inkWhat I would like to see is a moderately stealthy bomber built around two AL-31 size engines, with internal weapons bay, and delta wings. That’d be somethin’. Tu-160s – too expensive, too big, will lead to another economic collapse. Lets call it the PAK-DA MKII
Hmm… Not sure you’re gonna get what you’re after.
Personally, I expect to see something in the Tu-22M class. In other words, bigger and more powerful than the Su-34 but smaller and stealthier than a Tu-160. Also, moderately stealthy is not good enough frankly. I’ve explained why in the previous thread on this topic.
inkOk, great discussion guys, but what does it have to do with the quite significant news that the Russians are planning to design and build a new strategic bomber (the first in many, many years)?
inkOk, great discussion guys, but what does it have to do with the quite significant news that the Russians are planning to design and build a new strategic bomber (the first in many, many years)?
inkJust thought I should point to the existing thread on this topic:
http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=69726&highlight=russian+strategic+bomber&page=2
inkSource: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/24/russia-nuclear
Russia has thrown down a new gauntlet to Barack Obama with an announcement that it will sharply increase production of strategic nuclear missiles.
In the latest of a series of combative moves by the Kremlin, a senior government official in Moscow said the Russian military would commission 70 strategic missiles over the next three years, as part of a massive rearmament programme which will also include short-range missiles, 300 tanks, 14 warships and 50 planes.
Military experts said the planned new arsenal was presumed to consist of land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) rather than submarine-launched missiles. If this is the case, the plans represent a fourfold increase in the rate of ICBM deployment. The arsenal will include a new-generation, multiple-warhead ICBM called the RS-24. It was first test-fired in 2007, with first deputy prime minister Sergei Ivanov boasting it was “capable of overcoming any existing or future missile defence systems”.
The new missiles will be part of a £95bn defence procurement package for 2009-2011, a 28% increase in arms spending, according to Vladislav Putilin of the cabinet’s military-industrial commission. There will be further increases in spending in the following two years.
The new military procurements follow the war in Georgia in August. Russian forces easily routed Georgian troops, but the conflict exposed weaknesses in the Russian army, including outdated equipment and poorly co-ordinated command structures. The defence ministry said it would carry out drastic reforms, turning the army into a more modern force.
Vladimir Putin on Monday urged cabinet officials to quickly allocate funds for new weapons and closely control the quality and pace of their production. Military experts said the construction of 70 long-range nuclear missiles in the next three years represented a Russian attempt to strengthen its bargaining position with Washington, in talks aimed at agreeing new nuclear weapons cuts when the current treaty in force, Start I, expires next December.
Moscow’s strategy appears to be to challenge Obama’s new administration as soon as it takes office on 20 January. On the day Obama was elected the Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev, announced plans to station short-range Iskander missiles in Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave as a counter to American installation of its missile defence system in eastern Europe.
Ruben Sergeev, an expert on disarmament issues, said Moscow was afraid of falling behind in a new arms race.
“Russia is decommissioning its old liquid-fuel missiles from the Soviet era at a rate of several dozen every year,” he said. “The Kremlin knows that if it doesn’t increase production of ICBMs rapidly now then it will have no chance of getting a new arms reduction treaty out of the US, which has much greater quantities of missiles.” Negotiations on a successor to Start I have been bogged down in detail, and hamstrung by the Bush administration’s lame duck status.
The chief US negotiator, John Rood, said last week that the latest sticking point was Russian insistence that the new treaty cover long-range delivery systems, such as bombers and missiles, intended for conventional arms as well as nuclear warheads. The US wants the treaty to focus solely on nuclear warheads.
Moscow has also signalled that it would supply Tehran with new surface-to-air missiles in defiance of US opposition. Washington has asked for more information on the sales, fearing the weapons being sold include long-range S-300 missiles, which have a 120km (75 mile) range. They could threaten US planes in Iraq, and could also protect Iranian nuclear sites from aerial attack.
The US has set aside its own plans for military action against Iran for now, but US officials hoped that fear of an Israeli strike would make Iran more amenable to suspending its enrichment of uranium.
Arms treatiesStart I Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, July 1991, limited US and Soviet Union to long-range nuclear arsenals of 6,000 warheads on 1,600 delivery systems. Expires 5 December 2009.
INF Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty 1987 banned missiles such as the US Cruise with range of 3,500 miles.
Start II Signed 1993, supposed to ban multiple warheads on long-range missiles. Russian Duma delayed ratifying and it never came into force.
Start III Negotiated in 1997 to reduce nuclear stockpiles to 2,000-2,500 warheads, but fell apart over the US missile defence system. Talks resumed in 2007.
Sort Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty, or 2002 Moscow Treaty, cuts US and Russian arsenals to 1,700-2,200 operationally deployed warheads each. No verification procedures.
inkWhat is the benefit of sitting side-by-side, like in the Su-34, Su-24. Surely the airframe of the Su-30 could be developed into an interdictor of equal performance. I really can’t think of any benefit.
Its called operator fusion, the USAF published a report on it in the 80s… I certainly remember seeing it somewhere online (if I could find it using google, so can you).
inkAgain, not exactly RuAF news but relevant… Besides, where else can I post this kind of news?:
ANKARA, December 22 (RIA Novosti) – Turkey plans to buy 32 used Mi-28 (Havoc) helicopters from Russia in a deal worth a total of $1 billion, a national Turkish daily reported on Monday.
Vatan said the decision to buy helicopters from Russia was made after talks for purchases of Cobra and Super Cobra helicopter gunships failed with the United States.
Russian helicopters will tide Turkey over until deliveries of Agusta A-129 Mangusta helicopters, co-produced with Italy’s Agusta Westland, are received by the Turkish Armed Forces. The Italian company won a tender for the production of 52 helicopters in 2007.
The Turkish Defense Ministry has yet to officially confirm the report by Vatan.
The Mi-28 is an all-weather day-night attack helicopter manufactured by the Rostvertol plant in southern Russia.
Um… This is dubious reporting at best… Perhaps they mean Mi-35s.
TEHRAN, December 21 (RIA Novosti) – Russia has started the supplies of components for S-300 air defense systems to Iran, a senior Iranian lawmaker said on Sunday.
Esmaeil Kosari, deputy chairman of the parliamentary commission on national security and foreign policy told the Iranian news agency IRNA that Iran and Russia had held negotiations for several years on the purchase of S-300 air defense systems and had finalized a deal.
Kosari said the Islamic Republic would deploy S-300 surface-to-air missile systems to strengthen national defense on border areas.
Iran recently took delivery of 29 Russian-made Tor-M1 air defense missile systems under a $700-million contract signed in late 2005. Russia has also trained Iranian Tor-M1 specialists, including radar operators and crew commanders.
The advanced version of the S-300 missile system, called S-300PMU1 (SA-20 Gargoyle), has a range of over 150 kilometers (over 100 miles) and can intercept ballistic missiles and aircraft at low and high altitudes, making the system an effective tool for warding off possible air strikes.
The rest of the report is available here: http://en.rian.ru/world/20081221/119041152.html
MOSCOW, December 22 (RIA Novosti) – A total of 215 service personnel in Russia’s Armed Forces have committed suicide since the start of the year, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday.
The ministry said that 427 Russian service personnel in the country’s Armed Forces were killed in a total of 15,390 accidents and other non-combat related incidents.
In November four people were murdered or died from incidents involving negligence (23 since the start of the year), six died in accidents (112 since January), while 15 committed suicide (215 since year start).
The ministry said the casualty figures are virtually unchanged from last year when 442 Russian service personnel died in 16,899 accidents and non-combat incidents.
In 2006, a total of 554 service personnel were killed in 21,252 accidents and other incidents in the Russian Armed Forces.
inkNews news news!
MOSCOW, December 17 (RIA Novosti) – Russia will supply Lebanon with 10 used MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter planes free of charge, the head of the federal military cooperation service said on Wednesday.
The usual export price for a new MiG-29 is around $30 million.
Mikhail Dmitriyev said that before being shipped to Lebanon, all aircraft would be repaired and modernized “to export standards.”
He also said Russia and Lebanon were holding talks on a deal for the Arab country to buy Russian military hardware.
“Joint work with our Lebanese colleagues is underway now, dealing with the purchase of Russian armored vehicles, artillery and other military hardware, as well as other types of armaments,” Dmitriyev said.
He also said that Lebanese military servicemen would be trained in Russia.
The MiG-29 deal was announced on Tuesday by Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Murr after a meeting with his Russian counterpart, Anatoly Serdyukov.
Serdyukov said Moscow had received a “shopping list” from the Lebanese armed forces, which would be considered in the near future. He added that the fighter deliveries would provide a fresh impetus to military cooperation between the two countries.
The Lebanese Air Force is believed to currently have virtually no airworthy planes.
Currently the Air Force is equipped with Bell UH-1 Iroquois combat helicopters, developed back in the 1950s, and Robinson R44 Raven II civilian helicopters, all of which were supplied by the United States.
In 2007, Beirut took delivery of nine SA342L Gazelle helicopters from the United Arab Emirates.
MOSCOW, December 17 (RIA Novosti) – Russia will deliver 38 military planes to China, when a new aircraft production line is up and running, but not before 2010, the head of the federal military cooperation service said on Wednesday.
Russia has run into problems over its $1.5 billion contract with China, signed in 2005, to supply 34 Il-76 cargo planes and four Il-78 fuel tankers.
Originally, these planes were to be built in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, but then a decision was made to move production to Russia. Experts have put the cost of equipping the Ulyanovsk plant to manufacture the planes at $100 million.
The new production line is not expected to be up and running before December 2010.
“At the moment we have no aircraft ready [for delivery] and we are waiting for a signal when the [Ulyanovsk] plant will be ready. After that we will start work on the contract,” Mikhail Dmitriyev said.
He did not say when deliveries would start or be completed under the contract.
inkSome news:
MOSCOW, December 17 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces plan 13 training missile launches for next year, the forces commander Col.-Gen. Nikolai Solovtsov said Wednesday. (Strategic Missile Force Day – Image gallery)
“We have scheduled 13 training launches for 2009. The number could come down a bit,” he said.
The commander said last month that the forces were planning to conduct at least 13 launches of ballistic missiles next year.
“We are planning to carry out 13 launches in 2009: five test launches of new missiles, three launches to confirm the extension of missiles’ service lives, and five launches of converted SS-18 Satan ICBMs under the Dnepr program to orbit various satellites,” Solovtsov said in November.
The Strategic Missile Forces (SMF) conducted seven launches of ballistic missiles in 2008 and postponed two launches until next year.
Solovtsov also said in November that the SMF would put into service in 2009 systems equipped with new-generation RS-24 intercontinental ballistic missiles, bearing multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) warheads.
Russia carried out a third successful test of the RS-24 on November 26.
According to open sources, the total arsenal of Russia’s SMF comprises 536 ICBMs, including 306 SS-25 Topol (Sickle) missiles and 54 SS-27 Topol-M (Stalin) missiles.
inkBack to the thread subject:
A bountyful of Tochka-U launches, including quite a beautiful double simultaneous one, filmed on a cellphone camera by a (yet ) unknown Russian serviceman during the 5-days war:
Nice video. Shame about the quality. Wonder what all those Tochkas were aimed at – we haven’t seen that much footage of destroyed fixed targets. I wonder would it be possible to launch a Tochka successfully at a semi-mobile target, say a Buk battery for example. How effective would such a solution be?
inkUAC in need of rescuing:
MOSCOW, December 8 (RIA Novosti) – The Russian government has drafted a rescue package of 150 billion rubles ($5.4 billion) for the country’s defense and industrial complex amid the ongoing global financial crisis, a business paper reported on Monday.
According to Vedomosti, state-run hi-tech corporation Rostekhnologii and the United Aircraft Corporation are the main candidates for the government aid, with state companies receiving the funds through a rescue mechanism involving newly issued share purchases.
Russia’s Finance Ministry will submit proposals to the government this week on reforming the country’s defense and industrial complex, Deputy Finance Minister Anton Siluanov who heads the inter-governmental commission to support the sector told Vedomosti.
Deputy Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov told Vedomosti that the plan consists of five points: increasing advance payments, boosting funding for state defense orders and federal programs, subsidizing interest rates and providing state guarantees for loans, as well as preventing bankruptcies and issuing new shares and bonds in favor of the state.
Siluanov said that around 50 billion rubles ($1.8 billion) would be set aside to subsidize interest rates, increase company capitalization and prevent bankruptcies, while 100 billion rubles ($3.6 billion) would be used to guarantee loans.
inkechonine, it seems from the article you linked in that the numbers are as follows: 116 new aircraft (presumably fixed-wing) and 156 new helicopters – not the other way around. Even if these figures are incorrect, i.e. if they don’t meet these goals in full, the numbers are a huge step forward for an air force that has been used to a trickle of upgraded aircraft thus far.
inkI always thought Switzerland must be a pretty cool place to fly low-level… Now I know it is.
inkFor every Su-35 not delivered, one PAK-FA less will fly since pilots will be a little lost going from semi-computerized Su-27SMs to fully digital T-50s.
Better get Su-35 and one less PAK-FA than one less PAK-FA and one less Su-35 right?
In all seriousness though, each Su-35 is worth it since they bridge the gap between aircraft generations.
Surely a properly designed workspace should make it easier for a pilot to convert to from an older type… Certainly it should be easier to convert up one generation than to convert down to an older type.
inkDoesn’t need to, with a fixed AESA radar that can take up the whole diameter of the radome because it does not need to allow for the antenna to swivel. Compare the nose of the F-22 to the F-15 – the latter *dwarfs* the former.
Fair point. Still looks small to my eyes though – perhaps thats down to years of conditioning from looking at 4th gen designs.
Sign In
