while we are on dislikes I dislike the engine. The RD-33 sucks!!! it smokes!!! it has warts!!! It costs more per unit than an Al-31!!!!!!! 😮

The latest versions of the RD-33 are smokeless.

The main problem of the VTAS is also present in the Russian HMS–risk of fratricide. Only a HMD that shows data about the ennemy (including the IFF confirmation) eliminates this risk.

Fratricide in WVR combat? You’re pretty unlikely to be in a situation with a friendly aircraft where you’ll be mistaking him at such close range with an enemy, to say nothing of the assumption that IFF can only be given via visual cues.

And what proof do you need : the russian HMS was fielded in ’80 and the US one in the ’70 and both have magnetic trackers.

That’s not proof whatsoever. But again, like I said, the Russian HMS was successful, VTAS wasn’t.

AA means air-to-air. AAA is anti-aircraft artilerry.

Actually AA can mean “anti aircraft”. In any event, this is an extremely shallow analysis.

Really? Except for the Eritrean- Etiopian confilct there is no recoreded kill by a Russian BVR missile. In fact 99% of all BVR kill were by US missiles: Sparrow, Phoenix, AMRAAM.

As noted, also specious reasoning.

Vympel didnt both Ram. and RA cooperate for the MKI program?

Hmmm- good question. I’m not sure.

Are you really sure the cockpit is from the Su-27SM? Have you seen it personally?

No, but I’m going from Ken’s page- the Su-27SM and the Su-27SKM are after all, related programs, and the only significant difference is the lack of IFR on the series Su-27SM.

I thought about this one, three large displays of the same size in a row. IIRC it was presented by Russkaya Avionika as a mock-up cabin at MAKS2001.

The Su-27SM avionics configuration, just like the Su-30MKK it originated from, is from Ramenskoye, not Russkaya Avionika. Russkaya Avionika did the Su-30KN / Su-27UBM, which lost to the Su-27SM when Mikhaylov because CinC of the RuAF.

I always understood that picture you posted to be for the Su-35UB front seat- I have that and another picture for the rear seat of the same mock-up.

I think the picture you posted depict the latest batch of the Su-30MKK for China.

No, it’s from the Su-27SM, the configuration given for it’s glass cockpit was always that arrangement, and the cockpit picutres of the Su-27SKM (Bort 305) which was the prototype for the Su-27SM, of sorts (with the exclusion of the IFR probe, it seems) were that configuration as well.

Thanks Vymp, so basically 14 Yak-130’s are sold to Algeria (I remember hearing that they also wanted the Mig-AT as well, what’s happening there)?

I think that’s MiG hoping – as far as I know, the huge Algerian order doesn’t include MiG-ATs. I’ve read reports of 14-16 Yak-130 equipped in purely the Russian fashion, with AI-222-25 engines, to be delivered from 2008 for Algeria.

(as an aside, they’ve proposed re-engining the Su-25 with a variant of that engine to dramatically improve performance, range and fuel efficiency)

Is Russia buying any Yaks?

Absolutely, they’ve been bought for this year- here’s an article detailing the construction of 12 Yak-130s for a defence ministry order (as well as Algeria’s purchase):

NPK Irkut to Begin Deliveries of Yak-130 UTS to Algeria in 2008

Yak-130UBS deliveries to Algeria will being in 2008, the vice president of NPK Irkut and deputy general director of the Yakovlev OKB, Nikolay Dolzhenkov, announced at the Dvigateli-2006 ((Engines-2006)) salon.

According to him, 16 Algerian Yak-130 airplanes will be fitted with the series-produced AI-222-25 engines in the same configuration being used for the Russian air force. MMPP Salyut is the main supplier of the engines.

As N. Dolzhenkov noted, the AI-222-25 engines is a n example of one of the most successful cooperative programs of Ukraine and Russia in modern motor building. It was developed in record time by the Ukrainian GP Ivchenko-Progress within the framework of an intergovernmental agreement, and at the present time is manufactured by MMPP Salyut and OAO Motor Sich. Right now the engines, which were manufactured with the cooperation of the Moscow and Zaporozh’e enterprises, are installed on the three Yak-130 airplanes in state tests.

“The developers of the airplane have no serious complaints about the engine,” N. Dolzhenkov declared. – “We are convinced that the engine will have a long life on board the Yak-130 airplane, and the airplane will be delivered abroad in this configuration.

“This has become possible only thanks to the close ties among the three enterprises,” N. Dolzhenkov emphasized.

According to him, as of today both the airplane and the engine are in state tests. It is expected that a preliminary decision for Russia’s defense ministry will be received, and next year – the state tests report.

Series production of 12 airplanes has been unfolded at the Nizhniy Novgorod Sokol aircraft building plant for Russia’s defense ministry according to a concluded contract and the Salyut plant has been named main executor. However, the fact that orders are arriving for the airplane does not mean that the work is completed – there is still much to do, in particular, regarding tests.

As the general designer of GP Ivchenko-Progress, Fedor Muravchenko, added at the press conference, as all engines, upgrade of the AI-222-25 is possible in the future, in particular, an increase of thrust and the provision of an afterburner.

Source: 13.04.06, ARMS-TASS

with at least one aircraft for this year:

Russia’s Air Force to Obtain First Yak-130 Combat Training Airplane This Year

The Russian air force will obtain this year the first Yak-130 combat training airplane, Russia’s air force commander-in-chief, General of the Army Vladimir Mikhaylov, has reported to ITAR-TASS.

Speaking about the prospects of renovating the fleet of military transport airplanes, the CinC reported that before 2010 its main component will consist of Il-76 airplanes. This is approximately 70 percent of the aircraft fleet. An-12 and An-26 airplanes are using up their service life, new lightweight and medium class airplanes will replace them, purchases of which will begin from 2007 – 2008, respectively. Long-range aviation will take one Tu-160 into the inventory in the very near future. “This airplane represents an upgraded variant of the bomber, and the next aircraft ((plural)) will have even heavier upgrades,” V. Mikhaylov reported.

He also evaluated highly the combat capabilities of the future Su-34, whose use will begin as early as this year. In particular, these airplanes, the CinC emphasized, will make up the basis of the Russian Federation tactical aviation in the coming years.

Source: 23.03.06, ITAR-TASS

In addition, apparently Ukraine is considering purchasing the Yak-130 (according to a not-further-translated article from RIA Novosti from 18 April 2006).

Tests of the aircraft however are ongoing:

Tests of Yak-130 Airplane Concluding

Tests of the Yak-130 airplane will be completed fully before year’s end, air force commander-in-chief Vladimir Mikhaylov has reported to journalists.

Three Yak-130 airplanes will arrive for tests this year, and tests of this airplane will be completed before the end of the year, he said. He added that the contract with Algeria for delivery to that country of 16 such airplanes “appreciably aided” the test process for the new Russian aircraft.

“The test process had been protracted, but the contract with Algeria sped it up appreciably, Mikhaylov noted. He added that the Yak-130 is “a very good and quality aircraft.”

“Last year I myself flee on it and can say that it is a very good and quality aircraft,” Mikhaylov concluded.

Source: 16.05.06, RIA Novosti

Maybe someone should tell Sukhoi’s PR department ??? :confused:

It clearly said ‘Su-32’ on the board in front of the example at last year’s MAKS airshow………

Su27IB, Su-32FN, Su-34, Su-32MF – I don’t care what they call it – just get it into service !!!! :diablo:

Ken

Su-32 is Sukhoi’s export designation- the RuAF CinC himself is on record as saying that the AF will refer to it as Su-34 when it’s in service. I can only suppose that it’s like Su-22M4 / Su-17M4 FITTER-K:

The Blue “Sushka”

Tests of an airplane – the hope of the Russian air force – ending in Akhtubinsk

…The heavy 40-tonne aircraft quickly tears away from the concrete slab of the Akhtubinsk airfield and, to the dissatisfaction of the photo correspondents, immediately disappears into the clouds. It is an Su-34.

The same one on which the air force is placing special hopes: in the coming years, this fighter bomber will be the basic strike might of our tactical aviation.

The secret of the elegant aircraft’s invisibility worth billions of rubles is simple at first glance. The “Sushka” is very aptly painted – blue and turquoise hues of irregular ovals. But in the event, this airplane is a difficult target, not only for human eyes, but also for radars. In the terrain following regime, it makes a blip on a radar screen which is comparable to the blip from a cruise missile. That is, it turns almost invisible, even less detectable than the American “stealth.”

“The Su-27IB fighter bomber we have is going through the final stage of tests,” the pilot, Yuriy Tregubenkov, said after landing. – ”A series of tests are left which we are supposed to complete in a year to a year and a half.”

General-Lieutenant Tregubenkov is the chief of the Chkalov State Flight Test Center. It is striking that he calls his airplane not the same as we journalists. This isn’t contradictory: formally, the Su-34 airplane still doesn’t exist. At the Sukhoy firm the prefer to use the export designation: Su-32. But the testers call it either officially the Su-27IB or simply the “Vehshka.” The latter sounds enigmatic, but is explained simply: at first the project was called the T-10V, and they sent the aircraft under such a code for tests. By the way, the air force commander-in-chief has promised to put an end “to the alternative versions”: the airplane will become officially the Su-34.

Strictly speaking, the “Sushka-Vehshka” is not the newest fighter bomber. But though since its first demonstration 15 years has passed (the experimental Su-27IB was shown to Mikhail Gorbachev and accidentally ended up in the lens of an ITAR-TASS correspondent the summer of 1990), it as before is beyond comparison. And it will remain so for many more years. It can do combat with fighters. It is reliable. And its competitors – the American F-15E and the European Tornado ((both in English)) – significantly are more vulnerable in contrast to our “Vehshka,” two crew members who are accommodated in an armored cockpit capsule.

The question arises: why continue testing the aircraft at the same time that its series production already has begun?

The specialist in Akhtubinsk explain it: today they are testing not so much the aircraft – it is sufficiently complete, as its armament, navigational instruments and computer control systems. And this process is almost endless, the weaponry and electronics constantly are in need of renovation.

“A line airman will be fully battle ready when he takes possession of all the capabilities and types of combat application,” General Tregubenkov explains. – The Su-34 is replacing the present Su-24 bombers. And if there is no problem for a trained airman of the present Su-24, piloting the new aircraft complex will not be a problem, although with the possession of the weaponry a new level of theoretical knowledge will be required.

…And yesterday was a holiday at Akhtubinsk. The lead airman in the test of the Su-34, he is the chief of the flight test center, Radik Abrarovich Bariev, returned from Moscow where he personally received the hero’s star from the hand of the president. Colonel Bariev had made a unique missile launch – a weapon was used from a fighter for the first time in the world during extreme maneuvers ((V REZHIME SVERKHMANEVRENNOSTI)). In a sense, this is a new page in the history of aviation. Up to this moment, all fighters possessing the capability to change engine thrust vector in flight was only during aerobatics. Now they are real airborne soldiers.

((Vehshka (Veshka) is a nickname for a Russian car.))

Source: 28.03.06, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Correspondent: Igor’ Elkov

Basically against a country with gaps in its AD system its ok.

You don’t need pre-existing gaps- that’s what SEAD aircraft and jammers are for (MiG-25BM, Su-34P, Su-24M2, Su-27SM etc etc)