LCH undergoes testing at Forward Landing Base at Siachen, highest for any attack helicopter. IOC is close now.

LCH looks much better with different paintjob!

I am unclear on the relationship between LCH and the “Rudra” variant of Dhruv. Are they intended to serve different roles? Was Rudra a backup in case LCH was delayed or otherwise didn’t work out?

NK-32 production would have restarted regardless of PAK-DA and Tu-160M2, the primary reason for restart is because new engines are needed for the current Tu-160’s.

Yes, NK-32 is needed to re-engine existing Tu-160s. So, given that you are already committed to production and update of NK-32, why would you not also employ a non-afterburning derivative of this engine on PAK DA, thereby saving on development costs and leveraging economies of scale?

Of course the same question can be asked of PD-14. And my answer to that is that Russian MoD has shown a marked indifference to incorporating the latest engine technologies in its fielded platforms, from AL-31F equipping the bulk of even new-build Flankers in 2015 to PS-90 for MTA, and even the reported conservatism of various upcoming engine programs themselves.

The circumstances under which a PD-14 derivative for PAK DA would be most compelling is if the PAK DA program is going to be so delayed that there will be ample time to develop any and all desired variants of PD-14, and that the revived NK-32 line will be shut down again before it could be utilised for PAK DA. Needless to say, this is a depressing prospect.

Since the original question was “Is the J-20 the least maneuverable 5th gen?”

J-20 has the longest road compared to the others.

Only because there is no “road” when it comes to addressing the fundamental shortcomings of an airframe design.

Personally, i expect a 20-24 ship peak production rate for j20 and its subsequent variants, achieved perhaps by as early as 2020, then going on for some 15-20 years before it starts dwindling and a new plane takes it place by 2040 or so. So overall maybe 500-ish or so airframes…

I think 20-24 airframes/yr is what we’ll see in the 2020-2025 era, ramping to 60+ airframes/yr thereafter as both Flanker and J-10 lines are shut down by 2025 and are replaced with at most one, and quite possibly no new clean-sheet designs, with further diversification of J-20 by late 2020s in the form of carrier-based and strike-oriented variants to replace JH-7.

I don’t see the F-35 a viable alternative to T-50, or an effective counter-measure to J-20. Nowadays, F-35s winning against ex-Kiwi Skyhawks is already considered a success.

I agree that F-35 would not be a good substitute for FGFA, I merely assume that most scenarios that would see India abandon FGFA (leaving aside the question of why on earth one would do this…) involve acquiring F-35 in its place.

The other alternative is for India to put all its faith in AMCA meeting or exceeding all timeline and performance goals. Given the track record to date, this would be wildly optimistic.

PAK-FA would still be an alternative for FGFA if the cost is too high. Not everything needs to be MKI-ized at all cost, although I understand it’s a viable opportunity for Indian industry to develop itself further.

If there is local production, then there will be some form of indigenisation. And it is local production that offers the best prospects for an order book stretching into the 2030s. As such, Russia should be doing everything possible to facilitate such arrangements and satisfy Indian stakeholders, including such indigenisation measures as are practical.

Indonesia and Hawk

Australia and SH-2G(A)

The drive towards the small precision weapons is directly due to the kind of combat conditions Western armies have had in their….”adventures” off-shore. Don’t think the Russian military sees that as a priority as much as larger, more traditionally-purposed munitions. The rest of the advances you mentioned are just the state of the art for the past ~two decades so it is not surprising the latest Russian offerings are similar to the post Cold War American+ Euro munitions.

Undoubtedly that is part of it, but then most of the munitions Russia is introducing now or in the near future are (greatly) enhanced versions of existing Cold War-era designs. Under the circumstances this is entirely sensible, but a decade from now when Russia is well stocked with modern munitions I would not be at all surprised if we start seeing analogues to SDB et al. emerge.

Do you believe that countries have their own specific artistic style, when it comes to planes?

Yes, with aircraft as with all other things, but the golden age has already been and gone. The development of distinctive cultural forms requires constant reinforcement and evolution in the form of new ideas from fresh minds given the freedom and material resources to realise their visions, preferably in at least partial isolation from outside influences. The complexity, timelines, and budgets of modern aircraft programs all but preclude the healthy development of a distinctive culture.

In this respect China is probably the only nation with a brighter future ahead of it than behind, with the predominantly foreign influences of the past being gradually supplanted by indigenous efforts fueled by the nation’s broader development. China’s recent twin-Predator UAV (and the unique objectives of the Divine Eagle project that it serves) is an example of the ongoing emergence of a distinctively Chinese aerospace and broader martial and technological culture. Conversely, with the exception of post-WW2 Japan and Germany, the UK provides the clearest example of the slow demise of a once distinctive aerospace culture.