Funding Hurdles Hamper Flanker Bomber Program

Funding Hurdles Hamper Flanker Bomber Program

By Douglas Barrie/Aviation Week & Space Technology

13-Aug-2002 10:17 AM U.S. EDT

One of the last surviving elements of the Russian air force’s once-grand plans for its future combat aircraft fleet is running into further difficulty — the cause being the perennial problem of inadequate funding.

Sukhoi is working to complete development of the Su-27IB, a heavily modified bomber derivative of its Su-27 Flanker fighter aircraft [shown pictured]. When the Su-27IB program was conceived in the early 1980s, it was expected to become the mainstay of the air force’s tactical-strike capability from around 1995 onward.

Further delays now make it seem likely that the Su-27IB will not enter service in significant numbers much before 2010.

Instead, the Russian air force will have to sustain its aging medium-strike aircraft fleet, consisting of upgraded Su-24M Fencers, supplemented by Su-27 Flanker variants, until at least the end of the decade. As well as a limited upgrade to the Fencer, the air force is also modifying some of its Su-27 and Su-30 aircraft to provide a limited air-to-surface capability.

Delays to the Su-27IB also leave the air force lacking when it comes to dedicated reconnaissance and electronic warfare aircraft, since it was also intended to provided the platform for these capabilities.

As recently as 2001, some senior air force officials still harbored ambitions of seeing the Su-27IB enter front-line service before 2005. However, Mikhail Pogosyan, director general of Sukhoi, told Aviation Week & Space Technology that the air force’s focus on upgrading in-service aircraft inevitably meant further delay to the Su-27IB. But he remains optimistic the aircraft will eventually see service.

“The air force’s priority is modernization; the aim is to modernize the aircraft they have to the Su-30MK level. This has pushed back the Su-27IB,” Pogosyan said.

A handful of production standard Su-27IB (or Su-34) aircraft has been built at the Novosibirsk plant. Novosibirsk previously produced the Su-24 and is now involved in further upgrading of the Fencer for the air force.

Pogosyan declined to specify the number of Su-27IB airframes that have so far been produced. At least seven Su-27IBs have been built, including the first prototype, which was put together using an Su-27UB two-seat trainer airframe. At least two aircraft have been used for weapons and fire control system trials at the air force’s Ahktubinsk test center.

Despite various reports that trials of the Su-27IB have been completed, Pogosyan said they remain ongoing. “We are in a dialogue with the air force over the certification of the aircraft. We are trying to complete the testing program,” he said, adding that the Su-27IB program continues to suffer from “insufficient financing.”

Russian air force Commander Vladimir Mikhailov recently said the Su-27IB would complete its certification by 2004-05. This would be followed by series production.

GIVEN THE PARLOUS state of its coffers, the service has been forced to focus on making do with what it has, and financing limited upgrades, rather than pursue procuring new-build platforms. The Su-30 was originally developed as a long-range interceptor for the Soviet-era air defense force, now subsumed into the air force. A handful of the type was delivered, with the Irkutsk production plant also having an unknown number of airframes in various stages of completion, but that were not delivered. The Irkutsk Aircraft Production Organization (IAPO) has modified a basic Su-30 to the Su-30KN standard, integrating a number of air-to-surface weapons and the associated cockpit displays.

Alongside the Su-30KN, the basic Su-27UB Flanker airframe has also been used as the basis for an upgrade program, dubbed the Su-27UBM. The UBM modification allows the aircraft to be operated with a range of air-to-surface ordnance. Both upgraded types have been ordered by the air force, but so far in limited numbers.

In the short to medium term, the Su-30KN and Su-27UBM Flanker derivatives, alongside upgraded Fencers, will provide the air force with an improved air-to-surface capability. However, this represents only a stopgap. An aircraft in the class of the Su-27IB will be required to replace the Fencer fleet, when finances allow.

Pogosyan also appears hopeful that the Su-27M (Su-35) could yet also see front-line service with the air force. The Su-27M was effectively a midlife update of the basic Flanker. Three production-standard aircraft have been tested at Ahktubinsk for several years. “We are coordinating with the air force over the Su-35,” he said.

It’s not yet clear whether, should Russia’s fifth-generation effort slip yet further, the Su-27M might yet emerge as an interim solution.

Alexey Komarov contributed to this report from Moscow.