with that aerodynamic innovation? F-4 Phantom! Interesting, Canadian Brain Drain yay!!!!

I will always dream of that jet and what it had for Canada.

Joe


----------



## condor888000

Recruit Joe said:
			
		

> Condor, dude, I love you!



No prob. I was bored, something to do...



			
				Recruit Joe said:
			
		

> Now who here misses the Avro Arrow? I mean, c'mon! It seriously almost makes me feel like crying when I think about what came of that aircraft!!!



There was actually a 3page thread about that here...

http://army.ca/forums/threads/16406.0.html


----------



## tabernac

Any chance the S-37 might be a possible contender for re-placement of the CF-18?


----------



## Danjanou

cheeky_monkey said:
			
		

> Any chance the S-37 might be a possible contender for re-placement of the CF-18?



Only if Smiling Jack and the N Dippers get a say if Defence matters.  ;D


----------



## Bograt

cheeky_monkey said:
			
		

> Any chance the S-37 might be a possible contender for re-placement of the CF-18?



I have been feeling a slight discomfort in my lower intestine. Perhaps it *is* a group of winged monkeys that are about to take flight.


----------



## formerarmybrat23

IL-76: A Massive Russian-built Cargo Plane 
Publicado - Published: 09/06/2007
http://www.desastres.org/noticias.php?id=09062007-15

CANADA.- A massive Russian-built cargo plane laden with military equipment and other supplies from the Canadian mission in Afghanistan clipped a fence at Canadian Forces Base Trenton last week. 

Ira Turcotte was sitting at home on Thursday evening when he heard the rumble of the giant IL-76 Ilyushin's engines, despite the fact that a thick fog had settled over the area. 

Located on the edge of a trailer park that borders the base, Mr. Turcotte's home is perfectly situated to watch planes take off and land from CFB Trenton, about three hours south of Ottawa. 

The base is one of the largest and busiest in Canada as the majority of Canadian military personnel, equipment and supplies deployed abroad leave the country here. 

The military has for years contracted such planes for overseas missions as they are faster and carry more equipment than the Canadian Forces' Hercules cargo planes. 

Mr. Turcotte, whose house is across the street from a retirement home and several other houses, said the Ilyushin and other privately contracted planes fly in and out of Trenton as many as five times a week. 

"I usually get up to see when they come or go," Mr. Turcotte said Sunday. "But for some reason I didn't this time." 

Apparently the plane's engines drowned out any sound it may have caused when it hit the top of the approximately 12-foot-tall fence as neither Mr. Turcotte nor several other residents who live nearby heard anything over the roar. 

The next morning, Mr. Turcotte woke around 5 a.m. to find several emergency vehicles had converged around the fence at the end of the runway. He drove down to see that the fence had been broken, with metal poles twisted and torn. 

"If it would have crashed, it would have been a big explosion," he said, the still bent and twisted fence a few hundred metres away visible from his driveway. "Thank God it didn't." 

Fog Might Be Responsible 

Transport Canada and the Department of National Defence have launched separate investigations to determine why the Ilyushin struck the fence, base spokeswoman Capt. Nicole Meszaros said. 

"It was really foggy here," she said. "It ended up hitting the fence and knocking down a section of that fence and ended up with the barbed wire along the top of the fence becoming entangled in the landing gear." 

The plane was immediately diverted to Ottawa where minor repairs were completed before it returned to Trenton to complete its delivery. 

Capt. Meszaros could not say whether the foggy conditions were responsible, though it's expected the two investigations will determine the cause. At the moment, the plane is not flying. 

However, she said the incident has not affected operations at the base or resupply efforts for the Canadian mission in Afghanistan. 

Jan Ottens, general manager and CEO of Toronto-based Skylink Aviation, which chartered the flight, said the plane is operated by a company based out of Azerbaijan. 

The military is currently planning to expand CFB Trenton. Not only has more land been bought to facilitate the growth, but four new C-17 Globemaster transports and a new fleet of Hercules aircraft have been purchased. As a result, it's expected the number of private aircraft being contracted for military operations will decrease. 

In addition, there are reports that the elite Joint Task Force 2 unit will be relocated from its Dwyer Hill base outside Ottawa to the area.


----------



## nihilpavor

formerarmybrat23 said:
			
		

> Ira Turcotte was sitting at home on Thursday evening when he heard the rumble of the giant IL-76 Ilyushin's engines, despite the fact that a thick fog had settled over the area.



Since when does the fog impede sound propagation? I really thought it was the other way around...


----------



## vonGarvin

nihilpavor said:
			
		

> Since when does the fog impede sound propagation? I really thought it was the other way around...



I think that the very fact that a plane was flying in such fog was the "surprising" fact for Mr Turcotte.


----------



## Good2Golf

> The plane was immediately diverted to Ottawa where minor repairs were completed before it returned to Trenton to complete its delivery.



You can't imagine how much of a story is hidden within this sentence...


----------



## KevinB

Good2Golf said:
			
		

> You can't imagine how much of a story is hidden within this sentence...


Sobering the crew up would have been my first guess...

Secondly complete its delivery?  - I would read - unloading the shipment it was supposed to take to Afghan and wait for a new plane...


----------



## Good2Golf

Darned Java...

Transport Canada - Civil Aviation Daily Occurrence Reporting System (CADORS) 

1.) Select "Accident" from the drop-down menu of the [*Occurrence Type*] item, 

2.) Type "Trenton" into the [*Occurrence Location*] box on the form, click "Search"

3.) select incident "*2007O0755 Trenton (CYTR)*" and enjoy the read...


----------



## aesop081

Good2Golf said:
			
		

> Darned Java...
> 
> Transport Canada - Civil Aviation Daily Occurrence Reporting System (CADORS)
> 
> 1.) Select "Accident" from the drop-down menu of the [*Occurrence Type*] item,
> 
> 2.) Type "Trenton" into the [*Occurrence Location*] box on the form, click "Search"
> 
> 3.) select incident "*2007O0755 Trenton (CYTR)*" and enjoy the read...



WTF ??

430 feet from the threshhold on an ILS......i guess " minimums....nothing seen...overshooting" means nothing to them


----------



## KevinB

I still think "sober the crew up for $200, Alex" is the right choice


----------



## TN2IC

Infidel-6 said:
			
		

> I still think "sober the crew up for $200, Alex" is the right choice




I second it....


----------



## Teddy Ruxpin

Gee, I'm shocked...   This has happened once or twice before:

http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/35058/post-276930.html#msg276930

And cynics wonder why I don't support use of Russian/East bloc aircraft as our main strategic transport means...


----------



## gaspasser

...strange how the fence posts and chain link were bent inward toward the button......? I did a visual with my niner, who laughed her head off!
From what I heard...they tried to land twice, missed {or couldn't see the LIGHTS that were in their eyes!} and went to OT.  Not landing.  They had to come back, unload the load coming in and...oh, get investigated and sober up...
Rumours only!!!  It's quite the joke around here.  Mind you, we had to get them to STOP smoking and cooking while we were refueling them!  Fun bunch of guys..
...and the C-17 is coming when??....


 :-X


----------



## observor 69

CADORS Number: 2007O0755

International Aviation 
Narrative: UPDATE from TSB Daily Notification Log Occurrence Summary A07O0119: The Silk Way Airlines Ilyushin IL-76 aircraft, registration 4K-AZ41, operating as flight AZQ4992, was on an ILS approach to runway 24 at the Trenton Air Force Base in Trenton, Ontario. The weather at the time was reported as one half mile in fog, vertical visibility 500 feet, RVR 600, temperature and dew point 12 degrees celsius and the wind was 210 at 06 knots. The aircraft struck the airport perimeter fence with the main landing gear and briefly touched down on the left main landing gear approximately 430 feet from the threshold of runway 24. The flight crew aborted the landing and applied engine power. The aircraft climbed to 3000 feet asl and entered a hold at this altitude. After approximately one hour it diverted to the Ottawa/MacDonald-Cartier airport. Ottawa tower was contacted by Trenton and advised of the incoming aircraft and that it had struck the fence on approach. Ottawa tower called out ARFF as a precaution. The AZQ 4992 flight crew did not declare an emergency. The aircraft landed uneventfully and taxied to the local FBO. ARFF followed the aircraft and assisted the crew in removing the barbed wire that was wrapped around the left main landing gear. After a period of time the aircraft took off from Ottawa and arrived in Trenton where the onboard cargo was offloaded. TSB, Transport Canada, and the Canadian Forces Directorate of Flight Safety (DFS) were notified of the event. DFS will be the lead in the investigation with TSB participating and providing support. Examination of the aircraft revealed substantial damage to the underside of the fuselage as a result of the impact with the fence. The TSB have made this occurrence an accident since it had substantial damage.


----------



## gaspasser

BG, Thanks for the info and killing of rumours.  I've been around these guys, so it doesn't surprise me at all.


----------



## a_majoor

Teddy Ruxpin said:
			
		

> Gee, I'm shocked...   This has happened once or twice before:
> 
> http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/35058/post-276930.html#msg276930
> 
> And cynics wonder why I don't support use of Russian/East bloc aircraft as our main strategic transport means...



I think the problem lies more with the Russian/Eastbloc aircrew..........


----------



## I_am_John_Galt

Baden  Guy said:
			
		

> The AZQ 4992 flight crew did not declare an emergency.



They didn't even spill their Vodka!


----------



## Teddy Ruxpin

a_majoor said:
			
		

> I think the problem lies more with the Russian/Eastbloc aircrew..........



Certainly - my comment was directed at our use of contracted lift.  Skylink's original proposal had us contracting (basically) all our lift to them.  There's been no suggestion (IIRC) that the CF fly Russian aircraft.


----------



## Globesmasher

G2G:

Thanks for posting the CADORS link - that was a good read.

Some nice approach planning by the crew - they set themselves up (even though they had a 1/2 mile reported ground vis) for a CAT I approach with an RVR of 600 feet and a vertical vis of 500 feet.  Interesting.  There's an approach ban for CAT II with a single RVR (A) of < 1200 feet which begs the question, "Hhhmmm, what are my chances of even making this approach on CAT I minima when CAT II minima don't exist at the time???".

How could they possibly hope to see a thing from 200 & 1/2 in those conditions??

Bummer.    Oh well ....... at least nobody was hurt.


----------



## aesop081

Globesmasher said:
			
		

> G2G:
> 
> Thanks for posting the CADORS link - that was a good read.
> 
> Some nice approach planning by the crew - they set themselves up (even though they had a 1/2 mile reported ground vis) for a CAT I approach with an RVR of 600 feet and a vertical vis of 500 feet.  Interesting.  There's an approach ban for CAT II with a single RVR (A) of < 1200 feet which begs the question, "Hhhmmm, what are my chances of even making this approach on CAT I minima when CAT II minima don't exist at the time???".
> 
> How could they possibly hope to see a thing from 200 & 1/2 in those conditions??
> 
> Bummer.    Oh well ....... at least nobody was hurt.



I read it that way as well and had to ask myself if the crew even had to right plates or plates at all. Remember reading about that Flying tigers air B747 that crashed in Kuala Lumpur because they flew an ILS using an NDB plate ?


----------



## dardt

Baden  Guy said:
			
		

> The aircraft climbed to 3000 feet asl and entered a hold at this altitude. After approximately one hour it diverted to the Ottawa/MacDonald-Cartier airport.



Hold for an hour ?   Glad I wasn't paying that bill !


----------



## 3rd Herd

The Usual Disclaimer
Mods free to move or delate

AFX News Limited
Russian bombers spotted over North Sea; UK, Norwegian fighter jets scramble
07.20.07, 9:01 AM ET

OSLO (Thomson Financial) - British and Norwegian fighter jets scrambled over the North Sea after Russian bombers were spotted flying at 'unusual' latitudes overnight, the Norwegian military said today.

The repeated sightings of Russian jets -- the most numerous off Norway's coast since the end of the Cold War according to Norwegian public radio NRK -- came amid an escalating diplomatic crisis between Russia and Britain.
In the third incident of its kind this week, Norwegian jets were again called out early this morning as another two Russian bombers were spotted close to Norwegian airspace, the military said.

Two Russian TU95 Bear bombers were first detected overnight Thursday in international airspace between Stavanger, southeastern Norway, and the Scottish town Aberdeen, Norwegian army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jon Inge Oegland told Agence France-Presse.

'It is a little unusual. It's been a long time since we saw Russian aircraft this far south,' he said.

Norway sent two F-16 fighters 'to identify the aircraft and to mark the Norwegian airspace,' he said, adding that Britain also dispatched aircraft to the scene.

The Russian bombers then turned back.

Hours later, two Russian TU160 Blackjack bombers were observed flying westwards, west of the Barents Sea, early this morning, again prompting the Norwegian military to dispatch F-16s, Oegland said.

'Both times the Russian bombers stayed within international airspace the entire time. They didn't do anything wrong,' Oegland stressed.

'It would be pure speculation to guess why they did what they did.'

Two Russian TU95 Bear bombers were detected in the Norwegian Sea off northwestern Norway on Tuesday. Oslo and London scrambled fighters but the Russian planes turned back on their own, the Norwegian military said.
http://www.forbes.com/business/feeds/afx/2007/07/20/afx3935202.html

Also:

"July 20, 2007: In an unusual surge of activity, there were three groups of long range Tu-95 or Tu-160 aircraft in the air off the north Russian coast this weel.  It was only last year that the air force resumed long range flights over the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans. About a hundred of these flights were carried out last year, mainly by Tu-95MS and Tu-160 heavy bombers. Russia has also increased the number of heavy bomber crews it is training, with 42 new crews entering service in 2006. Russia has about 50 operational Tu-95s and about sixteen Tu-160s. Both bombers can, with in-flight refueling, reach any place on the planet. The Norwegian air force keeps two armed F-16 fighters on constant alert to go escort Russian aircraft that fly just outside Norwegian airspace. Britain also keeps fighters on alert to meet the Russian aircraft when they near British air space."http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/russia/articles/20070722.aspx

The Russians are back
MICHAEL HOWIE
HOME AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT
20-Jul-07 00:04 BST
RUSSIAN bombers were yesterday intercepted off Scotland by RAF Tornado aircraft after encroaching into UK airspace in an incident reminiscent of the Cold War. 
The Ministry of Defence said that two Tu-95 "Bear" bombers briefly entered British airspace at about 2am, but turned back after British F-3s, part of the RAF's Quick Reaction Alert, intercepted them. 
A spokesman did not specify where the interception took place, but reports said they were over oilfields close to the morth-east coast. 

About three hours later, two Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers reached the fringes of British airspace and returned to base after Tornados were once again scrambled from RAF Leeming in Yorkshire. 

The incidents took place two days after RAF planes were forced to approach Russian bombers as they headed toward British airspace. 

Colonel Alexander Drobyshevsky, a Russian Air Force spokesman, said British planes approaching bombers on training flights was "normal". 

But such a spate of incidents, which were commonplace during the Cold War as military aircraft carried out reconnaissance on enemy installations, has been described as "highly unusual" by aviation experts, and occurred amid heightened diplomatic tensions between Russia and Britain over Moscow's refusal to extradite a murder suspect. 

A spokesman for the MoD said that "to have three launches in one week is unusual... but to connect these with anything happening in London would be speculation". 

However, Jim Ferguson, an aviation writer, said it was possible the incidents were linked to the ongoing diplomatic row, adding: "The only people who will know whether the Russians are flexing their muscles as a result of the diplomatic spat will be those in the Kremlin." 

He said the Tu-160 approach was "unusual", but there was "nothing new" in Bear reconnaissance flights
Meanwhile, Andrei Lugovoy, the suspect in the radiation poisoning death of the Kremlin foe and former KGB officer, Alexander Litvinenko, yesterday claimed London provoked the current confrontation to hide a lack of evidence. 

In a radio interview, Mr Lugovoy said he was prepared to face British prosecutors in Russia but will not leave his country for fear that he could be arrested at the behest of Britain. 

The interview, in which he called British accusations of a lack of co-operation "a cynical and impudent lie", came a day after Russia's decision to expel diplomats, stop issuing visas for British officials and halt counter-terrorism co-operation. 

The moves followed Britain's announcement on Monday that it was expelling four Russian diplomats, restricting visas issued to Russian government officials and reviewing interaction on a range of issues, in what it said was a necessary response to Moscow's refusal to co-operate.
This article: http://news.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=1138812007


http://news.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=1138812007

Increased Russian military activity in the North
Norwegian jet fighters were three times this week scrambled to meet Russian bombers which flew close to the Norwegian coast. The flights are seen as part of a Russian military exercise.



/ np
 21.07.2007 07:59
 On Tuesday the Russian Tupolev (Bear) bombers flew down to Troendelag before turning back north. 
In the early hours of Friday morning they were escorted by Norwegian jet fighters as far down as the waters between Stavanger and Aberdeen, before returning to Russia. 

On Friday morning another two bombers approached the coast of Finnmark, when they were met by Norwegian jet fighters, and turned back out to sea. 

The Norwegian Defence has seen an increased activity by Russian military aircraft along the Norwegian coast over the last couple of years. 

- There has been a gradual increase in the activity since the down-period of the Russian Defence in the middle of the 1990's, says Defence spokesman John Inge Oeglaend. 

- We must go back to the Soviet era to find such high (military) activity on land, sea and in the air, says Deputy leader of the Barents Secretariat, Thomas Nilsen. 

Defence experts see this as a sign that the Russian military forces now have more money to spend on preparedness.  This week the Russians ended their annual summer exercise in the northern region. 

As part of the NATO preparedness agreement, Norway always has two fully armed jet fighters on full alert at the Bodoe Air Base, ready for take-off.http://www.norwaypost.no/cgi-bin/norwaypost/imaker?id=91770


----------



## Pte AJB

I was about to start a new thread, but figured this fit well here. 
Usual disclaimers and such...

*Russia sparks Cold War scramble  * 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6938856.stm

*The Tu-95 pilots exchanged smiles with their US counterparts 
Russian bombers have flown to the US island of Guam in the Pacific in a surprise manoeuvre reminiscent of the Cold War era. * 

Two Tu-95 turboprops flew this week to Guam, home to a big US military base, Russian Maj Gen Pavel Androsov said. They "exchanged smiles" with US pilots who scrambled to track them, he added. 

The sorties, believed to be the first since the Cold War ended, come as Russia stresses a more assertive foreign policy, correspondents say. 

The flight is part of a pattern of more expansive Russian military operations in recent weeks, says BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus. 

*Old practice * 

Gen Androsov said the strategic bombers had flown 13 hours from their base in the Russian Far East during the exercise. 

"It has always been the tradition of our long-range aviation to fly far into the ocean, to meet [US] aircraft carriers and greet [US pilots] visually," he said at a news conference. 

"Yesterday [Wednesday] we revived this tradition, and two of our young crews paid a visit to the area of the base of Guam," he said. 

"I think the result was good. We met our colleagues - fighter jet pilots from [US] aircraft carriers. We exchanged smiles and returned home," he added. 

During the Cold War, Soviet bombers regularly flew long-haul missions to areas patrolled by Nato and the US. 

The bombers have the capability of launching a nuclear strike with the missiles they carry. 
END ARTICLE

Seems the Russian's are getting real frisky lately.


----------



## Colin Parkinson

Ah they just want to exchange smiles and waves, perhaps the West should do the same. On th plus side it might breath some life back into NATO.


----------



## geo

Just a smile and a wave..... with a little side order of bravado to go along with everything


----------



## karl28

It would appear that the bear is back out of hibernation


----------



## Greymatters

Although the routes are different, and the countries approached vary, Bear (Tu-95) or Russian Bear (refering to the country) air activity is nothing new...  

Try reading here for a summary of publicly released information on Russian Strategic Aviation exercises. 
http://www.nti.org/db/nisprofs/russia/weapons/maneuver.htm


----------



## karl28

GreyMatter  

Thanks for the link . I just skimed over it briefly didn't realize how active they have been I heard the odd story on the evening news the past year or two but that was about it .    IT makes you wonder if we are headed back to a cold war scenario again


----------



## Greymatters

Most say the Cold War is over, but I'm not one of them.  It may have thawed out for a while politically, and some tactics have changed, but no matter how many cosmetic changes are made some things havent changed since 1991.


----------



## geo

The russiona bear has been dancing a fair bit lately.  Mr Putin has been consolidating and flexing his economic muscle.  Flexing some military muscle will allow his troops to "feel good" and let his neighbours sweat a little..... 
Eg:  That little missle attack that russia did not fire into Georgia.


----------



## karl28

GreyMatter 
           Yeah I am starting to agree with what your saying also *Geo * makes a good point to about Putin flexing is muscle where he can .   But should be in for some interesting times ahead


----------



## 3rd Herd

The usual disclaimer:
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=6486

Russia holds strategic air drills over Arctic
August 8, 2007 
RIA Novosti  
Russia's strategic aviation started Wednesday an active phase of military exercises to fly over the North Pole and conduct test launches of cruise missiles, an Air Force spokesman said. 

During the active phase, four Tu-160 Blackjack, 12 Tu-95 Bear-H strategic bombers, and 14 Tu-22 Backfire-C theater bombers will conduct simulated bombing raids, and more than ten cruise missile launches at the Pemboi range near Vorkuta [in Russia's Arctic], and fly over the North Pole, the Pacific, and Atlantic Oceans. 

"On Wednesday, Tu-160 and Tu-95 bombers conducted eight successful [test] launches of cruise missiles at designated targets in northern Russia," Colonel Alexander Drobyshevsky said, adding that the planes made over 40 sorties throughout the day. 

The Russian aircraft were closely monitored by NATO fighters during the missions. 

The spokesman said six long-range aviation regiments were involved in the exercise to practice interaction with fighter aircraft, air refueling, and overcoming enemy air defenses. 

Units of the 37th Air Army of the Strategic Command will conduct a total of six tactical exercises in August as part of an annual training program, the Defense Ministry earlier said in a statement. 

According to various sources, the Russian Air Force currently deploys 141 Tu-22M3 bombers, 40 Tu-95MS bombers, and 14 Tu-160 planes. 

Edit to add:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/09/AR2007080900402.html

Russian bomber jets resume Cold War sorties
By Dmitry Solovyov
Reuters
Thursday, August 9, 2007; 11:45 AM
".............President Vladimir Putin has sought to make Russia more assertive in the world. Putin has boosted defense spending and sought to raise morale in the armed forces, which were starved of funding following the fall of the Soviet Union.

Androsov said the sortie by the two turboprop Tu-95MS bombers, from a base near Blagoveshchensk in the Far East, had lasted for 13 hours. The Tu-95, codenamed "Bear" by NATO, is Russia's Cold War icon and may stay in service until 2040.

"I think the result was good. We met our colleagues -- fighter jet pilots from (U.S.) aircraft carriers. We exchanged smiles and returned home," Androsov said.

Ivan Safranchuk, Moscow office director of the Washington-based World Security Institute, said he saw nothing extraordinary in Moscow sending its bombers around the globe.

"This practice as such never stopped, it was only scaled down because there was less cash available for that," he said.

"It doesn't cost much to flex your muscles ... You can burn fuel flying over your own land or you can do it flying somewhere like Guam, in which case political dividends will be higher."

COLD WAR CAT-AND-MOUSE

The bombers give Russia the capability of launching a devastating nuclear strike even if the nuclear arsenals on its own territory are wiped out.

During the Cold War, they played elaborate airborne games of cat-and-mouse with Western air forces.

Lieutenant-General Igor Khvorov, air forces chief of staff, said the West would have to come to terms with Russia asserting its geopolitical presence. "But I don't see anything unusual, this is business as usual," he said.

The generals said under Putin long-range aviation was no longer in need of fuel, enjoyed better maintenance and much higher wages, a far cry from the 1990s when many pilots were practically grounded because there was no money to buy fuel.

The generals quipped that part of the funding boost was thanks to a five-hour sortie Putin once flew as part of a crew on a supersonic Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bomber, known as the "White Swan" in Russia and codenamed "Blackjack" by NATO.
The current state of Russia's economy, which is booming for the eighth year in a row, has allowed Russia to finance such flights, said Safranchuk from the World Security Institute.

"Maintenance and training are not the most expensive budget items of modern armies. Purchases of new weapons really are."


----------



## Franko

Never trust a Commie! Said that back on 9th of November, 1989...    ;D


----------



## aesop081

3rd Herd said:
			
		

> and 14 Tu-22M Backfire-C theater bombers



Correction in red....the Russians no longer fly the Tu-22  Blinder but only the Tu-22M  Backfire.  Very big difference.


----------



## 3rd Herd

.........."In one crucial sense, the bear never went away. Although Russia’s navy has been rusting in dock for more than a decade, and though its army has shrunk in size and very nearly collapsed in morale after its setbacks in the Chechen wars, the nuclear-armed strategic rocket forces have retained much of their traditional power to awe and to deter. Russia remains the only country that could, in theory, destroy organized life in the United States."

"Yet a further signal of Russia’s bold new strategic posture was the announcement by navy Commander Adm. Vladimir Masorin of a massive rebuilding of the Russian fleet. Masorin, who also promised the return of a “permanent naval presence” in the Mediterranean Sea, said last month Russia was rebuilding an industrial base to build six new aircraft carriers over the next 20 years. 

Russia can certainly afford it, so long as energy prices remain close to their current high levels. Dmitri Medvedev, who combines the jobs of being chairman of the Gazprom energy giant and also first deputy prime minister, told Germany’s Stern magazine last week that Gazprom “could become the world's most valuable company.” 

"Gazprom has the largest natural gas reserves in the world. When I joined the board of directors (in 2000), the concern was worth about $8 billion, but today it is more than $250 billion,” Medvedev said. 

At current U.S. prices, a fleet of six carriers, along with their aircraft and the training costs of pilots, would cost in the region of $150 billion, about the current level of Russia’s national infrastructure fund. But Russia is spending a great deal more than that..........."

Source:

Walker's World: The Russian bear is back
http://www.upi.com/International_Security/Emerging_Threats/Analysis/2007/08/13/walkers_world_the_russian_bear_is_back/8777/

edit to add:

"During his recent trip to Severodvinsk, Russian First Deputy Premier Sergei Ivanov was shown plans for a new $500 million dock designed to build large-tonnage ships at the Zvyozdochka ship repair yard. Earlier, such large ships could only be built in Nikolayev, Ukraine. The dock, the Russian shipbuilding agency said, is needed to build gas carriers -- ships to transport Russian liquefied natural gas to Western partners. 

The same dock could also build aircraft carriers. At any rate, the project is already on the drawing board. Adm. Vladimir Masorin said the craft would be a nuclear-powered ship not less than 100 meters long and would carry an air wing of 30 combat fighter jets and helicopters. But this is not going to be soon. 

The outlook is best for submarines. Recently, two Project 667BDRM boats have been modernized, and two more submarines are being repaired and upgraded at Severodvinsk. A new sonar system is being installed to enable them to "see" and "hear" better. Other equipment includes new firefighting systems, nuclear reactor protection devices and the RSM-54 Sineva strategic missile system. Unlike its predecessor, the Skif, the Sineva carries 10 independently targetable re-entry vehicles instead of four. The new missile has a longer range and a modern control system.........."
http://www.upi.com/International_Security/Industry/Analysis/2007/08/02/outside_view_russias_next_navy__part_2/8202/


----------



## 3rd Herd

This week:
"Russian bombers train over North Pole- 2007-08-14

The Russia Air Force yesterday started a five-day training mission in the North Atlantic. A total of 30 planes take part in the training, part of which will take place over the North Pole, NRK reports.

The participating planes are of bombers typed Tu-95, Tu-22 as well as the fuelling aircraft Il-78, NTB reports for Norwegian Broadcasting NRK.

The training comes less than a week after Russian bombers flew all the way towards the US island Guam in the Pacific Ocean and less than a month after the bombers went south through the Barents Sea down towards the UK, NTB reports."
http://www.barentsobserver.com/index.php?id=527838&cat=16149&xforceredir=1&noredir=1

"One Russian air force officer, who asked not to be identified, told agencies he expected US interceptors would once again make their presence felt during this week's exercises. 

"It is a traditional practice for military pilots to see foreign pilots come up to meet them and say to hello," he said. 

"The United States are aware of our exercise," he added. Russia's long-range bombers have been involved in a number of other exercises in recent months. 

On July 20, Norway and Britain scrambled its fighter planes after Norway detected Russian bombers flying over the North sea between Norway and Britain. 

About 20 Russian aircraft will take part in the polar exercises: TU-95s (Tupolevs) a long-range strategic bomber; TU-22s, the strategic supersonic bomber most used by Russia; and Il-78s (Ilyushins), a four-engine aerial refuelling aircraft."
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Rest_of_World/Russian_nuclear_bombers_hold_exercises_over_North_Pole/articleshow/2281387.cms


----------



## Cdn Blackshirt

Mental Note:  Add AEGIS systems to shopping list for next-gen Navy-operated Heavy Icebreakers.


Matthew.


----------



## 3rd Herd

Cdn Blackshirt said:
			
		

> Mental Note:  Add AEGIS systems to shopping list for next-gen Navy-operated Heavy Icebreakers.
> 
> 
> Matthew.



Norway is one set ahead of you/us.
BMD Watch: LM wins Norway Aegis contract
By MARTIN SIEFF
UPI Senior News Analyst
WASHINGTON, Aug. 14 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin announced Tuesday it has won a $23 million contract for follow-on technical and logistics support services for Norway’s Aegis weapon system-equipped F310-class frigates. 

“Under the contract, Lockheed Martin will provide a full range of engineering, technical, logistics and configuration management support services to maintain and enhance the performance and operational effectiveness of the Aegis computer systems on all five F310-class ships,” the company said in a statement................http://www.upi.com/International_Security/Industry/Analysis/2007/08/14/bmd_watch_lm_wins_norway_aegis_contract/9440/


----------



## 3rd Herd

The Canadian take on the situation:

"The resumption of that practice in recent months is being taken as a sign that Russia is once more adopting a confrontational stance.

“They didn’t do it to practice alone,” said Colonel Andre Dupuis, a Canadian officer at Norad. “They’re making a point, doing it outside their normal training cycle.” 

Full story:

Russia resumes Cold War bomber flights
By Adrian Blomfield in Moscow
Last Updated: 1:26am BST 16/08/2007
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/08/16/wrussia116.xml


----------



## 3rd Herd

The Usual Disclaimer:
http://www.investors.com/editorial/editorialcontent.asp?secid=1501&status=article&id=272070550139008
The Bear Claws Back
INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY
Posted 8/15/2007 

Geopolitics: Vladimir Putin's Russia is on the prowl, forging strategic alliances and building its military on a scale not seen since the Cold War. Once again, there's a bear in the woods.

The U.S. Air Force has denied Moscow's boast that a Russian strategic bomber actually flew over or even got close to the U.S. military base on the Pacific island of Guam. But a Pentagon spokesman confirmed the sortie.

It seems that Russia's strategic bombers have returned to their Cold War practice of flying long-haul missions to areas patrolled by the U.S. and NATO. But judging from its furious military program, this was no mere exercise in nostalgia.

Last week, Major-General Pavel Androsov, commander of long-range aviation for the Russian Air Force, announced at a press conference that two turboprop TU95-Ms bombers from a base near Blagoveshchensk in the Far East made a 13-hour round-trip flight to the vicinity of Guam and "exchanged smiles" with U.S. pilots sent up to intercept it.

The TU-95 is considered by some to be a Cold War relic, but it can cover the globe in a reconnaissance role as well as launch cruise missiles with nuclear warheads. The day after the Guam sortie, the chief of staff of the Russia's air force announced that Soviet bombers based in southwest Russia had tested this capability. "We fired eight cruise missiles, and all hit bull's eye," said Lieutenant-General Igor Khvorov.

The resurgent Russia of Vladimir Putin, fueled by energy revenues, is doing much more, of course. Ariel Cohen, a Russia specialist at the Heritage Foundation, says: "Flush with cash, Russia today is constantly looking for avenues to boost its geopolitical muscle. That has translated into some very ambitious strategic programs."

Russian defense spending will increase by as much as 30% this year, following budget increases of 22% and 27% in 2005 and 2006. Cohen says that Russia is embarking on a five-year military modernization plan costing $189 billion. The program, announced by Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov on Feb. 6, "includes new nuclear submarines; aircraft carriers; a fleet of supersonic Tu-160 bombers; and development of a fifth generation fighter jet," Cohen said.

Russia plans to put to sea eight fleet ballistic missile submarines equipped with the Bulava-M missile, a variant of its land-mobile Topol-M (SS-27) ICBM. Russia has begun mass production of the Topol-M, after a successful spring test. The Bulava-M has a range of almost 5,000 miles and can carry 10 nuclear warheads. The Yuri Dolgorukii, the first sub to carry the Bulava, was launched in April.

In addition to the Bulava, Russia announced at the end of May the successful test of the RS-24, a new ICBM with multiple maneuverable warheads designed to get past our missile defenses.

Moscow is also building the Iskander-M (SS-26), a short-range tactical missile designed for the European theatre with a range of 300 kilometers. The range might be increased to 500 kilometers, above INF limits. Russia has declared it might suspend its compliance with INF if our plans to deploy anti-missile interceptors and radars in Poland and the Czech Republic go forward.

Russia also has made noises about re-establishing a permanent naval presence in the Mediterranean. "The Mediterranean is very important strategically," Russian Admiral Vladimir Masorin said during a recent tour of Russia's Black Sea base in the Ukrainian port of Secastopol. "I propose that, with the involvement if the Northern and Black fleets, the Russian navy should restore its permanent presence there."

Ivan Safronov, the journalist who died in a mysterious fall from a Moscow building earlier this year, reported that Moscow would refurbish facilities in the Syrian port of Tartus, where the Soviet Navy was based during the Cold War.

The reports of Russia's exit from the world stage were grossly exaggerated. With Putin in power, a czar is born.


----------



## Mike Baker

3rd Herd said:
			
		

> The day after the Guam sortie, the chief of staff of the Russia's air force announced that Soviet  bombers based in southwest Russia had tested this capability.


 Why would they say Soviet bombers instead of Russian?


----------



## 3rd Herd

During Cold War, "Soviet" bombers did this. Refering back to that era.


----------



## Mike Baker

3rd Herd said:
			
		

> During Cold War, "Soviet" bombers did this. Refering back to that era.


Ahh okay, makes sense now.


----------



## sonardork

Or is it a statement of; Guess who's back in town ?


----------



## JamieR

So are we moving back to a cold war era?  what are the thoughts on this.


----------



## 3rd Herd

JamieR said:
			
		

> So are we moving back to a cold war era?  what are the thoughts on this.



Background:

A Perspective on Russia.
http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/51306.0.html

Bears Back In the Air
http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/64519.0.html

Communist symbol returns to Russian Army's flag   
http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/60718.0.html

 "Tortured state" of the RUS Army "
http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/56834.0.html

Russia plans wide military reform
http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/44285.0.html

Use the search button and search "Putin" for two more pages of threads.


----------



## karl28

So if we do end up in a new cold war wonder if that would mean even more recruiting for the armies of NATO  and perhaps larger defense budgets ?  Should be interesting times ahead


----------



## 3rd Herd

The Russian Explination:
http://english.pravda.ru/russia/politics/16-08-2007/95991-air_based_missiles-0
The Usual Disclaimer

Russia is commissioning new air based missiles

One of the top priority directions of the development of Russia’s strategic aviation is commissioning the newest air based high precision long range cruise missiles. According to the Commander of the Russian Air Forces general-colonel Alexander Zelin strategic aircraft has always been and remain the main component of the Air Force, part of the strategic nuclear forces and the basic mean of defeating important objects in the territory of the potential enemy, the most universal and mobile type of nuclear deterrence in the multi-polar world. Skilful and timely use of the strategic aviation is viewed by the Russian commanders as one of the basic means of national security today and in the foreseeable future. 

Today strategic aviation of the Russian Air Force is commissioning a new type of cruise missiles having longer range, extremely low altitude and the minimal reflecting surface, making them practically invisible for the radars. The press service of the Russian Air Force informed that the planes of the Russian strategic aviation during three days had exercises in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The pilots perfected the methods of interaction with the fighter aircraft, getting through the air defense of the opponent. Tu-95 and Tu-160 tested launching high precision bombs and cruise missiles in the test field Pemboi (near Vorkuta). 

Nearly at the same time it was officially confirmed that the upgraded fighter-interceptor Mig-31 is got a new far range air-to-air missile. Official sources of the Russian Air Force insist that the upgraded Mig-31 can successfully suppress the most advanced means of air attack existing in the armed forces of the leading nations. Its modernized control system of arms allows using guided AA missiles at the range of up to 200 km. The new missile is said to outperform any foreign match. 

This was one of the main reasons why earlier the Commander of the Air Force Zelin said that the 4th generation Mig-31 can sufficiently resist even the appearing 5th generation combat aircraft. Its combat efficiency is 1.4-4 times higher than of the basic model, depending on the parameter. The upgraded fighter can fight stealth cruise missiles, small sized UAVs and even perspective hypersonic aircraft. Serial upgrade of Mig-31 has been already started in Russia. It forms a good foundation for suggesting export proposals. One of the potential customers is Kazakhstan, having a big stock of Mig-31 fighters. 

Yuri Seleznev
Pravda.Ru


----------



## Greymatters

Sounds more like an advertisement for selling the MiG-31...


----------



## 3rd Herd

GreyMatter said:
			
		

> Sounds more like an advertisement for selling the MiG-31...



Business is business but I focused on the "The press service of the Russian Air Force  informed that the planes of the Russian strategic aviation during three days had exercises in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The pilots perfected the methods of interaction with the fighter aircraft, getting through the air defense of the opponent. Tu-95 and Tu-160 tested launching high precision bombs and cruise missiles in the test field Pemboi (near Vorkuta)." Been awhile since these terms have been used. Sometimes especially with the Russian/Soviet(s) it is not what is said but how it is said and who says it.


----------



## Greymatters

3rd Herd said:
			
		

> Sometimes especially with the Russian/Soviet(s) it is not what is said but how it is said and who says it.



Agreed on that!


----------



## 3rd Herd

Well here is the plan:
The usual disclaimer:
http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-29026620070817

Putin revives Russia's long-haul bomber flights
Fri Aug 17, 2007 8:59PM ISTBy Guy Faulconbridge

CHEBARKUL, Russia (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Friday security threats had forced Russia to revive the Soviet-era practice of sending bomber aircraft on regular patrols beyond its borders.
Putin said 14 bombers had taken off simultaneously from airfields across Russia in the early hours of Friday on long-range missions.

"We have decided to restore flights by Russian strategic aviation on a permanent basis," Putin told reporters after inspecting joint military exercises with China and four Central Asian states in Russia's Ural mountains.

"Today, August 17 at 00:00 hours, 14 strategic bombers took to the air from seven airfields across the country, along with support and refuelling aircraft. .From today such patrols will be carried out on a regular basis.

"We hope our partners will treat this with understanding."

Many observers said the sorties were a sign of Russia's growing assertiveness and ambitions to restore its global reach.

Western militaries have said Russian long-range flights near their airspace were becoming more frequent  after a long quiet period in the 1990s when Russia's military was struggling with under-funding.

One Western defence official called the flights "a little bit of chest-pounding, trying to let people know Russia is back in the game"................

Edit to add:

"Shortly before Mr Putin's announcement, a Russian air force official said long-range bombers were carrying out patrol flights Friday in various parts of the world.

"At present, there are several pairs of Tu-160 and Tu-95MC plans over the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, being escorted by NATO aircraft," ITAR-TASS quoted Russian Air Force spokesman Colonel Alexander Drobyshevski as saying.

"During the course of the day around 50 flights will be carried out," he said."http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/17/2008493.htm?section=justin

_____________________________________

"Mr. Putin said that 20 Russian bombers were involved in the exercise."

“Starting today, such tours of duty would be conducted regularly and on the strategic scale,” Mr. Putin said. “Our pilots have been grounded for too long, they are happy to start a new life.” http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070817.wrusbomber0817/BNStory/International/?page=rss&id=RTGAM.20070817.wrusbomber0817


----------



## Greymatters

3rd Herd said:
			
		

> President Vladimir Putin said on Friday security threats had forced Russia to revive the Soviet-era practice of sending bomber aircraft on regular patrols beyond its borders.



I love the way Putin justifies the RSA actions, the rhetoric is so transparent that it fools no one.


----------



## 3rd Herd

Nice little summation:
Source:
Vladimir Putin rearms his Cold War military
By Gethin Chamberlain, Tim Shipman and Nick Holdsworth in Moscow, Sunday Telegraph
Last Updated: 12:45am BST 19/08/2007
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/08/19/wputin119.xml


----------



## karl28

3rd Herd  


       Thanks for the article link it was an interesting read


----------



## aesop081

3rd Herd said:
			
		

> Nice little summation:
> Source:
> Vladimir Putin rearms his Cold War military
> By Gethin Chamberlain, Tim Shipman and Nick Holdsworth in Moscow, Sunday Telegraph
> Last Updated: 12:45am BST 19/08/2007
> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/08/19/wputin119.xml



8 SSBNs.........cool, ASW might not be dead after all !!!


----------



## 3rd Herd

CDN,
you might want to link the "Bear Claws Back" thread with this. I have been attempting to keep this air related and the other navy related but I would not object to a single mega thread. And yes given some of the articles and Putin's views, and his reputed successors( yes I know Russia is now a democracy and holds free elections) views, yes I think ASW is crawling out of the grave after a premature burial.


----------



## 3rd Herd

The usual disclaimer
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22289791-31477,00.html

RAF jets check Russian bombers
BRITAIN has scrambled its new Eurofighter Typhoon jets for the first time to intercept Russian nuclear bombers approaching British airspace, the Ministry of Defence in London said yesterday.

In a display of muscle-flexing on both sides, when two Russian Bear-H aircraft appeared on British horizons last Friday, two pound stg. 67million ($165.6 million) Typhoons, based at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, were scrambled to identify and shadow the unannounced arrivals, which turned back before reaching UK airspace. 

With relations between Russia and Britain deteriorating, the number of incidents in which Russia's submarines  have been found close to British shores or in contact with Royal Navy warships has also risen, reports said yesterday. London's Daily Telegraph said there was a suggestion Russia could be testing the West's air detection systems and response times.  

Diplomatic tensions between London and Moscow -- already stretched by the murder in London of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko -- intensified as the Bear bombers headed towards Britain. It was the first time Russian bombers had threatened to penetrate British airspace since President Vladimir Putin indicated, with no little chutzpah, that he had ordered his bomber force to resume long-range patrols around the world. 

The arrival of the bombers over the North Atlantic forced the RAF to scramble its latest combat aircraft, the Typhoon, for the first time since becoming operational. 

The fighter jets were officially put on active standby last month, ready to protect the UK from hijacked airliners and other threats from the skies. 

At the weekend, Mr Putin said he was ending the 15-year suspension of bomber flights, and announced that 14 aircraft had taken off from seven airfields across Russia. The tough new stance was illustrated somewhat graphically by pictures of Mr Putin fishing topless. 

There was irritation in the West: the announcement seemed to reflect Mr Putin's growing antipathy towards his Western partners and his determination to show that Moscow was once again a force to be reckoned with. 

However, it was not the first time that Britain had been earmarked for Russian bomber flights. The Russians started sending long-range bombers towards British airspace earlier this year to snoop on a maritime exercise, recalling the Cold War days when Soviet strategic aircraft regularly tested Britain's air defence responses. 

A dozen Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft are now on round-the-clock active duty at RAF Coningsby. The Typhoon, replacing the RAF's ageing fleet of Tornado F3 jets, will be at constant readiness to intercept any aircraft thought to be a threat, specifically a 9/11-style terrorist attack. 

Tornado F3 jets based at RAF Leuchars in Scotland will share the same role over the northern UK airspace for six months yet before they too are replaced. 

It will be at least another year before the fighter jet is ready for air-to-ground combat operations, which could see squadrons deployed to Afghanistan, RAF chiefs have said. The Typhoon was designed during the Cold War, with European leaders eager to outgun the Soviets in the sky.  

Britain has ordered 144 Typhoons, which can reach Mach 2 (twice the speed of sound) and can accelerate from standing to take-off in under seven seconds. 

The Times, Agencies

Edit to add:
it may just be more than the pilots that have been on the ground to long during the Cold War thaw

Russia Grounds Su-24s After Crash in Siberia
http://mnweekly.rian.ru/news/20070823/55269461.html
23/08/2007
MOSCOW (AFP) - Russia suspended all flights of its Su-24 frontline bombers after one of the planes crashed during a training flight in far eastern Siberia on Thursday, the Interfax news agency reported. 

One of the planes crashed for unknown reasons early Thursday in the Khabarovsk region, though the pilot and crewman ejected safely, air force spokesman Alexander Drobyshevsky said. "The commander in chief of the air force has decided to stop Su-24 flights until the reason for the crash is established," he said. 

Air force specialists "are leaning toward technical causes as the reason for the plane accident." 

The Sukhoi-24, which carries a pilot and navigator, can be armed with conventional and nuclear bombs and rockets. It is one of the mainstays of the Russian air force and is also used in several ex-Soviet states and former Soviet allies.  

Also:

Russian Air Force chief says technical failure caused Su-24 crash
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20070823/73863374.html

Russia grounds Su-24 bombers after crash
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/23/europe/EU-GEN-Russia-Bombers-Grounded.php


----------



## Colin Parkinson

3rd Herd said:
			
		

> With relations between Russia and Britain deteriorating, the number of incidents in which Russia's submarines  have been found close to British shores or in contact with Royal Navy warships has also risen, reports said yesterday. London's Daily Telegraph said there was a suggestion Russia could be testing the West's air detection systems and response times.



Perhaps with the safety record of Russian subs, they are just sticking close to someone that could come to their rescue......


----------



## Greymatters

3rd Herd said:
			
		

> ...yes I think ASW is crawling out of the grave after a premature burial.



I find that confusing.  When did ASW get buried and by whom?


----------



## aesop081

GreyMatter said:
			
		

> I find that confusing.  When did ASW get buried and by whom?



close to 3 years ago when a certain wing commander stood and proclaimed ASW was dead.......this year when ASLEP was not funded..........i can go on if you want


----------



## midget-boyd91

CDN Aviator said:
			
		

> 8 SSBNs.........cool, ASW might not be dead after all !!!


Getting tired of being the police for the fisheries department rather than dropping sonobouys looking for subs? :blotto:


----------



## aesop081

uncle-midget-boyd said:
			
		

> Getting tired of being the police for the fisheries department rather than dropping sonobouys looking for subs? :blotto:



YUP !!!!


----------



## Greymatters

CDN Aviator said:
			
		

> close to 3 years ago when a certain wing commander stood and proclaimed ASW was dead.......this year when ASLEP was not funded..........i can go on if you want



I never heard that one before.


----------



## garb811

Not that this should be a surprise to anyone here but...

Shared in accordance with the Fair Dealings Provisions of the Copyright Act.  Here's the complete, original article:  Guardian Unlimited - Moscow flexes its military muscle again, but few in west say it is fit for a fight.



> ...
> And yet defence experts were yesterday dismissive of Russian strength, branding its air force a "Potemkin village". Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia has been forced to slash defence spending, leaving an ill-equipped conscript army to fight in Chechnya. The army's tanks are old; Russia's ships and submarines have seen better days; the navy's much-vaunted sea-launched Bulava missile still doesn't seem to work, despite a decade of development.
> ...
> It seems clear Mr Putin is determined to restore Russia's status as a global power. Earlier this year Mr Ivanov - Russia's first deputy prime minister, the man most likely to succeed Mr Putin - announced a £97bn revamp of the armed forces. From now until 2015, Moscow plans to modernise and exceed the Red Army in "combat readiness", he said. Russia's current defence budget is £16bn, almost four times the 2001 figure, all paid for by soaring oil and gas revenues.
> ...


----------



## Colin Parkinson

GreyMatter said:
			
		

> I never heard that one before.



I guess that Wing Commander hadn't looked at the recent figures of Submarine sales around the world.  :


----------



## aesop081

Colin P said:
			
		

> I guess that Wing Commander hadn't looked at the recent figures of Submarine sales around the world.  :



Canada's not too worried about those you know, after all Afghanistan is landlocked.


----------



## 3rd Herd

Bit of anside but RAF 12 Bomber Group is using the Calgary airport for a base in conjunction with exercises in Suffield. CTV Calgary news this am did a story on it. So for you plane junkies how have not seen one. Checked and the is not yet a web link to the story.


----------



## watusi77

Subtle Proof the Bear is stirring?? How about the ROSBORONEXPORT Hockey SUPERSERIES.
  In the Canada Russia Super Series plastered all ove rthe Russian Uniforms and the hockey arena boards is the sponser name ROSBORONEXPORT. No its not a cigarette company, its the " state-owned defense giant, Rosboronexport (Rosboroneksport, ROE), ((Russia's)) sole weapons exporter - a monopoly by decree"


----------



## Flanker

geo said:
			
		

> The russiona bear has been dancing a fair bit lately.  Mr Putin has been consolidating and flexing his economic muscle.  Flexing some military muscle will allow his troops to "feel good" and let his neighbours sweat a little.....



It's better to flex muscles from time to time than one day see at your door someone who decided to bring "democracy" in your home and leave with your oil   
Bomber flights are reestablished just in order to maintain the strategic wing operational and able to do what it is supposed to do. 



> Eg:  That little missle attack that russia did not fire into Georgia.



This is a very doubtful conclusion.
As Georgians have not provided any credible proof AFAIK, and the conflict escalation is very beneficial for them, all this story seems to be a big Georgian provocation.


----------



## 1feral1

Flanker said:
			
		

> It's better to flex muscles from time to time than one day see at your door someone who decided to bring "democracy" in your home and leave with your oil



You have seriously got issues, everything you touch on here gets poisoned with your agenda.

Mods, get rid of this guy!


Wes


----------



## Greymatters

Wesley  Down Under said:
			
		

> You have seriously got issues, everything you touch on here gets poisoned with your agenda.  Mods, get rid of this guy! Wes



Isnt this the same guy who the other day was quoting peace and harmony between cultures and religions? (Flanker, not Wes)


----------



## Thorvald

Well now it's our turn....  for those of you who missed the front page of todays Globe and Mail...









> On the tail of the Russian Bear
> 
> IAN BAILEY
> 
> From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
> 
> October 3, 2007 at 12:33 AM EDT
> 
> VANCOUVER — Canadian fighter jets have twice been dispatched in recent weeks to monitor Russian bombers that have conducted training missions near North American airspace as part of a surge in such activity, officials with the North American Aerospace Defence Command said yesterday.
> 
> The Canadian actions, involving CF-18 Hornet jet fighters from Cold Lake, Alta., were among seven military exercises involving Russian Tu-95 Bear heavy bombers, which have caught NORAD's attention.
> 
> U.S. aircraft responded to the other five situations.
> 
> The flights come amid concerns about a Russia newly bullish about testing its military abilities, a posture that has prompted such flights in Europe as well.
> 
> In August, President Vladimir Putin announced Russia would resume long-range bomber flights over the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic Oceans for the first time since the Soviet Union collapsed.
> 
> The flights also come as Canada and Russia are locked in a dispute over Arctic sovereignty, with both countries competing before a UN commission to extend their undersea boundaries and coastal economic zones. In August, a Russian expedition attempted to lay claim to the North Pole, planting a flag on the ocean floor. NORAD officials said yesterday the Russians gave advance notice of the bomber flights, but one noted they seem to have become more frequent after a quiet period of about a year.
> 
> “As far as the increased activity level, that is a little new,” said Captain Candice Miller, a public affairs officer with the Alaskan NORAD region, speaking from Elmendorf Air Force Base outside Anchorage.
> 
> Capt. Miller noted there was an interception last September, then nothing until the surge of seven incidents since July.
> 
> “Between September and the recent increased activity, we didn't have anything,” she said.
> 
> Richard Smith, a spokesman for 1 Canadian Air Division of the Canadian NORAD region headquarters in Winnipeg, played down any threat yesterday.
> 
> “The Russians are indicating, in advance, when these exercises are happening. They're not secret. They are not trying to keep them secret,” he said.
> 
> “These exercises aren't viewed as a threat because both the Russians and NORAD routinely exercise their capabilities to operate in the North.”
> 
> The first of the two incidents involving Canada occurred on Sept. 5, when two CF-18s were launched and identified Russian Bear bombers on exercises near the coast of Alaska and Canada.
> 
> Citing military protocols, Mr. Smith declined to detail the location of the Russian activity. All aircraft returned home without incident.
> 
> The most recent flight involving Canadians occurred on Sept. 19, when two CF-18s were again dispatched to an area Mr. Smith would only describe as being about 128 kilometres from Canadian air space. The Russian bombers were again monitored through their exercises without incident.
> 
> The Russians, he said, have described the operations as “training exercises” without providing additional details.
> 
> They have not actually filed flight plans with NORAD, but rather made their intentions clear in press reports monitored by NORAD so they know that flights will be in their regions of interest.
> 
> “We basically visually identify the aircraft and monitor their flights. The Russian aircraft basically follow international flight rules and the pilots were very professional in how they flew their aircraft. Things were not escalated in terms of their behaviour.”
> 
> This fall, Britain and Norway have had to dispatch their military aircraft to escort and intercept Russian military aircraft that have breached or come near their territory.


----------



## a_majoor

Flanker said:
			
		

> It's better to flex muscles from time to time than one day see at your door someone who decided to bring "democracy" in your home and leave with your oil



So you are saying the 'Stans better start flexing their military muscle before Putin's forces "Liberate" them and puts GAZPROM in charge of their energy exports.


----------



## navymich

NORAD Commander's Response To Bears: File Flight Plans, Please!  



> Tue, 02 Oct '07
> Scrambling Fighters Is A Waste Of Resources
> Enough already. That was the message NORAD's General Gene Renuart had for Russian military planners Monday, as he urged the increasingly belligerent country to be more open with its plans to send Tu-95 bombers on patrols near the US and Canada.
> As ANN has reported extensively, western countries have seen a sharp increase in the number of "Bear" patrols in recent months... a not-so-subtle show-of-force by the newly resurgent Russian air force. In addition to North America, since August Bears have also been sighted near the UK, Finland, and Guam.
> In most cases, officials have scrambled fighters to intercept the wayward Cold War-era bombers, and escort them away from sensitive airspace -- just as was done when the nuclear-capable aircraft were flying under the Soviet hammer-and-sickle, and not the ostensibly democratic Russian flag.
> Russian officials claim the increased flights are in response to global security threats... and are necessary to guarantee the country's safety.
> There is nothing inherently confrontational about the flights, Renuart says -- so far, flights near the US and Canada have not come uncomfortably close to national borders, and flight crews on both sides have acted professionally -- but he does take issue with the Russians' clandestine nature in doing so.
> Scrambling planes to intercept the bombers is a waste of time and resources, he says... especially since aerial tankers often have to be deployed to refuel fighters dispatched to intercept the planes.
> The NORAD commander asked Russia to, at the very least, file flight plans when it sends Bears on reconnaissance missions... so NORAD knows the planes are not hostile.
> "There is increased concern any time you have an unidentified aircraft approaching the airspace of either of the two nations," Renuart told Reuters. "If the Russians would file a flight plan just to state their intent and general routing that they would be on, that would ease one of our concerns ... Increasing the transparency reduces tension as you're out chasing around after an unknown aircraft."
> Many Western experts believe the increase in Bear flights represents the more assertive foreign policy of Russian President Vladimir Putin... especially after years of neglect of that country's armed forces.
> Renuart diplomatically avoided commenting on Russia's potentially more ominous intent in sending the planes towards the US.


----------



## MarkOttawa

Videos of Bears and Hornets (not together!):

<object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3GNcWCc9XO4"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3GNcWCc9XO4" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed></object>

<object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qOHTx_LPCmA"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qOHTx_LPCmA" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed></object>

Mark
Ottawa


----------



## observor 69

Airmich quoting the NORAD Commander, Airmich turning to the Blue side.  ;D 
Feel the Force.


----------



## bilton090

You think Russia has more money after all the planes they rented to NATO & the UN.
   Wes +1 on your post.
  Flanker whats up with your profile, there's not a thing that makes you credable about what you say !, it must be your 2 cents !, Afgn.


----------



## NL_engineer

bilton090 said:
			
		

> You think Russia has more money after all the planes they rented to NATO & the UN.



I think it came from the price of oil


----------



## tomahawk6

This should heat up the debate for additional lift aircraft in Congress.

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/10/airforce_MRAP_russian_071026w/

MRAPs going to Iraq on Russian cargo planes
By Erik Holmes - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Oct 26, 2007 17:29:47 EDT

The Air Force has been forced to use Russian commercial cargo jets to rush mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles from the U.S. to Iraq because it does not have enough C-5 and C-17 planes to do the job, the service’s top civilian official said recently.

Air Force Secretary Michael W. Wynne said at an Oct. 24 House Armed Services Committee hearing that American reliance on Russian Antonov jumbo jets to move critical war supplies indicates that the Air Force may need more than its current 300 C-5s and C-17s.

“We are now sharing the mission of flying MRAPs over to Iraq between C-17s and Antonov airplanes,” Wynne said. “Did [we] truly envision that we would fly war supplies with Russian-made airplanes? I don’t know.”

MRAP vehicles are the Defense Department’s top procurement priority, and the department this month ordered an additional 2,400 to help protect American servicemembers from roadside bombs in Iraq. The department has said it needs 15,274 MRAPs for all the services.

Wynne said the U.S. military has used the enormous Antonov planes to transport more than 200,000 pounds of cargo to Iraq.

Rep. Jim Saxton, R-N.J., said he was unaware that the Antonov airplanes are being used so extensively in the war effort.

The Russian-made Antonov An-124 is 25 percent larger than the C-5, the U.S. Air Force’s largest cargo plane. The AN-24 is operated primarily by Russian and Ukrainian freight companies, according to the Web site, Airliners.net.


----------



## Flip

Ummmm



> Wynne said the U.S. military has used the enormous Antonov planes to transport more than 200,000 pounds of cargo to Iraq.



Is this supposed to be a lot?  Seems like one or two loads to me.
I know I wouldn't want to carry it by hand.... ;D


----------



## Cheshire

I wonder how outraged they would be if they knew how much tonnage Canada has transported in Russian Aircraft to A'stan. I guess maybe they actually wouldn't care.  But I guess the US has some transport shortfalls.


----------



## Blackadder1916

Flip said:
			
		

> Is this supposed to be a lot?  Seems like one or two loads to me.



http://www.airliners.net/info/stats.main?id=40


> Capacity
> Flightcrew of six consisting of two pilots, two flight engineers, navigator and communications operator. Upper deck behind the flightdeck area features a galley, rest room and two relief crew cabins. Upper deck area behind the wing can accommodate up to 88 passengers. Main deck cargo compartment can carry a range of bulky and oversized cargos. The An-124's total payload in weight is 150 tonnes (330,695lb).









> UR-82073 (cn 9773054359139/706) Look what fits in the belly of this huge aircraft! *Six tanker trucks (77 tons)*! These were sent by the Red Cross to Iraq on this special humanitarian flight from GVA to KWI.


----------



## CougarKing

Another warning sign that the Russian bear is yet again flexing its muscles?

On a side note, notice the little media error I highlighted in the article; even a civvy like myself knows the difference between a battleship and smaller ships like cruisers and destroyers, and the Russians haven't had a big-gun battleship since the 1950s.  : But of course, the media doesn't care, since all warships look the same to them.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryID=106469



> Russia bombers to test-fire missiles in Atlantic
> 
> 
> Reuters
> 
> MOSCOW - Russia on Tuesday sent two long-range bombers to the Bay of Biscay, off the French and Spanish Atlantic coasts, to test-fire missiles in what it billed as its biggest navy exercise in the area since Soviet times.
> 
> British and Norwegian Tornado and F-16 jets were escorting the Russian 'Blackjack' bombers, Interfax reported, quoting the Russian Air Force.
> 
> However, the French Defense Ministry spokesman said his country had been informed about the Russian exercises.
> 
> Firing missiles off the coastline of two members of the NATO military alliance is the latest in a series of Kremlin moves flexing Moscow's military muscle on the world stage.
> 
> The Russian bombers joined aircraft carriers, battleships and submarine hunters from the Northern and Black Sea fleets for the Atlantic exercises, which come as the country enters an election campaign to choose a successor to President Vladimir Putin.
> 
> "The air force is taking a very active part in the exercises of the navy's strike force in the Atlantic," Russia's air force said in a statement.
> 
> "Today, two strategic Tu-160 bombers departed for exercises in the Bay of Biscay, which ... will carry out a number of missions and will conduct tactical missile launches," it said.
> 
> Putin, widely popular as his second four-year term draws to a close, has sought to use such moves to revive domestic and international respect for Russia's armed forces which were shattered by the chaos of the 1990s.
> 
> A former KGB lieutenant-colonel, Putin has boosted military spending, renewed long-range bomber missions and approved a plan to upgrade Russia's nuclear attack forces, which he said was needed after NATO built up its forces close to Russia's borders.
> 
> But some analysts note that while the sabre rattling is popular at home, Russian military spending in absolute terms is substantially lower than that of China, Britain or France and less than a tenth of that of the United States.
> 
> Discipline is still a major problem for Russia's armed forces, which rely heavily on conscripts and outdated equipment.
> 
> Atlantic exercise
> 
> Russia last month said it would begin major navy sorties into the Mediterranean, with 11 ships backed up by 47 aircraft, that would then travel to the Atlantic for exercises.
> 
> The navy's flagship aircraft carrier, the Soviet-made Admiral Kuznetsov, was leading the fleet in the Atlantic where NATO aircraft were trying to keep a close eye on Russian movements, Russian media reported.
> 
> "This is the biggest exercise of its kind in the area since Soviet times," a spokesman for Russia's navy said, adding that more details would be released later.
> 
> There was no further information about where in the Bay of Biscay, which lies off the West coast of France and the Northern coast of Spain, the missile tests were due to take place.
> 
> Russia's air force said turbo-prop Tupolev Tu-95 strategic bombers, codenamed "Bear" by NATO, would join the exercise on Wednesday.
> 
> "From January 23, the aviation component in the zone where the exercises are going on will be widened and the following planes will take part: Tu-160, Tu-95, Tu-22 M3, Il-78, A-50," the air force said.


----------



## tomahawk6

Some amazing pic's of Russian aircraft. 









SU-27SM cockpit


----------



## krustyrl

Silly Russkies.......they put the wings on backwards..!


----------



## tomahawk6

While a radical design it sure is pretty.


----------



## aesop081

Its been done years ago..........

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-008-DFRC.html


----------



## tomahawk6

I had forgotten about that aircraft. I guess there is a reason we didnt follow up with production models.

Ka-52 in new camo


----------



## ironduke57

CDN Aviator said:
			
		

> Its been done years ago..........
> 
> http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-008-DFRC.html



And much more years ago. 

Ju 287:

Regards,
ironduke57


----------



## IGA

Hello everyone, first post. Non military person here. I have a question about Russian  helicopters. Would it be possible and feasible to purchase Russian medium lift helicopters? With the delay in getting the Chinooks at least we would have something in Afghanistan. I watched a tv program called Flightpath, and they were showing a Kamov helicopter being used in helilogging in BC. The company that owned the Kamov were very impressed with it. I know that there seems to be a general lack of respect for Russian equipment, but from what I have read their helicopters seem to be pretty good. But I know getting info from a book and what is real can be 2 different things. Anyhow much respect for everyone in the military, past and present.  IGA


----------



## SeaKingTacco

Oh no...not again...


----------



## tomahawk6

Russian helicopters are bought by third world militaries for a reason - cheaper than a western helicopter.


----------



## CougarKing

SeaKingTacco said:
			
		

> Oh no...not again...



SKT,

At least this IGA guy is not another "fighter puke wannabe"/"I wanna fly F22s" wannabe again.

 ;D


----------



## IGA

I guess that means no. Sorry for the stupid question. And I would like to fly in a F22


----------



## George Wallace

IGA said:
			
		

> I guess that means no. Sorry for the stupid question. And I would like to fly in a F22



Now You are starting to sound very familiar..........


----------



## FoverF

Man, I LOVE the Russians. 

They install a big, expensive, colour MFD up front, and they use it to display digital dynamic images of the old dials that used to be there.  ;D I'm not saying it's a bad idea, either, just that something about it strikes me as particularly _Russian.

And that Blackjack looks badass (and photoshopped).

_


----------



## aesop081

FoverF said:
			
		

> Man, I LOVE the Russians.
> 
> They install a big, expensive, colour MFD up front, and they use it to display digital dynamic images of the old dials that used to be there.  ;D I'm not saying it's a bad idea, either, just that something about it strikes me as particularly _Russian.
> 
> _


_

Looks pretty damned close to most other "half-glass" cockpits i have seen.....



			
				FoverF said:
			
		


			And that Blackjack looks badass *(and photoshopped).*

Click to expand...


?_


----------



## I_am_John_Galt

FoverF said:
			
		

> They install a big, expensive, colour MFD up front, and they use it to display digital dynamic images of the old dials that used to be there.  ;D I'm not saying it's a bad idea, either, just that something about it strikes me as particularly _Russian._


_ You were expecting an XBox, maybe?_


----------



## Delicron

FoverF has a point, there is something unreal about that Blackjack photo, it looks definitely photo-shopped.  You can't see anything other than black in the windows (granted that you wouldn't see much anyways, but it doesn't seem likely that the windows would be _pitch_ black), and the lighting on it looks really flat for such a nice, stratus cloud filled day.  As well, the aliasing around the plane (the jaggy bits around the shape of the aircraft) seem to suggest some form of cropping and/or cut and pasting.  My take on this thing is that it is either a CG model of some sort from a Flight Sim, or that it was a ground based picture that was enhanced in photoshop.  My opinion only, short of having any credible evidence...  :-\

BTW, having flown a sim for a 727 that had some of the gauges re-represented that way, I actually liked it quite a bit!  But those 4 hours of sim time really form my entire experience with _any_ sort of glass cockpit (aside from your normal GPS moving map stuff), so my opinion is of limited value...


----------



## Nfld Sapper

Delicron said:
			
		

> FoverF has a point, there is something unreal about that Blackjack photo, it looks definitely photo-shopped.  You can't see anything other than black in the windows (granted that you wouldn't see much anyways, but it doesn't seem likely that the windows would be _pitch_ black), and the lighting on it looks really flat for such a nice, stratus cloud filled day.  As well, the aliasing around the plane (the jaggy bits around the shape of the aircraft) seem to suggest some form of cropping and/or cut and pasting.  My take on this thing is that it is either a CG model of some sort from a Flight Sim, or that it was a ground based picture that was enhanced in photoshop.  My opinion only, short of having any credible evidence...  :-\



Well look at this pic





from TU 160

Same dark windows


----------



## Delicron

Point taken!  I wonder what effect that has on the pilot's?  Makes it look more intimidating for certain!

Despite that though, there is something nagging at me on that photo...maybe it's just too clean and nice!   ;D


----------



## Nfld Sapper

Don't get me wrong it might still be photoshoped just look else where. I remember building them in model kits and can remember that I thought it odd to have tinted windows on it.


----------



## tomahawk6

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3716&d=1141842917


----------



## Bane

I don't think they are Photoshoped.

Look at the amount of light and basically all white background on this photo of the Air force’s most recent newborn.  The windscreens still have that flat black look save for a tiny little bit.  I think it's just the type of material and the light conditions.  I'm not an expert, but my $0.02
http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/wp/images/AIR_CC-177_Inuvik_Airport_lg.jpg


ed. for spelling


----------



## FoverF

> You were expecting an Xbox, maybe?



Actually, I was expecting something like, oh, a moving map display, or tactical HSI, or a systems management screen, or tape gauges, or a synthetic vision terrain map, or an etc. Basically anything other than repeating the same information (in steam-gauge-ese) that's already being given in a more convenient format on the HUD. 

I've seen MFDs used for steam-gauge flight instruments before, but never on an airplane that had a HUD. Any CF fighter jocks here that keep dial versions of their basic instruments on an MFD? 

As for the first Blackjack photo;
Just doesn't look right to me. There seems to be a gleam of light on stbd side of the cockpit, and on the stbd wing LE. These don't look natural to me. They would suggest the main light source is to the stbd, but all of the shadows on the airframe are being cast from port to stbd. 

Notice on all the other photos that the shadows lean away from the side with the cockpit/LE gleam?


----------



## tomahawk6

Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVqilOx6lNQ


----------



## Delicron

Bane said:
			
		

> I don't think they are Photoshoped.
> 
> Look at the amount of light and basically all white background on this photo of the Air force’s most recent newborn.  The windscreens still have that flat black look save for a tiny little bit.  I think it's just the type of material and the light conditions.



I think we moved away from the windows being the culprit, it was something that caught my eye, but it seems to be part and parcel for the TU-160 as evidenced by the later photographs.  The lack of definition in the light and shadows seems the main culprit, and as FoverF later said, there's a weird gleam of light that seems unusual on the cockpit area.  In addition, when you look at the tailplane, the shadow below the stabilator (or horizontal stabilizer, can't really tell) is on the port side, but above it the shadow is on the starboard side.  The lighting source seems abstract, and at best, ill-defined.  I still think this has to be some sort of high-detail sim model.


----------



## stegner

From http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/02/11/russian.bomber/index.html Accessed Feb 11, 2008



> WASHINGTON (CNN) -- American fighter jets intercepted two Russian bombers, one of which buzzed a U.S. aircraft carrier in the western Pacific over the weekend, U.S. military officials told CNN Monday.
> 
> 
> A Tupolev-95 flies over the Izu Islands, just south of Tokyo, Saturday.
> 
> One of them twice flew about 2,000 feet over the deck of the USS Nimitz Saturday while another flew about 50 miles away, officials said. Two others were at least 100 miles away, the military reported.
> 
> U.S. Defense officials said four F/A-18A fighter jets from the Nimitz were in the air.
> 
> The Russians and the U.S. cartrier did not exchange verbal communications. Video Watch U.S. aircraft carrier USS Nimitz »
> 
> Four turboprop Tupolev-95 Bear bombers took off from Ukrainka air base, in Russia's Far East, in the middle of the night, Japanese officials told The Associated Press, adding that one of the jets violated Japanese airspace.
> 
> Russian bombers have been making flights over the western Pacific for several months. In September, two U.S. F-15 fighters scrambled to intercept a plane that came within 50 miles of the coastline.
> advertisement
> 
> There have been eight incidents off Alaska since July. Among the latest, on September 5, six F-15s from Elmendorf Air Force Base, adjacent to Anchorage, Alaska, intercepted six Russian bombers about 50 miles from the northwest coast of Alaska.
> 
> Two similar incidents occurred in August, one near Cape Lisburne, Alaska, and the other near Cold Bay, Alaska, west of the Aleutian Islands.


----------



## aesop081

Nothing realy new here........


----------



## Nfld Sapper

Maybe they where sightseeing 

 ;D


I crack myself up


----------



## karl28

Those crazy Russians what will they do next . ;D


----------



## aesop081

karl28 said:
			
		

> Those crazy Russians what will they do next . ;D



The same stuff they've been doing since the cold war has been "over"


----------



## CougarKing

CDN Aviator said:
			
		

> The same stuff they've been doing since the cold war has been "over"



Ahemm...COUGH, COUGH: http://forums.navy.ca/forums/threads/70021.0.html


----------



## vonGarvin

I say "Bring back the Cold War".  This whole force generation nonsence and "TF this" and "TF that" is driving me insane.  Screw "Direct Actions" and all that.  Form up two up, one back, one in reserve, bags of smoke and HE on the objective, and let's give'er.  Man, this Putin fella just seems to be teasing us.  

I say: Bring back 4 CMBG, post it in eastern Germany (near a nice little village with some good brews) and let's wait for the bombs to fall.  If only the Russians would indeed point some missiles at Ukraine, then we could really see a good old fashioned arms race again!  After all, COIN is just too difficult for me to wrap my head around.  Total War is where it's at ;D


 :warstory:


----------



## aesop081

CougarDaddy said:
			
		

> Ahemm...COUGH, COUGH: http://forums.navy.ca/forums/threads/70021.0.html



Your point ?


----------



## aesop081

Mortarman Rockpainter said:
			
		

> I say: Bring back 4 CMBG, *CIBG*



 ;D


----------



## vonGarvin

CIBG?  Heck, I'll one-up ya':
Bring back 1 Cdn Div!  

BooYeah!


----------



## Bandit1

> *Navy Intercepts Russian Bombers*
> By LOLITA C. BALDOR – Feb 12, 2008
> 
> WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. fighter planes intercepted two Russian bombers, including one that buzzed an American aircraft carrier in the western Pacific during the weekend, The Associated Press has learned.
> 
> A U.S. military official says that one Russian Tupolev 95 flew directly over the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz twice, at a low altitude of about 2,000 feet, while another bomber circled about 58 miles out. The official was speaking on condition of anonymity because the reports on the flights were classified as secret.
> 
> The Saturday incident, which never escalated beyond the flyover, comes amid heightened tensions between the United States and Russia over U.S. plans for a missile defense system based in Poland and the Czech Republic.
> 
> In Moscow, the RIA Novosti news agency reported Tuesday that the head of the Russian Air Force information service, Alexander Drobyshevsky, said the Russian bombers "were carrying out their assigned flights" and in strict compliance with the international airspace rules. "We are surprised by the noise that has been raised (over the flights)," he was quoted as saying.
> 
> Such Russian encounters with U.S. ships were common during the Cold War, but have been rare since then. Russia revived the Soviet-era practice of long-range patrols by strategic bombers over the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans last August.
> 
> The bombers were among four Russian Tupolev 95s launched from Ukrainka in the middle of the night, including one that Japanese officials say violated their country's airspace over an uninhabited island south of Tokyo.
> 
> U.S. officials tracked and monitored the bombers as two flew south along the Japanese coast, and two others flew farther east, coming closer to the Nimitz and the guided missile cruiser USS Princeton.
> 
> As the bombers got about 500 miles out from the U.S. ships, four F/A-18 fighters were launched from the Nimitz, the official said. The fighters intercepted the Russian bombers about 50 miles south of the Nimitz.
> 
> At least two U.S. F/A-18 Hornets trailed the bomber as it came in low over the Nimitz twice, while one or two of the other U.S. fighters followed the second bomber as it circled.
> 
> The official said there were no verbal communications between the U.S. and the Russians, and the Pentagon has not heard of any protests being filed by the United States. Historically, diplomatic protests were not filed in such incidents because they were so common during the Cold War era.
> 
> This is the first time Russian Tupolevs have flown over or interacted with a U.S. carrier since 2004.
> 
> In that incident, a Russian Tupolev flew over the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk in the Sea of Japan on Jan. 29, 2004. Since then, however, relations between the U.S. and Russia have deteriorated to their worst point since the Cold War, largely due to the United States' plans to put a radar system in the Czech Republic and 10 missile defense interceptors in Poland.
> 
> The U.S. has defended the plan as necessary to protect its European allies from possible attacks by Iran. But the Kremlin has condemned the proposal, saying it would threaten Russia's security.
> 
> "We are being forced to take retaliatory steps," said Russian President Vladimir Putin, who also warned that a new arms race is under way.
> 
> Japan, meanwhile, filed a formal protest with the Russian Embassy in Tokyo after Saturday's incident, saying that one of the Russian bombers crossed into Japanese airspace for three minutes. Russia has denied there was an intrusion.



So just out of curiousity...would we ever allow a Bear to overfly 4 Wing?  ;D


----------



## SeaKingTacco

> So just out of curiousity...would we ever allow a Bear to overfly 4 Wing?



Overflying an aircraft carrier in international waters is much different than overflying an airbase within sovereign airspace.


----------



## Bandit1

Agree completely...I was just trying to be sarcastic...

On a serious note though - what if the Bear was armed?  Would this not constitute a serious threat?


----------



## tomahawk6

Bandit1 said:
			
		

> Agree completely...I was just trying to be sarcastic...
> 
> On a serious note though - what if the Bear was armed?  Would this not constitute a serious threat?



Normally air defense commands assume the aircraft is armed and were we at war the bomber would be engaged long before it reached a carrier or land. The USN knows what type of cruise missile the bomber carries and tries to engage before it comes into range of its weapons.


----------



## CougarKing

Here we go again:

The Russians are it again, and this should be the third time since the beginning of the year that Russian bombers have buzzed US or other NATO members' forces, and at least the second time this year that bombers have buzzed a USN carrier.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23490503/



> *Russian bomber intercepted near U.S. ship *
> Pentagon: Incident not a threat; it's the second in a month
> Reuters
> updated 4:42 p.m. PT, Wed., March. 5, 2008
> 
> WASHINGTON - A Russian bomber aircraft approached a U.S. aircraft carrier off the Korean coast Wednesday and was intercepted by American fighter jets — the second such incident in less than a month, U.S. defense officials said.
> 
> According to the U.S. officials, a Russian bomber came within three to five nautical miles and flew 2,000 feet above the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier and its accompanying ships.
> 
> Two U.S. F/A-18 fighters were launched to intercept the Russian aircraft and escort it out of the area, according to one defense official.
> 
> Russian bombers over the past year have increased their flights near U.S. territory and U.S. naval assets, demonstrating their long-range strike capability.
> 
> In February, two Russian bombers approached the Nimitz near Japan and one flew over the carrier, escorted by a U.S. fighter jet. That was the first Russian overflight of a U.S. carrier since 2004.
> 
> 
> Those operations come as Russian officials say they will revive some of the military power and reach allowed to collapse with the Soviet Union.
> 
> U.S. defense officials Wednesday said they did not consider the Russian bomber flight a threat or concern.
> 
> 
> Copyright 2008 Reuters. Click for restrictions.


----------



## CougarKing

CDN Aviator said:
			
		

> Your point ?



My point was that maybe this thread and the ones below should all be merged into one thread dealing with increased Russian military activity- especially with regards to those bomber incursions.

http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/71526.0.html

http://forums.navy.ca/forums/threads/70021.0.html


----------



## CougarKing

The character Yuri Orlov from the movie "Lord of War" comes to mind.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,351398,00.html



> MIAMI — Federal officials say a Florida man is charged with illegally trying to broker the sale of Russian military aircraft without a proper State Department license.
> 
> Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say phone conversations and e-mails between Peter Spitz and an informant indicate he was working to sell 10 helicopters for $750,000 each.
> 
> The informant was pretending to be acting for officials in Zimbabwe.
> 
> An ICE affidavit says Spitz had more than 30 Russian military helicopters and a jet fighter in Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic.
> 
> The 70-year-old man is scheduled to have a bond hearing Friday in Fort Lauderdale. His two attorneys did not respond Tuesday to e-mails seeking comment


----------



## Yrys

I liked that movie (not sure about some of the acting, thought...), I was wondering how much of it could be from reality ....


----------



## Redeye

It's not far off reality at all - the character Yuri Orlov is a composite of a number of people, primarily a Russian arms dealer named Viktor Bout.


----------



## Niteshade

I love that movie.

Specifically the slow motion scene of the AK firing, and as each rounds is expelled, a cash register noise sounds.

Lovely.

Nites


----------



## the 48th regulator

You are getting two men confused with one another.

The movie character is based on _Viktor Bout_, a prolific and well know arms dealer that was recently arrested in Thailand on March 6, 2008, by the local police with Help from US LEA.  He was known as the Death Merchant.

http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/sierraleone/bout.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Bout

dileas

tess


----------



## Redeye

Niteshade said:
			
		

> I love that movie.
> 
> Specifically the slow motion scene of the AK firing, and as each rounds is expelled, a cash register noise sounds.
> 
> Lovely.
> 
> Nites



"There are over 550 million firearms in worldwide circulation. That's one firearm for every twelve people on the planet. The only question is: How do we arm the other 11?"


----------



## Niteshade

"Let god sort em out." - Duke Nukem

Nites


----------



## PMedMoe

Good movie, here's some interesting trivia from IMDB.

According to Andrew Niccol, the filmmakers worked with actual gunrunners in the making of the film.  The tanks lined up for sale were real and belonged to a Czech arms dealer who had to have them back to sell to another country.  They used a real stockpile of over 3,000 AK-47s because it was cheaper than getting prop guns.


----------



## CougarKing

An unfortunate death, if true. The number of these Russian advisors/instructors might not be a surprise to some of you, but I wonder if their numbers being sent abroad may be increasing, especially with the recent large purchases of Russian equipment by countries such as Venezuela.

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htatrit/articles/20080530.aspx



> May 30, 2008: The death of a Russian fighter pilot in Sudan could not be kept secret, despite the best efforts of the Russian and Sudanese governments. The pilot was an instructor, stationed outside Khartoum, at an air base containing the dozen MiG-29 fighters Sudan bought four years ago. The Russian pilot took one of the MiG-29s into action on May 10th, when a convoy of nearly 200 trucks and jeeps approached the capital. The convoy contained 1,200 JEM rebels from Darfur. The heavily armed rebels were headed for the presidential palace when the MiG-29 attacked. But the rebels had some heavy (12.7mm and 14.5mm machine-guns) on some of those trucks, and the MiG-29 was hit and went down. The pilot ejected, but the chute didn't open and he died on impact.
> 
> The Sudanese government tried to keep the death, and loss of a Russian pilot, secret. At least one Sudanese radio station was shut down for broadcasting the "rumor." The story also got out in Russia, via the Internet and at least one independent radio station (the government controls all the network operations). The death of the pilot was known to his family and some of his Russian Air Force friends.
> 
> The JEM attack was halted, by Sudanese troops, before they could cross a river and reach the palace.


----------



## jzaidi1

It sounds like the Pilot may have underestimated the opponent and went in too low, too slow and head on vs coming up the rear.

J


----------



## geo

Hmmm.... for an instructor, this pilot appears to have executed some hands on "examples of how to do/not do things"

Thought foreign instructors were expected to provide instruction & leave it to the local nationals to execute military missions.

???


----------



## aesop081

geo said:
			
		

> Thought foreign instructors were expected to provide instruction & leave it to the local nationals to execute military missions.



It is a common , mostly unacknowledged, practice for Russian advisors to participate directly in the combat operations of their client states. During the Korean war, Chinese and DPRK aircraft were often flown by Russian advisors.


----------



## McG

... and some people would like us to do peace operations in the region.  Here's a reminder why we should not forget our AD capability despite the current operational climate.


----------



## geo

too true MCG


----------



## Colin Parkinson

His death will still be listed as a "training accident" 

Some rebel earned his keep by downing a multi-million dollar fighter with a MG likely 40 years old.


----------



## geo

... and a 40 yr old Soviet (Russian) MG at that


----------



## lone bugler

well too bad for the pilot but like geo said it's karma, when you sell weapons to pretty much every army except the salvation army, one of those has got to come back and bite you in the ass


----------



## stryte

The below text comes from a forwarded email I received from my father. Any thoughts?

"This is a photograph of the world's largest helicopter which happened to be on the tarmac in Dease Lake ,
B.C. recently. It is to be used for taking mining equipment and cargo out to a new mine called Galore Creek. The chopper couldn't land at the air strip at Bob Quinn Lake because it wasn't a paved area so it had to land in Dease Lake until the landing site north of Bob Quinn could be inspected. Apparently this chopper's wash will pick up and fling rocks, up to 12 inches in diameter, around like leaves. Some stats: - Russian crew of 6, 2 Pilots, 1 Navigator, 2 Engineers (mechanics) &1 cargo person - a semi-trailer will fit in it.- carries 75 troops- uses 2000 litres of fuel per hour- 580 km range- costs $30,000/hr to rent- 40 metres long- 8 blades about 2 feet wide Probably bigger than ANYTHING seen at the Dease Lake airport, including the terminal building. I knew the Russian built 'Sky Crane' was big which is being used for lifting lumber out of inaccessible mountain areas, but this makes a 'Sky Crane' look like a mosquito by comparison."


----------



## Loachman

It is as long as a Chinook and Griffon placed nose to tail.

The rotor diameter is greater than the wingspan of a WWII B17 bomber's wingspan.

The tail rotor is about the same size as a Hughes/MD500's main rotor.

The transmission weighs about the same as an empty Huey helicopter.

It'll lift a Herc load of cargo.

The attack version can fire a projectile equivalent to the main armament of the USS Missouri battleship from a twin-barrelled semi-automatic cannon mounted at the rear fuselage with the barrels running right through the main cabin and out through the nose.






























Okay, I'm kidding about the last point, but this is a huge and impressive machine by any standard.


----------



## Mike Baker

That's quite the large chopper, eh?


Wouldn't want to pay the fuel cost ;D


-Dead


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

I don't think the Russians are too worried about fuel considering the reserves they rely upon, they are laughing.


----------



## tomahawk6

A Russian airliner with 88 on board crashed outside Perm today.One of the passengers was General Troshev who had worked for both Putin and Medvedev.

http://www.euronews.net/en/article/14/09/2008/russian-general-among-88-killed-in-plane-crash/


----------



## tomahawk6

A bit more about Troshov.Clearly he has stayed out of news since this article and I think its safe to say that Putin didnt feel threatened by him.

http://www.cdi.org/russia/johnson/7018-17.cfm

Chechen war veteran flexes political muscles, sending shiver down the spine of the Kremlin - Another Russian general has emerged who wants to be a politician - a man who left his mark on Chechnya by helping raze its capital city
By Chris Stephen

Russia has a new pretender to the crown of warrior-king in the shape of Gen Gennady Troshev, its former commander in Chechnya. The bull-necked 57-year-old hit the headlines last month when he refused an order from the defence ministry to step down and move to another post in Siberia.

Angry that the ministry was blaming him for the manifest failures of the Chechen war, he went on television to denounce his sacking order. His dismissal as commander of the forces in Chechnya was later confirmed by special decree from President Vladimir Putin - though the reque to Siberia was quietly dropped.

Instead, Troshev has moved to Moscow, declaring he is 'considering' a political career.

This has made many people shudder, as it comes with reports that the army is already beyond the power of its civilian masters to control.

Later this month Troshev will publish his memoirs, in which he is expected to set out his stall as an ultra-nationalist alternative to the country's political leadership.

He is not the first general to try this path. In 1994 the deputy chief-of-staff, Eduard Vorobyov, refused to take up command of Russian forces in the first Chechen war, instead becoming an MP. Alexander Lebed, a former paratrooper general, stood against Putin in the 2000 presidential elections.

Neither made an impact: Vorobyov failed to attract a large following and the charismatic Lebed's political career died when he was killed in a helicopter crash last year.

Troshev aims to go better: already, he has powerful allies in the high command, notably army chief- of-staff Anatoly Kvashnin. Their complaints are familiar: first, that the army has been starved of support, both political and financial, to smash rebels in Chechnya and second, that under corrupt and incompetent civilian leadership, Russia has lost her great power status - and needs to claw it back.

An official on Putin's Human Rights Commission, Svetlana Gamushkina, told The Irish Times that the President admitted he could not control the generals in a meeting last month. 'He said that the army has become a separate political force. This is dangerous.'

Further evidence that the army is its own boss came earlier this month, when military judges derailed the country's most important war crimes case - the trial of a colonel accused of strangling a Chechen teenage girl.

Yuri Budanov had already admitted, during a two-year trial, that he abducted the 18-year-old girl, savagely beating her, then strangling her and ordering subordinates to bury her naked body.

The Kremlin had hoped Budanov's trial would demonstrate it was serious about introducing the rule of law into Chechnya. Instead, the army has derailed such hopes.

Army judges announced that instead of going to jail, Budanov would get mental treatment because he had committed the crime while suffering 'temporary insanity'.

Human rights activists were quick to complain. 'The Budanov acquittal is simply a travesty of justice,' said Elizabeth Andersen of US-based Human Rights Watch. 'If Russian authorities continue to shield servicemen from accountability and deny justice to their victims, the conflict in Chechnya may never be resolved.'

A prosecution appeal is taking place this week, but the military judgment is likely to be confirmed, in a body blow to efforts to 'normalise' Chechnya. 'The army is separate from anyone else,' Gamushkina says. 'It is a danger to society.'

Putin has fought against this, installing former KGB colonel Sergei Ivanov as defence minister and giving him the job of implementing wide-ranging reforms. They have failed to bite, though, and a second initiative, to put the FSB - the renamed KGB - in charge of the Chechen war has come to nothing.

Troshev is a veteran of both the current Chechen war and the one which raged from 1994-96 and ended in Russian defeat.

Born in the ethnic Russian community in the Chechen capital, Grozny, he became famous for declaring, early in the present war, that the shattered city should never be rebuilt so as to serve as a warning against treason to Russia's ethnic minorities. Later he demanded that captured guerrillas be publicly executed.

What has infuriated the Kremlin, however, have been his constant announcements over more than three years that the war is 'almost over'. These statements are invariably followed by new Chechen offensives, most recently on December 27th, when two suicide bombers detonated huge truck-bombs outside the province's administrative headquarters in Grozny, killing 46.

Talk of a coup, however, is far-fetched. For one thing, the army is in a mess. Hardly a week passes without a story of more desertions, incompetence and bungling within the country's under-funded, bloated armed forces.

Human rights groups say units raise cash in Chechnya by kidnapping civilians, then 'selling' them back to anxious relatives. Last September, an entire 54-man unit deserted its post in Volgograd, claiming living conditions were worse than prison.

This loss of prestige has angered the officer corps who, like Troshev, were brought up to expect Soviet-era greatness. Troshev is unlikely to demand a place in the Kremlin, but he will demand that military spending will rise.

Far from wanting a political settlement to end the Chechen war, the generals are already demanding its widening, to include an invasion of neighbouring Georgia to strike at rebel bases. Pressure for this is likely to grow with the coming of spring.

The other target will be central Asia. The army is furious that Moscow has allowed America to build a chain of bases in these former Soviet republics, long regarded as Russia's back yard.

How Troshev will flex his muscles is unclear, but flex them he will, and for Chechens, the outside world and the occupant of the Kremlin, this must mean trouble.


----------



## CougarKing

Let's see if the spokesman is willing to stake the reputation of his company and the lives of Russian pilots on these "high quality" products.



> *Russia To Acquire MiGs Rejected by Algeria*
> By Nabi Abdullaev
> Published: 15 Jan 11:31 EST (16:31 GMT)
> 
> MOSCOW - *The Russian Air Force will procure 34 MiG-29 fighter jets that were rejected last year by Algeria, which claimed the aircraft were assembled from used spare parts, Russian officials said.*
> 
> "Procurement of these MiGs by the Russian Air Force confirms the high quality of these aircraft," a spokesman for the Rosoboronexport state arms export monopoly said Jan. 14.
> 
> Rosoboronexport attempted to sell *26 MiG-29SMT and six MiG-29UB light fighter jets * to Algeria as part of the record arms export deal with the north African country, signed in March 2006. The MiG contract was worth almost $1.3 billion while the total deal amounted to $7.5 billion.
> 
> In March, Algeria returned the 15 fighters that had already been shipped there, saying the aircraft were assembled from used parts.
> 
> Yelena Fyodorova, a spokeswoman for RSK MiG, which produced the fighters, said Jan. 14 that company experts and specialists from the Russian Defense Ministry's scientific research institutes thoroughly examined the returned aircraft and found them in perfect condition.
> 
> A source in the Defense Ministry told the RIA Novosti state news agency Jan. 13 that the MiGs will be procured domestically under the 2009 state defense order. For several years, there was no domestic procurement of MiG fighters.
> 
> Mikhail Pogosyan, the general director of MiG's rival aircraft maker, Sukhoi, who was just appointed general director of MiG, promised he will work to include MiG fighters into the state defense order in 2009.


----------



## geo

... I guess the Russian airforce figured they could buy these new "hardly ever used" MIGs at a good price.... supplier can't be asking full retail at this point - can he ???


----------



## GAP

4 Russian Mi-17 Helicopters to Afghan Army for $43.5M
30-Jul-2009 15:14 EDT
Article Link

The Afghan National Army Air Corps is procuring 4 Mi-17 variant helicopters and related tool kits from Defense Technology Inc. (DTI) in Huntsville, AL for $43.5 million. The Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD, manages the firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-09-C-0089). 

DTI provides military hardware from the former Soviet Union to the U.S. Department of Defense and the defense ministries of other NATO Governments. The company will perform the work in Kabul, Afghanistan, and expects to complete it by September 2009. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposals, with 4 offers received. “Medium Mainstay: Mi-17s for Iraq” examines a controversy over sole-source orders of Mi-17 helicopters from ARINC; this procurement appears to have been run differently.

The Mi-17 is an upgraded version of the Russian Mi-8 helicopter…

The Mi-17 helicopter, developed at the Mil Design Bureau, is a medium weight, single rotor helicopter. The aircraft construction primarily incorporates the airframe of a Mi-8 with the power train of the Mi-24, which provides an increase in performance and gross weight over the basic Mi-8. The aircraft is configured with a five bladed main rotor system (70 feet diameter), and a wheeled landing gear, notes Globalsecurity.org. 

The Mi-17 is a multirole helicopter that can be armed with rockets, missiles and guns. It is often used by air assault infantry forces to attack the point of penetration, reinforce units in contact or disrupt counterattacks. Additional missions include attack, direct air support, electronic warfare, airborne early warning, medevac, search and rescue, and minelaying.
More on link


----------



## CougarKing

Hi, Billy Mayes here from the grave and boy do I have a deal for you...



> MOSCOW, August 6 (RIA Novosti) - Russian investigators in Nizhny Novgorod have opened a criminal case into the illegal sale of MiG-31 Foxhound aircraft hulls at $5 instead of $3.7 million, the Prosecutor General's Office said Thursday.
> The sale came to light after an anti-corruption check was carried out to see whether regulations were followed during the sale of items from the Sokol Aircraft Construction plant located in the Russian Volga city of Nizhny Novgorod.
> 
> Prosecutors said that in October 2006 - July 2007, unidentified officials from the local department of the Agency for State Reserves unlawfully included four MiG-31 hulls (without engines and weapons) into a list of sale items.
> 
> "As a result, long-range supersonic interceptor aircraft that were not for sale were purchased by a dummy firm, Metalsnab, which was not entitled to trade in arms and military hardware," prosecutors said.
> 
> The asking price of the MiG-31 hulls was significantly undervalued by a local valuation company.
> 
> According to the valuation report one hull was valued at 153 rubles ($4.9) - this initial price was accepted during bidding and the MiGs were sold at this price. However, one hull actually costs around 116 million rubles ($3.7 million).


----------



## Yrys

Pilot dies as Russia jets collide

Video of 41 sec in above link: The scene soon after 
the crash was filmed on mobile phone


Two Russian fighter jets have collided while training for an air show near Moscow, 
killing one pilot and injuring at least five people on the ground. Two pilots from 
the elite Russian Knights aerobatic team parachuted to safety, but a third, the 
group's commander, did not survive.

One woman suffered burns and at least four other people were injured as one jet 
struck houses near the airfield. Initial reports say that pilot error caused the crash 
of the two Su-27 jets.

Air force spokesman Lt Col Vladimir Drik said the fighters collided near Zhukhovsky 
airfield, east of Moscow, where they were preparing for the Maks 2009 aerospace 
exhibition, due to start on Tuesday. The dead pilot was named as Russian Knights' 
commander Igor Tkachenko, 45, a decorated air force colonel.

Earlier this year Russia grounded its entire fleet of another fighter, the Su-24, after 
two crashes in three days, the Associated Press news agency reported.

_Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly reported that the Su-27 fleet 
had been grounded earlier this year instead of the Su-24 fleet. _


----------



## CougarKing

Already posted before below:

http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/88497.0.html


----------



## CougarKing

news link




> :
> "The first flight of the fifth-generation plane has been carried out today. It took place in Komsomolsk-on-Amur. The plane was in the air for about 45 minutes. The flight was normal. The plane proved itself very well. All our expectations for the first flight came true. The premiere was successful," the Sukhoi company's spokeswoman Olga Kayukova said on Rossiya 24 Television.



Pic1 
Pic2 
Pic 3 
　　

video link 

 video link 2


----------



## VinceW

The look of it has the characteristics of the F-22 and F-23,so it should have some stealth capabilities,and I'll bet that when it explodes it'll be a beautiful sight.


----------



## FoverF

PAK FA
















I'm pretty surprised I couldn't find this here yet (which means I'm probably just blind):

 http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/01/29/337795/pictures.html 


> Sukhoi's PAK FA fighter completes first flight
> By Vladimir Karnozov
> 
> 
> Sukhoi has conducted the first flight of its prototype PAK FA fifth-generation fighter, with the aircraft having conducted a 47min sortie this morning.
> Flown from KnAAPO’s Komsomolsk-on-Amur site, the PAK FA was piloted by Sergei Bogdan, and “performed excellently”, says Sukhoi.
> “In the course of the flight we conducted initial evaluation of the aircraft controllability, engine performance and primary systems operation,” says Bogdan. The aircraft’s landing gear was also retracted and lowered during the first flight.
> 
> The PAK FA is powered by two NPO Saturn "Item 117" engines, developed from the Item 117S design already flown on Sukhoi’s Su-35 and a Su-27M testbed. The experimental aircraft’s integrated flight control system controls the engines, along with all other major systems.
> 
> 
> Sukhoi says other key design elements include the use of composite materials, advanced aerodynamic techniques and measures to reduce the aircraft’s engine signature, which it claims results in an “unprecedented small radar cross section in radar, optical and infrared range”. The PAK FA is also equipped with an advanced phased-array antenna radar, it adds. Russia's Tikhomirov NIIP displayed an active electronically scanned array design for the fighter at last year's Moscow MAKS air show.
> 
> Some observers have drawn similarities between the Russian design and the Northrop/McDonnell Douglas YF-23, which lost the US Air Force’s advanced tactical fighter contest to the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. The PAK FA also has some characteristics in common with both US designs, such as supercruise performance and internal weapons bays.
> Featuring large and deeply set intakes that are likely to shroud the engines from head-on view, and also from radar signals from above, the PAK FA also uses comparatively small and canted horizontal and vertical tail surfaces to boost its stealthy characteristics.
> “The massive delta wing, allied with its powerful engines, should make it a potent turning machine at high level,” says Flight International test pilot Peter Collins. “But the exposed exhaust nozzles suggest that they don’t consider IR stealth to be that important.”
> The aircraft also has a strong resemblance to an image posted on NPO Saturn's website in 2007 (below) and reported on at the time by Flight International.
> 
> 
> “This is a great success of both Russian science and design school,” says Sukhoi director general Mikhail Pogosyan. “The PAK FA programme advances Russian aeronautics, together with allied industries, to an entirely new technological level.
> “These [PAK FA] aircraft, together with upgraded fourth-generation fighters, will define Russian air force potential for the next decades,” he adds.
> The first stage of flight trials involving the PAK FA prototype will last until 2012, when the Russian defence ministry and air force are expected to decide on the future of the project. A production version is expected to be designated the T-50.
> 
> 
> The new design could also form the basis of a proposed fifth-generation fighter to be produced in collaboration between Russian and Indian companies.
> “I am strongly convinced that our joint project will excel its Western rivals in cost-effectiveness and will not only allow strengthening the defence power of Russian and Indian air forces, but also gain a significant share of the world market,” says Pogosyan.




A few things I have found noteworthy:

NIIP Thikoromov has displayed an L-band AESA, to supplement the main 3-array X-band AESA (nose and cheek arrays). This longer wave-length radar is claimed by NIIP to provide better anti-stealth performance, and I have seen it speculated by defence bloggers that it is also intended for passive detection of, and active interference with, the L-band Link-16 system. 





The round naked exhausts on the prototype have been criticized as not being particularly stealthy. But Saturn has experimented before with F-22 style 2-D thrust vectored exhausts, and these may be on the cards for the production model.


----------



## CougarKing

FoverF said:
			
		

> I'm pretty surprised I couldn't find this here yet (which means I'm probably just blind):



If you had searched under "T50" you would found it was already covered at the thread below:

I've merged them.
Bruce


----------



## FoverF

Ahh yes, there we are... Thanks for the merge!

I'm still quite surprised that there doesn't seem to be much interest in it here.


----------



## Retired AF Guy

Latest video of T-50 testing. Good close-up shots.

http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-dewline/

Liked the shots of the two guys watching the testing of the thrust-vectoring engines and the guy ducking when the aircraft starts taxing. Obviously, not as safety conscious as Western air forces.  

Some excellent shots of the T-50 in flight:

http://russianplanes.net/ST/Sukhoi/T-50


----------



## Retired AF Guy

Video of the T-50 going through its paces for President Putin.

http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-dewline/2010/06/watch-pak-fas-first-air-show.html


----------



## TimBit

VinceW said:
			
		

> The look of it has the characteristics of the F-22 and F-23,so it should have some stealth capabilities,and I'll bet that *when it explodes it'll be a beautiful sight.*



Well not from our current gear it won't, for sure...  :'(


----------



## SeanNewman

Wikipedia is showing an approx price of $100m / plane and $8-10 billion total.

How in the hell is Russia going to afford that?

Looks like another round of starving the citizens.


----------



## CougarKing

A plan for procuring 70 of these T50 fighters?

RIA Novosti link



> *Russian Defense Ministry to buy 10 fifth-generation fighters in 2013-2015
> 
> Russia will buy 10 fifth-generation fighters in 2013-2015, and 60 more in 2016, Deputy Defense Minister Vladimir Popovkin said on Monday.*
> Popovkin said the first fighters will be purchased in 2013, while in 2015 a batch of fighters will be tested by the Air Force.
> 
> "We will start the serial purchase of this fighter in 2016 and a batch of 60 fighters will be purchased within a state arms procurement program," the deputy minister said.
> 
> FARNBOROUGH (Britain), July 19 (RIA Novosti)


----------



## CougarKing

As stated by Defense Industry Daily:



> The Russian Defense Ministry plans to spend 20 trillion rubles ($656 billion) on its 2011-2020 state arms procurement program, which includes purchases of* 1,000 helicopters, 20 An-124 Ruslan transport planes, and 70 T-50 fighter jets.*



And RIA Novosti:

RIA Novosti link 1



> *Russian state arms procurement program increased 'almost twofold' - official*
> Vladimir Popovkin, deputy defense minister for arms procurement
> 15:42 19/07/2010© RIA Novosti Related News
> 
> The Russian Defense Ministry has almost doubled allocations for the 2011-2020 state arms procurement program, a senior official said on Monday.
> 
> *Vladimir Popovkin, deputy defense minister for arms procurement, said that while the original allocations amounted to 13 trillion rubles, they would be raised to 20 trillion.*
> 
> Popovkin added that Russian would purchase up to one thousand helicopters of various types in the framework of the state arms procurement program.
> 
> "The Vostok-2010 military exercises showed the need to use helicopters in combat conditions," he said, adding that "special emphasis will be laid on heavy transport helicopters."
> 
> FARNBOROUGH, July 19 (RIA Novosti)




RIA Novosti link 2



> *Russia may purchase 20 An-124 transport planes before 2020
> 
> The Russian Defense Ministry may purchase some 20 An-124 Ruslan (Condor) heavy-lift transport aircraft according to the 2011-2020 state arms procurement program, a senior official said on Monday.*
> 
> "We are now working on this issue... We intend to buy about 20 such aircraft," said Deputy Defense Minister Vladimir Popovkin, who is in charge of arms procurement.
> 
> He said an agreement on the modernization of the Ruslan planes which are currently in service had been signed earlier this year.
> 
> "We plan to modernize two planes annually, and starting from 2015-2016, if the manufacturers are ready, we will start purchasing them," he added.
> 
> In June, Boeing said it may conduct the final assembly of Russian-Ukrainian An-124 Ruslan heavy-lift transport planes for the U.S. market - a move which drew much criticism from the Ukraine-based Antonov Design Bureau.
> 
> Russia and Ukraine reached a preliminary agreement to resume production of the An-124 in April 2008.
> 
> The An-124, which can be used both for domestic and military purposes, was designed by the Antonov Design Bureau in 1982, and was produced in Ukraine's Kiev and Russia's Ulyanovsk until 1995. The plane has a maximum payload of 150 metric tons with a flight range of around 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles).
> 
> The cargo jet is the world's third largest after the An-225 and the Airbus A380F.
> 
> FARNBOROUGH, July 19 (RIA Novosti)



Plus more about the future T50 acquisitions at the Russian T50 fighters thread.


----------



## Rogo

Well if the Russkies are doing stealth and we/our allies are doing stealth then how will anyone find anyone?   We should all agree to return to bi-planes and save everyone a lot of money.      Is anyone else getting the urge to watch Red Dawn right about now?


----------



## EpicBeardedMan

Rogo said:
			
		

> We should all agree to return to bi-planes and save everyone a lot of money.



We might have to revive the Red Baron from the dead.


----------



## Oh No a Canadian

Rogo said:
			
		

> Well if the Russkies are doing stealth and we/our allies are doing stealth then how will anyone find anyone?



go back to dog fighting  ;D


----------



## CougarKing

> NORAD link
> 
> 
> *NORAD and Russian Air Force plan cooperative air defense exercise*
> Aug. 2, 2010
> 
> PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. - The Russian Federation Air Force and the North American Aerospace Defense Command will conduct a first-ever cooperative air defense exercise.
> 
> The civilian air control agencies of Russia (Federal Air Navigational Service) and the United States (Federal Aviation Administration) will also be involved in the exercise along with the military air operations centers at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, and Khabarovsk, Russia.
> 
> *The exercise, named VIGILANT EAGLE, will take place on or about Aug. 8-11 and involves Russian, Canadian and U.S. Air Force personnel operating from command centers in Russia and the United States.*
> 
> This exercise is authorized under a cooperative military agreement signed by the presidents of the Russian Federation and the United States of America. The agreement tasks NORAD, the bi-national U.S. and Canadian command, and the Russian Federation Air Force to conduct a live-fly exercise for up to five days.
> 
> It will consist of two international flights: one originating in Alaska and traveling to the Far East followed by one originating in the Far East and traveling to Alaska. Both flights will follow the same route.
> 
> *The basic premise is that a U.S. flagged commercial air carrier on an international flight (Fencing 1220) has been taken over by terrorists. The aircraft will not respond to communications. The exercise scenario will create a situation that requires both the Russian Air Force and NORAD to launch or divert fighter aircraft to investigate and follow Fencing 1220. The exercise will focus on shadowing and the cooperative hand-off of the monitored aircraft (Fencing 1220) between fighters of the participating nations.
> 
> Airborne warning and control aircraft (AWACS E-3B and A-50) from Russia and the United States will be involved along with fighter-interceptor aircraft and refueling aircraft from both countries. *
> 
> This combined exercise moves us forward in the development of cooperation between the Russian Federation Air Force and NORAD in preventing possible threats of air terrorism. This exercise provides the opportunity to cooperatively detect, track, identify, intercept and follow an aircraft as it proceeds across international boundaries.


----------



## tomahawk6

First ever joint exercise. The scenario was a civilian hijacked plane on board the civilian aircraft was the Alaska NORAD deputy commander was a Canadian Colonel,an interpreter and a Russian Air Force Colonel. By looking at the photos I must say the USAF inflight fare looked much better than an MRE.  







Vigilant Eagle 
Vigilant Eagle is a cooperative exercise involving the North American Aerospace Defense Command and the Russian Air Force. The exercise scenario creates a situation that requires both the Russian Air Force and NORAD to launch or divert fighter aircraft to investigate and follow a "hijacked" airliner. The exercise focuses on shadowing and the cooperative hand-off of the monitored aircraft between fighters of the participating nations.

Fencing 1220, a Gulfstream 4, departs Anchorage, Alaska in route to the Far East simulating a commercial Boeing 757 taken over by terrorists prompting reaction from NORAD and the Russian Federation Air Forces, Aug. 8.






  











Canadian Forces Col. Todd Balfe, deputy commander of the Alaskan NORAD region, looks over paperwork as he flies aboard a civilian airplane playing the role of a hijacked airliner, Sunday, Aug. 8, 2010 on a route from Alaska to an undisclosed location in the Far East. The exercise is a first-of-its-kind joint exercise between the U.S. and Russia to test their coordinated response to a potential international hijacking.






Russian Air Force Col. Alexander Vasiliev, right, talks with Canadian Forces Col. Todd Balfe, center, deputy commander of the Alaskan NORAD region, as U.S. Air Force interpreter Tech. Sgt. Paul Shoop, translates at left, as they fly aboard a civilian airplane playing the role of a hijacked airliner, Sunday, Aug. 8, 2010 on a route from Alaska to an undisclosed location in the Far East. The exercise is a first-of-its-kind joint exercise between the U.S. and Russia to test their coordinated response to a potential international hijacking.






Canadian Forces Col. Todd Balfe, right, deputy commander of the Alaskan NORAD region, talks with Russian Air Force Col. Alexander Vasiliev, center, as U.S. Air Force interpreter Tech. Sgt. Paul Shoop, translates at left, as they fly aboard a civilian airplane playing the role of a hijacked airliner, Sunday, Aug. 8, 2010 on a route from Alaska to an undisclosed location in the Far East. The exercise is a first-of-its-kind joint exercise between the U.S. and Russia to test their coordinated response to a potential international hijacking.


----------



## tomahawk6

Video  ;D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GaSnkvPcrc&feature


----------



## CougarKing

Can one of the mods please merge this thread with an older one below?

link edited out.

_Thanks to the mods for merging the two threads._


----------



## aesop081

Whats the big deal.......The Russian and Canadian air forces hold joint training a few times each year


----------



## Retired AF Guy

From FlightGlobal reproduced under the relevant caveats of the Copyright Act:



> India, Russia seal PAK FA research deal
> By Greg Waldron
> 
> India and Russia have signed a long-discussed preliminary design contract for India's fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA), a variant of the Sukhoi PAK FA demonstrator.
> 
> The deal was signed during Russian president Dmitry Medvedev's official visit to New Delhi in December.
> 
> Hindustan Aeronautics chairman Ashok Nayak has valued the contract at $295 million. During its 18-month term, Indian designers will work with Sukhoi's designers in Russia, building in Indian requirements for the variant.
> 
> The deal was originally expected to be signed at the end of 2009, but was held up as the two nations hammered out issues relating to technology transfer and the cost of the programme.
> 
> Nayak tentatively suggests the co-developed FGFA's first flight could take place around 2017-18.
> 
> Asked whether India is coming to the project relatively late - the PAK FA prototype first flew in January 2010 and has since logged about 40 test missions - Nayak says the FGFA could be "far different from what is flying today". The next PAK FA will also have a more advanced engine, he says.
> 
> The current PAK FA is powered by two NPO Saturn "Item 117" engines, developed from the Item 117S design already flown on Sukhoi's Su-35 and a Su-27M testbed. The experimental aircraft's integrated flight control system controls the engines and all other major systems.
> 
> Sukhoi says other key design elements include the use of composite materials, advanced aerodynamic techniques and measures to reduce the aircraft's engine signature, which it claims results in an "unprecedented small radar cross-section in radar, optical and infrared range".
> 
> The PAK FA is also equipped with an advanced phased-array antenna radar, Sukhoi adds. Russia's Tikhomirov NIIP displayed an active electronically scanned array design for the fighter at 2009's Moscow MAKS air show. [/url]
> 
> Article Link


----------



## MarkOttawa

Back to missiles:

Russia Puts New Mobile ICBM on Duty
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/defense/index.jsp?plckController=Blog&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3a27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post%3a9500d788-0d3f-4d40-841b-579db01f448b



> On March 4 the first missile regiment equipped with new RS-24 Yars intercontinental ballistic missilse officially entered duty in the 54th missile division in Teikovo, Ivanovo region, according to Russia’s Defense Ministry. The regiment includes two battalions with mobile missile launchers on wheeled chassis.
> 
> The first battalion was delivered in Teikovo at the end of 2009. The second battalion was reportedly handed over to the military in December 2010. Last year Yars was tested in Teikovo on trial duty which allowed confirmation of the reliability of the new system, said the Defense Ministry official.
> 
> RS-24 ICBM was developed by the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology using the technologies from the Topol-M (SS-27 Sickle) missile. The first trial launch was made in May 2007 while the testing was reportedly completed at the end of 2009. The military hasn’t revealed the technical parameters of the new solid propellant missile, but reports that it can carry multiple warheads. According to the Defense Ministry, RS-24 will gradually replace ageing RS-18 (SS-19 Stiletto) and RS-20 (SS-18 Satan) silo-based ICBMs that have been in service since the 1970s [remember them, esp. the great threat the US claimed from the SS-18?]. Together with the single warhead Topol-M, Yars will be a core of the Russian Strategic Forces until the middle of the century, said the military.



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## vonGarvin

Take a close look at this picture:







They went from Alaska to an undisclosed location, right?  Look over the Colonel's right shoulder.  I believe you can see the flight track, and where they were (over Kamchakta, I believe).


----------



## Retired AF Guy

Reproduced under the S29 of the Copyright Act:

It appears that the Russians are planning on publicly unveiling their new PAKFA/T-50 at the upcoming MAKS airshow (August 16-21) at the Zhukovsky airfield outside Moscow.



> Sukhoi T-50 PAKFA Public Debut Planned for MAKS 2011 in August
> 
> Fighter Aircraft
> by Tamir Eshel  |  on July 27th, 2011  |
> 
> Following exclusive displays to VIPs, the latest Russian 5th Generation Fighter, Sukhoi T50 (PAKFA) will make its debut at the MAKS Aviasalon in Zhukovsky, near Moscow in August.
> 
> Russia’s Sukhoi T-50 fifth-generation fighter, also known as PAK-FA, will make its public debut at the upcoming MAKS 2011 airshow near Moscow in August, 2011, according to Nikolai Zanegin, Deputy General Director of Russia’s Aviasalon company, quoted by Russian News Agency Novosti.
> 
> The Sukhoi T-50 fighter is being developed by the Sukhoi design bureau and built at a plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, in Russia’s Far East. The first prototype conducted its maiden flight in January 2010 and has so far carried out over 40 test flights. Two more prototypes are at various stages of testing. The Russian Air Force has said it had plans to acquire over 60 T-50 fighters after 2015.
> 
> The MAKS-2011 air show will be held at Zhukovsky outside Moscow on August 16-21. In all, 627 companies, including 473 Russian and 154 foreign exhibitors.
> 
> Other Russian made modern fighters to be demonstrated in flight include the Su-35, MiG-35 and Su-30 MK2. The helicopter display will include the Ka-226Т and Mi-34S1 helicopters along with Ka-52, Mi-28NE and Mi-8.
> 
> Guest performers at MAKS 2011 will be the French Air Force rafale. The French fighter will be flown to Moscow from its home base at Saint Dizier, France. F-15E strike fighters from U.S. European command will also participate in the flight display, along with A-10, F-16s, B-52, KC-10 and KC-135 tankers, C-130J Super Hercules and C-5 Galaxy shown on the static park. Other aircraft on display will include the Airbus A380, Boeing C-17 and Alenia C-72J Spartan transport aircraft.


----------



## Retired AF Guy

Video of first public showing of the new Russian T-50 at the  MAKS 2011 airshow :

http://en.rian.ru/video/20110817/165867334.html


----------



## Sythen

http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/sunnews/world/archives/2012/06/20120623-125528.html



> QMI AGENCY
> 
> The Russians are coming!
> For three days beginning Tuesday, a Russian Federation Tupolev TU-154M aircraft will conduct observation flights over the country.
> 
> But the exercise is in accordance with the Treaty on Open Skies, the Department of National Defence assures us.
> 
> A Tupolev TU-154M aircraft, which arrived in Trenton, ON, Saturday, "will be accorded its legal right of an unimpeded observation overflight of Canadian territory, in fulfillment of Canada's obligations as a state party to the Treaty on Open Skies," the DND said in a statement.



More on link. An interesting treaty that I'd never heard of before.. Good idea, I think.


----------



## CougarKing

A "light tactical version"??  ???

Defense News



> *Russia Orders New MiG-29 Jet Fighters To Increase Strike Capability*
> Apr. 21, 2014 - 01:55PM   |   By JAROSLAW ADAMOWSKI
> 
> WARSAW — *The Russian Ministry of Defense has placed an order for its first 16 Mikoyan MiG-29 SMT jet fighters in the “new light tactical version,” Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG said in a statement*
> 
> The fighters were modernized and fitted with improved ability to eliminate air, ground and sea targets with air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles, the statement said.
> 
> *
> In comparison with the MiG-29, the SMT variant is considered three times more effective in combat,* according to its manufacturer. In addition, the operational costs of the SMT version are 40 percent lower compared with the earlier variant.
> 
> The aircraft is equipped with a Zhuk-ME radar that enables tracking of up to 10 air targets and the capability to fire missiles at four targets simultaneously. The jet fighter entered serial production in 2004, but this marks the first order placed by the Russian Defense Ministry.
> 
> (...EDITED)


----------



## CougarKing

Military.com



> *Dutch Scramble Jets After Russian Bombers Approach*
> 
> Associated Press | Apr 23, 2014
> 
> AMSTERDAM -- The Dutch defense department says several NATO member countries scrambled jets Wednesday afternoon after a pair of Russian bomber planes approached their airspace over the North Sea.
> 
> 
> *The Dutch ministry identified the planes as two Russian TU-95 Bears, and said it had launched two F-16s from Volkel air force base to intercept them.* The Russian jets were escorted by aircraft from the Netherlands, Britain and Denmark until they departed.
> 
> 
> (...EDITED)


----------



## Eye In The Sky

If this were a completely isolated event, I'd be more likely to say "meh".  But with everything else going on...


----------



## CougarKing

To think that Minsk is more firmly in Moscow's orbit than Kiev has been recently...



> *Russia Is Deploying More Air Power Near NATO Borders*
> *Belarusian airfield gets upgrades to support Russian Su-27s*
> 
> OSIMINT in War is Boring
> 
> The latest satellite imagery from April 2014 shows several additions to the 61st Fighter Air Base at Baranovichi in Belarus, fewer than 90 and 80 miles from the Polish and Lithuania borders, respectively.
> 
> The Belarusian facility is an important operating base for Russian warplanes as tensions mount between Moscow and NATO over the former's annexation of Ukraine's strategic Crimean Peninsula.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Digital Globe satellite shot depicts an expanded Quick Reaction Alert area with a new revetment to accommodate *four Russian Su-27 fighters*. *Three Belarusian MiG-29s are visible*, parked in revetments alongside the Russian aircraft.
> 
> A Russian *A-50 radar plane is nearby* - proof that the command-and-control aircraft was still operating from the air base in April, after deploying to Belarus for a regional air-defense exercise in mid-March.
> 
> While both Russia and NATO countries always say their respective deployments are not aimed at each another, in this case it's not too difficult to read between the lines.
> 
> The recent airfield improvements could be signs of Moscow's intention to follow through with its 2013 promise and send additional jets to 61st Fighter Air Base by next year. In addition to the expanded QRA area, engineers have also added two or three berms to the air base that could eventually support radars.
> 
> 
> *War Is Boring*


----------



## CougarKing

Back to the cat and mouse games of the Cold War? Please note a similar incident on April 14 where a Russian Su24 "buzzed" a US destroyer in the Black Sea.

CNN



> *U.S. official: 'Dangerous' Russian jet fly-by was 'straight out of a movie'*
> From Jim Sciutto and Barbara Starr, CNN
> updated 8:42 PM EDT, Tue June 3, 2014
> 
> (CNN) - *A Russian fighter jet buzzed dangerously close to a U.S. military plane in April, a U.S. official said Tuesday, describing the fly-by as "straight out of a movie."*
> 
> The Russian jet flew within 100 feet of the nose of a U.S. Air Force reconnaissance plane over the Sea of Okhotsk between Russia and Japan, a Defense Department official said.
> 
> The fly-by "put the lives of the U.S. crew in jeopardy," the U.S. official said, calling it "one of the most dangerous close passes in decades."
> 
> *The incident occurred on April 23, the Defense Department official said, when a U.S. Air Force RC-135U aircraft flying on a routine mission over the Sea of Okhotsk was intercepted by a Russian Su-27 Flanker aircraft.*
> 
> *The Russian aircraft turned and "showed its belly" to the U.S. crew so they could see it was armed with missiles*, a U.S. military official said Tuesday.


----------



## CougarKing

So says RT, which is not exactly the most reliable of sources...

RT



> *Russian nuclear-capable bombers 'tested' US air defences 16 times in last 10 days*
> Published time: August 07, 2014 20:58
> 
> (Reuters) *Russian strategic nuclear bombers and other military aircraft entered US air defense identification zones (ADIZs) at least 16 times over the past ten days, American defense officials confirmed on Thursday.*
> 
> (...EDITED)
> 
> But an unnamed defense official familiar with the incursion reports disagreed with Smith’s assessment. “These are not just training missions,” the official told Gertz, saying that Russian strategic nuclear forces appear to be“trying to test our air defense reactions, or our command and control systems.”
> 
> NORAD scrambled fighter jets several times when Russian strategic aircraft flew along US ADIZs. *The planes included a mix of Tu-95 Bear H heavy bombers and Tu-142 Bear F maritime reconnaissance aircraft, as well as one IL-20 intelligence collection aircraft, Smith said.*
> 
> (...EDITED)


----------



## MilEME09

"oh hi I'm Russia, don't mind me just probing your air space" Putin really seems to want a stand off with the rest, with Ukraine as the new dividing line.


----------



## Colin Parkinson

Maybe the USAF is secretly paying the Russians to do this to provide justification for aircraft purchases when they go in front of Congress? On the other hand maybe Putin figures Obama likes being probed?

Damm my tinfoil hat fell off again...


----------



## Retired AF Guy

Actually, the last two-three years have seen a resurgence in Russian air force activity, and just not against the US, but also against Canada, Norway, the UK and Japan. These flights have included the Tu-95 Bear-H, Tu-22M Backfire, and Su-27 Flankers. 

 Canadian jets repel Russian airspace probe 

 Intense Air-To-Air Intercepts Off The Coast of US, Russia & China 

 RAF planes scrambled to investigate Russian bombers flying very close to UK airspace


----------



## vonGarvin

And with Russia retaining the former East Prussia, and the Baltic states being NATO members now, the militaries are frequently in close contact...


----------



## CougarKing

Russia mulls restarting 2 production lines:



> *Russian Deputy Prime Minister Suggests Resuming MiG-31 Interceptor Aircraft Production*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> The aircraft had no rivals. That was the opinion of the Military-Industrial Commission, the Defense Ministry, the industry on the whole and even the State Duma, which used to hold special hearings on the subject of the interceptor. The production should be revived, as the jet is being upgraded. This fighter will certainly be effective for another 15 years, with its various modifications that are up to today’s military requirements,” Rogozin said.
> 
> The deputy prime minister went on to say that he believed the aircraft had big export potential and expected high demand for the MiG-31.
> 
> RIA





> *Su-25 Attack Aircraft Production May Resume at Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> MOSCOW, August 8 (RIA Novosti) - The Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant (UUAP) may resume the production of Sukhoi Su-25 fighter jets, the plant’s managing director Leonid Belykh said.
> 
> “We used to produce the Su-25 jets and today our equipment is still in good condition, so the question is under consideration. Some serious investment will be needed, and it is likely that another factory will take up the production. But if the government orders us to do it, we shall do it. If the production is to be transferred to somebody else, so be it,” Belykh told RIA Novosti.
> 
> 
> RIA


----------



## CougarKing

Isn't this more than they usually do in that airspace?



> *Russian strategic bombers near Canada practice cruise missile strikes on US*
> 
> *Two Russian strategic bombers conducted practice cruise missile attacks on the United States during a training mission last week that defense officials say appeared timed to the NATO summit in Wales.
> 
> The Russian Tu-95 Bear bombers were tracked flying a route across the northern Atlantic near Iceland, Greenland, and Canada’s northeast.*
> 
> Analysis of the flight indicated the aircraft were conducting practice runs to a pre-determined “launch box”—an optimum point for firing nuclear-armed cruise missiles at U.S. targets, said defense officials familiar with intelligence reports.
> 
> Disclosure of the nuclear bombing practice comes as a Russian general last week called for Moscow to change its doctrine to include preemptive nuclear strikes on the United States and NATO.
> 
> Gen. Yuri Yakubov, a senior Defense Ministry official, was quoted by the state-run Interfax news agency as saying that Russia’s 2010 military doctrine should be revised to identify the United States and the NATO alliance as enemies, and clearly outline the conditions for a preemptive nuclear strike against them.
> 
> Yakubov said among other needed doctrinal changes, “it is necessary to hash out the conditions under which Russia could carry out a preemptive strike with the Russian Strategic Rocket Forces”—Moscow’s nuclear forces.
> 
> The practice bombing runs are the latest in a series of incidents involving threatening Russian bomber flights near the United States. Analysts say the bomber flights are nuclear saber-rattling by Moscow as a result of heightened tensions over the crisis in Ukraine.
> 
> Fox News


----------



## CougarKing

Meanwhile, in the Pacific...

Military.com



> *Russia's Pacific Activity: A Show of Force or More?*
> 
> Stars and Stripes | Sep 10, 2014 | by Matthew M. Burke and Chiyomi Sumida
> The Pacific Pivot has been widely perceived as a U.S. effort to counterbalance a resurgent China. Russia clearly wants to show that power in the region is more than a two-horse race.
> 
> Between April and July, *the number of Russian surveillance aircraft that came close enough to Japanese air space for Tokyo to scramble its Air Self-Defense Forces jumped more than sixfold from the same period last year and more than doubled the 104 sorties flown to counter Chinese fighters. Long-range Russian patrols also were detected near the U.S. mainland and Guam.*
> 
> Japan's Foreign Ministry lodged a protest with Russia in August after exercises commenced on two islands seized by the Soviet Union after World War II and claimed by Japan. Russia has vowed to fortify the islands while U.S. ally Japan hopes to negotiate for their return. Last year, Russia held its biggest land and sea military exercise since the Soviet era in Siberia and the Sea of Japan.
> 
> (...EDITED)


----------



## CougarKing

Crossposting T6's update here to keep it in context:

US, Canadian aircraft intercept Russian bombers

Plus a CBC report:



> *Canadian fighter jets intercept Russian bombers in Arctic*
> 
> Long-range 'Bear' bombers came within 75 kilometres of Canada's coast
> 
> Fighter jets intercepted two Russian bombers flying about 75 kilometres off Canada’s Arctic coast in the early morning hours Thursday, NORAD revealed to CBC News.
> 
> *Two CF-18s met the Tupolev Tu-95 long-range bombers, commonly referred to as "Bears," at around 1:30 a.m.* PT as they flew a course in “the western reaches” of Canada’s Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) over the Beaufort Sea, said Maj. Beth Smith, spokeswoman for North American Aerospace Defence Command.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)
> 
> About six hours before the CF-18s intercepted the Russian bombers, *American F-22 fighter jets were scrambled from a base in Alaska to meet a group of Russian aircraft, including two refuelling tankers, two MiG-31 fighters and two long-range bombers.*
> 
> After the U.S. jets made contact, the group headed west back towards Russian airspace.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## CougarKing

Russia reviving the old Il-112/114 tactical airlifter project:

AIN online



> *Russia Dumps An-140T Airlifter for Home-Made Ilyushins*
> 
> AIN DEFENSE PERSPECTIVE » SEPTEMBER 26, 2014
> by  VLADIMIR KARNOZOV
> 
> September 26, 2014, 7:20 AM
> *Russia has abandoned plans to build a large fleet of Antonov An-140T tactical airlifters as replacements for aging An-26s and An-72s*, thanks to deteriorating relations with the new regime in Ukraine, where Antonov is based. Instead, the Russian defense ministry has revived the Ilyushin Il-112 project, a development of the Il-114 airliner, even though it was shelved in 2010 in favor of the less expensive An-140T.
> 
> The An-140T is a ramp-loading version of the 52-seat An-140 turboprop airliner that the Aviacor plant in Samara makes under license for airlines and government customers. *The Russian defense ministry has already acquired several An-140s out of a total order for 20 such aircraft. Russia supported Aviacor’s plans to develop An-140T jointly with Antonov. But negotiations stalled in late 2013, when the pro-Western regime took power in Kiev.*
> 
> *Russian deputy prime minister for military-industrial complex Dmitry Rogozin has confirmed that the Il-112 and Il-114 are back. The Il-112 will go into production at the VASO plant in Voronezh that is likely to discontinue manufacture under license of the Antonov An-148 twinjet airliner.* VASO general director Sergei Yurasov confirmed that the talks on making a pair of Il-112 prototypes—one for ground testing, the other for flightsare ongoing. According to local media, the MoD has agreed to provide an extra Rouble 8 billion ($222 million), thought be enough for completion of design documentation and production preparations. The Il-112 and the new version of the Il-114 would share onboard systems and powerplants, making both projects more economically viable.
> 
> (...EDITED)


----------



## CougarKing

A Russian snooper...

Defense News



> *Alliance: Russian Spy Plane Intercepted in NATO Airspace*
> Oct. 22, 2014 - 02:39PM   |   By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
> 
> BRUSSELS — NATO fighter jets intercepted a Russian spy plane over the Baltic Sea after it breached Estonian airspace, the alliance said Wednesday in the latest of such incidents amid tensions with Moscow over Ukraine.
> 
> *The Ilyushin IL-20 “intelligence collection aircraft,” which took off from the Russian Baltic coast enclave of Kaliningrad on Tuesday, was first intercepted by Danish F-16 jets when it approached Denmark, NATO said in a statement.*
> 
> It then flew north towards non-NATO member Sweden which also sent jets to intercept the plane.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## CougarKing

Will this mean an even larger increase in Russian planes being intercepted in North American or European airspace?

Defense News



> *Russian Air Force To Acquire New Aircraft, Helos, Bolster Arctic Presence*
> Dec. 2, 2014 - 03:45AM   |   By JAROSLAW ADAMOWSKI
> 
> WARSAW — Russia’s Ministry of Defense has unveiled plans to acquire more than 150 new aircraft and helicopters in 2015 as part of plans to bolster and modernize the country’s Air Force.
> 
> Col. Igor Klimov, the spokesman for the Russian Air Force, told local news agency ITAR-TASS that, in the forthcoming year, the Air Force will focus its efforts on strengthening its military presence in the Arctic.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## CougarKing

Upgraded Blackjacks and Bears... 

Flight Global



> *Russian air force takes first modernised Tupolev bombers*
> By: DOMINIC PERRYLONDON Source: Flightglobal.com 16:30 19 Dec 2014
> 
> *Russia’s air force has today received the first examples of a number of modernised strategic bombers – a Tu-160M and Tu-95MSs - following upgrade work performed by manufacturer Tupolev.*
> 
> Enhancement activity on the supersonic Tu-160 includes “partial replacement” of the aircraft’s avionics and weapons systems, says Tupolev. First flight of the initial example took place on 16 November.
> 
> A second phase of modernisation will begin in 2016 with the addition of uprated Kuznetsov NK-32 engines, according to Russian news agency Itar-Tass.
> 
> Flightglobal’s MiliCAS database lists the service as possessing an active inventory of 13 of the long-range bombers. It will bring “more than a dozen” aircraft to the enhanced standard, says Itar-Tass.
> 
> Meanwhile, *the air force has also taken delivery of an unspecified number of upgraded turboprop-powered Tu-95MSs.*
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## CougarKing

Not sure what to think of this since the report is from an Iranian media source:

Press TV News



> *‘Russian bomber carried nuclear missile over the Channel’*
> 
> *Sources within the Ministry of Defence have revealed that one of the two long-range bombers was carrying at least one air-dropped “seek and find” nuclear missile, designed to seek and destroy a Vanguard submarine, *Sunday Express, reported Sunday.
> 
> It said RAF Typhoon fighter jets were scrambled on Wednesday after two long-range TU-95 “Bear” bombers were detected flying over the English Channel.
> 
> One senior RAF source reportedly said: “We downloaded conversations from the crew of one plane, who used a special word which meant the would-be attack was a training exercise.”
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## CougarKing

Russia's T-50s on the way.

Defense News



> *Russia To Receive 5th Gen Fighters This Year*
> 
> WARSAW — 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.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## Retired AF Guy

We have all seen pictures of Allied aircraft intercepting Russian aircraft intruding on our airspace; here is a video of the Russian view:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TnZMy1WWjZs


----------



## CougarKing

The replacement for the Bears and Blackjacks, etc.:

Foxtrot Alpha



> *Is This The Shape Of Russia's Next Generation Long-Range Bomber?*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> While America's aerospace industry is hard at work creating the USAF's next generation bomber, Russia has a similar ongoing program known as the the *PAK-DA*. Now, after years of requirements changes, it appears that a blended wing, subsonic design, much like the one pictured above, will be the new jet's overall configuration.
> 
> *The PAK-DA, which literally means "prospective aviation complex for long-range aviation," is Russia's next generation long-range bomber project and it aims to one day replace the Tu-95 Bear and the Tu-160 Blackjack*, and possibly the Tu-22M Backfire fleets. Much like America's next generation bomber, which has gone from a very high-end concept to one with more limited goals over the last decade, mainly due to affordability concerns, the PAK-DA has also lowered its performance and capabilities expectations, although to an even greater degree over a similar span of time.
> 
> Is This The Shape Of Russia's Next Generation Long-Range Bomber?
> 
> Originally, the jet was supposed to be not only stealthy but insanely fast, with officials stating at one time that it would be a "hypersonic aircraft." Even if this was embellishment or some sort of misstatement, it was clear that originally the PAK-DA was meant to super-cruise at high mach speeds. *This requirement has now changed drastically as it is now confirmed that the PAK-DA will be a subsonic aircraft, with a design more focused on long-range and heavily payload lifting capabilities than anything else.*
> 
> A blended wing-body design, loosely similar to NASA's X-48, appears to be the result of this change in design focus. With this in mind, the PAK-DA may have similar design trade-offs as Russia's other major next generation combat aircraft, the PAK-FA, also known as the Sukhoi T-50 fighter.
> 
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## CougarKing

Putin whipping out his bombers to show how "big" he is...  ;D

Defense News



> *Russia To Scramble Bombers in Show of Might*
> 
> MOSCOW — Russia will deploy Tupolev nuclear-capable bomber jets to Crimea in a snap drill, a defence ministry source said Tuesday, as the peninsula marks a year since its annexation by Moscow.
> 
> *"As part of a snap check of combat readiness of the armed forces, Tupolev 22-M3 strategic missile-carriers will be deployed to Crimea," the source told Russian news agencies, without giving a specific date.*
> 
> The source said the deployment of the long-range bombers was part of a snap check ordered by President Vladimir Putin on Monday of the combat readiness of more than 40,000 troops nationwide in a major show of strength amid tensions with the West over Ukraine.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## a_majoor

S.M.A. said:
			
		

> Putin whipping out his bombers to show how "big" he is...  ;D
> 
> Defense News



Can't wait for the Young Dauphin's response...


----------



## CougarKing

Too bad for the T-50/PAK FA fanboys who want this:  ;D

Yahoo Finance



> *Cash-strapped Russia is drastically cutting its planned fleet of 5th-generation fighter jets *
> Business Insider By Jeremy Bende
> 
> The T-50 The Russian military has announced that they will build significantly fewer fifth-generation fighters than previously planned due to the country's current economic situation, Russia Beyond The Headlines reports citing comments from the Deputy Defense Minister in charge of Armaments Yuri Borisov.
> 
> Russia previously had plans to produce 52 fifth-generation T-50 fighters by 2020. However, these plans have been drastically scaled back. *The Kremlin will now only procure 12 of the new jets.*
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## McG

In addition to probing NATO and Scandinavian airspaces, it seems Russian air force is also putting pressure on Japan (as is China) to a record setting level.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/15/cnews-us-japan-airforce-scramble-idCAKBN0N60ST20150415


----------



## MarkOttawa

Now will they have a role escorting Bears/Blackjacks?



> Russia will deploy MiG-31 fighter aircraft in the Arctic Region
> 
> 
> MiG-31 jets will be stationed at airfields located in the Arctic Region in order to protect our ports and transport routes, Interfax reports with reference to the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Defense Forces Major General Kirill Makarov. Deputy Minister of Defense of Russia Yuri Borisov also announced that 130 upgraded MiG-31BM will be delivered to Russian Air Force in the next few years.
> 
> “In the Arctic Region we are deploying both reconnaissance equipment designed to detect enemy aircraft and fighter aircraft, including MiG-31 jets,” Makarov said.
> 
> He noted that MiG-31 jets would be protecting our ports, transport routes and hubs as well as ships throughout the whole Arctic Region. “In particular, these MiG aircraft will be protecting ships travelling along Northern Sea Route in case of a military conflict,” General Makarov added.
> 
> The two-seat supersonic MiG-31 fighter interceptor is the fourth-generation Russian combat aircraft. It is fitted with long-range air-to-air missiles able to intercept and destroy cruise missiles at extremely low altitudes. At present air defense forces of Russia operate over 250 MiG-31 fighter-interceptors.
> 
> Over 130 upgraded MiG-31BM aircraft will also join the fleet of Russian armed forces (24 vehicles have already been delivered to the customer), Deputy Minister of Defense of Russia Yuri Borisov told TASS during his visit to Sokol aviation plant (Nizhny Novgorod).
> 
> “We are expecting deliveries of more than 130 upgraded MiG-31 jets. The upgraded great aircraft offering an extremely high performance,” Borisov said. According to him, about 12 or 13 jets of the type will be upgraded annually.
> 
> The first contract for upgrading MiG-31 jets was signed in 2011. Under the agreement over 50 upgraded jets of the type must be delivered to Russian air forces until 2019. In autumn 2014 another contract for delivery of more than 50 MiG-31BM aircraft was signed. These vehicles should be delivered to the armed forces by late 2018...
> http://www.airrecognition.com/index.php/archive-world-worldwide-news-air-force-aviation-aerospace-air-military-defence-industry/global-news-2015/april/1695-russia-will-deploy-mig-31-fighter-aircraft-in-the-arctic-region.html



From Sept. 2014:



> MiG-31 interception near North America suggests Russia changing offensive air ops
> http://www.janes.com/article/43640/mig-31-interception-near-north-america-suggests-russia-changing-offensive-air-ops



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## a_majoor

Odd but interesting. My impression was the MiG-31 was essentially an interceptor aircraft, and would have expected something like the Su-27 or its many variants to be used as escorts.


----------



## MarkOttawa

Playing Blackjack:



> Russia to reestablish Tu-160 supersonic bomber production line
> 
> The Russian defense ministry has confirmed that it will restart the production line for the Soviet-era Tupolev Tu-160 “Blackjack” supersonic strategic bomber.
> 
> In a series of tweets on 29 April, the ministry says it is “necessary to resume production of the Tu-160 missile carriers”, adding that it is “the best aircraft in its class”.
> 
> Tupolev is in the process of modernising the Russian air force’s Tu-160 to an enhanced Tu-160M standard. The first upgraded example had its first flight on 16 November 2014 and was delivered in December 2014, alongside an upgraded Tu-95MS “Bear” strategic bomber.
> 
> Enhancement activity on the supersonic Tu-160 includes “partial replacement” of the aircraft’s avionics and weapons systems, Tupolev says.
> 
> The defense ministry also tweets that the Russian air force will receive two Tu-160Ms and 12 long-range Tu-22M3 bombers by the end of 2015, upgraded in Kazan. The Russian air force has 13 Tu-160 in service with 14 on order, Flightglobal’s MiliCAS Fleets database shows.
> 
> A second phase of modernisation will begin in 2016 with the addition of upgraded Kuznetsov NK-32 engines, Russian news agency Itar-Tass said in December...
> http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/russia-to-reestablish-tu-160-supersonic-bomber-production-411778



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## CougarKing

Bears near Alaska:

Military.com



> *Two Russian Nuclear Bombers Intruded Into Alaska Airspace, Report Says*
> 
> Two Russian military bombers, which are capable of delivering nuclear warheads, flew into a U.S. air defense zone near Alaska last week, a Washington news website reported Friday.
> 
> A pair of Tu-95 Bear H bombers reportedly flew into the airspace on April 22 -- perhaps a sign, officials said, that Russia has begun its long-range aviation spring training cycle.
> 
> U.S. defense officials have not yet confirmed the incursion but did tell the Washington Free Beacon that no American fighter jets were dispatched near Alaska last week to monitor any invading aircraft, which would typically be standard procedure.
> 
> Some analysts see the flights of Russian military aircraft into air defense zones as mere saber rattling by Moscow, which has raised international tensions in recent years with a steady stream of anti-U.S. rhetoric and its annexation of Crimea last year.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## MarkOttawa

Tough times:



> Russia Lost 5 Aircraft Last Month, Linked to Too Many Exercises and Lack of Qualified Pilots
> http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/natosource/russia-lost-5-aircraft-last-month-linked-to-too-many-exercises-and-lack-of-qualified-pilots
> 
> Russian 'Bear' bombers set to be grounded again following Far East crash
> http://www.janes.com/article/52962/russian-bear-bombers-set-to-be-grounded-again-following-far-east-crash
> 
> Two Pilots Killed In Russian Tu-95 Bomber Crash
> http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/2015/07/14/russia-tu-95-crash/30130517/



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa

More:



> Op Tempo, Sustainment Flaws Hit Russian Air Force
> 
> Russia's Air Force is falling from the sky.
> 
> As the Kremlin continues to assert its air power in a bid to intimidate NATO allies in Europe and North America, its mostly Soviet-built aircraft are being pushed to their limits — a fact experts point to when attempting to explain the loss of five aircraft of different designs in just the past month...
> http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/air-space/2015/07/12/russian-fleets-crashing-ukraine-nato-fighter-bomber/29962399/



Mark 
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa

The Backslider? Russian military-industrial complex not up to it?



> Russia's future PAK DA bomber to be delayed by Tu-160M2 production
> 
> Russia’s new-generation PAK DA bomber [stealthy, more here] will be delayed past 2023 due to the development of the new-build Tupolev Tu-160M2 bomber [more here], 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.”
> 
> The Tu-160M2’s production programme timeline has been defined, Borisov said, with design assignment and negotiations for the first contracts with industry currently ongoing. Design work on the Tu-160M2 is scheduled to be completed by 2023. He added that the Russian Air Force (VVS) would get at least three batch-produced Tu-160M2 per year after 2023 and that the aircraft will be in service for at least 40 years…
> 
> Russia is also developing several new missiles for the Tu-160M2 and PAK DA, Borisov said. “They drastically change the aircrafts’ combat performance. The missiles are to be installed on the PAK DA in the course of time. We are developing new missiles to be integrated on board all types of strategic bombers,” he said.



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa

More on new bombers:



> …the decision to restart production of the Blackjack bomber was made directly by Russian President Vladimir Putin. “The supreme commander [president of Russia] and the Russian defense minister have taken a decision on reviving production of the Tu-160M aircraft,” Col. Gen. Viktor Bondarev, the commander-in-chief of Russia’s Air Force, said in late May.
> 
> The decision to restart production on the Tu-160 was made in part because of production delays in the PAK DA…
> 
> [Deputy Defense Minister Yuri] Borisov also recently told Vladimir Putin that other aspects of Russia’s military modernization program will experience delays as a result of international sanctions. “The objective reasons for the failure to meet state defense procurement orders include restrictions on the supply of imported parts and materials in connection with sanctions, discontinuation of production and the loss of an array of technologies, insufficient production facilities,” Borisov told Putin by phone, according to a transcript made available by the Kremlin…
> http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/russias-stealthy-new-nuclear-bomber-big-trouble-13390



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## CougarKing

At least one source says that the above bombers posted by MarkOttawa may be cancelled, while another says they've just been delayed.

Business Insider



> *Russia may have to scrap its plans to build a fifth-generation stealth bomber*
> By Jeremy Bender | Business Insider – Thu, 23 Jul, 2015 12:22 PM EDT
> 
> Russia's new fifth-generation bomber project has been put on the back burner and the plane won't enter production for nearly a decade, Zachary Keck reports for the National Interest citing Russian officials.
> The Kremlin planned on introducing its fifth-generation PAK DA bomber into service starting in 2023. However, the PAK DA project has been pushed back and Russia will instead focus on production of an updated version of the Soviet-era Tu-160 supersonic nuclear bomber.
> “According to the plans, serial production of the [Tu-160] aircraft new version [the Tu-160M2] is to be implemented starting from 2023,” Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said at a press conference on July 17. "The PAK DA project will be somewhat shifted beyond [2023], otherwise there is no sense in it."
> 
> (...SNIPPED)



Diplomat



> *Russia’s Next-Generation Strategic Bomber Delayed
> However, Moscow still plans to expand its long range strategic bomber force over the next few years.*
> 
> Russia’s next-generation strategic bomber, dubbed PAK-DA (an acronym for “prospective aviation complex for long-range aviation”), will be delayed past 2023 IHS Jane’s Defense Weekly reports.
> 
> The reason behind the delay is Russian President Vladimir Putin’s May 2015 decision to revive production of the Tupolev Tu-160M2 long-range supersonic strategic bomber.
> 
> During a visit at the Samara-based Kuznetsov plant of the United Engine Corporation, Russian deputy defense minister Yuriy Borisov stated that “[a]ccording to the plans, serial production of the [Tu-160] aircraft new version [the Tu-160M2] is to be implemented starting from 2023.”
> 
> Back in February, Russian defense officials said that the resumption of the production of the Tu-160M2 will not impact the PAK-DA design and production schedule. However, during a Q&A session at the plant Borisov remarked: “The PAK DA project will be somewhat shifted beyond [2023, when it is currently to slated begin entering service], otherwise there is no sense in it.”
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## MarkOttawa

Possible bomber escorts?  With video:



> Russian MiG-31s Perform Unique Non-Stop Flight With Three Aerial Refuelings
> 
> A flight of Russian MiG-31 interceptor jets successfully performed an unprecedented operation: they covered more than 4,000 km with three air refuelings.
> 
> MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russian MiG-31 interceptor jet pilots performed a unique six-hour non-stop flight with three air refueling operations, head of the press service of the Russian Central Military District, Col. Yaroslav Roshchupkin, said Saturday [Aug. 1].
> 
> "The pilots from the Central Military District devoted the unique flight of MiG-31BM interceptor jets to today's opening of the International Army Games," Roshchupkin said in a statement.
> 
> The flight from Zabaikalsky Territory in Siberia to Perm Territory in Russia’s Ural is the first performed by a MiG-31 aircraft type, he added...
> http://sputniknews.com/military/20150801/1025295734.html



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## Good2Golf

What would be even more impressive would be technicians changing one of the Mig-31's engines in-flight with one of the spare engines aboard the Il-76...that 4000km flight was probably getting close to the smokey Soloviev D-30's MTBF...


----------



## CougarKing

In spite of all the recent Bear bomber incursions into North American/EU airspace, the situation for the Russian air force may be bleaker than previously thought, according to the articles below:

*The Week*



> *The Russian Air Force is falling out of the sky*
> Kyle Mizokami
> July 10, 2015
> 
> The government of Russian President Vladimir, eager to send a message, began flying nuclear bombers on training missions around the world. Russia's overworked air force is falling out of the sky. Five Russian combat planes have crashed in the past month. Russia's attempt to demonstrate strength has backfired spectacularly and demonstrated weakness instead. Russia's Air Force has been run at a high tempo, and the pace is catching up with an already-weary aircraft fleet.
> 
> *The vast majority of Russia's Air Force was built and operated by the Soviet Union, making the youngest of these planes 24 years old. Compounding the problem is the inability to replace older aircraft with new models. Since the end of the Cold War, Russia has not introduced a new fighter design in 30 years. *
> 
> Russia recently announced an aggressive program to modernize its armed forces, and pledged to spend $400 billion on new armaments. But already the program is in trouble. Moscow is caught between a rock and a hard place. Russia can no longer rely on older equipment to project an image of strength and power. But increasingly it cannot afford to replace that equipment with modern designs the equal of American and Western equipment.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)




Russia’s air corps is a powerful but fading force



> *Russia’s air corps is a powerful but fading force*
> By Robert Beckhusen
> March 18, 2015
> 
> On March 3, seven Russian attack planes took off from Novofederovka airbase in Crimea. They flew out over the Black Sea, right toward two North Atlantic Treaty Organization warships, the U.S. guided-missile cruiser Vicksburg and the Turkish frigate Tugutreis.
> 
> Russia’s state-owned media described the mission as a reconnaissance exercise. The planes practiced tracking the ships from a distance while staying just outside the range from which the vessels could theoretically shoot back.
> 
> This sort of patrol has become ever more common since the war in Ukraine began. Russian aircraft approach NATO vessels or airspace and practice simulated combat maneuvers or engage in reconnaissance. The rate of Russian fighter and bomber patrols near NATO borders has tripled in a year, though it’s still below the weekly flights common during the Cold War.




And aren't the Bears reaching the ends of their service lives anyway? More about the crash from last month:

Defense News



> *Two Pilots Killed In Russian Tu-95 Bomber Crash*
> 
> MOSCOW — Two pilots were killed when a strategic bomber with seven people on board crashed in far eastern Russia on Tuesday, the defense ministry said, the latest in a string of military aircraft accidents.
> 
> "The search and rescue team of the eastern military district has found where two members of the Tu-95 bomber landed," the Russian defense ministry said in a statement.
> 
> "Both pilots were killed," the defense ministry said in the statement carried by Russian news agencies.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## MarkOttawa

Shake-up:



> Russia creates Aerospace Forces by merging military branches
> 
> MOSCOW (AP) — Russia has merged several branches of its military into the Aerospace Forces — a reorganization aimed at enhancing coordination and efficiency, officials said Monday.
> 
> Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said 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...
> http://news.yahoo.com/russia-creates-aerospace-forces-merge-military-branches-102445783.html



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## CougarKing

A major organizational change for the Russian AF under way; I assume Russian naval air units remain separate.

Diplomat



> *Russia Creates Powerful New Military Branch to Counter NATO
> Moscow just merged its air force and aerospace defense forces.*
> 
> By Franz-Stefan Gady
> 
> Russia has created a new military branch, the Aerospace Forces, by merging the Russian Air Force with the Russian Aerospace Defense Forces, TASS reports. The $60 billion reorganization appears to be a direct response to the perceived increased risk of NATO air and missile attacks on Russian soil — in particular, the United States military’s Global Strike program has the Kremlin worried.
> 
> The new service branch, officially called the Aerospace Forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, became operational on August 1, according to Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu.
> 
> “On August 1, the Russian president signed decree No. 394 on appointing the Colonel-General [Viktor Bondarev] as the commander-in-chief of the Aerospace Forces, Lieutenant-General [Pavel] Kurachenko as chief of the Main Staff and first deputy commander-in-chief of the Aerospace Forces, Lieutenant-General [Alexander] Golovko as deputy commander-in-chief of the Aerospace Forces and commander of the Space Forces,” Shoigu said.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## CougarKing

More on the above update:

Defense News



> *Russia Merges AF With Missile Defense, Space Commands*
> By Matthew Bodner 11:12 a.m. EDT August 8, 2015
> 
> MOSCOW — In a bid to streamline Russia's air and space defenses in the face of what Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu characterized as “a shift in the combat 'center of gravity' toward the aerospace theater,” the Defense Ministry has merged several branches of the military into a new Aerospace Force.
> 
> “Air forces, anti-air and anti-missile defenses, and space forces will now be under a unified command structure,” Shoigu was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying, two days after President Vladimir Putin authorized the merger of the three military branches Aug. 1.
> 
> The merger represents an evolution in Russian military thinking, as the Soviets historically treated air and space as separate theaters of war, and separated command authority for the Air Force, air defenses and space assets among different command structures with little, if any, overlap.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## CougarKing

Should this really be that surprising? Putin is trying to resurrect the Soviet bear.

Aviationist



> *Russian warplanes used practice bombs with “To Berlin!” and “For Stalin” slogans during Baltic drills*
> Aug 14 2015 -
> 
> By David Cenciotti
> Transport planes of the Russian Baltic Fleet used practice bombs signed “To Berlin!” and “For Stalin!” during recent drills in the Baltic Region.
> At the beginning of August, the Russian Navy Baltic Fleet held an exercise at Chernyakhovsk airbase, in Kaliningrad Oblast.
> 
> Attended by aircrews from the Baltic, North, Black Sea and Pacific fleets, the drills saw live firing activity conducted by Su-24 and An-26 and Mi-24 and Ka-27: noteworthy, it was the first time the An-26 transport plane practiced in the bomber role in 20 years.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## vonGarvin

S.M.A. said:
			
		

> Should this really be that surprising? Putin is trying to resurrect the Soviet bear.



It's a throw back to the Glory Days of old Mother Russia (and those other pesky "republics").  I highly suspect that Mr. Putin wasn't signing those bombs, nor that he gave instruction that they must be done so:

Tanks, planes, etc. had such slogans on them in the "Great Patriotic War"


----------



## CougarKing

Technoviking said:
			
		

>



Would have preferred a picture of a KV-2 tank instead (not a KV-1 like the one you posted above) with its huge 152mm gun turret that had even larger slogans stencilled, to make your point.  ;D


----------



## vonGarvin

S.M.A. said:
			
		

> Would have preferred a picture of a KV-2 tank instead (not a KV-1 like the one you posted above) with its huge 152mm gun turret that had even larger slogans stencilled, to make your point.  ;D



Ask and it shall be yours:


----------



## The Bread Guy

Technoviking said:
			
		

> It's a throw back to the Glory Days of old Mother Russia (and those other pesky "republics").


And not JUST on military hardware ....


----------



## CougarKing

The advertised arsenal for Russia's PAK-FA: (infographic at the link below)

Aviationist



> *This cool infographic shows all weapons carried by Russia’s next generation fighter*
> By David Cenciotti
> All the PAK FA armament in a single infographic.
> Not only does the Sukhoi T-50 PAK FA feature stunning maneuverability. As this interesting infographic shows, the fifth generation stealth multi-role combat plane will carry a wide variety of weapons, including air-to-air, air-to-surface and anti-ship missiles.
> 
> Among those that the PAK FA will be able to carry (internally or externally – hence “stealthy” or not), there are:* the Izdelie 810, a derivative of the R-37M designed to kill High Value Targets and AWACS at a distance of 400 km; the K-77M air-to-air missile fitted with an AESA seeker; the KH-35UE anti-ship cruise missile; the KH-58UShKE stand-off anti-radiation missile; the Brahmos-NG supersonic cruise missile produced with India; and the KAB bombs*.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## Lumber

S.M.A. said:
			
		

> The advertised arsenal for Russia's PAK-FA: (infographic at the link below)
> 
> Aviationist



As a MARS Bar, the BRHAMOS scares the shit out of me.


----------



## YZT580

Now that looks like a fighter.  Its performance, at least in a staged airshow, matches its design.


----------



## Good2Golf

YZT580 said:
			
		

> Now that looks like a fighter.  Its performance, at least in a staged airshow, matches its design.



You mean like at MAKS 2011 where it puked up an engine trying to take off  for the demo flight? That was pretty impressive.  :nod:


----------



## YZT580

we've all had those embarrassing moments.  It may be 20 tonnes overweight, be held together with binder twine and have duct tape on the engine nacelles but it is still a beautiful sight to see.  They do have trouble building reliable engines though don't they?


----------



## Good2Golf

YZT580 said:
			
		

> ...They do have trouble building reliable engines though don't they?



Da!


----------



## MarkOttawa

Still a bit of free press in Russia:



> MAKS Can’t Stop the Rot of Aerospace Industry
> 
> 
> I have lived in Russia and Ukraine for almost half of my life — most of the time reporting on the aerospace and defense industry in this part of the world. In that time I have seen the ups and downs of MAKS, the Moscow Air and Space Salon [website http://www.aviasalon.com/en ], track with the fortunes of the aerospace sector as a whole in Russia.
> 
> The industry struggled in the 1990s and at one point many of us wondered if this air show would just disappear due to lack of interest. After the turn of the century, the aerospace firms in Russia were in a recovery mode, which continued for about a decade.
> 
> Russia’s aerospace industry is one of the few success stories of the Soviet era. Unlike the perennial disastrous output of communism’s centrally-planned, state-managed agricultural sector or the pathetically unreliable and crudely-designed automobile models that were produced for the common citizen, Soviet aerospace could boast numerous achievements and firsts. It was the linchpin that made the Soviet Union a world military power.
> 
> However, the build-up to the air show this year and the conversations I have had in the proceeding months with those I have known in this industry for more two decades tell a collectively sad tale. MAKS in 2015 will be to Russia’s aerospace industry what the closing years of the Brezhnev era were to the Soviet Union as a whole: an attempt to mask a tragic decline by pasting a glorious and victorious veneer over the top of it and hoping that no one would notice.
> 
> A look at some of the major contracts that are expected to be announced during MAKS tell the tale. The 48 Sukhoi Su-35S fighter aircraft to be signed for delivery to the Russian Air Force are the second such order by the Russian armed forces, the first having been at the same MAKS expo in 2009. This is a total of 96 new fighter orders in a six-year period and does not even begin to address the replacement needs of the air force. Russia’s armed forces need hundreds of new fighters at present — not just a few dozen.
> 
> The aircraft currently in inventory are aging, in need of modernization and increasingly wanting for adequate supplies of spare parts and components that had been produced in Ukraine, but which are now embargoed by Kiev for sale to Russia as retaliation for Russia’s involvement in the Ukraine conflict. This partly explains the steady numbers of Russian military aircraft dropping from the skies over the last few months [see first link above]…
> 
> If the platform that was planned to be in service already with the air force were on schedule, the Sukhoi T-50/PFI, there would be no need for another Su-35 procurement, but this program is mired in multiple developmental problems. The fifth-generation jet engine and the active electronically scanning array (AESA) radar that are supposed to be installed in the T-50 are nowhere in sight, so the aircraft is being built with the same Saturn 117S engine and NIIP Irbis passive (rather than active) scanning array radar that is already fitted to the Su-35. All of which means its not really a fifth-generation weapon system…
> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/528628.html



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa

Then see this on Soviet/Russian air overall--scroll down if needed:

https://cgai3ds.wordpress.com/2015/08/26/mark-collins-russian-air-force-woes-contd/comment-page-1/#comment-13271

Mark
Ottawa


----------



## CougarKing

A helicopter called RACHEL?

*Russia to begin production of new high-speed helo in 2022* 

IHS Jane's 360 - 1 September 2015



> Commonly referred to as the *Russian Advanced Commercial Helicopter (RACHEL)*, this new high-speed platform is being developed by the Mil and Kamov design houses as an eventual replacement for the Mil Mi-8/17 'Hip' series. Although billed in its moniker as a commercial project, it has obvious military applications with many hundreds of Mi-8/17s serving today in Russia and beyond.
> 
> A flying testbed is reportedly being built using elements of the Mi-35, but with a slightly altered fuselage and rotor system, to prove the speed parameters of the new design.








Russia's future RACHEL high-speed helicopter will no doubt feature elements of Kamov's new Ka-92 co-axial compound with a pusher-propeller design (pictured) to achieve its stated top speed of 270 kt. Source: IHS/Patrick Allen


----------



## CougarKing

Russia won't spend on more PAK-FAs/T-50s, but yet they're spending more on these?

Defense News



> *Irkut Signs Two New Su-30 Fighter Contracts*
> By Matthew Bodner 6:34 p.m. EDT September 11, 2015
> 
> Russian aircraft manufacturer Irkut has lined up *orders with the Russian Defence Ministry and Algeria for the delivery of 22 Su-30 heavy multi-role fighter jets over the next two years*, Russian officials said this week.
> 
> *Sergey Chemezov, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the head of Russia's state defense technology holding Rostec, announced Friday that Russia has signed an agreement with Algeria for the delivery of 14 Sukhoi Su-30MKI multi-role fighter jets.*
> 
> The Su-30 is classified by the Russians as a generation 4+ fighter, and is a less advanced derivative of the Soviet-designed Su-27 flanker than the newer Su-35 multi-role fighter, which is marketed as a generation 4++ fighter jet, sporting Russia's latest electronics and weapons.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## MarkOttawa

A2/AD--Growing Russian SAM etc. capabilities:



> Russians ‘Closed The Gap’ For A2/AD: Air Force Gen. Gorenc
> 
> AFA CONFERENCE: “The alarming thing,” said the commander of US Air Forces in Europe, is that the Russians are catching up. “They’ve closed the gap.”
> 
> “The advantage that we had from the air I can honestly say is shrinking,” Gen. Frank Gorenc said, “not only from with respect to the aircraft that they’re producing, but the more alarming thing is their ability to create anti-access/area denied [zones] that are very well defended” by batteries of ground-based anti-aircraft missiles.
> 
> After embarrassing fumbles in the 2008 invasion of Georgia, the Russians embarked on “a very large modernization” to improve both training and equipment, Gorenc said. “They learned a lot,” he told an increasingly unnerved roundtable of reporters at the annual Air Force Association conference here. “They [improved] quality and quantity.”
> 
> Russian fighter jocks are famous for flashy (sometimes fatal) maneuvers at air shows. But Gorenc isn’t solely or even primarily worried about their Top Guns: It’s ground-based radars and missiles that have him most concerned.
> 
> “It’s one thing to address an aircraft threat which has increased significantly — which by the way it has –but clearly surface to air missile systems are much cheaper, they’re much more available,” he said. “There’s clearly a whole set of modern long-range surface-to-air missile systems that are being layered in a way that makes access into that area more difficult.”
> 
> Gorenc is focused on the anti-aircraft kill zones that extend from two pieces of Russian territory in particularly: Crimea in the Black Sea and Kaliningrad on the Baltic. (He’s also keeping an eye on the Russians in the Arctic, he said, but that’s less immediate).
> 
> “Some of the array that’s in Kaliningrad extends into Poland today. That’s a fact,” he said. In other words, launchers on Russian soil can hit targets in NATO airspace. In fact, Gorenc has said in the past that a third of Polish airspace is in the Russians’ range.
> 
> “Up to this point, we have talked about anti-access/area denial with respect to the Pacific problem, but what I’m telling you is this is not just a Pacific problem, ” Gorenc said. “It’s as significant in Europe as it is anywhere else on the planet.”
> 
> A2/AD, to use the shorthand, is such a problem because it blunts the leading edge of the American war machine: airpower. It’s not just an Air Force issue. Aircraft carriers have been the flagships of the fleet since 1941, while the Army hasn’t lost a soldier to enemy airstrikes since 1953. Since at least 1991, the US has fought all its conflicts with absolute control of the air, unimpeded in its ability to reconnoiter the battlefield, bomb enemies, and rescue friendly ground troops.
> 
> “Anyone who has watched the United States operate understands… that it’s to their advantage to deny access into areas, particularly from the air,” Gorenc said. “With air superiority everything is possible, without it nothing is possible.”
> 
> So what can the US do? In the long term, the Pentagon’s “offset strategy” seeks to develop new technologies that leapfrog ahead of our enemies as they catch up to our current tech. A medium-term solution is stealth aircraft: Russian missiles can’t kill what their radars can’t see. (_The Navy, less sure of stealth, prefers to jam enemy radars_ [emphasis added]). Two squadrons of the new F-35A will arrive at Lakenheath air base in England, but that doesn’t happen until 2020, and they won’t be equipped to strike ground targets for some years after that. Stealthy F-22s have already done their first deployment to Europe to do training and test whether local airbases could support them. The F-22s are back in the US now, but Gorenc emphasized he could get them back if needed.
> 
> But the vast majority of US and allied air forces are conventional “Fourth Generation” aircraft that show up on radar just fine. Their survival depends not on technology but on training...
> http://breakingdefense.com/2015/09/russians-closed-the-gap-for-a2ad-air-force-gen-gorenc/



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## CougarKing

So much for those previous reports about the Russian AF "falling out of the sky"":    

Diplomat



> *US Air Force: Russia Has Closed Air Power Gap With NATO
> However, even more alarming are Moscow’s growing anti-access/area denial capabilities, according to a U.S. general.*
> 
> NATO’s air superiority vis-à-vis Russia is waning, Air Force (USAF) General Frank Gorenc, the commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Africa told an audience at this year’s Air and Space Conference held near Washington DC, according to military.com.
> 
> “The advantage that we had from the air, I can honestly say, is shrinking not only with respect to the aircraft that they’re producing, but the more alarming thing is their ability to create anti-access/area-denial [A2/AD] that are very well defended,” Gorenc said.
> 
> With his remarks, the general has joined a chorus of defense analysts and policy makers dispensing Cassandra-like warnings about the slipping technological edge of the United States military and the growing danger posed by effective countermeasures to American power primarily based on precision-strike regimes (See: “No More Easy Victories for the US Military?”).
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## CougarKing

I wonder how close Minsk and Moscow really are nowadays considering what happened to Ukraine?

Reuters




> *Putin gives go-ahead to Belarus airbase plan*
> Sat Sep 19, 2015 9:37am EDT
> 
> MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has backed the establishment of an airbase in neighboring Belarus, the latest move by Moscow to project its military power abroad.
> 
> Saturday's announcement, which comes at a time of tension with the West over Russian involvement in Ukraine and Syria, may also signal the Kremlin's interest in keeping unpredictable Belarus within its geopolitical orbit.
> 
> Putin said in a statement he had agreed a government proposal to sign a deal for the military airbase and ordered defense and foreign ministry officials to start talks with Belarus. The plan is not expected to face major obstacles.
> 
> The idea of setting up an airbase in the ex-Soviet republic was revealed by Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in 2013, and follows a 2009 agreement under which Russia and Belarus agreed to defend their common external frontier and airspace.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## CougarKing

Su30SMs in Syria:

Aviationist



> *Satellite image shows four Russian Su-30SM parked in the open air at airfield in Syria*
> Sep 20 2015 -
> 
> By David Cenciotti
> Four Russian Flanker derivative have arrived at Latakia airport.
> Satellite images prove Russian combat planes have eventually deployed to Syria.
> 
> The deployment, anticipated by an air bridge from Russia that involved several An-124 Condor airlifter flights (that we were able to track thanks to their Mode-S transponders) saw the aircraft arrive at al-Assad International Airport, near Latakia, the main Syrian port city, on Sept. 18.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## CougarKing

Putin building up his air force presence in Syria?

Aviationist



> *Latest imagery shows 28 Russian aircraft (12 Su-24s, 12 Su-25s and 4 Su-30s) on the ground at airbase in Syria*
> Sep 22 2015
> 
> By David Cenciotti
> Imagery taken on Sept. 21 shows 28 aircraft on the ground at Latakia airbase.
> A satellite image has finally unveiled the whole Russian Air Force contingent made of 28 combat planes deployed to Syria: taken on Sept. 21, the photograph shows 4 Su-30SMs, 12 Su-25SMs and 12 Su-24s lined up, in the open air, along runway 17L at al-Assad International Airport, near Latakia, in western Syria.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## CougarKing

Su34 Fullbacks in Syria, plus another delay for the PAK-FA:

Aviationist



> *Six Russian Su-34 Fullback bomber have just arrived in Syria. And this is the route they have likely flown to get there.*
> Sep 29 2015
> 
> By David Cenciotti
> The Russian military build up continues as six Su-34 Fullback attack planes arrive in Syria.
> Six Sukhoi Su-34 aircraft have eventually arrived at Latakia to join the Russian contingent already there.
> 
> Images allegedly shot around the al-Assad International Airport clearly show one Russian Fullback about to land at the airbase in western Syria where 28 Russian aircraft have arrived last week.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)



Diplomat



> *Russia’s First 5th Generation Fighter Jet to Enter Service in 2017
> The induction date for Moscow’s newest fighter aircraft has been pushed back.*
> 
> Russia’s answer to the American F-22 and F-35 aircraft, the PAK FA T-50, will enter service with the Russian Armed Forces in 2017, Russian Air and Space Forces Commander Colonel-General Viktor Bondarev said over the weekend.
> 
> “Under the program, we will finish testing next year and will begin to receive the T-50 jets in 2017,” Bondarev told Sputnik News. Back in June, during the Paris Air Show, the head of United Russia’s Aircraft Corporation, had still talked about a potential 2016 or early 2017 induction date. However, serial deliveries are now slated to begin in 2017.
> 
> The Sukhoi PAK FA (Prospective Airborne Complex of Frontline Aviation) T-50 prototype — the name will change for the production aircraft — is a multi-role, single seat, twin-engine air superiority/deep air support fighter with stealth capabilities. First flown in 2010, it is expected to have a service life in the Russian Air and Space Forces of up to 35 years.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## CougarKing

The Russian pilots based in Syria almost came to blows with Turkish F16s:

Aviationist



> *Russian Su-30SM, Su-24 violate Turkish airspace. Flanker locks on TuAF F-16 for +5 minutes*
> Oct 05 2015
> 
> By David Cenciotti
> It looks like a Sukhoi Su-30SM deployed to Syria has had a close encounter with Turkish Air Force F-16s past the Syria-Turkey border.
> Russian planes deployed to Syria violated the Turkish airspace twice in the last couple of days.
> 
> According to NATO, the violations occurred “on 3 October and 4 October by Russian Air Force SU-30 and SU-24 aircraft in the Hatay region. The aircraft in question entered Turkish airspace despite Turkish authorities’ clear, timely and repeated warnings. In accordance with NATO practice, Turkish fighter aircraft responded to these incursions by closing to identify the intruder, after which the Russian planes departed Turkish airspace.”
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## The Bread Guy

Russia's Info-machine now has a web page for its Aviation Group in Syria in English - enjoy!


----------



## CougarKing

The cat and mouse game continues... Or rather the Bear and Squid game...

Reuters



> *US Navy scrambled jets as Russian warplanes approached carrier*
> 
> 
> The USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier scrambled four fighter jets to intercept approaching Russian warplanes as it carried out a military exercise on Tuesday in the Sea of Japan, U.S. military officials said on Thursday.
> 
> The two Russian TU-145 "Bear" jets came as close as a nautical mile from the carrier and were flying at a low-altitude, about 500 feet (152 m) above sea level, the officials said.
> 
> TU-145 Bear is a long-range anti-submarine warfare plane and a variant of the TU-95 Bear strategic bomber.
> 
> The incident, although unusual, was characterized by the Pentagon as "safe."
> 
> "There was nothing to indicate they were posing a direct threat," said Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis.
> 
> (... SNIPpED)


----------



## CougarKing

Tu160s over Syria!!

Diplomat



> *25 Russian long-range strategic bombers in action over Syria for the very first time*
> Nov 17 2015 -
> 
> By David Cenciotti
> Russian Air Force heavy bombers made their first appearance over Syria yesterday night.
> 
> It looks like Moscow stepped up its military effort in Syria even before the intention to intensify the air strikes was announced by Putin on Nov. 17.
> 
> As initially reported by Reuters, a US official has confirmed that Moscow has conducted a significant number of strikes in Syria using both sea-launched cruise missiles and long-range bombers.
> 
> The Russian MoD said 25 long-range bombers took part in the raid: 5 x Tu-160s, 6 x Tu-95MS and 14 x Tu-22M3.
> 
> According to one our sources who wishes to remain anonymous, the long-range bombers the Russian Air Force has used against ground targets in Syria early in the morning on Nov. 17 were Tu-22M Backfire strategic bombers.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## MarkOttawa

Cruise missile implications for NORAD?



> Why the U.S. Should Be Paying Attention to Russia’s Latest Strikes in Syria
> 
> ...the United States should pay attention to this air vector of attack from Russia’s mainland, and the deployment of the new Kh-101 missile along with the modernized Kh-55. Russia’s bomber force is not an anachronism, but still breathes life...
> 
> Beyond the publicity lies a real capability test. From bases in mainland Russia, five Tu-160 Blackjack, six Tu-95MS Bear and 14 Tu-22M3 Backfire bombers set out for Syria with an escort of Su-27SM fighters and deployed what appeared to be a series of Kh-55 air-to-ground missiles (probably the upgraded Kh-555). More interesting was footage of new Kh-101 long-range air-to-ground missiles shown loaded inside Russian bombersin a rotary launcher (its nuclear tipped variant is Kh-102), and supposedly fired. Meanwhile, the large group of Tu-22M3s, Russia’s mainstay anti-ship bomber, made do with a large complement of gravity bombs for the missions...
> 
> As recently as this summer, the Russian air force was ridiculed in the West, particularly with respect to its long-range aviation capabilities. Having suffered a large spate of accidents, Russia grounded its Tu-95 bomber fleet in July. In August, I wrote an article for War on the Rocks discussing the impact Russia’s bomber overflights had on U.S. strategic perceptions of Moscow’s intent, despite wearing out its air force. It seems Russian bombers are back, and this time not for show, but to demonstrate the capability to conduct long-range precision strikes. While these aircraft likely represent the smaller operational component of a bomber force that looks much larger on paper, the large arsenal of missiles that even a few Tu-95MS or Tu-160s carry is an important multiplier...
> 
> _Michael Kofman is a Global Fellow at the Wilson Center’s Kennan Institute and an Analyst at CNA Corporation. Previously he served as Program Manager at National Defense University. The views expressed here are his own._
> http://warontherocks.com/2015/11/why-the-u-s-should-be-paying-attention-to-russias-latest-strikes-in-syria/



As for non-conventional:



> NORAD and Russian Cruise Nukes: “de-escalation”?
> https://cgai3ds.wordpress.com/2015/01/22/mark-collins-norad-and-russian-cruise-nukes-de-escalation/



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa

Holy Blackjack, Putinman (with video at link)!



> Russian Tu-16os launch Syrian air strike from Kola Peninsula, in far northwest Russia, in a global strike show.
> 
> During the night between Nov. 19 and 20, the Russian Air Force conducted a very long-range strike mission against IS targets in Syria: two Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers departed from Olenegorsk airbase, in the Kola Peninsula around 21.00z but, instead of taking the usual route through the Caspian Sea and Iran, went westbound, skirted the airspaces of Norway and the UK, flew over the Atlantic until Gibraltair, entered the Mediterranean sea and flew eastbound towards Syria and then eastbound along the usual corridor, back to Russia.
> 
> This video, released by Russia’s MoD shows the Tu-160s (and Tu-95) being armed and launched for the night mission…
> http://theaviationist.com/2015/11/20/russian-armed-tu-160-bombers-circumnavigate-europe-launch-cruise-missiles-against-is-targets-from-mediterranean-sea/



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa

Blackjacks with Flankers (presumably Syria-based):



> @ANDRESF2D
> 
> #RuAF Su-30SM fighter jets accompanying Tu-160 bomber over the Mediterranean Sea & #Syria https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja_kvsngEFI …
> https://twitter.com/ANDRESF2D/status/667778409888641024



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa

Bombers' routes:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3327144/Typhoon-fighters-scrambled-RAF-Lossiemouth-intercept-two-Russian-Tu-160-bombers-near-British-airspace.html






Mark
Ottawa


----------



## jollyjacktar

That would have been a long day for the crews.


----------



## Retired AF Guy

MarkOttawa said:
			
		

> Cruise missile implications for NORAD?
> 
> Mark
> Ottawa



If you mean as in something new, then no. NORAD has been well aware of the ALCM threat to North America for quite some time.


----------



## MarkOttawa

Retired AF Guy: 



> If you mean as in something new, then no. NORAD has been well aware of the ALCM threat to North America for quite some time.



As I pointed out some time ago elsewhere:
https://cgai3ds.wordpress.com/2014/06/30/mark-collins-ho-hum-rcaf-intercepting-bears-part-2-but-much-improving-weapons-system/

And from 2012:



> A knowledgeable friend observes:
> 
> ... Russia is accordingly spending a lot on its strategic bombers and a new generation of cruise missiles. They are emulating the US in seeking conventional, precision, stealthy weapons on their bombers. The new KH-101/102 air-launched cruise missiles have nuclear and conventional variants; they are stealthy, have a very long range and are reputed to be very precise. The Russians have recently announced that these new missiles are entering service...
> http://www.cdfai.org.previewmysite.com/the3dsblog/?p=1184#comment-2244



My point was first operational use of Kh-101 (102 nuked), in fairly fancy way--article here from 2013:
http://defense-update.com/20130706_russian_cruise_missiles.html#.Vk_Im79ITIU

Mark
Ottawa


----------



## Retired AF Guy

MarkOttawa said:
			
		

> Retired AF Guy:
> 
> As I pointed out some time ago elsewhere:
> https://cgai3ds.wordpress.com/2014/06/30/mark-collins-ho-hum-rcaf-intercepting-bears-part-2-but-much-improving-weapons-system/
> 
> And from 2012:
> 
> My point was first operational use of Kh-101 (102 nuked), in fairly fancy way--article here from 2013:
> http://defense-update.com/20130706_russian_cruise_missiles.html#.Vk_Im79ITIU
> 
> Mark
> Ottawa



The Kh-101 gives Russians the same capability that the US and UK have enjoyed for years with their conventionally armed Tomahawk. 

In the NORAD context, I _could_ see a scenario where the Russians and Americans are peeved off enough at each other that they might fire off a few Kh-101s/Tomahawks at each other just to prove a point, but it would be pretty risky.


----------



## MarkOttawa

The Tomahawk (Raytheon) is USN
http://www.raytheon.com/capabilities/products/tomahawk/

and not an ALCM--USAF uses the AGM-86 (Boeing):
http://www.af.mil/AboutUs/FactSheets/Display/tabid/224/Article/104612/agm-86bcd-missiles.aspx

The RAF has no US-made ALCMs (RN has Tomahawks).  The NORAD worry could be the nuclear Kh-102--see (to repeat):



> NORAD and Russian Cruise Nukes: “de-escalation”?
> https://cgai3ds.wordpress.com/2015/01/22/mark-collins-norad-and-russian-cruise-nukes-de-escalation/



More on nuclear-tipped ALCMs:
http://warontherocks.com/2015/10/why-we-still-need-a-nuclear-armed-cruise-missile/

Mark
Ottawa


----------



## CougarKing

It's not standard procedure for Su24s and Su34s to carry AAMs anyway?

Aviationist



> *Russian bombers now flying with air-to-air missiles for self-protection over Syria*
> Dec 02 2015 -
> By Jacek Siminski
> Following the downing of the Su-24 Fencer on Nov. 24, Russian attack planes fly with air-to-air missiles for self-protection.
> 
> The Russian Air Force has decided to arm the Su-34 Fullback attack planes based at Latakia, in Syria, with air-to-air missiles to enhance the defensive capabilities of the aircraft conducting air strikes against terrorists across the country.
> 
> *This is one of the measures Moscow put in place after a Su-24 Fencer was shot down by a Turkish Air Force F-16 near the Syria-Turkey border on Nov. 24.
> 
> A video posted by the Russian MoD, shows the first Su-34 Fullbacks departing from Latakia on Nov. 30 carrying the R-27 (AA-10 Alamo) and R-73 (AA-11 Archer) missiles along with guided (KAB-500KR) and unguided (OFAB-500) bombs*
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## CougarKing

A new platform in Russian service:

Aviationist



> *Let’s have a look at the Russian Air Force Il-80 Maxdome, Putin’s “doomsday plane”*
> Dec 04 2015 -
> By David Cenciotti
> The next generation Il-80 airborne command post is about to enter active service with the Russian Air Force.
> 
> The Russian Air Force will soon operate an upgraded Il-80 Maxdome airborne command post.
> 
> In fat, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, a “new” version of the Russian “doomsday plane” has recently successfully completed the testing campaign and is ready to enter into active service by the end of the year.
> 
> *
> The aircraft is one of the four Il-80 aircraft, heavily modified Il-86 airliners, used as airborne command center in a role similar to that of the U.S. Boeing E-4B since the mid-1980s.*
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## CougarKing

Another Eastern European alternative to the Czech L39?

Aviationist



> *New Russian forward-swept wing jet trainer has made its first flight. And here’s the video.*
> Jan 02 2016 -
> By David Cenciotti
> Developed by a private Russian design bureau, the SR-10 (CP-10) is a single engine, all-composite jet trainer with a (moderate) forward-swept wing.
> 
> The footage below shows the first flight of SR-10, a Russian subsonic, single engine, all-composite dual-pilot jet trainer aircraft developed by KB SAT.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## CougarKing

A joint Indian Russian program in peril:

Diplomat



> *India and Russia Fail to Resolve Dispute Over Fifth Generation Fighter Jet
> 
> Is the Indo-Russian fifth generation fighter jet program on the verge of collapse?*
> 
> By Franz-Stefan Gady
> January 06, 2016
> 
> 
> During the annual India-Russia summit, which took place in late December 2015 in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi failed to resolve an ongoing disagreement between the two countries over the future of a joint fifth generation fighter program.
> 
> India and Russia in early 2007 signed an intergovernmental agreement to co-develop a fifth generation fighter–the Sukhol/HAL Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) or as it known in India, the Perspective Multi-role Fighter (PMF). The aircraft will be a multi-role, single seat, twin-engine air superiority/deep air support fighter with stealth capabilities and is based on the Sukhoi PAK FA (Prospective Airborne Complex of Frontline Aviation) T-50 prototype, currently undergoing flight tests in Russia.
> 
> Ever since 2007, however, the  weapons program has experienced various setbacks.
> 
> Delays were caused by New Delhi and Moscow disagreeing over many fundamental aspects of the joint development project including work and cost share, aircraft technology, as well as the number of aircraft to be ordered. After evaluating the first PAK FA T-50 prototype, the Indian Air Force (IAF) wanted more than 40 changes addressing, among other things, perceived weaknesses in the plane’s engine, stealth and weapon-carrying capabilities.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## CougarKing

An update on the PAK-DA stealth bomber project, plus the grounding of all MiG31's after last week's crash:

National Interest



> *How Soon Can Russia Finish Its New Stealth Bomber?*
> Dave Majumdar
> 
> January 25, 2016
> 
> 
> The first flight of Moscow’s new Tupolev PAK-DA stealth bomber has been delayed by about three years.
> 
> According to Russian officials, the new bomber is now not likely to fly before 2021. The aircraft was previously expected to take flight in 2019. “Work on the PAK DA is coming along and the pace is suiting us,” Russian Air Force chief Col. Gen. Viktor Bondarev told the state-owned Sputnik news service this week. “The challenge remains to raise the prototype into air by 2021, but if all continues at the current pace, it will take off even earlier.”
> 
> (...SNIPPED)



Other sources say their entire MiG31 fleet was grounded after this crash:

Macleans

  





> *Russian fighter jet crashes in Siberia, pilots survive
> Defence Ministry says MiG-31 went down in the forest 40 kilometres northwest of the city of Kansk*
> 
> The Associated Press
> 
> January 25, 2016
> 
> 
> MOSCOW — The Russian military says one of its fighter jets have crashed on a training mission in Siberia, and the two crew members have bailed out successfully.
> 
> The Defence Ministry says the MiG-31 went down Monday in the forest 40 kilometres (25 miles) northwest of the city of Kansk in the Krasnoyarsk region in eastern Siberia. It said the crew ejected to safety and got in touch with the base.
> 
> The Soviet-built MiG-31 is a twin-engine, two-seat heavy interceptor designed to patrol Russia’s far-flung borders. The military has been modernizing its MiG-31 fleet built during the 1980s, fitting them with modern electronics and weapons control systems.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## CougarKing

More Bears on the prowl:

Diplomat



> *Why Did Russian Nuclear-Capable Bombers Circumnavigate Japan?
> 
> Continued Russian bomber flybys near Japanese airspace suggest that the bilateral relationship remains cool.*
> 
> By Ankit Panda
> January 27, 2016
> 
> On Tuesday, January 26, Japan’s Ministry of Defense revealed that the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force had scrambled jets in response to two Russian Tu-95MS “Bear” strategic bombers near its air space. According to a map released by the Japanese government, the two Russian bombers approached Japanese airspace from Russia’s Primorsky province, flying over the Sea of Japan, and eventually flew along the perimeter of Japan’s territorial airspace, encompassing the four main Japanese islands of Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku, and Hokkaido, before returning to Russia.
> clipular
> 
> The incident isn’t the first incident involving Russian strategic bombers near Japanese airspace by any means. Moscow regularly conducts such activities and Japan scrambles fighters to ensure that its territorial airspace isn’t violated.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## CougarKing

Here we go again:

Aviationist



> *A RUSSIAN SU-34 FULLBACK BOMBER HAS VIOLATED THE TURKISH AIRSPACE YESTERDAY*
> Jan 30 2016
> 
> By David Cenciotti
> IT LOOKS LIKE IT HAS HAPPENED AGAIN….
> Turkey has summoned the Russian envoy after a Russian Air Force Su-34 Fullback bomber allegedly violated the Turkish airspace during a mission from Hmeymim airbase, near Latakia, in northwestern Syria.
> 
> The incident, took place on Friday Jan. 29, and according to Ankara, several warnings in Russian and in English were radioed to aircraft: in other words, something similar to what happened little more than 2 month ago, on Nov. 24, 2015, when a Su-24 Fencer was shot down by a Turkish Air Force F-16 near the border with Syria.
> 
> However, unlike the last violation, that eventually led to the downing of the Fencer (and the death of one of the two crew members) this time, the Russian Su-34 was not shot down (even though we don’t really know if the Turkish Air Force attempted to…)
> 
> In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said: “We are making a clear call to the Russian Federation not to violate Turkish airspace, which is also NATO airspace.”
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## CougarKing

More aggressive Russian moves:

Aviationist



> *Russian Su-27 buzzes U.S. RC-135U spyplane. Once again.*
> Jan 29 2016 -
> By Dario Leone
> 
> On Jan. 25, 2016 a U.S. Air Force RC-135U electronic intelligence gathering aircraft was intercepted by a Russian Su-27 Flanker fighter jet while performing a routine sortie in international airspace over Black Sea.
> 
> As reported by Freebeacon.com, during the interception, the Su-27 made an aggressive turn that disturbed the controllability of the RC-135.
> 
> Navy Capt. Daniel Hernandez, chief spokesman for the U.S. European Command explained that the interception was conducted in an unsafe and unprofessional manner and that the U.S. are looking into this issue.
> 
> According to some defense officials, the RC-135 was flying 30 miles from the coast (well within international airspace and far way from any Russian territory) when the Su-27 flanked the intelligence gathering jet and then performed an aggressive turn to break-away from it.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## CougarKing

The latest in the "War of Words" between Ankara and Moscow over airspace use:

Aviationist



> *Turkey has denied a Russian Open Skies observation flight over its territory because it was near the Syrian border*
> Feb 10 2016 -
> By Dario Leone
> 
> Turkey has barred a Russian Antonov An-30B spyplane, that was supposed to operate out of Eskisehir airfield, Turkey, on Feb. 1 to 5, from performing an Open Skies Treaty flight over its territory.
> 
> As told to Tass.ru by Sergey Ryzhkov, chief of the Russian Defense Ministry’s department for control of implementation of treaties, the Turkish military refused to allow the flight to take place after the flight route was discovered to include observation areas adjacent to the Syrian border and airfields where NATO aircraft are concentrated.
> 
> Ryzhkov added that, in this way “A dangerous precedent was created of an uncotrolled military activity of an Open Skies Treaty member state. We are not going to leave without proper attention and relevant reaction violations of the Open Skies Treaty on the part of the Turkish republic.”
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## CougarKing

Russian ELINT plane over Syria:

Aviationist



> *Russia has just deployed its most modern spyplane to Syria*
> Feb 15 2016 -
> By David Cenciotti
> A Russian Air Force Tu-214R is about to land at Latakia, Syria.
> 
> The Tu-214R is a Russian ISR (Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance) aircraft. In other words, a quite advanced spyplane.
> 
> As we have already explained here in the past, it is a special mission aircraft equipped with all-weather radar systems and electro optical sensors that produce photo-like imagery of a large parts of the ground: these images are then used to identify and map the position of the enemy forces, even if these are camouflaged or hidden.
> 
> The aircraft is known to carry sensor packages to perform ELINT (Electronic Intelligence) and SIGINT (Signal Intelligence) missions: the antennae of the Tu-214R can intercept the signals emitted by the enemy systems (radars, aircraft, radios, combat vehicles, mobile phones etc) so as it can build the EOB (Electronic Order of Battle) of the enemy forces: where the enemy forces are operating, what kind of equipment they are using and, by eavesdropping into their radio/phone communications, what they are doing and what will be their next move.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## CougarKing

Putin's pilots letting the Bundeswaffe know they're watching:

Aviationist



> *Russian fighters often shadow German Tornados over Syria but “they do it professionally” Luftwaffe says*
> Feb 17 2016 -
> By Dario Leone
> Close encounters in the skies over Syria between Russian and German fighters.
> 
> As reported by several media outlets on Feb. 16, Russian Air Force (RuAF) fighter jets often shadow German Air Force (GAF) Tornados performing reconnaissance missions in Syrian airspace.
> 
> But as explained by RT.com, both sides act professionally and prevent incidents.
> 
> A claim that was also confirmed by Lt. Gen. Joachim Wundrak, a Luftwaffe official recently returned from anti-ISIS coordination center in Qatar, who told to Rheinische Post daily that RuAF pilots take no aggressive actions against their German colleagues and that no incidents have been registered because “those encounters go on professionally.”
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## CougarKing

I assume such a Russian over flight would partially cross Canadian airspace:

Canadian Press



> *Russia wants to fly over US with advanced digital camera*
> [The Canadian Press]
> Deb Riechmann, The Associated Press
> 
> February 22, 2016
> 
> 
> WASHINGTON - Russia will ask permission on Monday to start flying surveillance planes equipped with high-powered digital cameras amid warnings from U.S. intelligence and military officials that such overflights help Moscow collect intelligence on the United States.
> 
> Russia and the United States are signatories to the Open Skies Treaty, which allows unarmed observation flights over the entire territory of all 34 member nations to foster transparency about military activity and help monitor arms control and other agreements. Senior intelligence and military officials, however, worry that Russia is taking advantage of technological advances to violate the spirit of the treaty.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## CougarKing

Probably not the last we'll see of this aircraft over Syria?

Aviationnist



> *Job done! Russia’s most advanced spyplane is returning home after deployment in Syria*
> Feb 29 2016 - 0 Comments
> By David Cenciotti
> The Tu-214R is currently returning to Russia after a 14-day deployment to Syria.
> 
> The Russian Air Force Tu-214R ISR (Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance) aircraft that was deployed to Syria on Feb. 15 is seemingly returning home.
> 
> The aircraft could be tracked online on Flightradar24 thanks to the signals of its ADS-B transponder as it flew from Hmeymim airbase, near Latakia, over the southern Syrian airspace, then into Iraq: the aircraft is likely following the eastern corridor that overflies Iran and the Caspian Sea, and it is possibly returning to Kazan, where KAPO (Kazan Aircraft Production Association), the Russian company that builds the plane.
> 
> So, the aircraft has eventually completed its first tour of duty in Syria using its wide array of radar systems and electro optical sensors to map the position of the enemy forces or intercept the signals emitted by the enemy systems (radars, aircraft, radios, combat vehicles, mobile phones etc).
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## The Bread Guy

S.M.A. said:
			
		

> I assume such a Russian over flight would partially cross Canadian airspace:
> 
> Canadian Press


Maybe, but there are Russian flights to spy on Canada to meet the terms of the Treaty on Open Skies, too.


----------



## tomahawk6

While this truck is still a concept vehicle,I do like the look and hope it enters production.







http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/russias-zil-builds-a-futuristic-armored-assault-wagon-1666346817

Although it looks like a low-end sci-fi movie prop, this could be Russia's version of the armored Humvee of the future. With drastically angled armor plating and a huge grill, Zil claims that this yet-to-be-named armored car has been commissioned by the Russian Army and will likely enter production soon. Yes, it looks like an agricultural tool from 2059, but that's exactly the kind of stuff Zil makes.


----------



## CougarKing

Should the US regret being an Open Skies signatory?

Defense News



> *Pentagon official decries Russian flights over US*
> 
> 
> WASHINGTON — A senior US intelligence official warned Wednesday that he has “great concern” about Russia’s intentions to fly sophisticated surveillance planes over the United States, saying it would give Russia “a significant advantage."
> 
> Russia reportedly announced its intent to submit plans for the flights using advanced digital cameras under the 2002 Open Skies Treaty. With more than 30 signatories, including Russia, the US and the European Union, the treaty established a program of unarmed aerial surveillance flights giving all participants the ability to gather information about military forces and activities of concern to them.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## CBH99

Unless major military bases have been moved, there isn't much to see today that they haven't already seen in the years previous to 2016 in which they undertook their flights.

Sure, certain types of aircraft and in different numbers may be present & visible at certain bases - but in the US, those things can change on a daily or weekly basis.

At the end of the day, it seems like a few folks are worried about the Russians seeing things they have already seen.    :2c:


----------



## CougarKing

The Russian withdrawal begins, though a residual presence in both of Russia's bases in Latakia airbase and Tartus harbour will remain:

Aviationist



> *Here’s the first video of the Russian combat planes leaving Syria*
> Mar 15 2016
> By David Cenciotti
> The first group of Russian aircraft redeploying to Russia after Syria air war has left ‪‎Hmeymim‬ airbase.
> 
> On Mar. 15, the Russian Defence Minister General of the Army Sergei ‪‎Shoigu‬ ordered to redeploy a large part of the the Russian Aerospace Forces contingent deployed to Syria to fight terrorists.
> 
> The redeploy order saw technical staff at Hmeymim airbase, near Latakia, started preparing aircraft for the long-range flight to airfields located in mainland Russia: the aircraft, first of all Su-34 “multidimensional bombers” (this is definition used by the Russia’s MoD) based on the footage released so far, are returning home with long-range flight (more than 5,000 km), inflight refueling and intermediate flight stops at the Russian Federation airfields.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## jmt18325

They probably ran out of money for bombs.


----------



## CougarKing

While most of Russia's air contingent to Syria withdraws, its attack helos will continue to make their presence felt:

Foxtrot Alpha



> *As Russia's Tactical Jets Leave Syria, Its Most Advanced Attack Helicopters Arrive*
> Tyler Rogoway
> Yesterday 12:26pm
> Filed to: Syria
> 
> As Russia's Tactical Jets Leave Syria, Its Most Advanced Attack Helicopters Arrive
> Russia says that its pullout from its air base in Syria will be complete in just two or three more days, but it is leaving behind a more potent attack helicopter force than what was ever there before.
> 
> Both the Mi-28 and the KA-52 attack helicopters have been spotted around the base within the last 24 hours. Here’s why the Kremlin is upping its combat helicopter capability just as it is pulling its fixed wing fighter and attack aircraft.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## MarkOttawa

Note Russian cruise missiles at end:



> New Head of US NORTHCOM–And, One Assumes, NORAD
> ...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> https://cgai3ds.wordpress.com/2016/03/18/mark-collins-new-head-of-us-northcom-and-one-assumes-norad/



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## CougarKing

The results of Frogfoot jets' participation in the Syria air campaign:


Aviationist



> *Russian Air Force Su-25 Frogfoot attack aircraft dropped 6,000 (mostly unguided) bombs over Syria*
> Mar 19 2016 -
> By Dario Leone
> The Russian Air Force Su-25 Frogfoots were pretty busy during their Syrian deployment.
> 
> On Mar. 16, the Russian Aerospace Forces (RuAF) welcomed the return of their Sukhoi Su-25 attack aircraft from Hmeymim airfield, in Syria, to their home base in the Krasnodar region.
> 
> As reported by the Tass News Agency, during the ceremony, Alexander Galkin, the Russia’s Southern Military District commander, said the Frogfoots flew more than 1,600 sorties and dropped around 6,000 bombs since when Russian aircraft began missions against terrorists in Syria on Sep. 15, 2015.
> 
> “After a prolonged assignment away from home we are welcoming back our best pilots. They have coped with all of their tasks. Over the past six months they flew 1,600 sorties in adverse conditions spending more than 1,000 hours in the sky over Syria to have dropped about 6,000 bombs on the terrorists,” Galkin said.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## MarkOttawa

Possible escorts for cruise missile-carrying Russian bombers vs NORAD?








> Intercept This! Russian MiG-31BM Takes Longest Non-Stop Flight in History
> ...
> Spending seven hours and four minutes in the sky, Russian pilots broke the new record for the longest non-stop flight of a MiG-31BM supersonic interceptor, RIA Novosti quoted Russian Central Military District spokesman Yaroslav Rashchupkin as saying.
> 
> He said that the record was set during drills in which the crews of the MiG-31BMs, stationed in eastern Siberia's Krasnoyarsk region, covered almost 8,000 kilometers to reach their new destination in southern Russia's Astrakhan region...
> http://sputniknews.com/russia/20160408/1037700769/russia-interceptor-plane-flight.html



Earlier--note link at end on Russian nuclear doctrine:



> NORAD Note: Russian Bomber (with cruise missiles) Strikes in Syria
> https://cgai3ds.wordpress.com/2015/11/20/mark-collins-norad-note-russian-bomber-with-cruise-missiles-strikes-in-syria/



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## CougarKing

Another incident from a couple of days ago, aside from the buzzing incident of USS Donald Cook by a Russian jet last week:

Wall Street Journal



> *Russian Fighter Buzzes U.S. Air Force Plane Over Baltic Sea
> Incident is second between U.S. and Russian military assets that has been reported recently*
> 
> By Gordon Lubold,
> Julian E. Barnes and
> Nathan Hodge
> Updated April 17, 2016 6:47 p.m. ET
> 
> 
> A U.S. Air Force reconnaissance plane was intercepted by a Russian fighter plane over the Baltic Sea in what American officials said on Sunday was an unsafe and unprofessional manner, the second such instance in a week.
> 
> Russian officials disputed the account, saying they were responding to an unidentified target approaching their border at high speed.
> 
> The incident, which happened Thursday but didn’t come to light until this weekend, could further complicate U.S.-Russia relations. As the U.S. builds up its assets in the Baltic Sea, Russia has taken a more aggressive posture in response.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## CougarKing

To think there were just crashes last week in both the USAF and USN aerobatic teams, the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels. 

Aviationist



> *Su-27 Flanker of the Russian Knights aerobatic team crashes in Russia. Pilot killed.*
> Jun 09 2016
> By David Cenciotti
> It’s not a good period for military aerobatic teams.
> 
> A Su-27 Flanker belonging to the Russian Knights aerobatic team crashed on Jun. 9 in Russia, killing the pilot, TASS news agency reported.
> 
> According to the first reports, the jet crashed in a forest located about 2 km from the village of Muranovo, in western Russia, after taking part with the rest of the aerobatic team to a flyover of the nearby monument to aviators in Ashukino, a ceremony attended by Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov and Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force Viktor Bondarev.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## CougarKing

The result of the crash reported above:

CNN



> *Russia grounds Su-27 jets after crash*
> 
> By Ralph Ellis, CNN
> 
> Updated 9:16 PM ET, Thu June 9, 2016
> (CNN)The Russian air force has grounded its fleet of Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jets until determining what caused one of the planes to crash on Thursday, killing the pilot, the government-run Tass news agency said.
> The warplane, part of the Russian Knights aerobatic team, crashed near Moscow after the team took part in the opening ceremony for a monument to aviators in Ashukino, Tass said.
> The Defense Ministry said technical problems probably caused the crash, Tass said.
> 
> The ministry said the pilot steered the plane away from a community and did not have time to eject before the crash, Tass said.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## CougarKing

Low-rate initial production...until India orders more.

Air Recogition



> *UAC now gearing up for T-50 PAK FA low-rate initial production batch*
> 
> The United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) is gearing up for the manufacture of a low-rate initial production (LRIP) batch of T-50 fifth-generation fighters (Russian acronym - PAKFA) for the delivery to the Russian Aerospace Force (RusAF), according to the Izvestia daily.
> 
> The eighth flying prototype almost meeting the military’s requirements to the fifth-generation fighter’s characteristics will take to the skies in Komsomolsk-on-Amur on June 20. Unlike the previous prototypes, the eighth one is fully outfitted with the equipment and systems spelt out by the requirements specification for the future fighter. With the advent of the eighth prototype, the configuration of the T-50 as a combat aircraft has been finalized, and the type is ready for the production for the RusAF.
> 
> At present, four more T-50s are sitting in the shops of the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Plant in various stages of assembly. Aircraft No. 9 will join the trials in September. The 10th and 11th airframes are in their assembly jigs, one with its fuselage mated and the other with its wing center section assembled. Both will have started their flight tests before the end of the year. In the fall, UAC will be prepared for signing a LRIP batch contract with the Defense Ministry.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## CougarKing

Not sure whether to believe this, considering the source:

Sputnik News



> *I See You: Russian-Made Sunflower Radar is Capable of Detecting F-35 Jets*
> Tech
> 17:40 02.07.2016
> © Sputnik/ Vitaliy Ankov
> 
> The Podsolnukh short-range over-the-horizon surface-wave radar is developed by Moscow-based OJSC NPK NIIDAR. The Russian Defense Ministry plans to deploy several of these systems in the Arctic, as well as on Russia's southern and western borders.
> 
> The radar is capable of detecting sea surface and air objects at a maximum distance of 500 kilometers (over 310 miles) at different altitudes in line of sight and over the horizon. The Podsolnukh "can simultaneously detect, track and classify up top 300 sea and 100 aerial targets in an automatic mode," the Global Security website detailed.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## Lightguns

Claim, counter claim.  Better to see it in action first.


----------



## tomahawk6

Putin is building a hypersonic stealth bomber called PAK-DA strategic bomber to drop nuclear weapons from space.Quite an expensive program.I hope we in the US are not too far behind.The engine is able to fly in air and space.quite a feat.Maybe even a game changer.

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/russia-building-hypersonic-stealth-bomber-can-launch-nuclear-bombs-space-1570625?utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=rss&utm_content=/rss/yahoous/news&yptr=yahoo






In October 2015, a representative of the Russian Military Academy reported plans to combine an air-rocket ramjet engine with a pulsating combustion chamber. The new aircraft—equipped with an engine able to work both in airspace and outer space—was, at the time, conveniently needed for delivering supplies to an international orbit station, the representative explained.

Judging by recent developments, a lot has changed.

Just one day after NATO’s Warsaw Summit came to a close, Russia announced to the world she was aggressively building a hypersonic aerospace bomber to make nuclear strikes from outer space possible. The engine’s projected speed will allow the bomber to reach any point on Earth in under two hours.

A functional model of the bomber’s engine will be developed by 2020, Colonel Alexei Solodovnikov told RIA News. Solodovnikov is the project’s general contractor as well as a professor of Strategic Missile Forces at the Military Academy.


----------



## CBH99

T6, you guys are still well ahead of the curve with your Aurora program.    :Tin-Foil-Hat:


----------



## Good2Golf

CBH99 said:
			
		

> T6, you guys are still well ahead of the curve with your Aurora program.    :Tin-Foil-Hat:



...pshawwww.  'AURORA' is so (not  ) 90s....

 ;D


----------



## Good2Golf

Any reason a ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead that can be launched from a Russian SSBN with just minutes of flight time to the U.S. seaboard isn't already the highest threat capability?  PAK-DA just seems like Tier-2 posturing...save the money and keep riding horses bare-chested for popularity... :

G2G


----------



## CougarKing

Another Russian helo shot down over Syria:

Specialops.org

*Russian helicopter shot down in Syria*








> A Russian *Mi-8 helicopter* has been shot down by ground fire in Syria following delivery of humanitarian supplies to Aleppo, the Defense Ministry said. Three crew and two officers from Russia’s Reconciliation Center died, according to a Kremlin statement.



Specialops.org

*Body of Russian pilot dragged through dirt after helicopter is shot down over Syria*


----------



## tomahawk6

Aljazeera better watch out.Their reporters were first on the scene and hammed it up for the camera.Russia isnt happy at all.Just because your helmet says PRESS,wont save you from Russian retribution.


----------



## Lightguns

Funny, I thought I would feel different about this when it was Russians but it still offends me as a soldier.  I do not understand the need for that part of the world to disrespect the dead.  These aren't even ISIL types.


----------



## tomahawk6

Lightguns said:
			
		

> Funny, I thought I would feel different about this when it was Russians but it still offends me as a soldier.  I do not understand the need for that part of the world to disrespect the dead.  These aren't even ISIL types.



Agreed very disgusting.

http://16004-presscdn-0-50.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/aljazeera-chopper-575x318.png


----------



## MarkOttawa

Good2Golf:



> Any reason a ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead that can be launched from a Russian SSBN with just minutes of flight time to the U.S. seaboard isn't already the highest threat capability?..



Plus SLCMs--see end of main quote here and third piece below:



> US Worrying Seriously About Russian Cruise Missiles
> https://cgai3ds.wordpress.com/2015/06/19/mark-collins-us-worrying-seriously-about-russian-cruise-missiles/



Recently:



> USN “Admiral Warns: Russian Subs Waging Cold War-Style ‘Battle of the Atlantic’”–and RCN?
> https://cgai3ds.wordpress.com/2016/06/03/mark-collins-usn-admiral-warns-russian-subs-waging-cold-war-style-battle-of-the-atlantic-and-rcn/



Earlier the JLENS angle:



> US Concerned About Russian Submarines with Nuclear Armed Cruise Missiles Near Washington
> http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/natosource/us-concerned-about-russian-submarines-with-nuclear-armed-cruise-missiles-near-washington



Mark 
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa

More on cruise missile threat from bombers (further links at original):



> What Makes Russia’s New Tu-160M2 Blackjack Supersonic Bomber Special
> 
> Russia’s new Tupolev Tu-160M2 Blackjack supersonic strategic bomber is expected to make its first flight in late 2018 and enter into full-rate production by 2021. The Tu-160M2 is a new upgraded variant of the late Soviet-era Blackjack, which was built in very small numbers before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
> 
> “The first Tu-160M2 is expected to take off by the end of 2018, followed by full-scale production in 2021,” Col. Gen. Viktor Bondarev, commander of the Russian Air Force told the state-owned RIA Novosti news outlet.
> 
> The new date reflects a slight shift from previous Russian government statements, which had indicated the new production Blackjack would fly in 2019 with production starting in 2023. Many analysts, expect that the new Blackjack will become the backbone of the Russian strategic bomber force of the future assuming Moscow can find the funding for the project in the current economic climate.
> 
> The Tu-160M2—though it more or less retains the same airframe—is practically a new aircraft under the hood. The new bomber will feature completely new mission systems and possibly be powered by upgraded versions of the existing Kuznetsov NK-32 afterburning turbofan. The Russians plan to buy about fifty of the new Tu-160 variant, however it is not clear if the 16 original model Tu-160 airframes will be upgraded to the new standard.
> 
> Moscow can make do with the upgraded Tu-160M2 for its strategic bomber force because unlike the United States Air Force, the Russian Air Force does not expect the massive aircraft to penetrate into enemy airspace to deliver its payload. Instead, the Tu-160—which is capable of speeds of over Mach 2.0—would dash into position to launch long-range standoff cruise missiles. As such, stealth is not considered to be particularly important. Indeed, one of the advantages of a highly visible strategic bomber is that it enables nuclear signaling.
> 
> But the Tu-160M2 is not likely to replace the long-serving Tupolev Tu-95 Bear—the two bombers will likely operate side-by-side for decades to come...
> 
> For the Russian Air Force, the bomber’s payload of cruise missiles is far more important than the bomber itself. The stealthy new Kh-101—which proved itself over Syria—and its Kh-102 nuclear-tipped variant are both designed to penetrate into heavily defended enemy airspace—allowing the bomber to strike from afar. Both missiles have ranges well in excess of 1800 miles and will comprise the primary armament for the Russian strategic bomber fleet...
> 
> _Dave Majumdar is the defense editor for the National Interest. You can follow him on Twitter_: @davemajumdar.
> http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/what-makes-russias-new-tu-160m2-blackjack-supersonic-bomber-17252



Very relevant:



> NORAD and Russian Cruise Nukes: “de-escalation”? Part 2
> https://cgai3ds.wordpress.com/2016/06/30/mark-collins-norad-and-russian-cruise-nukes-de-escalation-part-2/



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## CougarKing

Backfires in the news again:

Air Recognition



> *Russia plans to equip Tu-22M3 long-range bombers with new Kh-32 cruise missile*
> 
> Russia is finalizing the trials of a sophisticated cruise missile designated as Kh-32 and intended to equip the Tupolev Tu-22M3 supersonic long-range bomber fleet, according to the Izvestia daily. Once launched, the product of the Raduga Design Bureau climbs to an altitude of 40 km, to the stratosphere, to dive on the target at a steep angle.
> 
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## CougarKing

New Su34s based on Russia's Pacific coast:

*Sukhoi hands over new batch of Su-34 strike fighters to Russian Air Force* 

Air Recognition - 01 September 2016



> A source in the Russian armed forces said the batch includes* five tactical Su-34 bombers for the 277th bomber aircraft regiment of the Eastern military district deployed at the Khurba airfield in Khabarovsk region.* The previous batch of four aircraft was handed over to the Russian armed forces in May 2016. The aircraft were also deployed in the 277th regiment.








A RuAF Su-34 strike fighter
(Credit: Alex Beltyukov)


----------



## CougarKing

An upgrade for their naval air arm's fighters:

IHS Jane's 360 



> *Russian carrier-based Su-33 fighters receiving new bombing computer*
> - 16 September 2016
> The SVP-24 is a specialised navigation and targeting system produced by Russian avionics developer Gefest and T. It enables combat aircraft to deliver conventional ordnance with accuracy approaching guided munitions, Russian sources claim. Historically the Su-33 had only a basic air-to-ground capability.
> 
> Gefest and T has now delivered the first Su-33 with SVP-24 under its contract signed with the MoD, and is installing the system on two more naval fighters. The company expects to put SVP-24 on all aircraft in the squadron before Russian Navy carrier Admiral Kuznetsov deploys to the eastern Mediterranean in November, according to Izvestia . The carrier's air group will likely consist of 10 Su-33 and four MiG-29KR fighters.


----------



## The Bread Guy

Although there's some army refs in this piece, it's mostly about RUS AF lessons learned -- shared with the usual disclaimers ...


> The Syrian army and its allies are close to pushing anti-government rebels out of Aleppo as thousands of civilians flee the fighting, leaving the regime of Bashar al-Assad close to taking the smoking ruins of the country’s second-largest city.
> 
> Moscow’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed the Syrian army was holding fire Thursday, allowing civilians to leave the city before government forces fight their way through the last remaining rebel neighborhoods, with Russian aircraft providing cover overhead. Activists in the city reported continuing airstrikes and rocket assaults on Friday however, despite the Russian claims.
> 
> The fall of Aleppo will mark a major victory for both Assad and and his ally, Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose 15-month intervention in the Syrian civil war was launched to prop up the faltering Assad regime under the guise of fighting the Islamic State.
> 
> But there was another reason for the campaign of Russian air strikes and special operations support: providing Moscow with a venue to show off its newly modernized military hardware.
> 
> After years of mouldering away under post Cold war budget crunches, Putin has spent billions to modernize the Russian arsenal, churning out new tanks, submarines, drones, cruise missiles, and fighter jets that have pounded both Syrian rebels as well as Ukrainian troops in eastern Ukraine’s Donbass region.
> 
> Speaking with senior military officers at the Kremlin on Wednesday, Putin said that the military should use those experiences to “equip the Army and the Navy with prospective weapons” for future fights.
> 
> While many are focused on the Russian armor and sorties, some in the U.S. defense establishment have noticed another sign of Russian progress: their ability to work through local forces in Ukraine and Syria, allowing Moscow to exert influence while keeping deployments small, costs down, and troops away from the front lines.
> 
> “The Russians have become quite adept at working with proxy forces,” a senior Defense official told FP. ”In Ukraine, it’s obviously the so-called separatist forces – Russian trained, Russian equipped, in some cases Russian commanded,” over which “they exercise an exquisite command and control.”
> 
> In Syria, U.S. officials have seen small groups of Russian special operations forces “work quite effectively” with Assad regime troops and the Iranian Qods Force and Hezbollah. “That’s been their M.O. in the Donbass and in Syria,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
> 
> The ability of the Russians to work so effectively through partners — some of which are separated by language — has impressed some analysts, given how difficult it is to work with other nations, let alone foreign militia groups.
> 
> “This is something the U.S. has had trouble with, even people we’ve worked with for ages, like our NATO allies,” said Olga Oliker, director of the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
> 
> Russia has had long relationships with the Iranians and Syrians, which makes some interaction easier, particularly when it comes to coordinating Russian planes flying air support for ground offensives by Syrian and Iranian-backed forces.
> 
> “They rely a lot on the Syrians and Iranians for targeting information, and the country that provides that information has a lot of power,” added Oliker, resulting in a dynamic in which the Russians are likely unable to confirm who they’re bombing.
> 
> Russian forces realized early on that while they could change facts on the ground, their intervention came too late to save a Syrian army which had been ground down by constant combat and desertions. “The Russian military has been frustrated by both the Syrian army which exists in name only, and Iranian forces pursuing their own objectives,” said Michael Kofman, a research scientist at CNA Corporation.
> 
> But by deploying aircraft, helicopters, and launching cruise missiles at rebel targets, Moscow has “turned Syria into both a weapons testing ground and a large operational exercise,” from which their military and defense industry have been gaining invaluable insights, Kofman said. The combination of militia forces, Russian private military contractors and special forces provide a potent mix for the Russian way of war — a war being fought against American and Western backed forces in both Ukraine and Syria.
> 
> But there have been other benefits for Moscow.
> 
> Russian weapons sales have been on the rise for the past several years, and Moscow’s interventions in Ukraine and Syria have offered a valuable marketing platform to sell foreign clients on its technologies that come cheaper than equipment made by NATO nations, and without western world’s political strings attached.
> 
> In July, Putin noted that exports of Russian-made weapons and military equipment reached $4.6 billion for the first half of 2016, and “we should continue to highlight the demonstration of our weapon manufacturers’ achievements.”
> 
> One unexpected demonstration that was subsequently touted by Russian officials came in February, when Syrian rebels fired an American-made TOW missile at an advanced Russian T-90 tank. The missile hit it squarely in the turret but failed to destroy the tank, and in a video posted by the rebels, a Syrian soldier could be seen climbing out of the turret after the smoke cleared.
> 
> But other aspects of the Russian intervention haven’t always gone as planned, exposing the limits of its military might. Over the past month, two fighter planes have crashed into the Mediterranean while trying to land on the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, which itself has become an Internet meme for the black smoke belching from its smokestack and the tugboat it is forced to deploy with due to frequent breakdowns.
> 
> Another Russian Su-24 fighter was shot down by a an American-made Turkish F-16 after it allegedly strayed into Turkish territory in November 2015, with one pilot managing to survive the crash. During the rescue mission, a Russian Mi-8 helicopter was damaged by ground fire, then blown up by Free Syrian Army rebels with a U.S.-made TOW missile. The incident was filmed by the rebels and promptly posted online.


----------



## The Bread Guy

Changes in RUS air transport ...


> *Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has issued instructions to study the possibility of replacing the Tupolev Tu-154, Tu-134 and Ilyushin Il-62M passenger planes by new Russian counterparts, Kommersant daily writes on Friday citing sources close to the Russian Defense Ministry and air carriers’ management teams.*
> 
> "Consultations are now underway with the industry to select the best options," one of the sources said.
> 
> According to the paper, the Russian Defense Ministry and enterprises that are part of Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation are to agree on a "roadmap", decide which aircraft will be taken out of service in the first place and build a production schedule for the plants.
> 
> "Tu-154 could be replaced by the SSJ 100 short-haul aircraft, and Il-62 and Tu-154 - by the Tu-214 longer-range plane. The military is presently working on this issue," a source in the industry said.
> 
> According to the sources quoted by the paper, the minister ordered to upgrade the Defense Ministry’s fleet without attracting additional funding. The exact deadlines have not been disclosed.
> 
> The reason for renovating the Russian Defense Ministry’s passenger fleet was the crash of the ministry’s Tupolev Tu-154 plane near Sochi on December 25, 2016. The aircraft, en route to Syria, crashed shortly after taking off from the Black Sea resort of Sochi ...


----------



## MarkOttawa

Very much upgraded:



> New MiG-35 “Fulcrum Foxtrot” Demonstrated For Putin and Foreign Market
> _MiG-35 Demo is Both Product Debut and Contrast of Russian and Western Doctrine in the F-35 Era._
> 
> In a widely publicized event on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017 the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau (MiG) parented by United Aircraft Corporation officially demonstrated the new MiG-35 to the Russian government. A subsequent demonstration for export customers was carried out today Jan. 27.
> 
> Russian President Vladimir Putin is reported to have viewed the first demonstration via remote video due to poor weather in the region.
> 
> The new MiG-35 (NATO reporting name: “Fulcrum Foxtrot”) is a greatly upgraded aircraft based on the earlier MiG-29 airframe. Significant upgrades on the MiG-35 include a completely new fly-by-wire flight control system, vastly improved cockpit, substantially upgraded avionics and an overall design philosophy that provides an enhanced degree of operational autonomy on the MiG-35 compared to earlier Russian combat aircraft. The MiG-35 will also integrate precision-guided targeting capability for air-to-ground weapons, a rarity in previous Russian air-ground doctrine.
> 
> There is a significant engine upgrade on the new MiG-35. The aircraft uses two impressive Klimov RD-33OVT engines fitted with bi-directional thrust vectoring nozzles. This contrasts aircraft like the current Russian Su-35 and the U.S. F-22 Raptor that only use single-axis vertical thrust vectoring.
> 
> This marks a fascinating departure from previous Soviet-era combat aircraft capabilities while retaining the Russian penchant for lower unit cost in exchange for numerical superiority, a doctrine that has pervaded Russian military thinking for the entire century.
> 
> The Russians have always traded unit capability for numerical superiority, relying on the hope that quantity would beat quality in a major conflict. Interestingly, this doctrine has shifted moderately toward a centrist mix of quality and quantity apparently in search of the best solution for indigenous use as well as attracting export buyers.
> 
> The new MiG-35 is an example of this shift.
> 
> Russia has included significant sensor and capability upgrades on all recent combat aircraft, especially ones intended for the export market. Additionally, the reported domestic production for MiG-35 is only 37 aircraft, a very small acquisition by older Soviet and even modern Russian standards. A larger production capacity is earmarked for export sales, likely in the form of a 50-unit order from Egypt...
> https://theaviationist.com/2017/01/27/new-mig-35-fulcrum-foxtrot-demonstrated-for-putin-and-foreign-market/



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa

Stealth fighter delayed--remember Indians also involved in project (further links at original):



> Cold Water on PAK FA
> 
> ODK General Director Aleksandr Artyukhov has dampened the prospects for Russia’s developmental fifth generation fighter aircraft, the T-50 or PAK FA.  Friday [Jan. 27] in Lukhovitsy at the presentation of the MiG-35, Artyukhov told RIA Novosti that R&D on PAK FA’s “second phase” engine won’t be complete until 2020.
> 
> This contrasts with the more hopeful announcement late last year from Sukhoy aircraft plant KnAAZ when the “second phase” engine or “item 30” commenced stand tests.
> 
> ODK’s Artyukhov told the media that the plan is to begin flight tests of the “second phase” engine this year.
> 
> Existing prototypes fly with the first phase or “item 117S” engine (AL-41F1S). However, “item 30” advertises reduced infrared signature, increased thrust, supercruise, improved fuel efficiency, and lower life-cycle costs.
> 
> Artyukhov’s predecessor said more than two years ago that a PAK FA with a “second phase” engine would not fly until 2017.  ODK once hoped this would happen in 2015, but OAK’s former chief Mikhail Pogosyan said possibly not even before 2019.
> 
> But even with a tested “item 30” engine, it will be a challenge to integrate and test it fully this year.  So the first PAK FA fighters to reach the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) will probably have “item 117S” engines.
> 
> As the PAK FA’s engine has slipped, so has the aircraft itself...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> https://russiandefpolicy.blog/2017/01/29/cold-water-on-pak-fa/



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa

New Backfire building--RCAF/NORAD ALCM note:



> First test flight of new Russian Tu-160M2 missile carrier is scheduled for 2018
> 
> Kazan aircraft plant has completed the industrial welding of the first Tu-160M2 Blackjacks missile carrier. The Deputy Defence Minister Yuri Borisov said this information to journalists during his visit to the plant.
> 
> As reported The Deputy Defence Minister Yuri Borisov during his visit that, The Ministry of Defence confirms the previously announced dates: the first test flight of the aircraft is scheduled for 2018, and the beginning of mass production in 2021.
> 
> “A great job is done, we have several times addressed with words of gratitude to the industry that in a relatively short time, ahead of previously set schedules restored processes, associated with the reproduction of the Tu-160M2,” – said Yuri Borisov.
> 
> The new Blackjacks are going to be practically a new design under the hood with completely new avionics, propulsion and even airframe modifications. As such the aircraft will be given a secondary precision-guided munitions capability.
> 
> The Tu-160M2, a modernized version Russia’s much-acclaimed Tu-160 strategic bomber, will _carry an impressive arsenal of Kh-555 and Kh-101 cruise missiles, and also the latter’s nuclear-tipped version, the Kh-102_ [emphasis added].
> 
> The Kh-555 boasts an advance flight control system allowing the missile to change curse on the go. The Kh-555 carries a cluster or fragmentation/incendiary warhead and has an effective range of over 2,000 kilometers (over 1,240 miles).
> 
> _The Kh-101 is even deadlier, capable of taking out targets up to 5,500 kilometers away (3,400 miles)_ [emphasis added].
> http://defence-blog.com/news/first-test-flight-of-new-russian-tu-160m2-missile-carrier-is-scheduled-for-2018.html



Last year, note links at end:



> NORAD and Russian Cruise Nukes: “de-escalation”? Part 2
> https://cgai3ds.wordpress.com/2016/06/30/mark-collins-norad-and-russian-cruise-nukes-de-escalation-part-2/



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa

Russian ALCMs p. 37, most important threat to my mind RCAF must deal with, including bomber carriers (but also those SLCMs, same page)--DIA report:



> Document: Pentagon Ballistic and Cruise Missile Threat Report
> https://news.usni.org/2017/06/27/document-pentagon-ballistic-and-cruise-missile-threat



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa

Re NORAD: _DIA Russia Military Power_--Note nuclear pre-emption (sometimes called "de-escalation")PDF pp. 22, 35:
http://www.dia.mil/Portals/27/Documents/News/Military%20Power%20Publications/Russia%20Military%20Power%20Report%202017.pdf

Mark
Ottaw


----------



## MarkOttawa

_On verra_, Putin seems to be having some cash probs--but the propaganda machinery pumps on:



> Russia to Build 5th Generation Fighter-Interceptor in Addition to PAK FA, PAK DA
> https://sputniknews.com/military/201707141055552730-russia-fifth-generation-figher-interceptor/
> 
> Russia’s advanced MiG-35 fighter jet to go into serial production in 2019
> https://thebalticstatespost.wordpress.com/2017/07/16/russias-advanced-mig-35-fighter-jet-to-go-into-serial-production-in-2019/



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa

Meanwhile RuAF budget woes:



> UAC Plans For Constrained Russian Defense Budgets
> 
> The Russian Air Force has been a major customer of the state-sponsored United Aircraft Corp. (UAC) for almost a decade. Since the peak of deliveries to the service passed in 2015, however, the future of the Russian manufacturer’s defense products is likely to be more limited and more focused on new designs—depending, of course, on how much funding is available in the military’s next rearmament program.
> 
> UAC delivered 98 combat aircraft to the air force and foreign customers last year, down from 124 aircraft in 2015—when deliveries to the Russian military peaked under the government rearmament program running from 2011-20. The total budget for that time frame is 20 trillion rubles ($336 billion). Deliveries for the remaining years are likely to be decreased because of general cuts to Russia’s federal budget. “We are starting to adjust the government defense orders according to the decision of the Russian government,” Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said in June. Ninety percent of defense orders for this year have already been placed, he added.
> 
> With that budget decline in mind, Russian manufacturers are pinning their hopes on a new rearmament program for 2018-25. Its approval is expected this September. But the anticipated amount has already been decreased. The defense ministry initially requested $926.8 billion, but Russian media cited government sources in June who said the final program’s budget will be around $286.5 billion.
> UAC Looks Ahead
> 
> T-50 fighter prototype to fly with new engine near year-end
> 
> Speed is lower priority for future strategic bomber
> 
> Russian military to pursue future heavy unmanned aircraft
> 
> UAC consolidation planned for 2019
> 
> With a smaller budget, the program now is likely to be more focused on new armaments rather than modernization of existing platforms.
> 
> For the air force this means completion of the development of Russia’s fifth-generation fighter—the Sukhoi T-50. The aircraft that first took off in January 2010 is being tested now by the air force. The service expects two more prototypes—the 10th and 11th airframes—to join the trials this year, according to Deputy Defense Minister Yury Borisov. T-50 prototypes now fly with Al-41F engines, but Borisov says trials with new powerplants are expected to start by year-end. The engines, known as Item 30, are developed by Russia’s United Engine Corp.
> 
> _Deliveries of the new fighters will start after 2018. “The first purchase of the production T-50 aircraft is planned under the next government rearmament program for 2018-25_ [emphasis added],” Borisov says.
> 
> Until then, the air force is likely to rely on the generation 4++ Sukhoi Su-35, a midlife upgrade of the proven Flanker airframe. The military _already operates more than 50 aircraft of the type and will have almost 100 airframes by 2020_ [emphasis added, not big numbers]. Nevertheless, the type will not officially be placed in service until year-end, Borisov says. He adds that the fighter will be modernized based on experience gained in its Syrian operations.
> 
> Another priority of the next program is likely to be the future strategic bomber developed under the PAK DA program. Its preliminary design was completed in 2016.
> 
> According to Borisov, this future aircraft should be capable of remaining airborne for long stretches of time, taking off and landing at any airfield while carrying an abundance of armament—and remaining invisible. “But the requirement for speed is not as important anymore because of the new parameters of the air-delivered weapons,” he says.
> 
> According to Vice Premier Dmitry Rogozin, the _new bomber may appear in 2023-24. As with fighters, the military has a “fall-back option”—the Tu-160M2—an upgraded Tupolev Tu-160 legacy bomber. It should be ready by 2023_ [emphasis added] and will be also used to test technical solutions for PAK DA aircraft.
> 
> “The avionics suite that we plan for Tu-160M2 should migrate to PAK DA as much as possible. The airframe and the engines will naturally be new, but where we can harmonize and save on development, we will do this to make these programs cheaper,” Borisov says...
> http://aviationweek.com/aviation-week-space-technology/uac-plans-constrained-russian-defense-budgets



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa

More MiG-35 (cf. Sukhoi success):



> Russia’s State Armaments Program Supports MiG-35 Orders
> 
> ZHUKOVSKY, MOSCOW OBLAST—Russian aircraft corporation MiG has been thrown a lifeline by the Russian government.
> 
> Russia’s State Armaments Program for 2018-25 supports procurement of the Mikoyan MiG-35 lightweight multirole fighter, Deputy Minister of Defense Yuriy Borisov confirmed at the MAKS Air Show here July 18.
> 
> The confirmation came on the opening day of the show, where the MiG-35 has taken center stage in the hopes of luring domestic and foreign military customers. The armaments program, similar to the White Paper process, details how much will be spent on military modernization over the short and medium-term, and which forces should be prioritized or modernized. It seems replacing the Russian Aerospace Force’s remaining Soviet-era MiG-29s with the new MiG-35 is a high enough priority to make the list.
> 
> Since the end of the Cold War, the Mikoyan Design Bureau has struggled to gain widespread market attention compared to Sukhoi, which boasts strong state support for its super maneuverable Su-30 multirole fighter, Su-34 tactical bomber and future T-50 fifth-generation warplane, as well as the Sukhoi Superjet commercial airliner. There has even been recent discussions within United Aircraft Corporation about merging Mikoyan and Sukhoi.
> 
> Borisov said during a press briefing that the Russian Armed Forces would begin buying aircraft once the State Armaments Program (GPV) is rolled out...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://aviationweek.com/defense/russia-s-state-armaments-program-supports-mig-35-orders



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa

NORAD note, cruise missiles in mind:



> Russia Upgrades Tu-160M2 Bombers
> 
> The United Engine Corporation announced that it has begun bench test on their new NK-32 02 engine. The new engine has been designed for the Tupolev-160M2 strategic bomber.
> 
> “The bench tests of the new NK-32 02 series engines meant for the strategic missile carrying bomber Tupolev-160M2 are in progress at the public joint stock company PAO Kuznetsov in Samara,” the UEC said.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Tu-160 launching Kh-101 against targets in Syria, November 2015_
> 
> The upgrade will enhance fuel efficiency and endurance.
> 
> “Its endurance has been improved. Equipped with this engine, the Tupolev-160M2 bomber will have far greater capabilities, including a longer range of flight,” the UEC said.
> 
> In 2015, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered to resume the production of the Tu-160M2 strategic bomber. More than 50 bombers have been planned according to Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov as well as six engines should be fully operational for the strategic bomber in the first quarter of 2018.
> 
> The Tu-160M2 has a service flight range of more than 12,000 km and a combat radius of 7,300 km. Its two internal bays can carry up to 40,000 kg (88,185 lb) of ordnance including two internal rotary launchers each holding _6× Raduga Kh-55SM/101/102/555 cruise missiles (primary armament)_ [emphasis added] or 12× AS-16 Kickback short-range nuclear missiles.
> http://conflictobserver.com/russia-upgrades-tu-160m2-bombers/



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## Good2Golf

Love the math: 50 bombers planned and six engines for 2018.  I'd call that 1.5 Tu-160s, or one Tu-160 with spares.

G2G


----------



## MarkOttawa

Improving their stealth fighter:

/web12-2017-3-pakfa-at-maks-2017.jpg?itok=nHvKj4pX&timestamp=1513017915[/img]



> Powerful New Engines Take Flight on the Sukhoi Su-57
> 
> New and more powerful engines have been installed on the second prototype Sukhoi Su-57 fifth-generation fighter, which is also known by its Russian acronym PAKFA. The stealthy jet made its first flight with the new "Item 30" powerplants on December 5. The flight lasted for 17 minutes and was uneventful, according to Sukhoi chief test pilot Sergei Bogdan.
> 
> The Item 30 engine is described as a generation ahead of the AL-41FM1 that powers the other Su-57s. It provides about two tonnes more thrust at takeoff, at 17,000 kg (37,500 pounds) and therefore gives a notable boost to the Su-57’s thrust-to-weight ratio. Unlike the older practice of one design bureau heading the development process, the new engine is a joint effort of several specialized design houses and engineering teams at manufacturing plants, each taking work packages from the central office of the United Engine Corporation (Russian acronym ODK). Key companies taking part in the development effort for the Item 30 are UMPO in Ufa, Saturn in Rybinsk, and Salut in Moscow.
> 
> The Russian defense ministry previously agreed to launch development and limited production of the Su-57 with AL-41FM1 engines, because of the lack of a bona-fide next-generation engine more suitable to the airframe and its systems. Ten development prototypes of the Su-57 made their first flights between 2010 and 2014. The defense ministry has additionally ordered 12 production fighters. Deliveries will commence next year, and under current plans, the Russian air force expects two or three Su-57s by the end of 2018 and the rest in 2019.
> 
> But the AL-41FM1 has itself been described as a next-generation engine by the Rybinsk-based Saturn manufacturing company. Saturn (which took over the Moscow-based design house named after Arkhip Lyulka) developed the AL-41FM1 from the AL-31F that powers the Sukhoi Su-27/30/34 family of fighters, via the AL-41F, which never entered service. That larger engine, also known as "Item 20," was intended to power the Mikoyan Article 1.42/1.44 and Sukhoi Su-37. But it did not go into quantity production because both fighter types were shelved after short flight trials. The Russian air force opted instead for a lighter fighter, falling between the MiG-29 and Su-27 in size, for which the original AL-41F developing about 20,000 kg (44,000 pounds) was too big.
> 
> Compared with the AL-31F, the AL-41FM1 (also known as "Item 117") has an increased-diameter fan of 934 mm versus 905 mm (36.8 inches versus 35.6 inches) and runs at higher gas temperatures through the use of modern construction materials. It develops 14,500 kg (32,000 pounds) of thrust and weighs about 1,450 kg (3,200 pounds), whereas the AL-31F develops between 12,300 and 12,800 kg (27,000-28,000 pounds) of thrust and weighs about 1,500 kg (3,300 pounds)
> 
> Another version of the Item 117 engine, designated AL-41F1S, was selected for the Sukhoi Su-35S multirole fighter that entered service in 2014. The latter was accepted by the Russian air and space force as a transition type between the fourth and fifth generation of fighters. More than half of the nearly 100 Su-35s on order have now been delivered to the Russian air force.
> 
> How many Su-57s will be delivered with AL-41FM1 engines before production switches to the new Item 30 powerplants is not yet clear. ODK and UAC officials say that testing of the latter will take a couple of years.
> https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2017-12-11/powerful-new-engines-take-flight-sukhoi-su-57



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa

Engines:



> Russia's New Su-57 Stealth Fighter Has A Big Problem That Won't Be Fixed Until 2025
> 
> Russia has started testing its new Sukhoi Su-57 PAK-FA fifth-generation fighter with its new next-generation Saturn izdeliye 30 engines. The flight-testing with the new engines will run for several years. In the meantime, the Russians will build a dozen Su-57s equipped with interim Saturn AL-41F1 afterburning turbofans producing 32,500lbs thrust each for operational testing.
> 
> “They [the trials] have just begun. They will, of course, last several years," Yuri Slyusar, president of Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation told the Moscow-based TASS news agency.
> 
> There are few details available about the Saturn izdeliye 30 engines, but the new powerplant is expected to deliver 24,054lbs dry thrust and 39,566lbs of afterburning thrust. However, they should be ready for use around 2025. The Russian air force could buy as many as 160 of the next iteration of Su-57, which will be equipped with the new engines.
> 
> Right now, Moscow will only buy 12 Su-57 aircraft, which are expected to be delivered in 2019. Overall, the Russian air force is not likely to buy more than 60 of the initial version of the Su-57 in total...
> http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/russias-new-su-57-stealth-fighter-has-big-problem-wont-be-23643



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa

Note improved Kh-101 cruise missile's range, NORAD in mind:



> Upgraded Tu-160 Bomber Makes First Flight
> 
> The Tupolev Tu-160M2 made its first flight on January 25, and the Russian defense ministry confirmed an order for 10 of the swing-wing supersonic bombers worth 160 billion roubles ($2.8 billion). At the same time, the ministry said that the Tu-160’s main weapon, the Kh-101 cruise missile, has been improved based on combat experience over Syria.
> 
> Russian President Vladimir Putin witnessed the flight as he was visiting the Kazan Aircraft Production Association (KAPO). He described it as “a serious step forward in development of the high-tech sphere and in strengthening the defense capability of this country.” Surprisingly, he suggested that a civilian version of the airplane should be produced. In response, Yuri Slyusar, president of United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), announced that a supersonic civilian jet concept is already being studied.
> 
> The Tu-160M2 development prototype was completed and rolled out last November. It spent seven minutes in the air on its first flight, making some gentle maneuvers to assess handling qualities at a height of 300 meters (about 1,000 feet).
> 
> The Tu-160M2 and the newly suggested civil version will be powered by Kuznetsov NK-32-02 engines each developing a thrust of up to 25 tons (55,000 pounds). This is enough to take the world’s biggest combat jet to an altitude of 18,000 meters (59,000 feet) and to accelerate to Mach 2.0. The reduced fuel burn will confer an increase in range to over 12,000 km (6,500 nm), the range rising further by means of aerial refueling.
> 
> In 2015, the Russian defense ministry voiced its desire to procure as many as 50 improved Tu-160s and instructed KAPO to commence work on restoration of the type’s production line. So far, the investment into this has come to 37 billion roubles ($670 million). The _initial contract for 10 aircraft will extend production through 2027_ [emphasis added].
> 
> Between October 2015 and November 2017, Russian forces performed 166 launches of land-attack missiles at targets of ISIS and other terrorist organizations, including approximately 100 from naval platforms and the rest from the Tu-160 and Tu-95MS strategic bombers. Over Syria, the most widely used version of the Kh-101 was that with a 400 kg (880-pound) high-explosive warhead. It also comes with penetrating and cassette-type warheads.
> 
> According to Boris Obnosov, general director at the Tactical Missile Corporation (TMC), the recent improvements to the Kh-101 are to do with climate conditions and better planning of flight trajectories. Although the weapon performed well enough and scored many direct hits at assigned targets, there were, reportedly, several cases in which the missiles refused to leave the aircraft.
> 
> _According to the Russian media, the improved air-launched weapon has a maximum range of approximately 5,500 km (nearly 3,000 nm)_ [emphasis added], depending on cruise altitude, which ranges from 30 to 10,000 meters (100 to nearly 33,000 feet). It has a circular error probable within five meters (16.5 feet)...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _The Tu-160M2 prototype returns to land at Kazan after its maiden flight. (Photo: Russian President’s website)_
> https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2018-01-31/upgraded-tu-160-bomber-makes-first-flight



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa

Yikes!



> Russia Just Sent Its Best Fighter Plane to Syria
> _The Su-57 could soon encounter its rival, the F-22 Raptor, over the Middle East_
> 
> Moscow sent two of its most advanced fighter jets to Syria yesterday. The Su-57s flew into Khmeimim air base yesterday, representing a major escalation of Russian air power in the region. The deployment is a chance to test the jet in real-world conditions, but Russia risks losing the aircraft to guerrilla warfare—particularly drone attacks.
> 
> Last night, video circulating on social media purported to show two Su-57 jets landing at Khmeimim, Russian’s main air base in Syria. It's good to be skeptical of such rumors at first, since a lot of fake military news circulates on social media, such as China deploying its only aircraft carrier to Syria and American destroyers in the Black Sea suffering EMP-like blackouts due to Russia wonder weapons.
> 
> Early video of the Su-57 incident was shaky and abrupt, and nobody expected the Russians to send the Su-57 to Syria. Still, as more sightings, video and confirmation piled up it became clear the deployment was real...
> https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/a18659251/russia-su-57-syria-f-22/



Plus this tweet:
https://twitter.com/DefenseBaron/status/966744351404642304



> Kevin Baron‏ @DefenseBaron
> 
> JUST IN: Gen. Mike Holmes, @USAF_ACC, says at #AWS18 reported arrival of Russian stealth SU-57 fighter jets to Syria “raises the level of complexity for the (USAF) crew’s to deal with.”



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa

What's the Su-57 really all about?



> Close-up photos of Russia’s new ‘stealth’ jet reveal its true purpose — and it’s a big threat to the US
> 
> Russia’s fifth-generation fighter jet that made an appearance at Russia’s Victory Day parade isn’t really a stealth jet.
> The side-mounted radars on the Su-57 allow it to excel at a tactic called “beaming” that can trick the radars on US stealth jets.
> But it’s unclear now if Russia will ever produce the Su-57 in reasonable quantities.
> 
> Russia’s “fifth-generation,” “combat-tested,” “stealth” fighter jet has a lot of dubious claims made about it, but recent close-up photography of the plane from Russia’s Victory Day parade on May 9 reveals it’s just not a stealth jet.
> 
> Russia has tried to sell the plane as a stealth jet to India, but India backed out. Considering a shrinking economy and defense spending, it’s unclear now if Russia will ever produce the Su-57 in reasonable quantities.
> 
> Business Insider asked a senior scientist working on stealth aircraft how to evaluate the plane’s stealth, and the results were not good.
> 
> Take a look at the pictures below and see if you can spot what’s wrong [see original]:
> 
> The scientist, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of stealth work, pointed out six major problems from the pictures.
> 
> First, take a look at the seams between the flaps on the aircraft – they’re big. For reference, look at the US’s F-22, the stealthiest fighter jet on earth:
> 
> The flaps at the end of the wing have very tight seams, which don’t scatter radar waves, thereby maintaining a low profile.
> 
> Secondly, look at the Su-57’s vertical rear tails. They have a wide gap where they stray from the fuselage. Keeping a tight profile is essential to stealth, according to the scientist.
> 
> Look at the F-35’s rear tails for reference; they touch the whole way.
> 
> Third, look at the nose of the Su-57. It has noticeable seams around the canopy, which kills stealth. The F-35 and F-22 share a smooth, sloped look.
> 
> It’s likely Russia doesn’t have the machining technology to produce such a surface. The actual nose of the Su-57 looks bolted on with noticeable rivets.
> 
> Finally, take a look at the underside of the Su-57; it has rivets and sharp edges everywhere. “If nothing else convinces that no effort at [stealth] was attempted, this is the clincher,” the scientist said.
> Russia didn’t even try at stealth, but that’s not the purpose [read on]...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> https://www.businessinsider.nl/russian-su-57-stealth-jet-photos-reveal-its-a-threat-to-f-22-f-35-2018-5/



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## garb811

And...it looks like Russia is pulling the plug on the SU-57.

Russia admits defeat on its 'stealth' F-35 killer by canceling mass production of the Su-57 fighter jet



> Russia announced earlier this month that the Su-57, its proposed entry into the world of fifth-generation stealth-fighter aircraft, would not see mass production.
> 
> "The plane has proven to be very good, including in Syria, where it confirmed its performance and combat capabilities," Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said on Russian TV on July 2, as reported by The Diplomat.
> 
> But despite Russia's nonstop praise for the plane and dubious claims about its abilities, Borisov said, per The Diplomat: "The Su-57 is considered to be one of the best aircrafts produced in the world. Consequently, it does not make sense to speed up work on mass-producing the fifth-generation aircraft."
> 
> Justin Bronk, a combat-aviation expert at the Royal United Services Institute, told Business Insider that Borisov's comments "could be charitably described as an unreasonably optimistic reason why they stopped production."
> 
> Basically, Borisov said the plane is so much better than everything out there that Russia doesn't need to build it — a claim Bronk finds unlikely.
> 
> Instead, Russia will stick to what it's good at, with upgraded fourth-generation aircraft in service instead of the Su-57, which was originally meant to replace the older fighters.
> 
> The Su-57, a plane designed to function as a killer of US F-35 and F-22 stealth jets with an innovative array of radars, saw a brief period of combat over Syria, but the deployment lasted only days and didn't pit the jet against any threats befitting a world-class fighter.
> 
> ...
> 
> More at link above.


----------



## MarkOttawa

Let's see what's actually delivered when:



> Su-57 and MiG-35 Land Russian Orders During Army 2018
> 
> During the Army 2018 military-technical forum held August 21-26 at Kubinka, west of Moscow, the Russian defense ministry signed a total of 32 contracts with 20 Russian manufacturers. The value of the orders exceeded 130 billion roubles (nearly $2 billion) and calls for the delivery of 600 pieces of equipment and the modernization of 1,500 more.
> 
> The signing took place on August 22, followed by a press briefing by deputy defense minister Alexei Krivoruchko, who commented, “Fulfilment of these contracts will see the Russian armed forces taking the most modern weapons, with a focus on precision strike systems and munitions for them.”
> 
> He did not release any figures except one. _With previous agreements taken into account, the Russian defense ministry shall receive 15 Sukhoi Su-57 fifth-generation fighters_ [emphasis added]. “We find this airplane as state-of-the-art," Krivoruchko said. "We shall receive 15 such aircraft new from the factory, with the first one due next year. This aircraft is a design success as it surpasses all of its foreign analogues, has undergone all sorts of trials, and gained some combat experience.” The initial production batch will be followed by shipments of more aircraft in improved versions that are now in development. In particular, the customer expects an upgraded variant, now undergoing flights trials, to become available in quantities from 2023.
> 
> Also speaking at the briefing, United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) president Yuri Slyusar said that judging by their price-performance ratios, the Su-57 and MiG-35 represent the best solution in their classes, respectively. He described the contracts signed on August 22 as those for quantity production of both types. The Su-57 will provide the base for an aircraft family, as the Su-27 did, he added. “The Su-57 is a basic platform that will develop, undergo modernization, and re-engining. In the process, we will install more and more advanced systems, so as to expand the combat capabilities and functionality of the baseline aircraft. This shall shape the future of our aviation for many years ahead.”..
> 
> Although there is _no official announcement on figures for the long-awaited MiG-35 order, industry sources claimed the initial contract is only for six aircraft_ [emphasis added]...
> https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2018-08-27/su-57-and-mig-35-land-russian-orders-during-army-2018



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa

Note fighter escorts--serious complicating factor for RCAF?



> NORAD Released A Photo Of A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor Shadowing A Russian Tu-95MS Bear Bomber During Intercept Off Alaska
> 
> _This time the Bear bombers were escorted by Su-35 jets._
> 
> On Sept. 11, at approximately 10 PM EDT, two U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor fighter jets “positively identified and intercepted two Russian Tu-95MS A“Bear-H” bombers west of Alaska.
> 
> Nothing special then, considered that a similar intercept had occurred on Sept. 1. However, this time the Russian bombers, flying in international airspace but inside the Alaskan ADIZ (Air Defense Identification Zone) – a special zone, that can extend well beyond a country’s territory where aircraft without authorization may be identified as a threat and treated as an enemy aircraft, leading to an interception and VID (Visual Identification) by fighter aircraft – were accompanied by two Russian Su-35 “Flanker” fighter jets.
> 
> F-22s are among the aircraft in QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) scrambled by NORAD in support of Operation Noble Eagle, launched in the aftermath of 9/11 to prevent a recurrence of Sept. 11, 2001-style air attacks in U.S. and Canada.
> 
> This is not the first time some Flanker jets operate alongside the Russian bombers on their long range sorties. Indeed, this is what this Author wrote commenting the previous intercept earlier this month:
> 
> "Such close encounters are quite frequent and may also involve fighters, as happened in 2017, when the Bears were escorted by two Su-35S Flanker-E jets, and an A-50 AEW (Airborne Early Warning) aircraft. Anyway, this is the second time that Russian Bears pay a visit to the Alaskan ADIZ: on May 12, 2018, two F-22s were launched to perform a VID and escort two Tu-95 on a similar mission in the Northern Pacific."
> 
> In fact, in May 2017, a “mini-package” of two Russian nuclear-capable Tu-95MS Bear bombers escorted by two Su-35S Flanker-E jets and supported by an A-50 Mainstay flew inside the Alaskan ADIZ (Air Defense Identification Zone), and was intercepted by two U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors some 50 NM to the south of Chariot, Alaska.
> 
> Here’s what we wrote back then:
> 
> "The Su-35 is a 4++ generation aircraft characterized by supermaneuverability. Although it’s not stealth, it is equipped with a Irbis-E PESA (Passive Electronically-Scanned Array) and a long-range IRST – Infrared Search and Tracking – system capable, (according to Russian sources…) to detect stealth planes like the F-35 at a distance of over 90 kilometers.
> 
> […]
> 
> In my opinion the “mini package” was launched as a consequence of the increased flight activity in Alaska related to the Northern Edge exercise, confirming that the Russians closely observe what happens in the Alaskan area.
> 
> This time, they wanted to showcase their ability to plan a complex long-range sortie as well as the Flanker’s readiness to escort its own HVA (high value asset), the Bear, during operations at strategic distance.
> 
> The composition of this package is also worth a comment.
> 
> The presence of the Mainstay should not be underestimated. It was flying well behind the Flanker and Bear aircraft with a specific purpose. As an AEW (Airborne Early Warning) platform the A-50 is believed to embed some ESM (Electronic Support Measures): in other words, it is able to detect far away targets as well as able to sniff radar, radio and data link emissions. Furthermore, Raptors in QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) *usually* fly with external fuel tanks and Luneburg lenses: this means that they are (consciously) visible to radars. In such conditions, although it can’t “characterize” the clean F-22’s signature, the Mainstay can at least gather some data about the interceptors’ radar emissions (if any) and observe and study their tactics.
> 
> Therefore, as frequently happens on both sides since the Cold War, on May 3, the Russians most probably carried out another simulated long-range strike mission but with a precise ELINT (ELectronics INTelligence) objective: the Flankers and Bears were acting as a “decoy” package to test the American scramble tactics and reaction times, whereas the Mainstay, in a back position, tried to collect as much signals and data as possible about the US fighters launched to intercept them."
> 
> General Terrence J. O’Shaughnessy, the NORAD Commander, commented the latest event in a public release as follows: “The homeland is no longer a sanctuary and the ability to deter and defeat threats to our citizens, vital infrastructure, and national institutions starts with successfully detecting, tracking, and positively identifying aircraft of interest approaching U.S. and Canadian airspace. NORAD employs a layered defense network of radars, satellites, as well as fighters to identify aircraft and determine the appropriate response.”
> https://theaviationist.com/2018/09/13/norad-released-a-photo-of-a-u-s-air-force-f-22-raptor-shadowing-a-russian-tu-95ms-bear-bomber-during-intercept-off-alaska/



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa

Quite the flight for several aircraft, video at original:



> Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers land in Venezuela after 10,000km transatlantic flight (VIDEO)
> 
> Venezuela has welcomed the arrival of Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers as an opportunity to demonstrate its resolve to defend the nation against possible foreign military intervention, with the help of “friends” if need be.
> 
> Two Tu-160 strategic bombers made a gracious landing at Simón Bolívar International Airport on Monday where they were greeted by the honor guard of the Venezuelan air force. Wearing orange pilot suits and combat helmets, Russian servicemen descended onto the runway where they were eager to present their colleagues with a scaled model of the 'White Swan' bomber, which they had just flown over 10,000 kilometers to reach the Caribbean shores in order to take part in “combined operational flights” with the Venezuelan Air Force.
> 
> We are getting prepared to defend Venezuela when it is needed.
> 
> And Venezuela "will do it with our friends who advocate respect-based relations between states,” Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said after the _two bombers, together with An-124 transport and an Il-62 plane, landed in Venezuela_ [emphasis added]...
> 
> While the Russian delegation painted their arrival to be a rare friendly visit, the Venezuelan Defence Ministry noted that 'Russia-Venezuela 2018' operational flights will represent a “demonstration of strength.” The training, Caracas maintains, will foster military-technical cooperation and facilitate the exchange of practical experience between the two militaries...
> 
> The flight to Venezuela over the Atlantic Ocean, the Barents, Norwegian and Caribbean Seas did not go unnoticed, as _Norwegian F-16 fighter jets shadowed the Russian planes during part of their flight_ [emphasis added, see below], even though according to the Russian Defense Ministry the flight was conducted “in strict accordance with the international regulations on the use of airspace.” The bombers’ deployment to the Latin American nation follows Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s visit to Moscow last week...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> https://www.rt.com/news/446125-tu-160-bombers-venezuela-land/



Plus RAF--best such missile in world?



> RAF Typhoons Launch With Meteor BVR Air-to-Air Missiles For the First Time During QRA Mission
> 
> QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) mission was sparked by Russian Tu-160 bombers activity off Scotland. But no intercept took place this time.
> 
> RAF Typhoons in QRA at RAF Lossiemouth, UK, “were scrambled today as a precautionary measure against unidentified aircraft approaching the UK area of interest. However, no intercept took place and the Typhoons subsequently recovered,” a UK MoD release states.
> 
> Indeed, two Russian Air Force Tu-160 bombers, tail numbers RF-94100 and RF-94108 based on their radio activity, skirted the British Isles, reportedly on their way to Venezuela...
> 
> [More plots at original]
> Mil Radar @MIL_Radar
> 
> 10 DEC 0805z: Two RuAF Tu-160s now over the North Atlantic heading south west routing to Venezuela
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...
> Whilst QRA missions are launched every now and then, the real news this time is that the two Typhoon fighters were carrying the MBDA-developed Meteor air-to-air missiles.
> 
> MBDA Meteor is considered one of the most lethal BVR (Beyond Visual Range) AAMs currently available. One of its peculiarities is the use of ramjet ramjet propulsion system – solid fuel, variable flow, ducted rocket. “This ‘ramjet’ motor provides the missile with thrust all the way to target intercept, providing the largest No-Escape Zone of any air-to-air missile. To ensure total target destruction, the missile is equipped with both impact and proximity fuses and a fragmentation warhead that detonates on impact or at the optimum point of intercept to maximise lethality,” the vendor website says.
> 
> Meteor has been developed by a group of European partners led by MBDA to meet the needs of six European nations: the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Sweden. The BVR AAM will equip Eurofighter Typhoon, Rafale and Gripen and will also be integrated with the F-35...
> https://theaviationist.com/2018/12/10/raf-typhoons-launch-with-meteor-bvr-air-to-air-missiles-for-the-first-time-during-qra-mission/



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## Retired AF Guy

MarkOttawa said:
			
		

> Quite the flight for several aircraft, video at original:
> 
> Mark
> Ottawa



If I remember correctly this is the second time this has happened.


----------



## blacktriangle

Retired AF Guy said:
			
		

> If I remember correctly this is the second time this has happened.



You are correct, it's definitely not the first time.


----------



## Cloud Cover

I don’t understand how sending just two expensive aircraft that can be blown out the sky by the USA makes Venezuela feel like they have a reliable friend from a goodwill visit.
 A joint Russian-Chinese airfield with hardened shelters, munitions, technicians, SA 400, a few TUv160/bombers, maybe a half dozen interceptors ( J15 and Su30) , 8 flights of  Orland 10’s packages (24 platforms + spares) and a permanent naval and submarine base, and establish a special forces “ training camp” might have some interesting impacts. 

That ought to distract the US, tie down about 300 us aircraft and countless personnel and limit strategic operations elsewhere.  In return, the PeePee tapes won’t be released.


----------



## MarkOttawa

NORAD have to look south? But any Bears won't be polar (apologies). Start of major piece, lots of imagery:


> Venezuela Agreed To Let Russia Set Up A Bomber Outpost On This Caribbean Island: Reports
> _A Russian base with strategic aircraft in the Western Hemisphere would significantly change the regional security situation for the United States._
> 
> Russian media outlets are reporting that the Kremlin is planning to establish a forward outpost on the Venezuelan island of La Orchila in the Caribbean Sea and base nuclear-capable Tu-160 Blackjack bombers, two of which just wrapped up a recent deployment to the country, at the site. If true, this could help bolster the embattled regime of Venezuela’s dictatorial president Nicolás Maduro and would significantly change the strategic reality in the Western Hemisphere for the United States.
> 
> Russian newspapers Nezavisimaya Gazeta and Kommersant both reported the possible basing deal on Dec. 12, 2018. Russia had sent a pair of Tu-160s to Venezuela on Dec. 10, 2018, and those bombers left the country on Dec. 14, 2018. This was the third visit by these type of aircraft to the Latin American country since 2008 and they conducted a 10-hour long-range patrol in the Caribbean for the first time ever during this trip.
> 
> “Our strategic bombers will not only not have to return to Russia every time, but also won't perform aerial refueling while on a patrol mission in the Americas,” retired Colonel Shamil Gareyev, formerly chief of the Uzbekistan Defense Ministry's Operations Department and now a commentator on military affairs, told Nezavisimaya Gazeta. “Our Tu-160 aircraft arrive to [sic] their base in Venezuela, conduct flights, execute their missions and are then replaced on a rotating basis. This is how it should be done.”
> 
> So far, there are no details about what the Russian outpost might consist of, what forces might go there and when, and what timeframe the Kremlin and Venezuela might have agreed to for starting the project at all. La Orchila, which sits less than 500 miles from Puerto Rico and less than 1,500 miles from Florida, has significant space for new and expanded military facilities, though, as seen below.
> 
> Having a forward base capable of accommodating strategic aircraft would enable Russia to conduct flights near the United States on a regular basis, something it is otherwise largely incapable of doing at present. As it stands now, Russian aircraft are generally only able to fly sorties in the vicinity of Alaska without the commitment of substantial support assets.
> 
> For the Kremlin, the imbalance has long been glaring. The Russian government routinely complains about the large number of intelligence-gathering and other missions that Western military aircraft, especially those from the United States, fly near its borders on a regular basis...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/25570/venezuela-agreed-to-let-russia-set-up-a-bomber-outpost-on-this-carribean-island-reports



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MilEME09

https://americanmilitarynews.com/2018/12/russian-newspaper-russia-to-set-up-nuclear-bombers-on-caribbean-island/?utm_source=militarymemes&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=alt

Another angle on the story, if this was the 60s or 70s we would be looking at a new version of the cuban missile crisis. I doubt this will make much of a mumor though after a few days


----------



## tomahawk6

A Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber blew up while trying to land in an arctic blizzard killing 3 and injuring a 4th. 

https://www.foxnews.com/world/russian-bomber-explodes-during-landing-killing-3


----------



## garb811

tomahawk6 said:
			
		

> A Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber blew up while trying to land in an arctic blizzard killing 3 and injuring a 4th.
> 
> https://www.foxnews.com/world/russian-bomber-explodes-during-landing-killing-3


Here's the video of the crash as it happened.

ТУ-22М3 (Мэш)


----------



## YZT580

Hard landing for sure. I have seen a lot of them but I cannot recall any aircraft breaking in two like that.  That appears to me to be a very serious design flaw: either that or the result of repetitious overstressing that hasn't been addressed. I don't know where the surviving crewmember was sitting but he has definitely used up at least 8 of 9 lives.


----------



## SeaKingTacco

That was one hell of a rate of descent.


----------



## YZT580

very graphic illustration of Newton's law.  As for rapid rates of descent, AC621 came down at least that hard in YYZ and while it did cause one engine to sever from the wings it didn't snap the aircraft in two.  There were DC8's as well that did the same thing.  I wonder how much weight he was carrying?  There has to have been a lot of momentum  built up to cause that breakage and that can only come from weight and vertical velocity if I remember my physics correctly.  I am going to guess that the vertical descent was not that much beyond specs which suggests that he had excess weight on board.  Pure speculation on my part as my specialty is in rules and regs and not structures.


----------



## Journeyman

The video adds credence to the adage that 'most initial news reports aren't accurate.'



> Aviation experts say it's likely that a vertical wind gust hit the plane.


I didn't see any abrupt changes in descent, either upwards or down;  the plane just seemed to hammer in at the same rate.



> Witnesses described seeing the long-range bomber exploding and breaking apart while still in the air.


Nope.  a) not still in the air;  b) broke in half first, then;  c) explosion.


It does add credence to my personal belief though, that "the more pilots I know, the more I prefer jumping out of the aircraft."   :nod:


----------



## Retired AF Guy

Video of another Backfire that comes in for several hard landings and does not blowup. Mind you clear weather landing. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUiowVPZIpE


----------



## Retired AF Guy

Video of the aircraft wreckage and photos of two of the crew members, plus commentary saying pilot lost control of aircraft while landing. More commentary on pilot and family history.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3n-3ZNAg_A

Facebook posting showing pictures of the crash and photos of three deceased crew members.

https://www.facebook.com/Fighterjetsworld/photos/basw.AboxgnAWFb7U-6TIlWeg51V2ur0-HNVhxXRh_hppUn277kMLXWvvePNXW3Nza-Z99SBXi9Ta1iW4uCiqmnaHtKEt3lF7Ji3byRPUMRIbkixlI_6NzPIwHKsOYUX5degeTNaBnV-jnllTrosIpraJANvM.2439059176104123.2448767231822697.2448767168489370.631218790647235.2448767185156035.2174564366131477/2448767231822697/?type=1&theater


----------



## Good2Golf

Retired AF Guy said:
			
		

> Video of another Backfire that comes in for several hard landings and does not blowup. Mind you clear weather landing.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUiowVPZIpE



Good thing the Russians have 30,000’-long runways...at least 5 touch-and-goes before he planted it...


----------



## Retired AF Guy

Link to a video on a Russian news site showing one of the Tu-160 Blackjacks that was recently intercepted by Us and Canadian aircraft.


----------



## MarkOttawa

And escorts for Russkie bombers?



> Russia resumes North Pole patrols with fighter jets
> _Combat ready MiG-31BMs will protect Russia’s northern regions by circumnavigate the airspace around the North Pole, Defense Ministry announces. _
> 
> Regular patrols by fighter jets on combat duty on the top of the world have not been seen since the end of the former Cold War. While exercise flights were made to the North Pole in 2018, such flights will now become regular, Izvestia reports from Defense Ministry sources.
> 
> Two squadrons of MiG-31BM from the Northern- and Pacific Fleets will be in charge.
> 
> With flights from both east and west, the Russian fighter jets aim at controlling the entire Arctic air space north of mainland Siberia to beyond the North Pole.
> 
> From Russia’s European Arctic region, the patrols will be carried out by the 98th Guards Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment at the air base in Monchegorsk on the Kola Peninsula. See video below.
> 
> The MiG-31BM is a supersonic long-range interceptor fighter capable of flying up to 3,000 km without refueling. The plane can fly at a speed up to 3,000 km/h. With such speed, the North Pole is just about half an hour away after takeoff from Monchegorsk [video at end].
> https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/security/2019/02/russia-resumes-north-pole-patrols-fighter-jets



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## Retired AF Guy

MarkOttawa said:
			
		

> The MiG-31BM is a supersonic long-range interceptor fighter capable of flying up to 3,000 km without refueling. The plane can fly at a speed up to 3,000 km/h. With such speed, the North Pole is just about half an hour away after takeoff from Monchegorsk [video at end].
> https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/security/2019/02/russia-resumes-north-pole-patrols-fighter-jets



Yes, the Mig-31 can fly at 3,000 km/h (but only under certain circumstance). And, yes it can fly 3,000 km without refueling (roughly the distance from Monchegorsk to the North Pole). But it can't due both. More info  here (Wikipedia).

Also, if you watch the video at the link, most of it is of SU-24 Fencers ( Aircraft # 33). The aircraft landing towards the end is a Mig-31.


----------



## MarkOttawa

MiG-31s can be refuelled:
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/russian-military-jets-flew-within-100-kilometres-of-canadian-mainland-source-says/article20706528/

Video:
https://theaviationist.com/2015/07/08/mig-31-safe-ejection-story/

Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa

How will CF-18s, and whatever new fighter RCAF ends up with some sunny day, cope with the number of cruise missiles that might be launched if Bears/Blackjacks not shot down first? Can North Warning System cope with low-flying missiles? How will they be detected?



> New Missiles for the ‘Bear’ and ‘Blackjack’
> 
> Low clouds and mist in the morning of May 9 caused the cancellation of an aviation flypast with 78 aircraft over Moscow, preventing freshly upgraded bombers from showing their teeth as newly developed missiles begin to enter service.
> 
> This year’s Victory Day parade was to demonstrate Long-Range Aviation’s strategic bombers that have recently undergone a modernization program—a single Tu-160M “Blackjack” and four Tu-95MSM “Bear-Hs. "Strictly speaking, their public flying debut (the Tu-95MSM was displayed statically at MAKS’2017) was spoiled rather than canceled, because Muscovites had watched them pass overhead on May 4 and 7 when Russia’s Air and Space Force (VKS) crews practiced for the flypast. A single Tu-160M led four smaller Tu-22M3s, while a trio of Tu-95MSMs flew in a Vic formation, with another following an Il-78M tanker to demonstrate inflight refueling.
> 
> Each of the “Bears” was fitted with four large underwing pylons with rails for Kh-101/102 land-attack cruise missiles (LACMs). Previously modified Tu-95MSMs fired Kh-101s at Islamic State targets in Syria on two occasions, in November 2016 and July 2017. On the eve of the V-Day parade, the Russian defense ministry said that last year four more Tu-95MS aircraft underwent modernization into the MSM variant with improved mission equipment and the outer pylons.
> 
> Although adding these large pylons increases aerodynamic drag, it enables the aging type to carry eight new missiles that cannot fit into the aircraft’s internal bomb bays. _In the future, a further improved Tu-95MSM may also carry an even larger LACM that is now in development at the Novator design house, a member of the Tactical Missile Corporation (Russian acronym TRV). Although this weapon is intended primarily for use in the Caliber-M strike system on warships, it may also be carried by the “Bear” thanks to its new outer pylons.
> 
> In 2018 sources in the Russian navy confirmed that R&D work on the Caliber-M with a maximum range of 2,430 nm (4,500 km) had commenced. This is about twice the figure for the in-service 3M14T of the original Caliber and is achieved primarily through enlargement of the missile body's diameter. The newer weapon will carry a larger warhead, at one tonne, compared to the current 250- to 500-kg (550- to 1,100-pound) warhead. In February, Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu said that Moscow will develop new members in the Caliber family following the Trump Administration’s decision to leave the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty that was signed in 1987._ [emphasis added]
> 
> Because of its large dimensions, the new missile is unlikely to be fitted to the Tu-160. To fly supersonically, the “Blackjack” requires its air-launched missiles to be carried in the internal bays. For the Tu-160, however, another TRV member—the Raduga design house—is developing the Kh-50, a shorter-range version of the Kh-101 broadly similar to the AGM-158 JASSM with a larger (1,600 kg) warhead. A Tu-160 can carry up to 12 such missiles internally on two rotary launchers.
> 
> TRV is also working on GZUR, the Russian acronym for “hypersonic guided missile,” whose parameters are yet to be made public. It is likely to be a scaled version of the Kh-90, of which development commenced back in the 1970s. Weighing 15 tonnes, this air-launched weapon can accelerate to Mach 4 to 6, using a powder booster and a scramjet running on aviation kerosene. A prototype was shown at MAKS’1995 as the “Hypersonic Experimental Flight Vehicle,” local acronym GELA. Reportedly, prototypes successfully passed fire trials from a modified Tu-160 but did not enter serial production.
> https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2019-05-13/new-missiles-bear-and-blackjack



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa

Note Su-35 escorts for two of the Bears--could they actually perform that mission in a real attack and would USAF F-22s (which might not be in stealth mode carrying fuel tanks and external missiles), and esp. RCAF Cf-18s, cope? And when Su-57s finally get into serious service?



> U.S. fighter jets intercept Russian warplanes off Alaska
> 
> The U.S. military scrambled five aircraft on Monday to intercept two groups of Russian warplanes that flew in opposite directions off the coast of Alaska but never entered the U.S. sovereign airspace, officials with the bi-national North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) said Tuesday.
> 
> First, NORAD dispatched two F-22 Raptor stealth fighters based in Alaska to intercept one group of Russian air planes consisting of two Tu-95 strategic bombers known by NATO identification as “Bears,” said NORAD spokesperson Capt. Cameron Hillier of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).
> 
> Two additional Raptors were scrambled to intercept and accompany another group of two Russian Bears and two Su-35 fighter jets flying in the opposite direction, Hillier said.
> 
> The U.S. military also dispatched an E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control system (AWACS) to monitor the situation, Hillier said.
> 
> The interaction between Russian and U.S. air crews was “safe and professional” and the Russian planes remained at all times in international airspace, Hillier said.
> 
> The Russian aircraft did not enter the Canadian Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) in the Arctic and no Canadian fighter jets were involved in the intercept, he added.
> 
> According to international law, a country’s sovereign airspace extends 22 kilometres from its coastlines. The ADIZ off Alaska extends more than 300 kilometres from the shore.
> 
> During the Cold War, such intercepts over the Arctic were regular events, however, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, cash-strapped Russia drastically reduced its strategic bomber air patrols.
> 
> In recent years, with tensions between Russia and the West mounting in other areas of the world, Moscow has increased the number of patrols by its _Bears that have been modernized and outfitted to carry long-range nuclear-tipped cruise missiles_ [emphasis added].
> http://www.rcinet.ca/eye-on-the-arctic/2019/05/21/alaska-russia-plane-fighter-bomber-military-defence/



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa

Further to previous tweet's comments on stealty, note this from another story about USAF intercepting Tu-95s and Su-35s off Alaska:



> F-22s intercept Russian fighters, bombers off Alaska
> ...
> The pictures posted by NORAD also appear to show the F-22s with external fuel tanks, which would increase the radar signature on what is normally a stealthy, fifth-generation aircraft. That appendage helps to increase the F-22′s time in flight and can help Russian aircraft spot the fighter jet, which isn’t always a bad thing.
> 
> During intercept missions, U.S. aircraft aren’t necessarily attempting to sneak up on an aircraft, but instead are focusing on escorting the adversary safely and professionally.
> 
> The NORAD official would not comment on the radar disposition of the F-22s: “We do not disclose tactical details such as that due to operational security reasons,” they said...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2019/05/21/f-22s-intercept-russian-fighters-bombers-off-alaska/



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## tomahawk6

USAF is an Air Guard tanker wing at Eilson AFB and an F16 Wing.Although I would rather have F15's due to their greater range. Maybe move some F22's to Eilson. The USAF used to use King Salmon and Galena to forward stage fighters for the NORAD mission but I think both air stations were lost to the USAF bean counters.King Salmon's radar site remains open though.

https://www.afcec.af.mil/Home/BRAC/Galena.aspx


----------



## MarkOttawa

RCAF deputy NORAD head on current, future threats--note cruise missiles, need to upgrade/replace North Warning System--how much Canada willing to pay and when? How much longer will CF-18 be capable of doing the job?



> NORAD May Ramp Up North American Surveillance amid Rising Threats from Russia
> 
> The North American Aerospace Defense Command has long been the main unit overseeing aerospace warning and control and maritime warning for North America. But the recent rise in conflict around the world has prompted it to try to better prepare for what is ahead, according to a top official in the command.
> 
> "What we're focused on is being able to detect adversary activity that poses a risk or threat" to North America, said Canadian Lt. Gen. Christopher Coates, deputy commander of NORAD. Military.com spoke with Coates, stationed at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, during a recent interview.
> 
> NORAD gets several notifications a day that require monitoring at the command center or scrambling jets to check out the airspace.
> 
> "It's not always the same action, but we [get an alert] and investigate," Coates said.
> 
> The command responds roughly five times per week across the U.S. or Canada for tactical actions, he said. Between 2016 and 2018, it scrambled nearly 500 times, conducting 164 intercepts, according to data provided to Military.com.
> 
> "Our intercepts of foreign state aircraft average about a half dozen per year, but can get higher," Coates said, referencing Russian bombers or fighters flying into the Air Defense Identification Zone, the airspace surrounding the United States and Canada. The ADIZ stretches roughly 200 miles off Alaska's coast.
> 
> Regarding potential adversary activity, "the problem has become 360-degree for us," he said. "When we saw Russia deploy its bombers down to Venezuela, of course NORAD was very focused on that [because] it presents another vector" of global conflict.
> 
> Related content:
> 
> NORAD Is Evolving to Meet New Threats to North America
> Russian 'Bear' Bombers Intercepted near Alaska for Second Time in Two Days
> US Cautions Russia over Military Mission in Venezuela
> STRATCOM Chief Renews Call for Sensors in Space
> 
> Both Russia and China are developing long-range missile capability, with Russian officials publicly stating the country plans to upgrade part of its existing missile inventory by increasing their range and enhancing their speed to hypersonic levels.
> 
> "The trend that we're on would lead me to believe that _we need to have far more robust continental defenses in five years than we do today. Our adversaries are continuing to develop capabilities to hold the homeland directly at risk_ [emphasis added]," Coates said.
> 
> "I don't believe Russia is going to launch a cruise missile tomorrow at Canada or the U.S. [But] we do have challenges with respect to new technologies that Russia and other nations are developing and fielding, and we're working with [Canadian and U.S.] defense agencies to make sure we're well positioned for the future," he said. "And the notion that I've got is that [our adversaries] believe that the best way to ensure their defense and security and interests are best met [is] by being … able to challenge us."
> Being Ready
> 
> Operation Noble Eagle, to defend the U.S. and Canada, was launched in the aftermath of 9/11.
> 
> There have been growing requirements to partner, especially with U.S. Northern Command and Canadian Joint Operations Command, as well as interagency organizations such as the Federal Aviation Administration and Transportation Security Administration.
> 
> "There has been a realignment, a refocusing of effort, where there is a combination of priorities and … certain activities remain higher-priority," Coates said.
> 
> That includes security for big annual sporting events and overwatch on cities.
> 
> The command’s role was highlighted in the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport incident last year. In August 2018, a Horizon Air worker stole one of the airline's Q400 turboprops aircraft. The employee, later identified as ground service agent Richard Russell, 29, flew the empty aircraft south of Seattle before crashing into Ketron Island in the Puget Sound, roughly 35 miles south of the airport. He died in the crash.
> 
> NORAD responded with a multifaceted, coordinated effort between two F-15 Eagle pilots, who did not shoot the Q400 down.
> 
> The Sea-Tac incident "completely mirrored the training events that we do," Coates said.
> 
> He called the incident unfortunate, but unique in that NORAD hadn't seen that type of hijacking since Operation Noble Eagle began.
> 
> "We're training for events ... like it on a daily basis," Coates said.
> 
> Personnel at the command control center are typically on eight-hour shifts, during which they participate in two-to-three training simulations when not responding to real-world events, he said. "We're so attuned to the notion that 9/11 was a failure of imagination, so we challenge ourselves. We challenge our [exercise planning personnel] to ensure we keep this enterprise at the very pointy edge of being ready."
> 
> Intercepts or scrambles are most often due to civilian aircraft that stray into a temporary flight restriction zone or closed off airspace.The command tracked 4,464 events of interest flagged by the FAA from 2016 to 2018.
> 
> "Fortunately, we have not had to take action in those cases," Coates said.
> Defending the Homeland
> 
> He said NORAD is well-suited for the alert mission, but needs to prepare for a range of events.
> 
> "Are we well-suited for a really bad day? Perhaps less so," he said, adding that a commander's job is to do the best he can with the resources he's given, while identifying risks if he sees capability gaps or vulnerabilities across the mission.
> 
> A catastrophic event could include a mass casualty or terrorist incident that would call for air intercepts and increased air patrols, or a fight against a near-peer enemy on U.S. soil or near its borders.
> 
> Coates said the command's posture could change in the next few years to be ready for both daily homeland defense as well as a bigger fight.
> 
> The first goal is to show a formidable deterrence by North American partners, "but then be ready as well to respond to where we most believe the threat might present itself," he said.
> Emerging Tech, Warning Systems
> 
> Technology is constantly evolving, and NORAD is working with its partners to determine the best surveillance systems to use against these new threats, Coates said.
> 
> NORAD watched 1,451 foreign missile events between 2016 and 2018, according to the data.
> 
> "We're reaching out and engaging with our industry partners, making sure they're aware of our requirements. We're interested in looking at the widest range of possible solutions -- whether those are land-based, air-based or space-based," Coates said.
> 
> "On the weapons side, certainly we're interested in ensuring we have sufficient numbers of effective weapons … or technologies," he added. As an example, _he cited the active electronically scanned array, or AESA, radar upgrade to the F-16 Fighting Falcon fleet, which gives pilots additional situational awareness, high-performance targeting and extended range_ [emphasis added].
> 
> "That's directly related to the capabilities [we need]," he said.
> 
> The upgrades come as the _Pentagon in recent years has been quietly working on a network defense system plan to intercept and shoot down low-flying missiles_ [emphasis added].
> 
> In 2017, then-NORAD commander Gen. Lori Robinson said the U.S. and Canada were working on upgrades to protect against cruise missile threats posed by countries such as Russia and North Korea -- the first substantial buildup in more than two decades.
> 
> Robinson said that the _two countries had established a "binational steering group to manage the eventual replacement of the North Warning System_ [emphasis added], which is our network of surveillance radars across Alaska and northern Canada."
> 
> "That study is ongoing," Coates said. "We're not in a position yet to know what the recommendations are … [but] we're looking at … what capabilities are most beneficial moving forward."
> 
> The current warning system architecture will eventually atrophy, he said, so a comprehensive, cross-domain surveillance system is necessary.
> 
> The key is persistence, he said, as NORAD aims for advanced line of sight to monitor, track and defend against evolving hazards.
> 
> "We're looking at sensor and command-and-control systems that can synthesize information, that can sense information or sense across domains all at once and help us makes sense of" information, Coates said.
> 
> While the U.S. already uses satellites to monitor global missile activities, there is need for "technologies that will allow us to observe further, and with more accuracy and more precision -- well beyond the range of our current sensors," he said, "whether those are a combination of platforms in the air -- and maybe those are a combination of sensors ... with radars that are on [unmanned aerostats] … or some kind of an early airborne warning platform, or space-based sensors."
> 
> That could include "a combination of low and high satellites with different revisit rates over various places," Coates said. "It's not science fiction; it's taking advantage of capabilities, both those that we have today, modernized and integrated, and then the possibility of what we will need in the next decade to come."
> 
> Deterring Adversary Gains
> 
> The necessity for additional tech comes as officials anticipate more high-speed, precision-strike weapons -- below the nuclear threshold -- advanced enough to pose a threat to cities across North America.
> 
> "_We've seen our adversaries develop very long-range, advanced, stealthy, hard-to-detect cruise missiles [including SLCMs]," Coates said, referring to Russian activity in Syria_ [emphasis added]. "The notion that Russia or any other nation would aim weapons at North America, is [not] new."
> 
> Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed his country had developed "invincible" new nuclear weapons, including hypersonic missiles, that can penetrate U.S. defenses.
> 
> Then in February, Putin said Russia had tested a ship-based hypersonic missile. Called "Tsirkon," the missile can travel at Mach 9 and hit sea- or land-based targets, he said during his annual state of the nation address, according to CNBC.
> 
> "_We're directly involved in the aerospace warning problems that we have now, and we're thinking about the future," Coates said, referring to hypersonic weapons_ [emphasis added].
> 
> NORAD is looking for new ways to have more eyes in the sky, even if the technology might not exist yet.
> 
> "_Maybe there's a capability like [tethered unmanned aerostats] that would be an option at some point for the Arctic. Maybe there's developing capabilities that allow us to keep surveillance, like an [unmanned aerial vehicle], airborne indefinitely, for days or weeks instead of hours_ [emphasis added]," Coates said. "That doesn't exist, but we're certainly interested."
> https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/05/29/norad-may-ramp-north-american-surveillance-amid-rising-threats-russia.html



Post from 2015:



> NORAD Note: Russian Bomber (with cruise missiles) Strikes in Syria
> https://mark3ds.wordpress.com/2015/11/20/mark-collins-norad-note-russian-bomber-with-cruise-missiles-strikes-in-syria/



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa

Now after earlier trip to Venezuela ( https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/25469/russian-tu-160-bombers-fly-10-hour-caribbean-patrol-from-venezuela-drawing-ire-from-u-s ):



> Russian Bombers to Land in South Africa During Unprecedented Deployment
> 
> Two Russian Tu-160 Blackjack bombers and support aircraft are expected to touch down in South Africa this week for an unprecedented deployment to the continent.
> 
> The South Africa Department of Defence on Monday announced it had recently invited Russian personnel and the long-range strategic bombers, an Ilyushin Il-62 Classic airliner and an Antonov An-124 Condor heavy transport, as part of an increased "military to military" partnership, according to a release. The Aviatonist was first to report the news following a social media post from the African Defence Review's Darren Olivier.
> 
> Olivier, the director of the publication, noted the bomber arrival was first scheduled for 2016, but because of Russia's increased operations in Syria at the time, the bombers were unable to deploy to South Africa.
> 
> The aircraft are set to arrive by Tuesday in the country's Waterkloof Air Force Base, just 32 miles north of Johannesburg.
> 
> Russia has made various inroads on the African continent over the last few years, with officials noting the nation has taken a page out of China's playbook in efforts to restore global influence.
> 
> Moscow has signed more than 20 military agreements with various African countries since 2015, and has quadrupled its trade with Africa in the last decade -- from $5.7 billion in 2009 to $20 billion in 2018, according to Quartz Magazine.
> 
> Russian President Vladimir Putin will host the first-ever Russia-Africa Summit this week in Sochi in an effort to woo 47 African officials to expand their bilateral partnerships with Russia -- instead of the United States.
> 
> Putin told Russian media Monday that Western countries like the U.S. have taken advantage of Africa for its resources without fair recompense.
> 
> "We see how an array of Western countries are resorting to pressure, intimidation and blackmail of sovereign African governments," Putin told Russia's TASS state news agency, without naming specific countries. The summit, co-hosted with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, will take place Oct. 23-24 in the Black Sea city.
> 
> Putin added that it's now time for Russia to offer the countries economic solutions that are not "contingent upon ... preconditions," according to RadioFreeEurope-Radio Liberty.
> 
> The U.S. has also kept an eye on Russia's military engagement on the continent. Prior to his confirmation to lead U.S. Africa Command, Army Gen. Stephen Townsend told the Senate Armed Services Committee in April that Russia's mercenary "little green men" have had officials questioning Moscow's motives in the region.
> 
> "They concern me greatly," Townsend said of the mercenaries from the shadowy organization known as the "Wagner Group."
> 
> "They're quasi-military and, as we saw play out in Crimea and Ukraine, 'little green men' running around not necessarily following the rules of behavior we would expect from a proper army," he said, referencing the hybrid warfare strategy.
> 
> During the hearing, Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, said the alliances would only continue to increase Moscow's access.
> 
> "Russians have moved into Central African Republic, advising them, which seems to be an attempt by Putin to return to the great power influence that they enjoyed under the Soviet Union," Reed said.
> https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/10/21/russian-bombers-land-south-africa-during-unprecedented-deployment.html



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa

Another wrinkle for RCAF/NORAD:



> Maiden flight for upgraded Tu-160M bomber
> 
> Russia flew the maiden flight of the upgraded Tupolev Tu-160M 'Blackjack' strategic bomber on 2 February, the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) announced.
> 
> The flight took place at the Kazan Aircraft Plant and lasted 34 minutes with the aircraft reaching an altitude of approximately 5,000 ft. The video of the flight was released by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of the Russian Federation on 6 February.
> 
> As noted by the MoD, the first upgraded aircraft are due to be received by the Russian Air Force in 2021.
> 
> The Tu-160 first entered into Soviet service in the late 1980s. Since then the swing-wing supersonic bomber has undergone several upgrades, including in the early 2000s a bolstering of the aircraft's nuclear armament with the capacity to carry 12 conventionally armed Raduga NPO Kh-555 (AS-15 'Kent') long-range cruise missiles and laser-guided bombs.
> 
> The Tu-160M upgrade is being rolled out in two phases, with the first Tu-160M1 phase comprising the new K-042K-1 navigation system and ABSU-200-1 autopilot, as well as the removal of some previous systems, such as bomb sighting systems. This Tu-160M1-variant has been operational with the air force since late 2014.
> 
> The second Tu-160M2 phase includes the new Novella NV1.70 radar, a digital 'glass' cockpit, modern communications and anti-jamming equipment, upgraded NK-32 engines (designated NK-32-02), and modern conventional and nuclear weapons...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> https://www.janes.com/article/94165/maiden-flight-for-upgraded-tu-160m-bomber



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa

A post with an exam question:

The Russian Aerial Campaign in Syria
https://mark3ds.wordpress.com/2020/04/20/the-russian-aerial-campaign-in-syria/

Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa

Start of a fabulous and detailed piece by an Indian Air Force pilot--lots of photos:



> I was the first foreign pilot to fly the Mach 2.8 MiG-31 interceptor, here’s my story: By Air Marshal Anil Chopra (Retd)
> 
> *Weighing the same as a M60 main battle tank and capable of flying 600mph faster than an F-16, the Russian MiG-31 is an absolute beast of an interceptor. Cloaked in secrecy, few outsiders have flown in the cockpit of this monstrous defender. Air Marshal Anil Chopra PVSM AVSM VM VSM (Retd) was given privileged access to the world’s fastest armed aircraft, here he describes this incredible experience to Hush-Kit.
> 
> “I felt I was sitting atop a missile-head in a high-speed interception.”*
> 
> “The date was 28 May. Average daytime temperatures in May in Nizhnie Novgorad are around 22℃. Airfield elevation was 256 ft. The take-off and landing were done by the front pilot. The rear cockpit is used mostly as Weapon System Officer (WSO) station, though it has a control column to fly in case of an emergency requirement. There was nothing peculiar about the take-off. The frontal view through the periscope was good. I had used the periscope earlier on MiG-21UB (trainer) and on the MiG-23UB. So, I was quite comfortable. However the side view was minimal as the large front canopy left little place for Perspex for the second cockpit. I tried to visualise if the second pilot could easily land from the rear seat. Compared to a Su-30MKI it is surely more uncomfortable.”
> 
> *Why did you try the MiG-31?*
> 
> “I was the team leader of the Indian Air Force (IAF) MiG-21 Upgrade ‘Bison’ project in Russia from mid-1996 to the end of 2000. The design and development work was carried out at the Mikoyan Design Bureau in Moscow’s (OKB-155, Experimental Design Bureau 155). Our location was at RAC ‘MiG’, 6, Leningradskoye Shosse, Moscow. In 1995, Mikoyan OKB had merged with two production facilities to form the Moscow Aviation Production Association MiG (MAPO-MiG). Rostislav A. Belyakov, was still the father figure. I had an opportunity to meet him.”
> 
> “Two MiG-21Bis Aircraft had been sent from India for the design and development project. These aircraft were in positioned at the Sokol plant in Nizhnie Novgorod, where they were to be stripped and rebuilt after receiving the final design drawings from the Moscow Design Bureau. Sokol was also where the MiG-31 was being built. Our team used to visit the Sokol plant regularly from 1997, nearly once a month, for progressing the work on our two aircraft. Two of our officers were later permanently at Sokol for the flight testing of the Bison. The Director General of the plant, V Pankov mentioned to me about the MiG-31 and said that the Russians had been proposing the MiG 31 for sale to India. He said that they had given details to both the Government of India and to the Indian Air Force, but had not received any response or interest. I asked them to show us the aircraft, and if they had no problem, then I could get a chance to fly it. In Russian armament industry the general dynamics were still of the Soviet era. It took him some time to get approvals for me to fly in the rear seat of the MiG-31. They also told me that I was to be the first pilot from a foreign country to fly a MiG-31. They gave me a certificate to that effect, which is currently lying misplaced somewhere in my boxes. It was a demonstration flight and not a test flight. The basic aim was to show case the long range radar and to demonstrate high speed and acceleration. The date fixed was 28th May 1999. That was also the day the deputy head of India’s Mission in Moscow was on her first official visit to the Sokol plant. Ms Nirupama Rao was later India’s foreign secretary and India’s Ambassador to USA.”
> 
> *Where did you fly it?*
> 
> “The flight was made in the Sokol Aircraft Plant in Nizhniy Novgorod, which was formerly called Gorky. The plant was a manufacturer of MiG fighters. It was reportedly founded in 1932 and was once known as ‘Aviation Plant 21’, named after Sergo Ordzhonikidze. During 45 years of serial production the plant had manufactured about 13,500 combat aircraft. We were told that at its peak, they use to make close to 200 MiG-21s a year. But after the collapse of Soviet Union, and in the absence of significant orders from the Russian Air Force Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily (VVS), the production had gone down. The Indian MiG-21 upgrade was a significant order. Also, the plant used to make around 10-12 MiG 29 two-seaters in a year. There were nearly 15,000 employees. Their salaries were very low in the mid 1990s. Most of the sales and money earned from armaments was controlled directly from Moscow. All foreign contracts were through Rosvooruzhenie (later Rosoboronexport), the sole state intermediary agency for Russia’s exports/imports of defence-related and dual use products, technologies and services. We were told that the entire plant, including salaries could be run through the sale of just two MiG-29s. It was clear that the aircraft sale price was very high and basic production costs and salaries were very low. The high mark-ups of defence equipment prices are true in all countries. For some exported components, the price mark-up could be a 100 times. Many smaller plants that were the real original equipment manufacturers (OEM) of the components or sub-systems, wanted to sell spares directly to India, but the Russian government control was never released and with the result that the bulk of the profits went to Moscow.”
> 
> Russian people take a little time to make friends, but once they become one, they are great friends. There were many very senior technicians in the plant who had been to India in 1960s to help set up the MiG plant at Nasik. They had fond memories and spoke about the great time they had in India, and how they loved Indians. They also remembered the great Indian Old Monk Rum. We arranged to get some from India for them...[read on as he describes his flight in the back seat, with some time at the controls--and note this from later on: "*General Capability Briefing by the Russian Designers*..._The aircraft could act as air defence escorts to a long range strategic bombers_ [emphasis added]...]
> https://hushkit.net/2020/12/18/i-was-the-first-foreign-pilot-to-fly-the-mach-2-8-mig-31-interceptor-heres-my-story-by-air-marshal-anil-chopra-retd/



The air marshal also runs this interesting website: "Air Power Asia" https://airpowerasia.com/

Some photos from the piece above:











Back seat: 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




More back seat: 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	









Mark
Ottawa


----------

