Years Of Work For Mig's Flight

Copyright 2003 Agency WPS
What The Papers Say (Russia)

March 17, 2003, Monday

YEARS OF WORK FOR MIG’S FLIGHT

Krasnaya Zvezda, March 4, 2003, p. 2

Nikolai Nikitin, director general, chief designer of Russian Aircraft Construction Corporation (RSK) MiG

RSK MIG HAS RETURNED TO THE EUROPEAN MARKET OF AIRCRAFT; IN ADDITION, IT HAS BEEN READY TO UPDATE VARIOUS PLANES PRODUCED EARLIER AND EXTEND THEIR LIFECYCLE BY MEANS OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES RESEARCHED OF LATE.

BODY:

(…) Nowadays, RSK MiG has fully restructured its activities in the sphere
of military-technical cooperation with foreign states, and is coordinating
its work with the federal bodies concerned. Over the past few years, the
real stock of corporation’s orders has increased six fold and, as of early
2003, obtained approximately $1 billion. This enabled loading the serial
production facilities, which ensures the further development of the entire
range of production capacities. At the same time, the geography of
corporation’s military-technical cooperation was expanded: it included 6
states in 2000, was increased to 12 states in 2001 and already to 19 states
over 2002.

For the first time over the past several years, the corporation gained an
opportunity not only to retain the professionals in the scientific and
production sector, but settle the tasks of economic and financial stability
by 2004. Now we are certainly overcoming a deep crisis in the sphere of
finance and production. (…)

MiG-29 fighter remains our chief military product. Along with Russia, 29
more states are using it. The corporation has done comprehensive work on
updating MiG-29 fighter into MiG-29 SMT. Sale of our offers enables a
considerable increase in the plane’s combat performance specifications when
hitting air and ground targets.

KRASNAYA ZVEZDA’S REFERENCE: RUSSIA’S RETURN TO THE EUROPEAN MARKET,
WHEREFROM THE WESTERN STATES WERE TRYING TO OUST THE RUSSIAN FIGHTERS, BECAME A DISTINGUISHED EVENT OF 2002. RSK MIG HAS CONCLUDED CONTRACTS FOR RESTORATION OF PLANES’ AIRWORTHINESS WITH HUNGARY AND POLAND, AS WELL AS RESTORATION AND MODIFICATION OF MIG-29 FIGHTERS OF THE BULGARIAN AND SLOVAKIAN AIR FORCES. THE STOCK OF ORDERS FROM THESE STATES HAS LATELY REACHED $300 MILLION. IN SEPTEMBER 2002, A SIMILAR CONTRACT WAS SIGNED WITH YUGOSLAVIA.

Extension of the MiG-29 fighter’s lifecycle until 6,000 hours and their
transfer to use in compliance with the technical condition, which enabled
reducing the cost of an hour of operation by almost 50%, are among the chief
components of the company’s work.

We have researched and implemented a deeply modernized modification and,
factually, a new research project of MiG-29M/M2 (a ground-based version of
single- and double-seat sea-based MiG-29K/KUB plane), which far exceeds all
prominent alternative research projects of the Western states.

KRASNAYA ZVEZDA’S REFERENCE: THE CORPORATION DEVOTES MUCH TIME TO CREATION OF NEW AIRCRAFT. MIG-AT, A NEW TRAINER AIRPLANE, WHICH IS NOW UNDERGOING THE STATE TESTING PROCEDURES, IS AMONG THEM. THIS UNIQUE PLANE ENABLES A CONSIDERABLE DECREASE OF THE EXPENDITURES ON TRAINING AND INITIAL PREPARATION OF THE FLIGHT CREWS. AT THE SAME TIME, MIG-AT AIRCRAFT CAN BE USED TO RETRAIN THE FLIGHT CREWS FOR WARPLANES LIKE MIG-29 FIGHTERS, AS WELL AS F-16, F-18, MIRAGE-2000 AND OTHER FOREIGN WARPLANES. MOREOVER, MIG-AT PLANE WHICH IS EQUIPPED WITH A RE-PROGRAMMED COCKPIT AND A SIMULATOR MODE, ENABLES PRACTICING COMBAT OPERATIONS WITHOUT REAL TAKEOFFS, WHICH EXTENDS THE PLANES’ LIFECYCLE AND SAVES AMMUNITION.

(…) RSK MiG imparts significance to researching a next generation
aircraft. At the same time, the corporation has its approach and its own
view of how this heavy task could be resolved. In our opinion, the creation
of a next generation plane should be based on economic practicability of
researching it on the basis of “cost-efficiency” criterion, rather than
researching it at any cost. The corporation’s position proceeds from the
expediency of developing the work of modifying MiG-29 fighters and other
planes added to the arsenals of the combatant units of the Air Force in
order to raise their combat performance and maintain them within 12-15 years
until a new generation fighter appears in Russia. Creation of a next
generation fighter is required now, but the contest selection of draft
designs at the expense of researchers’ own funding, right up to creation of
prototypes, is also advisable now; at the same time, it is necessary to use
the entire budget allocations to research new technologies, pieces of the
electronic airborne equipment and weaponry. In our opinion, this will enable
saving the state funding for creation of a next generation plane and
avoiding serious mistakes while making decisions, which will be greatly
attributed to issues of Russia’s defense and national security.

ORIGINAL-LANGUAGE: RUSSIAN

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