Flyboy77I’m not sure they nuetralised anything yet to be honest, a backfire and frogfoot were lost, how much georgian Air defense gear is destroyed we just do not know, for all you or i know the georgian air defence systems might be ninty percent operational and are waiting in hiding/ relocating and getting ready to hit another few Russian jets. Perhaps tonight they will shootdown a few more Russian jets from positions previously unknown to the Russians, this conflict could drag on for months and and take many many more aircraft down with it.
As to the cost reason thats a bit of a cheap excuse isnt it, excuse the pun, any and every measure should be put into minimizing collateral and civilian damage from strikes for obvious humanitarian reasons yet sticks of unguided bombs and volleys of dumb rockets are the complete wrong way of going about it plus you have the obvious fact that a stick of say four dumb bombs is nowhere near as effective as one single LGB on most targets as we saw from the apartment block bombing and pipeline attack and many others that bombs are falling short/missing therefore a great deal of potentially usefull ordinance is simply wasted.
The Russian MoD spokesman said yesterday that PGM were being used but he was very specific about where and how often.
Flyboy77Georgia: Russia targets key oil pipeline with over 50 missiles
The pipeline is south of Tbilisi, no where near South Ossetia, and is in no way a military target. It is far more important to the economies of Turkey and Azerbaijan than to Georgia.
Georgia said that Russia attack a pipeline a few days ago but nothing came of it. Is there any photos or videos of it?
Flyboy77Actually if Georgia were part of NATO Russia wouldn’t have attacked. How is not having a war “madness” compared to having one?
More likely if Georgia was a part of NATO. NATO would have never given the green light to attack South Ossetia.
Flyboy77Russia’s Defence ministry spokesman press-conference
http://russiatoday.com/news/news/28762/video
If anyone wants to watch.
Flyboy77Was this a Backfire or some reserve-Blinder?
Either they are being really casual with the designations, or it’s a mistake.
In the press conference they referred to it as the “22” and the MOD spokesman was asked by one of the press why was it used he replied by saying it was a strategic bomber used for recon.
Personally I believe it was a TU-22MR.
Flyboy77Russian MOD Spokesman just in a Press confinence, that still only two aircaraft were downed. So no more have been shot downed since yesterday.
He said that TU-22 was beening used for recon. They dont know how it was shoot down but believe it was a SA-15 Tor.
They also said that the Tu-22 crew did survive and Georgia is holding them.
Flyboy77Footage of a downed Su-25. Claimed to be Georigan.
Flyboy77India may test futuristic jets by 2015
8 Aug 2008, 0315 hrs IST, Rajat Pandit,TNN
NEW DELHI: India hopes that the first developmental flight of the stealth fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA), to be co-developed with Russia, will take place by 2015-2016.
The FGFA, as envisaged by IAF to fulfil its futuristic requirements, will have a lethal mix of super-manoeuvrability and supersonic cruising ability, long-range strike and high-endurance air defence capabilities. Apart from a ‘‘minimal’’ radar tracking signature to impart stealth, the FGFA will have ‘‘a very high degree of network centricity’’, as also multi-spectral reconnaissance and surveillance systems — optical, infra-red, laser and radar sensors.
‘‘The FGFA should fly for the first time by 2015 or so. If it manages to do so earlier, then it will be a big achievement. Negotiations with Russia are making good progress, with the details being worked out,’’ IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major told TOI on Thursday.
‘‘It is very complex to design and develop an FGFA. The FGFA we want will be an entirely new platform, with many additional features, stealth being an important one,’’ he added. The ongoing negotiations with Russia flow from the FGFA agreement signed during the Indo-Russian inter-governmental commission on military-technical cooperation meeting, co-chaired by defence minister A K Antony and his Russian counterpart, last October.
The bone of contention is that Russia has already frozen the design parameters of its FGFA, the single-seater Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA, the first prototype of which is likely to take to the skies by 2009.
India, however, wants a twin-seater FGFA built to its requirements, which will obviously require several design changes. With the FGFA project expected to cost $8-10 billion, a cash-starved Russia is agreeable to the idea of having both single and twin-seater versions. ‘‘The various issues are being sorted out,’’ said an official.
There is only one operational FGFA in the world at present, the American F/A-22 ‘Raptor’, which comes at a whopping $142 million apiece. Another, the F-35 ‘Lightning-II’, in turn, is still under joint development by US, UK and seven other countries.
The most potent fighter in the IAF fleet currently is the Sukhoi-30MKI, which can be placed a little over fourth-generation, along with others like Eurofighter Typhoon, Rafale, Gripen and F/A-18 ‘Super Hornets’. While fourth-generation fighters typically revolve around multi-role capabilities, FGFA takes it forward by incorporating stealth technology, composite materials, supercruise, thrust-vectoring and integrated avionics as well.
Since it will take well over a decade for an Indo-Russian FGFA to become fully-operational, IAF is banking upon the 230 Sukhoi-30MKIs contracted from Russia at an overall cost of around $8.5 billion. Then, of course, there is also the mammoth $10.4 billion project to induct 126 new multi-role combat aircraft in IAF from 2012-2013 onwards.
Flyboy77India may test futuristic jets by 2015
8 Aug 2008, 0315 hrs IST, Rajat Pandit,TNN
NEW DELHI: India hopes that the first developmental flight of the stealth fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA), to be co-developed with Russia, will take place by 2015-2016.
The FGFA, as envisaged by IAF to fulfil its futuristic requirements, will have a lethal mix of super-manoeuvrability and supersonic cruising ability, long-range strike and high-endurance air defence capabilities. Apart from a ‘‘minimal’’ radar tracking signature to impart stealth, the FGFA will have ‘‘a very high degree of network centricity’’, as also multi-spectral reconnaissance and surveillance systems — optical, infra-red, laser and radar sensors.
‘‘The FGFA should fly for the first time by 2015 or so. If it manages to do so earlier, then it will be a big achievement. Negotiations with Russia are making good progress, with the details being worked out,’’ IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major told TOI on Thursday.
‘‘It is very complex to design and develop an FGFA. The FGFA we want will be an entirely new platform, with many additional features, stealth being an important one,’’ he added. The ongoing negotiations with Russia flow from the FGFA agreement signed during the Indo-Russian inter-governmental commission on military-technical cooperation meeting, co-chaired by defence minister A K Antony and his Russian counterpart, last October.
The bone of contention is that Russia has already frozen the design parameters of its FGFA, the single-seater Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA, the first prototype of which is likely to take to the skies by 2009.
India, however, wants a twin-seater FGFA built to its requirements, which will obviously require several design changes. With the FGFA project expected to cost $8-10 billion, a cash-starved Russia is agreeable to the idea of having both single and twin-seater versions. ‘‘The various issues are being sorted out,’’ said an official.
There is only one operational FGFA in the world at present, the American F/A-22 ‘Raptor’, which comes at a whopping $142 million apiece. Another, the F-35 ‘Lightning-II’, in turn, is still under joint development by US, UK and seven other countries.
The most potent fighter in the IAF fleet currently is the Sukhoi-30MKI, which can be placed a little over fourth-generation, along with others like Eurofighter Typhoon, Rafale, Gripen and F/A-18 ‘Super Hornets’. While fourth-generation fighters typically revolve around multi-role capabilities, FGFA takes it forward by incorporating stealth technology, composite materials, supercruise, thrust-vectoring and integrated avionics as well.
Since it will take well over a decade for an Indo-Russian FGFA to become fully-operational, IAF is banking upon the 230 Sukhoi-30MKIs contracted from Russia at an overall cost of around $8.5 billion. Then, of course, there is also the mammoth $10.4 billion project to induct 126 new multi-role combat aircraft in IAF from 2012-2013 onwards.
Flyboy77Russia ready to offer Algeria MiG 35 fighters
BERLIN, May 28 (RIA Novosti) – Russia is prepared to offer Algeria new MiG-35 Fulcrum fighter aircraft to replace the MiG-29 Fulcrum aircraft due to be supplied under a contract terminated earlier this year, the MiG Corp. CEO said Wednesday.
“We are currently in negotiations on delivering our fighter aircraft, including MiG-35s, to Algeria,” Anatoly Belov said.
Algeria has requested that Russia deliver between 14 and 16 additional Su-30 Flanker fighters in exchange for the MiG-29s.
Russian arms export monopoly Rosoboronexport signed a $1.3-bln contract to deliver 29 single-seater MiG-29SMT fighters and six two-seater MiG-29UB fighters to Algeria in March 2006 as part of an $8 billion military-technical cooperation agreement.
After receiving 15 MiG fighters, Algeria refused further deliveries in May 2007 and froze all payments with Russia in October 2007. Algeria claimed the MiG-29s were of “inferior quality” and demanded that Moscow take back all the fighters delivered.
The aircraft were eventually returned to Russia in April this year and following additional tests could go in service with the Russian Air Force.
Under a 2006 contract, worth about $2.5 billion, the Irkut corporation is supposed to deliver a total of 28 Su-30MKA fighters to Algeria until 2010. The company has supplied six aircraft so far.
The Irkut Corporation, part of Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), created in 2006, manufactures variants of the famed Su-30MK for India, Algeria, and Malaysia
Flyboy77Colombia wants to buy weaponry from Russia
MOSCOW, May 27 (RIA Novosti) – Colombia is seeking to expand military-technical ties with Russia in an apparent attempt to counter the growing military might of neighboring Venezuela, a Russian business daily said on Tuesday.
Colombian Vice President Francisco Santos will visit Russia on June 1-10. According to the Kommersant newspaper, the 46-year-old politician personally contacted the Russian leadership requesting the visit.
“It’s about time our countries intensified relations,” Kommersant quoted Santos as saying. “There is a lot we can do together.”
During his visit, Santos will most likely attempt to convince Moscow to revise its policy in Latin America, mainly in regards to arms trade.
Colombia is worried about the Hugo Chavez regime’s military buildup, boosted by Russia’s arms exports.In the last three years, Venezuela has bought 24 Su-30MK2V fighters, Tor-M1 air defense systems, 31 Mi-type helicopters and 100,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles from Russia. Caracas is also planning to conclude several contracts with Russia next month on the purchase of military equipment worth at least $2 billion, including transport planes, submarines and attack helicopters.
Relations between traditional rivals Colombia and Venezuela seriously deteriorated after the fiercely anti-American Hugo Chavez came to power in Venezuela in 1999.
Chavez has branded Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, the United States’ main ally in South America, “Washington’s poodle” and warned that war could break out if Colombia struck on Venezuelan soil.
Bogota has repeatedly accused Caracas of supporting rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
The region was brought to the verge of armed conflict at the beginning of March when U.S.-ally Colombia bombed a FARC rebel camp in Ecuador, killing 24 rebels. Venezuela and Ecuador then sent thousands of troops to the Colombian border, but a peace deal was soon reached.At present, Colombia is determined to maintain the balance of forces in the region even if it means buying Russian weaponry. In exchange, Bogota hopes to convince Moscow to reduce arms exports to Venezuela, Kommersant said.
According to the paper, Colombia is willing to order attack and transport helicopters, Sukhoi fighters and armored vehicles.
Francisco Santos is one of Colombia’s most influential politicians and the likely successor to President Alvaro Uribe.
Flyboy77I still don’t understand why Libya would go for the SMT. If they get the SMT the airframes are going to be old and probably come for MiG’s backyard. Why not just pay the 10 to 15 million extra and get the MiG-29M/MiG-35. They’ll have new airframes and a better plane overall.
On second thought, maybe the Su-30Mk’s and MiG-29’s are meant to be a stop-gap for the Su-35BM?
Flyboy77Try before you buy. Probably want to test both and probably return one and order more of the other depending upon what their pilots/groundcrew/accountants think… or it could just be unofficial wishfull thinking.
That makes sense but if so why the Su-30MK and MiG-29SMT. If you’re already buying the Su-35 you don’t really need Su-30MK. The Su-35 was meant to replace the MK on the export market after all. The SMT is a upgrade for older MiG-29’s, Libya doesn’t have any so why not the MiG-29M or MiG-35?
Flyboy77From this months (June 2008) AFM……
“A military and technical co-operation agreement signed between Libya and Russia on April 16 includes acquisition of 35 Sukhoi Su-35s for the Libya Arab Republic Air Force.
The deal was signed during a visit to Tripoli by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Unofficial reports suggest that one MiG-29SMT and one Su-30MK, plus several dozen Mi-17, Mi-35 and Ka-52 helicopters may also be included”
One MiG-29SMT and one Su-30MK? why only one?
Flyboy77Sorry for going offtopic but does anyone know if the MiG-35 will be able to carry the Ks-59 Kingbolt?
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