Does anyone know what the Positive-ME radar is? Circled in red in the above picture. It’s one of the major electronics differences between the -EM version and the regular Sov.

That just looks like the Front Dome FCR for the aft deck SA-N-7. Unless they have upgraded the whole SA-N-7 system with a better version of the MR-352 Positive-E.

But, why pay $1 billion for 2 destroyers, when 2-3 052Bs could’ve built instead? Did the Russians have some sort of clause where they said, ‘you cannot buy the Kashtan and 3M80MB/VE unless you purchase the entire ship?’ It doesn’t make sense to me to purchase 2 additional ships whose capabilities may not be better than domestic ones (poor electronics capabilities, C4I on Russian ships I would imagine is worse), and which will take time to integrate into the domestic fleet. Why not just buy the upgraded Moskit and Kashtan separately, if that’s what they’re after?

I think the Chinese exercised an option for another two, and probably the love affair with the 3M80 as well. It is after all the only vessel currently fitted for the missile. The new DDGs are still incomplete, more or less untested bar a couple of sea trials, and no doubt have bugs to work out. In addition, they might not plan to build many more 052Bs until everything is just right. That said, the new Sovs will be entering service ready to go both next year and the year after that, and with two in the fleet already I don’t think it will take as long this time to integrate.

I have seen a pic of the 956EM model, I think on Kanwa a while ago.

Sukhoi apparently have an upgrade available for Su-22M customers. But no mention of a better radar fit, but something in a pod instead.

Details per http://www.maks.ru/expo/412/prod_1122.htm

Aircraft upgrade concepts:

New avionics installation, replacement of the out-of-date equipment
GPS, DMG, radar in pod, MFD, TACAN, IFF, RADIOCOM, solid-state flight data recorder, MK-54 portable system for flight mission data preparation and entry.
– Navigation accuracy and SOF improvement
– Weapons accuracy improvement
– Adaptation to Customer operational infrastructure
– Reduction of aircraft preparation time

New weapons employment.
– Corrected bomb KAB-500KR, Antiship missile X-31A.
– Camouflaged and highly armed ground targets destruction.
– Sea targets destruction.

EW suite improvement.
– Upgraded station of active jammers SPS-141MK.
– Additional capabilities to destroy radar with quasicontinuous radiation, with high pulse repetition frequency and track-while-scan radar.

Improvement in maintenance Operation costs decrease.

Aircraft`s safe life and service life extension.

Aircraft`s life cycle extension.

Perhaps a pair of the the original MFI powerplant, the Soyuz R-79M turbofan (181.4kN)?

My guess would be something a bit more powerful. This thing looks bigger and would have been heavier than the SR-71 with weapons loaded. [edit: Well after reading Distiller’s figures it appears to be SR-71 in size but not in max. TOW. So maybe the R-79M engine might have suited]

Armed with internal R-37 type missiles and a large phased-array radar, it would have been a formidable interceptor, though probably just too ambitious, expensive and just plain HUGE.

Much like the original Mach 3 Blackjack bomber concept. What I read in IAPR Journal on the development says the Russians simply didn’t have the expertise or the technology to build something SO ambitious and make it work effectively. A lot cheaper I think to simply build better ALCMs and ICBMs.

Great pics Camaro! 🙂

One would think the term Budget has been removed from the American dictionary.. :rolleyes: