Samara has started to produce NK-32 engines. These should be used in An-124, and not Tu-160 as article states.

http://sdelanounas.ru/blogs/84920/

there is also modernization of IL-76 and most of IL-476 slots are likely to be for A-100 and IL-478.

Avistar-SP was being modernised, but due to the current crisis the financing has been interrupted and resumed. The quote below is from an interview with Andrei Kapustin, general director of Avistar-SP. It has been translated with google translate. Maybe the situation has changed again…

The main parameters of technical modernization of the whole process are respected. Of course, one of the consequences of the crisis in the economy has been the suspension of a number of important areas. This is due to the fact that a large part of technical re-done at the expense of budget funds allocated under the special federal program. But at the moment the resumption of funding issues are successfully resolved, work on the frozen objects resumed. Total is currently re-equipment is carried at 11 facilities, of which 5 projects related to the serial production of Il-76MD-90A, 2 objects relate to the production of aircraft components IL-112B, one object of the IL-78 aircraft of 70m2, Anti- 125, and 1 object of universal application for all types of aircraft. For example, at last, it will be completed by the creation of the housing 8/3 site testing of aircraft fuel and leak.

http://aviastar-sp.ru/press_center/quotes/3148/

I think due to addition of two new program, IL-114 & IL-112 plus more number of IL-96-400 which were not part of Plan prior to 2014 , would delay the Il-76 program

These could be reasons too, but Il-96 is produced in Kazan, while Il-114 should be produced at Sokol. Il-76 is produced at Aviastar-SP (Ulyanovsk).

Il-96 is quite a survivor. At several instances it was considered to end entire production.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s the French Air Force modified the types of Rafales to be acquired.

– Up to 1992, 250 Rafale; 225 single-seaters and 25 two-seaters.
– 1992 revision, 231 Rafale: 95 single-seaters and 136 two-seaters.

The reasons given were that the cost of a WSO was not that high compared to the whole cost of acquisition and operation, and a second crew member was useful in many missions.

Perhaps somebody can provide more detail.

What is the difference?

This is one of the best explanation I have read. It was given in a debate about tanks.

IR night sights are “active equipment” that require the use of IR searchlights to illuminate the target, in simple terms its the same as using a conventional searchlight but in the near IR wavelength!
unless the light is actually shining on an object it cannot see it! it also has the handicap of standing out like a lighthouse to anyone with an IR sight switched on!

TI thermal sights are totally “passive” they emit nothing but read the difference in far IR light, anything that is warmer than the ambient temp the sight has been tuned for shows up as a glowing object, the sight can see this through smoke, dust, rain, fog, mist, light cover, into woodland and shrubbery etc!

II , image intensifiers are also “passive” they magnify the available ambient light to produce a picture, they require a degree of light to work though (starlight etc). On a pitch dark moonless overcat night for instance, they are basically useless!

Out of these three options, the TI is head and shoulders above the other two, they simply don’t compare, especially as TI is as useful in daylight as it is at night!!

Mi-24PNs don’t have FLIR, just Gen2 IIT.

As I understand it is a FLIR, as it has a Zarevo stabilised thermal sight. It was a rather crude and basic upgrade, but one that Russia could afford in those years.

Reason MiG-29 had short range is that no more was required. They were to be operated by almost exact same profiles as MiG-21/23 (ground controlled intercept, slashing missile attack, return to base, repeat if necessary). Even designers thought that very unambitious.

9.12 range performance was below Soviet requirements. This is why 9.13 was fielded with extra fuel drop tanks and larger internal volume was developed (hunchback).