Something very similar to the PAK-FA will fly before the end
of the decade, the problem Sukhoi is indeed facing is that what is being built
now is becoming more and more yet another demonstrator (1.44, S-37 and
now this), which in turn maybe the indication of an incremental
development strategy gone wrong.

The point of this strategy was to introduce progressively the technologies
developed for the PAK-FA into systems for Flanker derivatives (Su-35BM), in
order to make some profits that would in turn help to fund further R&D efforts
for the PAK-FA. In turn the first production PAK-FAs would be less capable
aircraft still using still interim sensor and weapon systems from the ultimate flanker variants.

What seems to be happening is that this approach maybe not so clever, and
is introducing more and more delays to the PAK-FA development.

The critical system here is the engine. What I think will happen is that a
prototype will indeed fly before the end of the decade, but powered by
AL-31 engines, which will be a good test platform for some purposes, but
could become a pointless demonstrator if the development stage of the AL-41
has no end in sight. No AL-41, no supercruise. No supercruise, no 5th
generation aircraft. This makes it pointless to start PAK-FA production
without a 5th generation engine ready. Procuring Su-35BMs is more logic
than PAK-FAs with interim systems, which would only be superior to the
Flanker in what concerns to stealth, while being almost certainly much more
expensive…

If you can make the conventional missiles discernable from nuclear ones, this is a really great idea I think.

The key part of what Baluyevsky said is to be found the last line of the article:
“In this context, Baluyevsky called for an international legal framework for such missiles.”
The russians are looking to make conventional ICBMs discernable from nuke
ones by means of the provisions in a legal framework.

They are not saying “nuke ICBMs good, conventional ICBMs bad”, what they
are saying is “conventional ICBMs without a proper legal framework bad”.
And I suspect that Baluyevsky “privately” thinks that with such treaty in place “conventional
ICBMs good” 😉

I’d love to see the passages in the SALT and START treaties that say “if the ABM treaty is ****canned these treaties are null and void”. Perhaps you could post a link for us?

There is indeed a treaty between US and Russia that, as a quid pro quo
for the annulement of the ABM treaty, makes the STARTII provisions null. It is called the Moscow Treaty and it was signed by presidents Putin and Bush.
For example, Russia could invoke this treaty’s provisions if it started MIRVing
its Topols, which was banned under START II.

Conference on Sevmash.
Project 955 Borey class.

WOW!!!

Great pics Gradient!

They show us some relevant things about the design.
It is somewhat different from the “Delta V” design that was expected:
– Bow Planes.
– The hump after the sail goes all the way back to the rudder.
– Pumpjet.
– Spherical sonar array?

Its quite an irony that Borei being dubbed as the most silent atomic sub in the world requires a SSN cover , which is the new 6000 ton SSN.

Well I think the supposed SSBN cover role for the new SSN is the Russian
Navy spin to justify a change in the plans for the introduction of new
generation subs that dated from the end of the Cold War.
Fact is that the crumbling of the USSR and financial crisis of the 90’s
delayed so much the introduction of the proj. 885 class that the russian
navy found itself with a new sub optimized for a role that is dificult to adapt
to a new strategic environment, and meanwhile the design bureaus have been
mastering new technologies that were not included in the Severodvinsk design.
The Russian Navy found itself holding on to a very expensive design with big displacement
optimized for blue water operations and that will have to be modified if
new technological developments, that were made since it was designed,
are to be incorporated in this class of ships.
So the russian navy found a way out from this problems by turning
the proj. 885 into a limited production run SSGN replacement (featuring some ground strike capability)
and develop a smaller cheaper, technologicaly advanced SSN (very silent, with high
degree of automation), adapted to both blue water and shallow water operations.

So are you telling me Al Qaeda wasn’t holed up in Afghanistan?

Al Qaeda is a franchise. Delocalized.
There were Al Qaeda operatives in the training camps in Afghanistan
but that’s all there is to it. The terrorists that carried out 911 organized
and carried out their plot not from Afghanistan but in Western Europe and in the
US. The Flight school they went to was not in Kandahar but in Florida.
None of them was Afghan. In fact, except for a couple of egiptians
each and everyone of them came from the same country…
If there is something like a main node in the Al Qaeda network
it most likely is based Saudi Arabia.
How many princes in the House of Saud do you think have links to Al Qaeda?
Too bad the
murderous tyrants that rule that Kingdom have been Washigton’s buddies
for the last half century.
All for the sake of democracy. Or as GWB would say “Let freedom reign!”

Which begs the question “why did the US withdraw Peacekeeper from service?” and “Why are they offloading warheads from MMIIIs down to one?”

If I can recall that process started before the treaty was signed and it is a question of inertia. For all purposes the SSBN force is the backbone of the US strategic deterrent and the US could very well get by without the other components of the nuke triad.

You also have to remember that letting re-MIRV ICBMs was the quid pro quo
for the russians to turn a blind eye to the abrogation of the ABM treaty.
So, in fact, START II was traded for ABM. That is the underlying substance
of the Moscow Treaty. Now if that was good or bad it will be a matter
for historians to argue about some decades from now.

Vast somes of money are spent keeping troops and equipment in warzones all over the world so that Tony Blair can cayy on thinking he is the most important person in the world. Yet at the same time he refuses to cough up the money to do this.

And I should add, wasting those resources fighting pointless wars of occupation to serve the geopolitical interests of a foreign power…