Friday, April 29, 2016
Turks really thought Islamic State could be “controlled”.
Turkish Army T-155 Firtina howitzer turret blown away after ISIS ATGW strike in Karkamış
https://twitter.com/taylieli/status/726139579477139456
Published time: 30 Apr, 2016
The crew of the latest multipurpose nuclear submarine of the Northern Fleet, Project 885 Severodvinsk, successfully launched the missile from the Barents Sea, the Russian military said in a statement.
The missile hit its target in the Arkhangelsk region “with high accuracy”, the statement added. The strike was conducted as part of wider navy combat drills in the area.
The ministry also noted that Severodvinsk, which sailed to sea earlier this week, has carried out a number of other drills within the winter framework training exercises of Russia’s Northern Fleet.
Russian Kalibr missiles were also tested on the Caspian Flotilla during week-long drills that involved some 20 vessels and concluded on Friday.
“A strike group of the flotilla has conducted firing drills using naval practice targets and hit them successfully,” the press service said.
Ships with the Russian Navy’s Caspian Flotilla fired off 3M-14 submarine-launched cruise missiles (SLCM) for the first time on Islamic State targets in Syria on October 7 and November 20.
Ever since the debut, the Kalibr became one of the main perceived threats to US security. The Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) said in December that it“is profoundly changing [Russia’s] ability to deter, threaten or destroy adversary targets.”
With a range of roughly of 2,000 km, the supersonic 3M-54 Kalibr missile is small enough to be carried by submarines and small warships. Furthermore the missile is capable of carrying both a conventional or nuclear warhead and is able to penetrate the enemy’s missile defense systems thus changing the calculus of the reach and effectiveness of smaller navy ships.
The Severodvinsk-class submarine (Russian: Проект 885 “Ясень”, “ash tree”; NATO reporting name: “Severodvinsk”, also known erroneously as the Graney class) is the newest Russian nuclear-powered multipurpose attack submarine. Based on the Akula-class submarine and the Alfa-class submarine it is projected to replace Russia’s Soviet-era attack submarines, both Akula and Oscar-class submarine.
| Name: | Severodvinsk |
| Builders: | SevMash , designer Malahit Lazurit Rubin |
| Operators: | Russian Navy |
| Preceded by: | Akula class |
| Cost: | Equivalent of US$1.6 billion |
| Building: | 4 |
| Planned: | 12 (7 on order) |
| Completed: | 2 (Severodvinsk) |
| Active: | 1 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | ·Surfaced: 7,700–8,600 tons
·Submerged: 13,800 tons |
| Length: | 120 m (390 ft) |
| Beam: | 15 m (49 ft) |
| Propulsion: | 1 x KPM type pressurized water reactor |
| Speed: | ·Surfaced: 20 kn (37 km/h; 23 mph)
·Submerged (silent): 28 kn (52 km/h; 32 mph) ·Submerged (max): 35 kn (65 km/h; 40 mph) |
| Range: | unlimited except by food supplies |
| Test depth: | 600 m (2,000 ft) |
| Complement: | 90 (32 officers) |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
Rim Hat ESM/ECM Snoop Pair Surface Search Radar |
| Armament: | ·8 x VLS equipped silos for either:
o 32 (8 x 4) with Oniks o or o 40 (8 x 5) with Kalibr-PL anti-ship, anti-submarine and land attack submarine launched weapon. o Kh-101 cruise missiles. ·10 × torpedo tubes (8x650mm and 2x533mm). |
Published 29 April 2016
Russia has shipped the first 20 of 50 tanks to Nicaragua in a move that has confounded certain analysts.
The $80 million purchase of the 50 T-72B tanks marks an dramatic uptick in Nicaragua’s military expenditures. In spite of the increased military expenditures, Nicaragua still pales in comparison to its neighbors. Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic outspent the rest of the isthmus by nearly $100 million in 2015, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Nicaraguan military spokesman Colonel Manuel Guevara Rocha said it was part of efforts to modernize the nation’s fighting force, much of which had become outdated, Spanish news source El Pais reported.
Russian news agency RIA Novosti said that its government had already given Nicaragua 12 anti-aircraft missile defense systems, two helicopters, and a “lot” of armored vehicles.
Original post telesurtv.net
So it comes to about $1.6 million per tank……
Map @operationworld.org 
Map @operationworld.org
The T-72 Ural main battle tank was developed as a cheaper and more reliable, however less capable alternative to the T-64. It entered service with Soviet army in 1973. A total of 30 000 tanks of this type were produced in the Soviet Union, China, Czechoslovakia, India, Romania and Yugoslavia. It was exported to about 30 countries. At the end of 1990s Russia operated around 9 000 of these main battle tanks.
The T-72 is protected by composite armor. Some sources claim that front armor of the T-72 is equivalent to 500-600 mm of Rolled Homogenous Armor (RHA). In the 1970s it was adequate, however it is not much by modern standard. Side armor provides protection against IFV and helicopter cannons. Later production models were fitted with side skirts. The T-72 is completed with NBC protection system and automatic fire extinguishing equipment.
This main battle tank is completed with a 125-mm smoothbore gun, fitted with new carousel-type autoloader. Previous autoloader on the T-64 was unreliable and had a number of other drawbacks. However autoloader of the T-72 was slower than that, used on the T-64. Maximum rate of fire is up to 8 rounds per minute, or 1-2 rounds per minute, when loaded manually. A total of 39 rounds for the main gun are carried. Effective range of fire with APFSDS round is about 2 000 – 3 000 day and 850-1 300 m at night. Armor penetration is about 590-630 mm of RHA at 2 000 m range.
Secondary armament consists of coaxial 7.62-mm machine gun and 12.7-mm machine gun, mounted on top of the roof in the opened mount.
Vehicle has a crew of three, including commander, gunner and driver.
| Entered service | 1973 |
| Crew | 3 men |
| Dimensions and weight | |
| Weight | 41 t |
| Length (gun forward) | 9.53 m |
| Hull length | 6.86 m |
| Width | 3.46 m |
| Height | 2.19 m |
| Armament | |
| Main gun | 125-mm smoothbore |
| Machine guns | 1 x 7.62-mm, 1 x 12.7-mm |
| Elevation range | – 5 to + 14 degrees |
| Traverse range | 360 degrees |
| Ammunition load | |
| Main gun | 39 rounds |
| Machine guns | 2 000 x 7.62, 300 x 12.7 |
| Mobility | |
| Engine | V-46 diesel |
| Engine power | 780 hp |
| Maximum road speed | 60 km/h |
| Range | 500 km |
| Maneuverability | |
| Gradient | 60% |
| Side slope | 40% |
| Vertical step | 0.85 m |
| Trench | 2.8 m |
| Fording | 1.2 m |
| Fording (with preparation) | 5 m |
Source military-today.com
April 27, 2016
The CEO avoided disclosing the country that ordered the missiles
IZHEVSK, April 27. /TASS/. The Kalashnikov weapons manufacturing concern has a contract for the export of guided missiles Vikhr-1, its CEO, Alexey Krivoruchko, has told the media.
“We already have two new contracts for the supply of Vikhr-1 missiles – one with the Defense Ministry and the other with a foreign client,” Krivoruchko said.
He avoided disclosing the country that ordered the missiles.
The export contract is extended over two years, and that with the Defense Ministry, over three years.
Vikhr-1 is meant for use against armored vehicles and slow air targets at distances of up to ten kilometers. The first batch of the missiles was delivered to the Defense Ministry in October 2015.
The PAK FA (Russian: ПАК ФА, Russian: Перспективный авиационный комплекс фронтовой авиации, Perspektivny Aviatsionny Kompleks Frontovoy Aviatsii, literally “Prospective Airborne Complex of Frontline Aviation”) is a fifth-generation fighter programme of the Russian Air Force. The T-50 is the name of the prototype aircraft (though it is unlikely it will be the name for the production aircraft) designed by Sukhoi for the PAK FA programme. The aircraft is a stealthy, single-seat, twin-engine jet fighter, and will be the first operational aircraft in Russian service to use stealth technology. It is a multirole fighter designed for air superiority and attack roles. The fighter is planned to have supercruise, stealth, supermaneuverability, and advanced avionics to overcome the prior generation of fighter aircraft as well as ground and maritime defences.
First prototype of the PAK-FA, B/N 51, during an early test flights, January and February 2010 (Sukhoi images) ausairpower.netThe PAK FA is intended to be the successor to the MiG-29 and Su-27 in the Russian Air Force and serve as the basis for the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) being co-developed by Sukhoi and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Air Force. The T-50 prototype first flew on 29 January 2010 and the first production aircraft is slated for delivery to the Russian Air Force starting in late 2016 or early 2017.
The 117S powerplant (© 2009 Vitaliy V. Kuzmin) ausairpower.netThe prototypes and initial production batch will be delivered with a highly upgraded variant of the AL-31F used by the Su-27 family as interim engines while a new clean-sheet design powerplant is currently under development. The aircraft is expected to have a service life of up to 35 years.
PAK FA “051” moddb.com“Stealth aircraft require jamming support aircraft to accompany them so they can be stealthy. A stealth fighter is simply a design trend that will burn out (like the 1950s-60s era ‘all-missile’ fighter without a gun did) in another decade or so.”
It is now clear that the Russian Sukhoi PAK-FA fighter is not to be an all-aspect stealth machine but rather a counter-stealth machine. While it has some stealthy features (just enough) to exploit the poorer target-detect performance of opposing stealth-fighters only equipped with radar (like F-22A) T-50 is also equipped with some decidedly “non-stealthy” sensors like OLS (and second spherical ball behind the cockpit) to detect/attack F-22 outside the radio spectrum. This misread of T-50 has produced some bizarre statements/analysis on the PAK-FA from Western stealth-fighter proponents, including:
“The Electro-Optical System (OLS) turret employed on the prototype is likely the Su-35S OLS, and is incompatible with a VLO design, as it is a broadband spherical reflector. We can expect to see a faceted VLO fairing similar to that designed for the canceled F-22A AIRST (Advanced IRST) in a production PAK-FA configuration.”
These types of observations by western stealth-fighter proponents – are nonsense. The western argument prefers the Russians to copy the west (with all aspect stealth) to validate the overall F-22 concept (that the Americans have yet again set the design trend(s) for high visibility military technology). Otherwise, the western argument will conclude: “they can’t because its too expensive.” The hard facts are that F-22A will never reach supporters expectations due to basic physics – that have nothing to do with program cost(s). – Posted 14-Jan 2014 theboresight.blogspot.com
File photo of MiG-1.44 afbase.comDuring the mid to late 1990s the aviation community was tantalised by the impending debut of Russia’s first fifth-generation fighter, the Mikoyan MFI. The MFI was developed to counter the threat posed by the ATF programme under which the F-22 was created. Mikoyan claims that the MFI’s combination of aerodynamic properties, armament and avionics render it superior to any contemporary fighter, including the F-22A.
The aircraft rolled out in 1999 is apparently designated MiG 1.44 and is understood to be a demonstrator only. The planned production MFI was referred to as the 1.42. and would have a slightly different air intake design, an internal weapons bay (faired over on the 1.44) and, possibly, cranked-delta wings. The 1.44/1.42 is the first Russian fighter to employ a tail-first configuration. Weapons are mostly carried in an internal bay in the centre fuselage (faired over on the 1.44).
It is believed, that the MFI is equipped with a pulse-Doppler fire control radar persistently referred to as NO-14. This phased-array unit is designed for beyond visual range combat and has the ability to attack six targets at a time.
Prototype construction began in 1989, and after lengthy ground tests, the 1.44 made its first high-speed run in late 1994. Unfortunately, the programme had to be suspended before the 1.44 could become airborne due to ANPK MiG’s dire financial problems. The 1.44 remained classified by the Russian Defense Ministry until it was finally publicly unveiled in January 1999. After great delay, the 1.44 finally made its brief but important first flight in January 2001. The future of the MFI remains unclear, and the line between it and the 1.44 remains equally blurred. It seems that the MFI programme was abandoned. The Russian air force’s officially selected the new Sukhoi PAK FA as its new fifth-generation fighter.
However in 2010 photos of the new Chinese J-20 stealthy multi-role fighter appeared, which is very similar to the MiG 1.42. It is speculated, that development of the J-20 was assisted by the MiG aviation company.
Left: MiG 1.44; Right: J-20 zone5aviation.com|
Entered service |
– |
|
Crew |
1 men |
|
Dimensions and weight |
|
|
Length |
22.83 m |
|
Wing span |
17.03 m |
|
Height |
5.72 m |
|
Weight (empty) |
? |
|
Weight (maximum take off) |
35 t |
|
Engines and performance |
|
|
Engines |
2 x Saturn AL-41F turbojets |
|
Traction (with afterburning) |
2 x 175 kN (estimated) |
|
Maximum speed |
2 760 km/h |
|
Service ceiling |
20 km |
|
Range |
4 500 km |
|
Armament |
|
|
Cannon |
unspecified type of cannon |
|
Missiles |
R-77 (AA-12 ‘Adder’) air-to-air missiles and new air-to-surface missiles |
Source military-today.com
MiG-1.44 media.moddb.comThough not a participant in the MFI, Sukhoi started its own program in the early 1990s to develop technologies for a next-generation fighter aircraft, resulting in the S-37, later designated as the Su-47. Due to a lack of funds after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the MiG 1.44 program was repeatedly delayed and the first flight of the prototype did not occur until 2000, nine years behind schedule.
Sukhoi Su-47/S-37 airliners.netThe Su-47 is of similar dimensions to previous large Sukhoi fighters, such as the Su-35.To reduce development costs, the Su-47 borrowed the forward fuselage, vertical tails, and landing gear of the Su-27 family. Nonetheless, the aircraft includes an internal weapons bay, and space set aside for an advanced radar.
Though similar in overall concept to the Grumman X-29 research aircraft of the 1980s, the Su-47 is larger and far closer to an actual combat aircraft than its US counterpart.
Like its immediate predecessor, the Su-37, the Su-47 is of tandem-triple layout, with canards ahead of wings and tailplanes. Interestingly, the Su-47 has two tailbooms of unequal length outboard of the exhaust nozzles. The shorter boom, on the left-hand side, houses rear-facing radar, while the longer boom houses a brake parachute.
The Su-47 has extremely high agility at subsonic speeds, enabling the aircraft to alter its angle of attack and its flight path very quickly while retaining maneuverability in supersonic flight. The Su-47 has a maximum speed of Mach 1.6 at high altitudes and a 9g capability.
The swept-forward wing, compared to a swept-back wing of the same area, provides a number of advantages:
The forward-swept midwing gives the Su-47 its unconventional appearance. A substantial part of the lift generated by the forward-swept wing occurs at the inner portion of the wingspan. This inboard lift is not restricted by wingtip stall and the lift-induced wingtip vortex generation is thus reduced. The ailerons—the wing’s control surfaces—remain effective at the highest angles of attack, and controllability of the aircraft is retained even in the event of airflow separating from the remainder of the wings’ surface.
A downside of such a forward-swept wing design is that it geometrically produces wing twisting as it bends under load, resulting in greater stress on the wing than for a similar straight or aft-swept wing. This requires the wing be designed to twist as it bends—opposite to the geometric twisting. This is done by the use of composites wing skins laid-up to twist. Despite this, the plane was initially limited to Mach 1.6.
As of FY 2013, several engineering modifications have raised the maximum speed parameter limit to Mach 1.8. / Mach 2.2.
As of FY 2014 this new maximum speed limit data is yet to be confirmed by an official confirmation communiqué by Sukhoi.
The thrust vectoring (with PFU engine modification) of ±20° at 30°/second in pitch and yaw will greatly support the agility gained by other aspects of the design. Source everything.explained.today
Sukhoi Su-47/S-37 cutaway d.hatena.ne.jpWingspan: 16.7 m
Length overall: 22.6 m
Height overall 6.40 m
Weight empty, equipped : 24,000 kg (52,910 lb)
Max T-O weight : 34,000 kg (74,960 lb)
Max level speed at height : 2,500 km/h (1,350 knots)
Max level speed at S/L : 1,400 km/h (756 knots)
Service ceiling : 18,000 m (59,050 ft)
Range with max fuel at height : 1,782 nm (3,300 km/2,050 miles)
Number of hardpoints: 14: 2 wingtip, 6-8 under wing, 6-4 conformal under fuselage
Air-to-air : R-77, R-77PD, R-73, K-74
Air-to-surface: X-29T, X-29L, X-59M, X-31P, X-31A, KAB-500, KAB-1500
Source fighter–planes.com
The MiG 1.44 was subsequently canceled and a new program for a next-generation fighter, PAK FA, was initiated. The program requirements reflected the capabilities of Western fighter aircraft, such as the Eurofighter Typhoon and F-22 Raptor.
Following a competition between Sukhoi, Mikoyan, and Yakovlev, in 2002, Sukhoi was selected as the winner of the PAK FA competition and selected to lead the design of the new aircraft.
To reduce the PAK FA’s developmental risk and spread out associated costs, as well as to bridge the gap between it and older previous generation fighters, some of its technology and features, such as propulsion and avionics, were implemented in the Sukhoi Su-35S fighter, an advanced variant of the Su-27.
The Novosibirsk Aircraft Production Association (NAPO) is manufacturing the new multirole fighter at Komsomol’sk-on-Amur along with Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Production Association (KnAAPO), and final assembly is to take place at Komsomol’sk-on-Amur. Following a competition held in 2003, the Tekhnokompleks Scientific and Production Center, Ramenskoye Instrument Building Design Bureau, the Tikhomirov Scientific Research Institute of Instrument Design (NIIP), the Ural Optical and Mechanical Plant (UOMZ) in Yekaterinburg, the Polet firm in Nizhny Novgorod and the Central Scientific Research Radio Engineering Institute in Moscow were selected for the development of the PAK-FA’s avionics suite. NPO Saturn is the lead contractor for the interim engines; Saturn and MMPP Salyut will compete for the definitive second stage engines.
On 8 August 2007, Russian Air Force Commander-in-Chief (CinC) Alexander Zelin was quoted by Russian news agencies that the program’s development stage was complete and construction of the first aircraft for flight testing would begin, and that by 2009 there would be three fifth-generation aircraft ready. In 2009, the aircraft’s design was officially approved.
Conventional thinking in the planning of air campaigns, empirically observable from the Blitzkrieg campaigns of the 1940s through to the recent United States led air campaigns since 1991, places a heavy emphasis on the defeat of opposing airfields by aerial attack, to deny an opponent the opportunity to contest airspace. To achieve this effect, an attacker needs the capability to repeatedly penetrate defended airspace to shut down airfields, keep them shut down, and inflict attrition upon opposing aircraft on the ground.
Basically the Russians built the MiG-23 to fight F-105s, F-104s, F-4s, Mirage IIIs and as a technological response to the USAF`s needs for a variable geometry fighter in the form of a cheap soviet F-111sky. The Americans responded with the F-15 and F-14 and much later with the F-16 and F-18, this prompted the development of the Su-27 and MiG-29 and the west then designed the Eurofighter, Rafale Gripen and F-22 to counter the MiG-29 and Su-27 threat.
The F-22A may get ‘first look’ with the APG-77, the Advanced Infra Red Search and Track (AIRST) sensor having been deleted to save money, but the PAK-FA may get ‘first look’ using its advanced infra-red sensor. A radar cross section of only -20 dBSM would deny early Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missile shots using the AIM-120C/D AMRAAM to all current and planned US fighters. Doing any better, like -30 dBSM or -40 dBSM, simply increases the level of difficulty in prosecuting long range missile attacks. The consequence of this is that missile combat will be compressed into shorter distances and shorter timelines. A larger portion of engagements will be at visual range, and most BVR engagements will end up taking place inside 30 nautical miles. Then, the engagement becomes a supersonic equivalent of the Battle of Britain or air combat over North Korea. The outcome will be difficult to predict and will depend on missile capabilities zone and the pilots.
Information superiority aims at reducing one’s own observation to action loop (Observation-Orientation-Decision-Action) while elongating the enemy’s loop. Posted on 26/10/2013 Surajit Sarma
Excerpt
Composite materials are all the rage today with Russia’s fifth-generation T-50 fighters and, Ka-52 and Ka-62 helicopters making extensive use of polymeric carbon plastics and other high-strength materials, rendering them virtually invisible to enemy radar. Sputnik looked at the way composites can help planes fly better and dodge enemy radar.
Excerpt
The latest issue of Air & Cosmos publishes an article by Piotr Butowski and Antony Angrand entitled Du PAK FA au Su-57 , which provides interesting information on the Russian program for the creation of a fifth-generation fighter on the PAK FA theme. Our blog translates this material.
PAK FA will soon receive a new name, now the fifth generation fighter will be called Su-57. However, the production of this twin-engine fighter was revised downward. For two years, the prototype fighter aircraft have undergone the procedure of strengthening the airframe, as well as a number of improvements.
Russia’s fifth-generation Su-57 fighter jets will have enhanced artificial intellect capabilities, bringing it a step closer to the next-generation unmanned fighters, a source in aviation industry told Sputnik.”There are plans to equip Su-57 warplanes with an AI system that will bring it closer to a sixth-generation unmanned aircraft,” the source said.
The Sukhoi aircraft maker will deliver two of these stealthy fighters to the Russian armed forces under contract signed Wednesday at the Army-2018 military tech forum in Kubinka near Moscow.
The multirole fighter jet, which made its maiden flight back in 2010, will also have fully-automated control, vision and weapon guidance systems, according to the source.
Previously, President of the United Aircraft Corporation Yuri Slyusar said that two Su-57 jets had undergone their combat debut in Syria and successfully completed all their assignments.
Later, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu reported that tests of new cutting edge cruise missiles had been conducted using Su-57. Source ruaviation.com
Arrangement of elements of avionics of the Su-57 fighter (with) Piotr Butowski / Air & CosmosThe last copy of T-50-9 has a set of on-board equipment, which will be installed on the serial Su-57. On previous prototypes, the kit was installed partially, so some cars carried only fake electronic equipment.
In 2007, Russia and India agreed to jointly develop the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft Programme (FGFA) for India. In September 2010, it was reported that India and Russia had agreed on a preliminary design contract where each country invests $6 billion; development of the FGFA fighter was expected to take 8–10 years. The agreement on the preliminary design was to be signed in December 2010.
Planned deliveries and developmentThe Russian Air Force is expected to procure more than 150 PAK FA aircraft, the first of which is slated to be delivered in 2016. India plans on acquiring modified PAK FA as a part of its Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) program. It originally planned on buying 166 single-seat and 44 two-seat variants, but this has been reduced to 130-145 single-seat aircraft and the requirement for 45-50 twin-seat fighters has been dropped by 2014. The Russian Defence Ministry plan on purchasing the first 10 evaluation example aircraft after 2012 and then 60 production standard aircraft after 2016.
In December 2014, the Russian Air Force planned to receive 55 fighters by 2020. But Yuri Borisov, Russia’s deputy minister of defence for armaments stated in March 2015 that the Air Force will slow PAK FA production and reduce its initial order to 12 jets due to the nation’s deteriorating economy. Due to the aircraft’s complexity and rising costs, the Russian Air Force will retain large fleets of fourth-generation Sukhoi Su-27 and Su-35S.
The T-50’s maiden flight was repeatedly postponed from early 2007 after encountering unspecified technical problems. In August 2009, Alexander Zelin acknowledged that problems with the engine and in technical research remained unsolved. On 28 February 2009, Mikhail Pogosyan announced that the airframe was almost finished and that the first prototype should be ready by August 2009.
Sukhoi’s new aircraft project code name is Τ-50, while according to the Russian Air Force, the aircraft will be called Ι-21 and the construction code will be Izdelie 701. Source redstar.gr
redstar.gr
The first taxi test was successfully completed on 24 December 2009. Flight testing of the T-50 began with T-50-1, the first prototype aircraft, on 29 January 2010. Piloted by Hero of the Russian Federation Sergey Bogdan, the aircraft’s 47-minute maiden flight took place at KnAAPO’s Dzemgi Airport in the Russian Far East.
On 3 March 2011, the second T-50 completed a 44-minute test flight. The first two prototypes lacked radar and weapon control systems; the third and fourth aircraft, first flown in 2011 and 2012, are fully functional test aircraft. On 14 March 2011, the T-50 achieved supersonic flight at a test range near Komsomolsk-on-Amur.
The T-50 was displayed publicly for the first time at the 2011 MAKS Airshow, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was in attendance. On 3 November 2011, the T-50 reportedly performed its 100th flight. More than 20 test flights were made in the next nine months.
The third prototype, T-50-3, was the first prototype to fly with an AESA radar. Originally scheduled for the end of 2011, these flights occurred in August 2012, and showed performance comparable to existing radars. On 22 November 2011, T-50-3 took its first flight from KnAAPO’s airfield in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, piloted by Sergey Bogdan. The aircraft spent over an hour in the air, and was subjected to basic stability and powerplant checks. It differs from the other prototypes in the way it lacks a pitot tube. All 14 test aircraft are scheduled to fly by 2015.
The fourth prototype had its first flight on 12 December 2012 and joined the other three aircraft in testing near Moscow a month later. By the end of 2013, five T-50 prototypes were flown, with the fifth prototype having its first flight on 27 October 2013; with this flight the program has amassed more than 450 flights. The first aircraft for State testing was delivered on 21 February 2014. However the VVS lacks facilities for testing some of the aircraft’s performance parameters.
The fifth flying prototype T-50 ‘055’ was severely damaged by an engine fire after landing in June 2014. The aircraft was returned to flying condition after cannibalizing components from the unfinished sixth prototype.
rbth.com
The PAK FA is a fifth generation multirole fighter aircraft and the first operational stealth aircraft for the Russian Air Force. Although most information is classified, sources within the Sukhoi company and Defense Ministry have openly stated that the aircraft will be stealthy, supermaneuverable, have supercruise capability, incorporate substantial amounts of composite materials, and possess advanced avionics such as active phased array radar and sensor fusion.
PAK FA design by paraplay – Image defence.pk
PAK FA design by paraplayThe T-50 has a blended wing body fuselage and incorporates all-moving horizontal and vertical stabilizers; the vertical stabilizers toe inwards to serve as the aircraft’s airbrake.
Patent submitted for the PAK-FA
![Layout diagram of the T-50 PAK-FA Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft [FGFA]](http://lh5.ggpht.com/-e0z59eN4vPw/T36YHDR-48I/AAAAAAAAEzk/7r2zfbHNYos/s1600-h/T-50-PAK-FA-Fifth-Generation-Fighter-Aircraft-02%25255B5%25255D.jpg "Layout diagram of the T-50 PAK-FA Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft [FGFA]")
Characteristic features of the T-50 PAK-FA:
The Russian aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi has declared a flight test milestone for the T-50, before handing over the fifth-generation fighter to the Russian government for additional testing.
Sukhoi completed more than 700 flight tests, which confirmed aircraft requirements set by the Russian ministry of defense, United Aircraft Company said in a July 7 post on Facebook. The company has submitted the T-50 prototypes of the prospective aviation complex front-line aviation (PAK FA) programme for state joint tests, UAC states.
Sukhoi completed first flight of the T-50 29 January 2010 in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, the home of Russia’s KNAAZ aircraft manufacturing complex.
With stealthy features and advanced electronics, the supersonic fighter was designed to rival the US Lockheed Martin F-22 fifth-generation fighter. Russia is on track to procure 55 T-50s through 2020, depending on the initial aircraft’s performance, FlightGlobal previously reported. Posted 07 July 2016 flightglobal.com
PAK FA “054” – dinamicaglobal.files.wordpress.com
Adjustable leading edge vortex controllers (LEVCONs) PAK FA “055”Excerpt
Russia’s PAK FA (Perspective Aviation Complex of Frontline Aviation) fighter jets (T-50) will start arriving for the country’s Armed Forces in 2019 while the deliveries of the most advanced S-500 surface-to-air missile systems will begin in 2020, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Wednesday.
Excerpt
The pre-production batch of T-50 fifth-generation fighter jets will equal 12 planes, United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) Head Yuri Slyusar said at the MAKS-2017 international airshow on Wednesday.
The aircraft incorporates thrust vectoring and has adjustable leading edge vortex controllers (LEVCONs) designed to control vortices generated by the leading edge root extensions, and can provide trim and improve high angle of attack behaviour, including a quick stall recovery if the thrust vectoring system fails.
Телеканал Звезда YouTubeThe advanced flight control system and thrust vectoring nozzles make the aircraft departure resistant and highly maneuverable in both pitch and yaw, enabling the aircraft to perform very high angles of attack maneuvers such as the Pugachev’s Cobra and the Bell maneuver, along with doing flat rotations with little altitude loss. The aircraft’s high cruising speed and normal operating altitude is also expected to give it a significant kinematic advantage over prior generations of aircraft.
The T-50 makes extensive use of composites, comprising 25% of the structural weight and almost 70% of the outer surface. Weapons are housed in two tandem main weapons bays between the engine nacelles and smaller bulged, triangular-section bays near the wing root. Internal weapons carriage eliminates drag from external stores and enables higher performance compared to external carriage.
Advanced engines and aerodynamics enable the T-50 to supercruise, sustained supersonic flight without using afterburners. Combined with a high fuel load, the T-50 has a supersonic range of over 1,500 km, more than twice that of the Su-27. In the T-50’s design, Sukhoi addressed what it considered to be the F-22’s limitations, such as its inability to use thrust vectoring to induce roll and yaw moments and a lack of space for weapons bays between the engines, and complications for stall recovery if thrust vectoring fails.
A mature production PAK-FA design has the potential to compete with the F-22A Raptor in VLO performance from key aspects, and will outperform the F-22A Raptor aerodynamically and kinematically. The PAK FA uses planform alignment to get invisible to radar. Therefore, from a technological strategy perspective, the PAK-FA renders all legacy US fighter aircraft, and the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, strategically irrelevant and non-viable. The T-50 is not meant to be a direct rival for the F-22 or B-2 because the Russian aircraft is not as stealthy as either. But if the maneuverability and advanced electronics live up to the promises, the aircraft would be more than a match for every fighter out there other than the F-22. PAK-FA makes a clear statement, which diverges fundamentally from Western thinking, that the idea that the Within-Visual-Range (WVR) and Beyond-Visual-Range (BVR) air combat are much alike. The principal difference is that the latter relies more heavily on long range sensors and its ability to defeat countermeasures and low observability. Posted on 26/10/2013 by Surajit Sarma
| Preliminary PAK-FA Performance Specifications | |
|
MTOW |
81,600 lb |
|
Max Speed |
1,400 KTAS (Mach 2.44 ~36kft, ISA)1 |
|
Supercruise Envelope |
700 KTAS to 920 KTAS (1.22M to 1.6M >36kft, ISA), though analysis suggests a likely higher top end point of ~1.9M. |
|
Maximum Initial Climb Rate |
69,000 fpm |
|
Climb Ceiling |
65,000 ft2 |
|
Sources: Sukhoi via Russian media, preliminary APA analysis |
|
Source ausairpower.net
Laith Jobran @flickr – cropped
The T-50 will be the first operational aircraft in Russian Air Force service to use stealth technology. Similar to other stealth fighters such as the F-22, the airframe incorporates planform edge alignment to reduce its radar cross-section (RCS); the leading and trailing edges of the wings and control surfaces and the serrated edges of skin panels are carefully aligned at several specific angles in order to reduce the number of directions the radar waves can be reflected.
Weapons are carried internally in weapons bays within the airframe, and antennas are recessed from the surface of the skin to preserve the aircraft’s stealthy shape. The IRST housing is turned backwards when not in use, and its rear is treated with radar-absorbent material (RAM) to reduce its radar return.
To mask the significant RCS contribution of the engine face, the partial serpentine inlet obscures most, but not all, of the engine’s fan and inlet guide-vanes (IGV). The production aircraft incorporates radar blockers similar in principle to those used on the F/A-18E/F in front of the engine fan to hide it from all angles. The aircraft uses RAM to absorb radar emissions and reduce their reflection back to the source, and the canopy is treated with a coating to minimize the radar return of the cockpit and pilot.
Vadim Savitsky
The T-50’s design emphasizes frontal stealth, with RCS-reducing features most apparent in the forward hemisphere; the shaping of the aft fuselage is much less optimized for radar stealth compared to the F-22. The combined effect of airframe shape and RAM of the production aircraft is estimated to have reduced the aircraft’s RCS to a value thirty times smaller than that of the Su-27. Sukhoi’s patent of the T-50’s stealth features cites an average RCS of the aircraft of approximately 0.1-1 square meters.
The radar cross section ( RCS ) is a measure of how detectable an object is with radar. The bigger the RCS, the easier the detection. Its unit of measure is in square meters ( m² ) or decibels relative to one square meter ( dBsm ). Depending on its shape, an object can have different RCS when illuminated from different directions. The RCS can also vary based on the illuminating frequency of the radar. In air combat, the frontal RCS of an aircraft is the most relevant for obvious reasons. The table below compares the RCS ( frontal by default ) of different aircrafts and objects in the X-Band :
Object |
RCS in m² |
RCS in dBsm |
|
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress |
100 |
20 |
|
Sukhoi Su-35 Super Flanker |
2 |
3 |
|
Human |
1 |
0 |
|
Dassault Rafale |
1 |
0 |
|
Tomahawk SLCM |
0.5 |
-3 |
|
Bird |
0.01 |
-20 |
|
Sukhoi PAK-FA |
0.01 |
-20 |
|
Lockheed Martin F-35 Side/Rear |
0.01 |
-20 |
|
Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk |
0.003 |
-25 |
|
Lockheed Martin F-35 Frontal |
0.001 |
-30 |
|
Insect |
0.001 |
-30 |
|
Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit |
0.0001 |
-40 |
|
Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor |
0.0001 |
-40 |
|
Boeing X-45 UCAV |
? |
? |
The PAK-FA is thought to have an all-aspect RCS of 0.01m² or -20dBsm. These are merely analytical estimates based on publicly available images of the prototype which may differ from the final production version. It is also worth noting that the prototypes may not necessary have the full VLO treatment like RAM coatings which is not needed when performing non-stealth related tests like weapons integration and may lead to falsely optimistic conclusions by Western defense analysts.
It would seem at first glance that the PAK-FA is less stealthy compared with the F-22 and the F-35 but in reality, the Russian designers gave up some stealth in exchange for aerodynamic agility. At -20dBsm, the PAK-FA is still several magnitudes more stealthy than legacy 4th and 4++ generation fighters like the Rafale or the US Teen-series fighters. It will probably be stealthy enough to delay detection by advanced AESA radars like the F-22’s APG-77 until the enemy fighter is within its BVR missile range.
Also, unlike the F-35 where the -30dBsm RCS holds true only for the frontal aspect ( the rear and profile RCS is much higher due to less radar shielding to save costs ), the RCS of the PAK-FA is more or less the same when viewed from all angles ( all-aspect ). So less stealthy than the F-22 but enough to pose a tough challenge for its opponents. Source daisetsuzan.blogspot.com
PAK FA RCS – forcesdz.comHowever, like other stealth fighters, the T-50’s low observability measures are chiefly effective against high frequency (between 3 and 30 GHz) radars, usually found on other aircraft. The effects of Rayleigh scattering and resonance mean that low-frequency radars, employed by weather radars and early-warning radars are more likely to detect the T-50 due to its physical size. However, such radars are also large, susceptible to clutter, and are less precise.
Pre-production and initial production batches of the T-50 will use interim engines, a pair of NPO Saturn izdeliye 117, or AL-41F1. Closely related to the Saturn 117S engine used by the Su-35S, the 117 engine is a highly improved and uprated variant of the AL-31 that powers the Su-27 family of aircraft. The 117 engine produces 93.1 kN (21,000 lbf) of dry thrust, 147.1 kN (33,067 lbf) of thrust in afterburner, and has a thrust to weight ratio of 10.5:1. The engines have full authority digital engine control (FADEC) and are integrated into the flight control system to facilitate maneuverability and handling.
The Saturn-Lyulka 117S is equipped with modern high and low-pressure turbines, an all-new digital control system, thrust-vectoring nozzles and fan with diameter of 932mm. The lifespan and mean time between overhaul (MTBO) of the engine are 4,000 hours and 1,000 hours respectively. Source airforce-technology.com
Highly upgraded variant of the AL-31F 117S used by the Su-27 family as interim engines (© 2009 Vitaliy V. Kuzmin) ausairpower.netThe existing PAK-FA prototype effort is clearly focussed on minimising risk during the initial process of proving the aerodynamic, airframe and systems design. Russian open sources have stated that the prototypes are powered by the existing production Al-31F 117S, often labelled for marketing reasons as the Al-41F1A, variant 19,400/32,000 lbf (8,800/14,500 kp) engine, employed in the Su-35S. While this engine lacks the performance rating of the earlier developmental Al-41F series and its likely derivatives, it is capable of supercruise and thus permits significant flight test and flight control system development to be performed without the high risks characteristic of the concurrent use of a developmental engine and developmental airframe.
The cited TVC capability of the 117S engine is ±15° in the vertical plane, and ±8° in the horizontal plane, with deflection angle rates of now up to 60 °/sec, putting them in the same onset rate category as fighter-type aerodynamic flight control surfaces. The engine employs a larger diameter fan, at 932 mm vs. the 905 mm fan in the earlier Al-31FP TVC engine. Key hot end components in the core were redesigned to employ the cooling system technology developed in the 1990s Al-41F, permitting much higher TIT ratings and a commensurately reduced thrust lapse rate with altitude, in turn permitting supercruise operation.
Laith Jobran @flickr
Harmonisation of the digital flight control laws with the precision 3D TVC nozzle system requires a robust and reliable 3D TVC nozzle equipped powerplant.
Uncertainties remain in terms of the capabilities and design of the intended powerplant for Full Rate Production aircraft. Saturn have been developing a new engine for the PAK-FA since 2006, labelled as the “Fifth Generation Fighter Engine”. Clearly this will employ technology from the existing 39,600 lbf class Al-41F, developed initially for the MFI.
Above: workshare breakdown for the developmental fifth generation engine; below: intended applications for same. The Russian language legend shows a common core [Basic Gas Generator] exploited for a range of other applications, including maritime surface combatant powerplants, and fixed power station or gasline pumping applications (NPO Saturn).
Public comments by Russian parliamentary scientific advisor Konstantin Makienko, in a recent media interview, indicate that the Russians envisage the PAK-FA project in terms of a 40 – 50 year operational life cycle, reflecting historical experience with the T-10, which entered development during the early 1970s.
Against such timescales, it is a certainty that production PAK-FA aircraft will see two or three generations of powerplant fitted to the design, which further explains the employment of the large, seemingly oversize propulsion system intakes. Clearly, the Sukhoi penchant for alternate intakes in Flanker designs continues with the PAK-FA design.
Production PAK-FA aircraft will therefore at some stage acquire a high variable bypass supercruising engine with a variable cycle core and augmenter, as the diverse needs of long range/persistence and supercruise dictate this design approach. When the US dropped the variable cycle YF-120 from the ATF program during the early 1990s, it was for fear of development risks impacting deployment timelines, leaving the production F-22A Raptor with a much more basic F119-PW-100 engine design. Source ausairpower.net
A gas turbine engine-power center GTDE-117M / GTDE-117-1M ( http://koavia.com )The auxiliary power unit and the starters for the T-50 aircraft designed and manufactured by the factory “Red October” (St. Petersburg). Probably, on the T-50 model is used, the gas turbine engine power unit GTDE-117M / GTDE-117-1M, which is a turboshaft engine with free turbine, has a modular design. Turbocharger module – single shaft with a single-stage centrifugal compressor and turbine. Reducer power turbine is made by a two-stage multi-threading scheme. Purpose: providing standalone preflight preparation of the aircraft without starting the main engines and their subsequent launch ..
Power in starter mode – 110 hp
Dimensions – 680 x 260 mm
Weight – 40 kg
Телеканал Звезда YouTubeThe two 117 engines incorporate thrust vectoring (TVC) nozzles whose rotational axes are each canted at an angle, similar to the nozzle arrangement of the Su-35S. This configuration allows the aircraft to produce thrust vectoring moments about all three rotational axes, pitch, yaw and roll. Thrust vectoring nozzles themselves operate in only one plane; the canting allows the aircraft to produce both roll and yaw by vectoring each engine nozzle differently. The engine inlet incorporates variable intake ramps for increased supersonic efficiency and retractable mesh screens to prevent foreign object debris being ingested by the engines.
The 117 engine is to also incorporate infrared and RCS reduction measures. In 2014, the Indian Air Force openly expressed concerns over the reliability and performance of the 117 engines; during the 2011 Moscow Air Show, a T-50 suffered a compressor stall that forced the aircraft to abort takeoff.
Production T-50 from 2020 onward will be equipped with a more powerful engine known as the izdeliye 30, a clean sheet design engine that will supersede the 117. NPO Saturn and MMPP Salyut are competing to supply this definitive second stage engine. Compared to the 117, the new powerplant will have increased thrust and fuel efficiency, greater reliability, and lower costs.
Pavel Myth YB
The izdeliye 30 has fewer fan and compressor stages than the 117, thus reducing the number of parts compared to its predecessor. The engine is designed to produce approximately 107 kN (24,050 lbf) of dry thrust and up to 167 kN (37,500 lbf) in afterburner. Full scale development began in 2011 and the engine’s compressor began bench testing in December 2014. The first test engines are planned to be completed in 2016, and flight testing is projected to begin in 2017. The new powerplant is designed to be a drop-in replacement for the 117 with minimal changes to the airframe.
Excerpt
The United Engine Corp., part of Rostec state holding company, successfully conducted the first ground-based ignition of the second stage of the engine for the Prospective Airborne Complex of Frontline Aviation (PAK FA T-50 aircraft).
In order to carry out the testing, gas generators had to be prepared for it, in addition to the demonstrator engine.
The first flight of the Russian fifth-generation fighter (Russian acronym – PAK FA) powered by the Phase II engine is slated for late 2017, Yevgeny Marchukov, general designer/director, Lyulka Design Bureau (an affiliate of the Ufa Engine Production Association, UMPO), told TASS on Thursday, March 10, 2016.
“If all goes to plan, the Phase II engine’s fight flight on the flying testbed will take place late in 2017, with a T-50 (PAKFA) prototype to act as flying testbed,” the general designer said.
“One of the flying testbed’s engine nacelles will house a Phase I engine and the other the advanced one,” he added.
According to Marchukov, the Phase II engine is in the prototype manufacture, demonstrator assembly and core engine test stages. The first core engine has been tested, with good enough results produced. The second core engine’s assembly is nearing the end. “We will test the engine demonstrator this summer,” Marchukov said.
The general designer emphasized: “The Phase II engine designed for the PAK FA is a Generation 5+ design, even a Generation 5++ one.” The engine is 15-20% superior to the previous ones in terms of specific characteristics.
“The engine’s characteristics have been refined through a sharp improvement in the operating cycle parameters, efficiency of units and introduction of advanced technologies and materials in the first place. It features higher thrust and a sizeable reduction in specific fuel consumption in virtually all operating modes, i.e. not only in the cruising range mode, but in the acceleration and afterburning modes as well – the modes the aircraft is normally flown in. This implies a life cycle cost reduction,” the general designer explained. “In addition, a hefty specific weight reduction through advanced technologies and materials has been planned.”
According to Marchukov, “there have been difficulties in the development of the advanced engine, because not all of the materials have been certificated, and we may not use them for now. Therefore, the early prototypes will be somewhat different to the ones used in the official trials. We are working on the powerplant in cooperation with the plane’s designers, including the work on the air intake, because it is an all-new engine designed to remain in service for 30 years at the least.”
“We plan to use the advanced engine’s core engine to derive a whole spectrum of advanced powerplants for aviation and power generation applications,” the general designer concluded. Source airrecognition.com
Военный Осведомитель Military InformantDeveloped from scratch over the course of almost a decade at the Saturn Tool-Making Plant in Rybinsk, central Russia, Izdeliye 30 features improved thrust characteristics (19,000 kgf vs. 15,000 kgf in the AL-41F1), better fuel efficiency, fewer moving parts, and subsequently improved reliability and lower maintenance costs. Source sputniknews.com
Excerpt
The fifth-generation fighter Su-57 (also known as the T-50) made its first flight with a second-stage engine. This was reported to journalists in the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation.
“On December 5, 2017, the newest Russian fighter of the fifth generation T-50 with the engine of the second stage made its first flight to the Gromov Flight Research Institute,” the Ministry of Industry and Trade reported.
The flight was carried out by the chief-pilot of the firm “Sukhoi” (included in the UAC) Sergei Bogdan. The flight duration was 17 minutes. “The flight was regular, in accordance with the conditions of the flight assignment,” the ministry said.
The T-50 has two tandem main internal weapon bays each approximately 4.6 m (15.1 ft) long and 1.0 m (3.3 ft) wide and two small triangular-section weapon bays that protrude under the fuselage near the wing root. Internal carriage of weapons preserves the aircraft’s stealth and significantly reduces aerodynamic drag, thus preserving kinematic performance compared to performance with external stores. The T-50’s high cruising speed is expected to substantially increase weapon effectiveness compared to its predecessors. Vympel is developing two ejection launchers for the main bays: the UVKU-50L for missiles weighing up to 300 kg (660 lb) and the UVKU-50U for ordnance weighing up to 700 kg (1,500 lb). The aircraft has an internally mounted 9A1-4071K (GSh-301) 30 mm cannon near the right LEVCON root.
UVKU-50L ejection launchers
PAK FA main weapons bays The primary medium-range missile is the active radar-homing K-77M (izdeliye 180), an upgraded R-77 variant with AESA seeker and conventional rear fins. The short-range missile is the infrared-homing (“heat seeking”) K-74M2 (izdeliye 760), an upgraded R-74 variant with reduced cross-section for internal carriage. A clean-sheet design short-range missile designated K-MD (izdeliye 300) is being developed to eventually replace the K-74M2. For longer ranged applications, four large izdeliye 810 beyond-visual-range missiles can be carried, with two in each main weapons bay.
Very little has been disclosed to date on the intended weapons suite for the PAK-FA. The internal bays are claimed to fit eight AAMs. The limited width of the centre fuselage bays indicates that most likely these would each fit three staggered RVV-SD rounds, this being the latest variant of the R-77 / AA-12 Adder and a direct equivalent to the US AIM-120 AMRAAM series. To date only the active radar seeker equipped RVV-SD variant has been displayed, the intended heatseeking and anti-radiation variants have yet to be seen in mockup form or marketing literature.
While a new WVR AAM has been planned, it is likely that a derivative of the RVV-MD / R-74 Archer series will be used with early PAK-FA variants.
For very close air combat, a 30 mm gun mounted in the starboard forward fuselage will be employed – the type has not been disclosed to date but it is likely to be a variant of the GSh-30 series carried by the Su-35S Flanker.
With eight stations cited for external stores, and the diversity of guided bombs, ASMs and cruise missiles available for the Su-30MK/Su-35S Flanker series, there is no shortage of alternatives for external carriage by the PAK-FA.
Internal weapons for strike roles are a much more interesting consideration, due to the limited volume of the internal bays. Recent designs known to have folding surfaces for internal carriage include the new KTRV Kh-38 and Kh-58UShKE Kilter.
It is likely, but yet to be confirmed, that KTRV are developing an analogue to the GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bomb.
Given the well established and managed aerodynamics of this area of the Flanker designs, weapon clearances from the internal bays across the whole of the PAK-FA’s operational envelope should be achieved with little, if any, difficulties, and without the need for employment of exotic and heavy techniques such as aero-acoustic local flow control and shaping or similar. Source ausairpower.net
thefirearmblog.com
There were test firing 9A1-4071K aircraft cannon for the Russian fifth generation fighter T-50 (PAK FA) for scientific test range aircraft systems, located near the village of Faustovo Moscow region.
thefirearmblog.com
The gun is ideal for aircraft: its weight of only 50 kilograms, it is considered to be the easiest in the world of 30-millimeter cannon. Unique automation scheme has allowed the base to give 9A1-4071K highest for this type of weapon rate per barrel – up to 1,800 rounds per minute. Feature of the gun is also a stand-alone system vodoisparitelnogo cooling barrel. Its principle of operation is simple: the gun in the casing is water, which is heated in the barrel (during firing) is converted into steam.
thefirearmblog.com
Fire from the new gun will be conducted high-explosive-incendiary projectiles and armor-piercing tracer shells, capable of striking even lightly armored ground, surface and air targets. On ground targets gun is effective when shooting at a distance of 1800 meters, in the air – to 1200. Previously 9A1-4071K gun was tested in a multi-purpose fighter Su-27SM. T-50 (PAK FA project) – a fifth-generation aircraft equipped with a fundamentally new avionics suite and promising radar with a phased antenna array. Source gadgetstyle.com.ua
Magazine Capacity: 150
Number of Barrels: 1
Dimensions
Caliber: 30 millimeter
Performance
Max Range: 1,800 meter (5,906 foot)
Min Range: 200 meter
Rates
Max Rate of Fire: 1,500 round per minute
Speed
Muzzle Velocity: 860 mps
Weight
Cartridge Weight: 0.83 kilogram
Combat Weight: 50 kilogram (110 pound)
Projectile Weight: 0.39 kilogram
Source deagel.com
Medium-range missile is the active radar-homing K-77M (izdeliye 180), an upgraded R-77 variant with AESA seeker and conventional rear finsThe Vympel NPO R-77 missile (NATO reporting name: AA-12 Adder) is a Russian medium range, active radar homing air-to-air missile system. It is also known by its export model designation RVV-AE. It is the Russian counterpart to the American AIM-120 AMRAAM missile.
Another improvement program was designated the R-77M, which made the missile longer and heavier, making use of a two-stage motor as well as an improved seeker. A further product-improvement of the R-77, designated the R-77M1 and then the R-77-PD, was to feature a ramjet propulsion device. This missile was destined for the MiG 1.44 that for the MFI program. The weapon has a laser fuse and an expanding rod warhead that can destroy the variable sized targets. However, due to funding shortage and eventual cancellation of the MiG 1.44, development of this model may have stopped by 1999; no information or announcement regarding the R-77M and R-77-PD has appeared since.
According to specifications, the R-77-1 and its export variant RVV-SD is 15 kg (33 lb) heavier than the basic R-77 / RVV-AE, weighing 190 kg (420 lb) rather than 175 kg (386 lb). Maximum range is increased to 110 km (68 mi) from 80 km (50 mi). The missile is also slightly longer at 3.71 metres (12.2 ft), rather than the 3.6 metres (11.8 ft) of the basic variant. Additional improvements include upgrades to the missile’s radar seeker and boat tail rear section to reduce drag. Russian missile manufacturer Agat previously confirmed it was working on seeker upgrades for the R-77, implying that at least two projects were underway, one for export and one for the Russian air force.
K-77M (izdeliye 180) – Highly improved variant for the PAK FA with AESA seeker, conventional fins, and two-pulse motor.
K-77ME (izdeliye 180-BD) – Ramjet model of the K-77M.
R-77M-PD – sistemasdearmas.com.brSource revolvy.com
For the PAK FA, Vympel is developing two new missiles based on R-73/R-74 technology. The first of these is izdeliye 760. Based on the K-74M, this is intended to match the performance of the MBDA Advanced Short-Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM) and the Raytheon AIM-9X Sidewinder. It will have an improved IR seeker, an inertial control system, a datalink receiver for target updates and an advanced rocket motor with a longer burn time. To make the missile suitable for internal carriage, its cross-section will be reduced to 320×320 mm.
To maximise the weapon’s coverage, it can be fired in lock-on-after-launch (LOAL) mode, starting under inertial control before achieving in-flight lock-on. It will be able to engage targets up to 160ⅹ from the aircraft’s heading.
According to a Vympel representative, izdeliye 760 is about to begin flight tests. Development is due to be completed in 2010.
The follow-on K-MD (izdeliye 300) is intended to outperform the ASRAAM and AIM-9X. Although it will draw on the experience gained with the R-73/R-74 series, for most practical purposes it will be an all-new missile.
Its guidance system will be based on a new IR seeker incorporating a focal-plane array (FPA). This will have more than twice the lock-on range of the izdeliye 760 seeker, a high resistance to countermeasures and a target-recognition capability. Source secretprojects.co.uk
The main bays can also accommodate air-to-ground missiles such as the Kh-38M, as well as multiple 250 kg (550 lb) KAB-250 or 500 kg (1,100 lb) KAB-500 precision guided bombs. The aircraft is also expected to carry further developed and modified variants of Kh-35UE (AS-20 “Kayak”) anti-ship missile and Kh-58UShK (AS-11 “Kilter”) anti-radiation missile. For missions that do not require stealth, the T-50 can carry stores on its six external hardpoints. PAK FA chief designer Alexander Davydenko has said that there is a possibility of the installation of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile on the PAK FA and its FGFA derivative; only one or two such missiles may be carried due to heavy weight of the BrahMos.
Kh-38 air to surface missileKh-38ME family consists of the following missiles: Kh-38MAE, Kh-38MKE, Kh-38MLE and Kh-38MTE modular aircraft guided missiles designed to shoot down a broad range of armored, reinforced and soft ground targets, sea surface and coastal targets, as well as groups of targets.
The Kh-38ME series is a comprehensive battlefield weapon, also launched from positions in tactical depth.
Modularity brings high combat effectiveness against a variety of targets owing to the use of different payloads and guidance methods:
– Kh-38MAE – inertial + active radar guidance;
– Kh-38MKE – inertial + satellite guidance;
– Kh-38MLE – inertial + semiactive laser guidance;
– Kh-38MTE – inertial + thermal-imaging guidance.
The 250-kg payload (half of the missile total weght) consists of HE-Frag or penetrating warhead in Kh-38MAE, Kh-38MLE and Kh-38MTE, or a cluster warhead in Kh-38MKE.
The Kh-38MLE shown at MAKS 2017 is fitted with a semi-active laser seeker (ATO.RU)Russia’s Tactical Missiles Corporation has unveiled a modified design of its Kh-38 family of air-to-surface missiles at MAKS 2017, while also upwardly revising the maximum range of the weapon.
The latest iteration of the Kh-38 shows the missile’s mid-body wing and tail control-surface design to have been notably modified. The large triangular mid-body wing has been replaced by a narrower diameter surface that appears to extend further along the missile body. The tail control surfaces have also been cropped.
The previously shown configuration required that the mid-body and tail surfaces fold for internal carriage in the main bay of the Sukhoi T-50 being developed to meet the Russian Aerospace Forces PAK FA requirement for a multirole fighter. The modified design will almost certainly allow the missile to be carried internally without the need to fold the wing and control surfaces, simplifying the design.
The version on display at the show is the Kh-38MLE, which is fitted with a semi-active laser seeker. The maximum range of the Kh-38 is now said to be at least 50 km, rather than the previously disclosed 40 km. Source rusaviainsider.com
The two-phase solid-propellant motor allows the missile to attain a speed twice as high as the speed of a sound. Kh-38MEs are carried by both FW and RW aircraft.
Delivery set:
• operational missile;
• missile simulator with weight & dimensions of the real missile;
• operating missile for training;
• inert missile;
• cut-in-halves missile for training;
• missile for training in flight
Delivery set also includes:
• operational documentation set;
• ten-year group set of SPTA;
• single set of SPTA.
Ground operation of missiles is supported by arrangement of “Oka-E-1” air means of destruction.
Performance:
|
Launch range envelope, km |
3 – 40 |
|
Launch speed envelope, km/h (max Mach number) |
2,2 |
|
Max missile turn angle, ang.degree: in horizontal plane after launch |
(+;-) 80 |
|
Target destruction probability: under enemy’s attack/without enemy’s attack |
0,8/0,6 |
|
Shelf life, years |
10 |
|
Warhead weight, kg |
up to 250 |
|
Fuse type |
contact fuse |
|
Motor type |
two-phase solid-propellant motor |
|
Max launch weight, kg |
520 |
|
LengthxDiameterxWing span, m |
4,2×0,31×1,14 |
|
Carriers |
aircrafts, helicopters |
|
Place of missile’s location |
release devices such as AKU or APU |
|
Launch conditions: launch range, m speed range, m/c |
200-12 000 15-450 |
Source ktrv.ru
KAB-500 precision guided bombsKAB-500Kr CONTROLLED AIR BOMB
Size, kg 500
Weight of warhead , kg 380
Guidance system TV correlation
homing head ensuring target lockon
while aboard the carrier
and automatic guidance during fall
Warhead HE concrete-piercing
Combat use conditions in daytime
at visually discernible targets
during level flight or dive
Guidance accuracy (CEP), m up to 4
KAB-500-OD CONTROLLED AIR BOMB
Size, kg 500
Weight of warhead , kg 250
Guidance system TV correlation
homing head
Warhead fuel-air explosive
Combat use conditions in daytime at visually
discernible targets
during level flight
or dive on the
drop-and-forget principle
Guidance accuracy (CEP), m up to 4
Source warfare.be
The Kh-35UE is a subsonic, sea-skimming anti-ship missile designed to engage amphibious assault ships and cargo vessels navigating individually or as part of a convoy from longer ranges than the basic Kh-35 missile. Like its predecessor, the new missile can be released from both fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. The helicopter version is longer and heavier than the airplane version (4.4 meters versus 3.85 meters and 650 kg versus 550 kg) but can be released at lower altitudes (100-3,500 meters) and airspeeds (0-0.25 Mach). The guidance system has been improved to make the missile system more effective against advanced targets.
The Kh-35UE features an improved propulsion system which doubles the effective range of the cruise missile from 130 km to up to 260 km. It features a high-precision radio-altimeter and an active radar guidance system in the terminal phase of the flight. During the flight the Kh-35UE missile depends on the radio-altimeter and the Inertial Navigation System (INS). It is fitted with a 145 High Explosive (HE) fragmentation, penetration warhead.
Number of Stages: 2
Dimensions
Diameter: 0.42 meter
Length: 3.85 meter (12.6 foot)
Wingspan: 1.33 meter
Performance
Max Launch Altitude: 10,000 meter
Max Range: 260 kilometer (140 nautical mile)
Min Launch Altitude: 200 meter
Min Range: 7 kilometer
Speed
Cruise Speed: 0.80 mach (956 kph)
Max Launch Airspeed: 0.90 mach (1,076 kph)
Min Launch Airspeed: 0.35 mach (418 kph)
Weight
Warhead: 145 kilogram (320 pound)
Weight: 550 kilogram
Source deagel.com
Kh-58UShK (AS-11 “Kilter”) anti-radiation missile (wings extended)The Kh-58 (Russian: Х-58; NATO:AS-11 ‘Kilter’) is a Soviet anti-radiation missile with a range of 120 km. As of 2004 the Kh-58U variant was still the primary anti-radiation missile of Russia and its allies. It is being superseded by the Kh-31. The NATO reporting name is “Kilter”, after a pixie in the 1902 book The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum.
It was designed to be used in conjunction with the Su-24’s L-086A “Fantasmagoria A” or L-086B “Fantasmagoria B” target acquisition system. The range achieved depends heavily on the launch altitude, thus the original Kh-58 has a range of 36 km from low level, 120 km from 10,000 m (32,800 ft), and 160 km from 15,000 m (49,200 ft).
Like other Soviet missiles of the time, the Kh-58 could be fitted with a range of seeker heads designed to target specific air defence radars such as MIM-14 Nike-Hercules or MIM-104 Patriot.
The Kh-58 was deployed in 1982 on the Su-24M ‘Fencer D’ in Soviet service. The Kh-58U entered service in 1991 on the Su-24M and Mig-25BM ‘Foxbat-F’. The Kh-58E version can be carried on the Su-22M4 and Su-25TK as well, whilst the Kh-58UshE appears to be intended for Chinese Su-30MKK’s.
Kh-58UShKE(TP) – version shown at MAKS 2015 with an added IIR UV seekerVariants
Some Western sources have referred to a Kh-58A that is either optimised for naval radars or has an active seeker head for use as an anti-shipping missile – it probably represents another name for the Kh-58U. Source revolvy.com
vitalykuzmin.netThe Kh-59 is a standoff, air-launched, air-to-surface weapon designed to engage ground and surface targets with pinpoint accuracy in optimal weather conditions. Its guidance system consists of an automatic navigation and control system which takes the weapon to the target’s area. A nose-mounted TV-sensor relays target area imagery to the launch airborne platform and the pilot selects the impact point. A bi-directional data link allows the pilot to select the impact point and re-target with the missile already in flight. The Kh-59 was introduced as the the Soviet counterpart to US SLAM standoff missile in the 1980s.
The Kh-59MK2 is a stealth air-launched, fire-and-forget, highly subsonic cruise missile featuring an improved engine which provides a maximum range in excess of 290 kilometers. Its guidance system combines automatic inertial navigation and terrain recognition with one or more target’s area pre-programmed in the flying mission. It is intended to destroy a wide range of stationary targets with no radar or infrared signatures as well as troops and equipment placed in a wide area. The engine is placed inside the main body making the weapon more compact and favoring its stealth profile. The existence of the stealth Kh-59Mk2 cruise missile developed by Raduga, part of Tactical Missiles Corporation, was revealed in October 2015. Source deagel.com
vitalykuzmin.net
Source ktrv.ru
The R-37 (Western designation: AA-13 Arrow, although sometimes AA-X-13 Arrow) is a large, fast, powerful, and extremely long-ranged Russian air-to-air missile. Vympel, a sizeable research and production company, (now part of TRV) designed and built the R-37.
The R-37 was developed to replace the R-33 (Western designation: AA-9 Amos), which was used on the MiG-31. Its main purpose is to shoot down aircraft (particularly high value AWACS—Airborne Warning And Control System—aircraft) and possibly even cruise missiles from such long range that the launch platform is safe from retaliation.
A council of ministers in the USSR started the development of the R-37 in 1983. Testing began six years later in 1989. In 1994, the K-37 (the R-37’s name in development) secured a kill and a record at the same time by hitting its target from 300 kilometers. However, in 1998, the K-37 program was dropped due to its high cost and lack of enough suitable MiG-31 launch platforms. But, in 2006, the Russian government restarted the weapon’s development as part of the MiG-31BM program. The new version is known as R-37M or RVV-BD. It is unknown if this missile has entered service yet, although according to some sources it entered production in 2014.
The R-37M is believed to track its targets with both semi-active and active radar homing. Its radar system is the 9B-1388. The R-37M probably homes on its targets in this way: first, the launch platform detects its target and launches the R-37 towards the target’s hypothesized position. Once the R-37M comes within suitable range of the target, it activates its own radar and homes in on the target. The R-37M can also use a fire-and-forget mode where it is completely independent of its launch platform.
The recent R-37M is a powerful and effective missile. It is much more maneuverable than its predecessor, the R-33. It can engage targets from any altitude between 15 and 25 000 meters, giving it great versatility. Its high explosive fragmentation warhead is huge—60 kilograms—and capable of critically damaging even large AWACS aircraft. It has an incredibly fast speed—Mach 6 or about 7,350 km/h, which is enough to easily catch up with every type of aircraft. Above all, it reportedly has an enormous range— of up to 200.
Although normally called the R-37, this missile has many other names. In the West it is designated as the AA-X-13, AA-13, Arrow, or even Andi. In Russia, it is also known as the Izdeliye 610 or RVV-BD (Raketa Vozduh-Vozduh Bolyshoy Dalnosty or English for Long-Range Air-to-Air Missile).
It appears that the R-37M will be used on two types of aircraft. The first is the MiG-31BM, an extremely fast interceptor aircraft. The second is the Su-35S, a powerful multi-role fighter.
| R-37M RVV-BD | |
| Country of origin | Russia |
| Entered service | 2016 (?) |
| Missile | |
| Missile length | 4.06 m |
| Missile diameter | 0.38 m |
| Fin span | 1.02 m |
| Missile launch weight | 510 kg |
| Warhead weight | 60 kg |
| Warhead type | Conventional |
| Range of fire | up to 200 km |
| Guidance | semi-active and active radar homing |
Source military-today.com
BrahMos supersonic cruise missileThe BrahMos (Hindi: ब्रह्ममोस -brahmos, Russian: Брамос) is a short range ramjet supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft or land. It is a joint venture between the Russian Federation’s NPO Mashinostroeyenia and India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) who have together formed BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited. It is based on the Russian P-800 Oniks cruise missile and other similar sea-skimming Russian cruise missile technology. The name BrahMos is a portmanteau formed from the names of two rivers, the Brahmaputra of India and the Moskva of Russia.
It is the world’s fastest anti-ship cruise missile in operation. The missile travels at speeds of Mach 2.8 to 3.0. The land-launched and ship-launched versions are already in service, with the air and submarine-launched versions currently in the testing phase. An air-launched variant of BrahMos is planned which came out in 2012. A hypersonic version of the missile, BrahMos-II, is also presently under development with speed of Mach 7 to boost aerial fast strike capability. It is expected to be ready for testing by 2017.
Though India had wanted the BrahMos to be based on a mid range cruise missile like P-700 Granit, Russia opted for the shorter range sister of the missile, P-800 Oniks, in order to comply with Missile Technology Control Regime restrictions, to which Russia is a signatory. Its propulsion is based on the Russian missile, and missile guidance has been developed by BrahMos Aerospace. The missile is expected to reach a total order worth US$13 billion.
Air-launched variant
BrahMos-A
The BrahMos-A is a modified air-launched variant of the missile which will arm the Su-30MKI of the air force as a standoff weapon. To reduce the missile’s weight to 2.55 tons, many modifications were made like using a smaller booster, adding fins for airborne stability after launch, and relocating the connector. It can be released from the height of 500 to 14,000 meters (1,640 to 46,000 ft). After release, the missile free falls for 100–150 meters, then goes into a cruise phase at 14,000 meters and finally the terminal phase at 15 meters. BrahMos Aerospace plans to deliver the missile to the IAF in 2015, where it is expected to arm at least three squadrons. An Su-30MKI is able to only carry one BrahMos missile.
The missile was also planned to arm the Indian Navy‘s Ilyushin Il-38 and Tupolev Tu-142 maritime patrol and anti-submarine aircraft with 6 missiles per aircraft, but this could not be made possible due to insufficient ground clearance of the IL-38, high cost of modifying the Tu-142 and the questionable benefits of modifying an ageing fleet.
The air-launched version for the Indian Air Force was ready for testing in 2008. An expert committee from the DRDO and the Indian Air Force (IAF) had ruled out any structural modifications to the Sukhoi Su-30MKI to carry the missile. On 22 October 2008, A. Sivathanu Pillai, Chief Controller, R&D, DRDO and CEO and managing director of BrahMos Aerospace, announced that trials and tests were to be carried out by 2011, and the IAF would get its own version of BrahMos by 2012.
On 10 January 2009, it was reported that two Indian Air Force Su-30MKI fighter jets were sent to Russia for a retrofit program that would enable them to launch the missile. On 8 August 2009, Alexander Leonov, Director of the Russian Machine Building Research and Production Center, said “we are ready for test launches.” He also said that a new takeoff engine for launching of the missile in air and at extreme high altitudes had been developed, and the initial test firing of the missile would be undertaken from the Su-30 MKI, but did not specify the dates. On 26 February 2012, A. Sivathanu Pillai said that the air-launched version of BrahMos is being developed and will be tested by the end of 2012. This version of the BrahMos missile will use air breathing scramjet propulsion technology and would be more fuel efficient than a traditional rocket-powered missile.
The purchase of over 200 air-launched BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles for the IAF was cleared by Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on 19 October 2012, at the cost of ₹60 billion (US$892 million). This would include funds for the integration and testing of the BrahMos on Su-30MKI of the IAF. As per this plan, the first test of the air-launched version of the missile was to be conducted by December 2012. Two Su-30MKI of the IAF would be modified by the HAL at its Nashik facility where they will also be integrated with the missile’s aerial launcher. The trial is now expected to happen in early 2014.
Further developments
BrahMos-II
BrahMos-II is a hypersonic cruise missile currently under development and is estimated to have a range of 290 km. Like the BrahMos, the range of BrahMos II has also been limited to 290 km to comply with the MTCR. With a speed of Mach 7, it will have double the speed of the current BrahMos missile, and it will be the fastest hypersonic missile in the world. Development could take 7–8 years to complete
BrahMos-NG
BrahMos-NG (Next Generation) is a mini version based on the existing BrahMos, will have same 290 km range and mach 3.5 speed but it will weigh around 1.5 tons, 5 meters in length and 50 cm in diameter, making BrahMos-NG 50 percent lighter and three meters shorter than its predecessor. The system is expected to be inducted in the year 2017. BrahMos-NG will have lesser RCS (radar cross section) compared to its predecessor, making it harder for air defense systems to locate and engage the target. BrahMos-NG will have Land, Air, ship-borne and Submarine tube-launched variants. First test flight is expected to take place in 2017–18. Initially Brahmos-NG was called as Brahmos-M.
The missile will arm the Sukhoi Su-30MKI, MiG-29K and future inductions such as the Dassault Rafale. Submarine launched variant will be capable of being fired from the new P75I class of submarines. A model of the new variant was showcased on 20 February 2013, at the 15th anniversary celebrations of BrahMos Corporations. The Sukhoi SU-30MKI would carry three missiles while other combat aircraft would carry one each.
Specifications
BrahMos claims it has the capability of attacking surface targets by flying as low as 5 meters in altitude and the maximum altitude it can fly is 14000 meters. It has a diameter of 70 cm and a wing span of 1.7 m It can gain a speed of Mach 2.8, and has a maximum range of 290 km. The ship-launched and land-based missiles can carry a 200 kg warhead, whereas the aircraft-launched variant (BrahMos A) can carry a 300 kg warhead. It has a two-stage propulsion system, with a solid-propellant rocket for initial acceleration and a liquid-fuelled ramjet responsible for sustained supersonic cruise. Air-breathing ramjet propulsion is much more fuel-efficient than rocket propulsion, giving the BrahMos a longer range than a pure rocket-powered missile would achieve. Source revolvy.com
PAK FA carrying Vympel NPO R-77 missile on external pylon
The Kh-31P is based on the normal aerodynamic scheme with X-shaped arrangement of the wing and rudder. The missile consists of three compartments. Each compartment is a structurally and functionally complete unit. In the case in a plane bearing surfaces there are four round side supersonic inlet closed in flight discharged plugs conical shape. The Kh-31P is equipped with high-explosive fragmentation warhead, upgraded X-31PD – universal tape, weighing 110 kg, increased lethality.
Engine 31DPK – ramjet, created in the ICD “Soyuz” (city Turaevo Moscow region). It consists of: air intakes, fuel tanks with a system of repression and fuel metering equipment, front-line unit, the combustion chamber with a fixed supersonic nozzle, electrohydraulic control system roszhiga.
PERFORMANCE
|
Kh-31P |
31PD |
|
|
Range, km: |
110 |
180-250 |
|
flight speed, m / s: |
1000 |
|
|
Airspeed carrier km / h |
600-1250 (0.65 <=”” |
|
|
Height start km |
0.1-15 |
|
|
Dimensions, mm: |
4700 |
5340 |
|
Starting weight, kg |
600 |
715 |
|
Weight of warhead, kg |
87-90 |
110 |
|
bearing angle goal at the start: |
± 15 ° |
|
|
Aviation launcher AKU-58 |
||
|
Developer |
IBC “Vympel” |
|
|
Empty weight PU, kg |
185 |
|
|
Dimensions, mm: |
3810 |
Source tonnel-ufo.ru
High-explosive incendiary bomb aviation OFZAB-500 was established use in high speed with low altitudes against manpower and easily vulnerable field installations, warehouses and fuel depots. The bomb is intended to replace in the Russian Air Force obsolete FOZAB-500. It is used at altitudes of 300 – 20,000 m at speeds of 100 – 1200 km / h.
OFZAB-500 allows the wearer to carry out maneuvers with large congestion. The bomb can be used on a large number of combat aircraft of Soviet and Russian-made MiG-21, MiG-27, MiG-29, Su-17, Su-22, Su-24, Su-25, Su-27, Tu-95, Tu -16.
| Length, m Diameter, mm span, m weight bombs, kg Weight of explosive, kg |
2.5 450 0.5 500 250 kg incendiary + 37.5 kg PF |
Source airwar.ru
ODAB-500PMV (ОДАБ-500ПМВ – Объемно-детонирующая авиационная бомба) thermobaric air bomb
Bomb manufactured by the Russian company basalts. Furthermore, the term thermobaric air bomb can meet even the names vacuum bomb, fuel, bomb, aerosol bomb, v detonujúca bomb or a high-explosive bomb.
The bomb is designed to control industrial zones, unprotected or protected by live force (eg. In enclosures, tunnels, caves), nepancierovanej technology and military equipment. The bomb is scheduled for troop (front) airplanes and helicopters. It can be used for the destruction of anti-personnel mines and anti-tank.Planes can toss a bomb from a height of 200 to 12,000 m at speeds of 500-1500 km / hr. Helicopters can toss a bomb from a height of 1100 – 4000 M at speeds of 50-300 km / h.
Bomb has built a lighter.
Diameter Bomb: 500 mm
Length: 2380 mm
Weight bombs: 525 kg
Weight of filling: 193 kg
equivalent of TNT explosions: 1000 kg
Source valka.c
Pavel Myth YB @flickr
The T-50 has a glass cockpit with two 38 cm (15 in) main multi-functional LCD displays similar to the arrangement of the Su-35S. Positioned around the cockpit are three smaller control panel displays. The cockpit has a wide-angle (30° by 22°) head-up display (HUD), and Moscow-based Geofizika-NV provides a new NSTsI-V helmet-mounted sight and display for the ZSh-10 helmet.
Large wide-angle (30° by 22°) head-up display (HUD)
Система индикации на лобовое стекло Т-50 и моделирование изображения ИЛС на компьютерном симуляторе кабины Т-50 в КБ Сухого, г.Москва, 01.03.2010 г. (ТВ-кадры, http://rutube.ru). Display System on the windshield of T-50 and ILS simulation image on a computer simulator cockpit T-50 Sukhoi, Moscow, 01.03.2010 (TV footage, http://rutube.ru)
Новости на Первом Канале
NSTsI-V helmet-mounted sight and displayPrimary controls are the joystick and a pair of throttles. The aircraft uses a two-piece canopy, with the aft section sliding forward and locking into place. The canopy is treated with special coatings to increase the aircraft’s stealth.
The T-50 employs the NPP Zvezda K-36D-5 ejection seat and the SOZhE-50 life support system, which comprises the anti-g and oxygen generating system. The 30 kg (66 lb) oxygen generating system will provide the pilot with unlimited oxygen supply. The life support system will enable pilots to perform 9-g maneuvers for up to 30 seconds at a time, and the new VKK-17 partial pressure suit will allow safe ejection at altitudes of up to 23 km.
Pilot dressed in a suit PPK-7 helmet IMS-10 with mask KM-36M on the seat F-36D-5 and next to the oxygen system KS-50 / Source: mycity-military.comScientific Manufacturing Company Zvezda announced the completion of the tests the state of new life-support systems designed for remote control of the 5th generation fighter T-50 PAK FA.
CEO and chief engineer of the company at the same time, Sergei S. Pozdniakow, at a press conference at the United Aircraft Corporation (OAK) announced the completion of the testing phase of the main elements of life support system remote control, designed for fighter Sukhoi T-50 PAK FA.
It includes:
Helmet IMS-10 (ZSh-10) with mask KM-36M / Source: mycity-military.comThese facilities helps to keep alive the pilot even in situations where at an altitude of 20,000 meters will decompress the cockpit of the aircraft. The new helmet is also 350 grams lighter than currently used in the Russian Air Force (VVS). Source nowastrategia.org.pl
The KS-50 oxygen system is designed to supply oxygen to the T-50 pilot at the altitudes up to 23.5 km. The oxygen source is the BKDU-50 onboard oxygen-generating system producing oxygen from the compressed air tapped from the aircraft gas turbine compressor.
In comparison with the basic KS-129 oxygen system, the KS-50 system has the lower mass and is more reliable owing to a duplicated gas-analyzing system.
The KS-50 oxygen system comprises the АD-17 anti-G valve featuring the mechanism for anticipating anti-G suit inflation, which is actuated by an electric signal from the onboard information-management system a second prior to the onset of acceleration. Source zvezda-npp.ru
NPP Zvezda completed production and state testing of survival equipment for pilots of T-50 fifth-generation fighters, Rossiyskaya gazeta reports with reference to the press-service of United Aircraft Corporation.
According to NPP Zvezda Director – General Designer, Sergey Pozdnyakov, the testing of multi-purpose protective helmet ZSh-10, KM-36M oxygen mask, PPK-7 anti-G suit, VKK-17 pressurized suit and KS-50 oxygen system has been successfully completed. Moreover, K-36D-5 ejection seat has also successfully passed the state tests.
It was reported that the new equipment allows saving the pilot’s life in case of cockpit depressurization at an altitude up to 20 km. The new protective helmet is 350 g lighter compared to the previous model thanks to using the new composite material – organoplastic. The helmet is synchronized with a number of instruments located in the cockpit in order to reduce the pilot’s workload.
We remind you that T-50 fifth-generation fighter has 14 weapon stations. It will replace the Su-27 heavy fighter. The primary objective of the new fighter is gaining air superiority. It will be armed with efficient short-, medium- and long-range air-to-air missiles. Posted July 20, 2015 Source ruaviation.com
OKB Aviaavtomatika HOTAS controls which Russian sources claim to be most likely design employed in PAK-FA cockpit (Aviaavtomatika)
Russian sources claim that the new OKB Aviaavtomatika HOTAS control set is likely to be used in the PAK-FA, but no formal disclosures by manufacturers have been made to date.
Like the Su-35S, the PAK-FA will employ a dual mode Glonass/GPS receiver and Kalman filter based inertial navigation suite, with an RLG.
As with the Su-35S, the PAK-FA will carry datalinks for bi-directional data transfers. There have been no disclosures at this time on the datalink terminals or waveforms intended.
PAK FA “055” img.sputniknews.com – Оптико-локационная станция 101КС-O комплекса 101КС (Optic-location station 101KS-O from 101KS system) can be seen under and behind the cockit – laser-based countermeasures
Comparison of frontal cockpit viewof Su-35 and PAK FAThe main avionics systems are the Sh121 multifunctional integrated radio electronic system (MIRES) and the 101KS Atoll electro-optical system. The Sh121 consists of the N036 Byelka radar system and L402 Himalayas electronic countermeasures system.
Main nose-mounted N036-1-01 X band active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, or active phased array radar (see below Photonic Radar as new radar for PAK FA)Developed by Tikhomirov NIIP Institute, the N036 consists of the main nose-mounted N036-1-01 X band active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, or active phased array radar (Russian: Активная фазированная антенная решётка, Aktivnaya Fazirovannaya Antennaya Reshotka, Russian: АФАР, AFAR) in Russian nomenclature, with 1,552 T/R modules and two side-looking N036B-1-01 X-band AESA radars with 358 T/R modules embedded in the cheeks of the forward fuselage for increased angular coverage.
Zhuk-AE/FGA-35 modified radar with AESA
Fast electrons
“Photonics is essentially analogous to electronics, but it uses in place of electrons the electromagnetic field of photons. Photons are more common in terms of the number of particles in the universe and, unlike electrons, have no mass or charge. For this reason, photonic systems are not subject to external electromagnetic fields and have a much larger signal transmission range and bandwidth.”
“Today, telecommunications photonics is helping to create a new trend – radio photonics arising from the merger of radio-wave optics, microwave, optoelectronics, and other branches of science and industry.
In other words, radio photonics deals with problems of transmission, reception, and transformation of information using electromagnetic waves of microwave and photonic devices and systems. These photons facilitate the creation of radio frequency parameters unattainable with conventional electronics.”
Summary
1.) Electronics based on photonics will have decreased the need for ‘servers’ down to 1/100th the current level, and will increase the data transfer rate by 10 fold!
2.) When fully mature photonics will allow truck based radars to have the same power, resolution, and capability as massive OTH radars!
3.) KRET’s early work in radiophotonics (photonics based radars) are incredibly promising. Developments in the field while it’s in it’s infancy allows airborne radars (AEW while based on photonics) weight to be cut down 1/2 the current weight, and increased the resolution by 10 fold!
4.) Photonic based radars will have it’s ECM resistance grow by several orders of magnitude! Will be heavily resistant to electro-magnetic storms…
5.) By the 2020’s photonic based AESA radars will grow by leaps and bounds in capability. The weight of AESA radar will be cut down by 1.5 to 3 times, increase the reliability and efficiency by 2 to 3 times, and increase the scanning speed and resolution by several dozen times that of contemporary AESA radars! (KRET creates a laboratory for research in Photonics – Source thaimilitaryandasianregion.wordpress.com)
Detection range of Phazotron Zhuk ASE radar is much further – ausairpower.netBelow quote on the radar from AI article by Piotr Butowski
The basic radar system for the Russian Air Force MiG-35S version is the N041R mechanically scanned, slotted-array radar. The export version is fitted with the Zhuk-ME (FGM229) variant. The Zhuk-M radar is not the latest, but a perfected and more economic design. A more advanced variant – the FGA35 Zhuk-AE with active electronic scanning – has already been flight tested on the MiG-35, tests that have included the launch of missiles.
Zhuk-AE is the first non-american AESA radar for fighter jets ready for use. The latest incarnation of the Zhuk radar family featuring an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA). Russian industry has crossed the key hurdles of designing and integrating viable GaAs MMICs and performing the overall integration and design of an AESA. From this point we will see increasingly convergence with Western technology for AESAs, as new technologies like Gallium Nitride HEMT transistors are incorporated. The radar is stated to provide a detection range of 130 km for a head on target with up to 30 targets tracked and 6 of those engaged at any one time. As an AESA the radar is liquid cooled, with each transceiver capable of being switched off to prevent damage from overheating and switched on again when cooled. Two variants of the Zhuk-A exist: the FGA-29, and the follow on FGA-35 which will boast an improved detection range of 200 km with 60 targets tracked, the radar will also support a maximum mapping resolution of 1x1m in air to surface mode. The FGA-35 will feature a 700 mm antenna with an increased number of transmit and receive modules to between 1000-1,100, a 20 degree incline and a peak power of 6 kW. Source 5th Gen Development
Excerpt
“The United Instrument Manufacturing Corporation has completed the development of the ‘friend or foe’ radar identification system for advanced and modernized Su-35S, the PAK FA and Il-76 aircraft systems,” the UIMC press service said.
The suite also has two N036L-1-01 L band transceivers on the wing’s leading edge extensions that are not only used to handle the N036Sh Pokosnik (Reaper) friend-or-foe identification system but also for electronic warfare purposes. Computer processing of the X- and L-band signals by the N036UVS computer and processor enable the systems information to be significantly enhanced.
militaryrussia.ru
Two N036L-1-01 L band transceivers on the wing’s leading edge extensions| General data: | |
|---|---|
| Type: Radar | Altitude Max: 0 m |
| Range Max: 222.2 km | Altitude Min: 0 m |
| Range Min: 0.2 km | Generation: Late 2000s |
| Properties: Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) [Side Info], Non-Coperative Target Recognition (NCTR) – Jet Engine Modulation [Class Info], Continous Tracking Capability [Phased Array Radar], Track While Scan (TWS), Pulse Doppler Radar (Full LDSD Capability) |
| Sensors / EW: |
|---|
| PAK-FA L-Band Wing Radar – Radar Role: Radar, FCR, Air-to-Air & Air-to-Surface, Medium-Range Max Range: 222.2 km |
Source cmano-db.com
Two side-looking N036B-1-01 X-band AESA radars with 358 T/R modules embedded in the cheeks of the forward fuselage
The radar will reduce pilot load and make use of a new data link to share information between aircraft. The T-50 will have secure communication links to share data with all other friendly aircraft in the area, as well as airborne and ground-based control points. In 2012 ground tests of the N036 radar began on the third T-50 aircraft. The L402 Himalayas electronic countermeasures (ECM) suite made by the KNIRTI institute uses both its own arrays and that of the N036 radar system. One of its arrays is mounted in the dorsal sting between the two engines. The system was mounted on the aircraft in 2014.
The L402 Himalayas developed by the Kaluzhsky Scientific Research Radio-Technical Institute (KNIRTI) is an electronic countermeasures (ECM) suite intended to protect the Russian Air Force PAK FA T-50 fifth generation aircraft. The Himalayas uses the Byelka radar arrays and its own arrays to detect, jam and defeat Radiofrequency (RF)-based systems. One of Himalayas arrays is mounted in the dorsal sting between the two engines. The first L402 system was integrated onto the T-50 in early 2014. Source deagel.com
| General data: | |
|---|---|
| Type: ESM | Altitude Max: 0 m |
| Range Max: 222.2 km | Altitude Min: 0 m |
| Range Min: 0 km | Generation: Early 2010s |
| Sensors / EW: |
|---|
| Himalayas [RWR] – ESM Role: RWR, Radar Warning Receiver Max Range: 222.2 km |
Source cmano-db.com
N036UVS computer and processor 101 KS-0 (About – defensive) – system of counteraction of IK GSN
101 KS-V (In – air) – quantum optical lokatsionny system
101 KS-U (At – ultra-violet) – optical system of delivery of TsU for KS-O
101 KS-N (N – land) – the pendant aim container
Source paralay.net
101KS-V infra-red search and track turret
| General data: | |
|---|---|
| Type: Infrared | Altitude Max: 0 m |
| Range Max: 185.2 km | Altitude Min: 0 m |
| Range Min: 0 km | Generation: Infrared, 3rd Generation Imaging (2000s/2010s, Impr LANTIRN, Litening II/III, ATFLIR) |
| Properties: Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) [Side Info], Classification [Class Info] / Brilliant Weapon [Automatic Target Aquisition], Continous Tracking Capability [Visual] |
| Sensors / EW: |
|---|
| PAK-FA KS-B – Infrared Role: IRST, Imaging Infrared Seach and Track Max Range: 185.2 km |
Laser Rangefinder
| Sensors / EW: |
|---|
| PAK-FA KS-B [Laser Rangefinder] – Laser Rangefinder Role: Laser Rangefinder for Weapon Director Max Range: 7.4 km |
Source cmano-db.com
The UOMZ 101KS Atoll electro-optical system includes the 101KS-V infra-red search and track turret mounted on the starboard side in front of the cockpit. This sensor can detect, identify, and track multiple airborne targets simultaneously.
Оптико-локационная станция 101КС-O комплекса 101КС (Optic-location station 101KS-O from 101KS system) – laser-based countermeasures – vitalykuzmin.netDIRCM systems like the PAK-FA’s 101KS-O work by directing a beam of energy towards the incoming heat seeking missile to confuse or destroy its tracking mechanism. In this case the directed energy takes the form of a laser beam. The 101KS-O turrets are located on the dorsal spine and the forward fuselage.
So in essence, the PAK-FA is overflowing with all sorts of sensors spanning a huge swathe of the electro-magnetic spectrum. Source daisetsuzan.blogspot.com
| General data: | |
|---|---|
| Type: Infrared | Altitude Max: 0 m |
| Range Max: 185.2 km | Altitude Min: 0 m |
| Range Min: 0 km | Generation: Infrared, 3rd Generation Imaging (2000s/2010s, Impr LANTIRN, Litening II/III, ATFLIR) |
| Properties: Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) [Side Info], Classification [Class Info] / Brilliant Weapon [Automatic Target Aquisition], Continous Tracking Capability [Visual] |
| Sensors / EW: |
|---|
| PAK-FA KS-O – (Aft-Facing) Infrared Role: IRST, Imaging Infrared Seach and Track Max Range: 185.2 km |
Source cmano-db.com
101 KS-U (At – ultra-violet) – optical system of delivery of TsU for KS-O – paralay.netButowski.jpg.4860020.jpg)
101KS-U ultraviolet missile warning sensors
Оптико-электронная подсистема 101КС-П комплекса 101КС (Optic-electronic subsystem 101KS-P from 101KS system) – vitalykuzmin.net| General data: | |
|---|---|
| Type: Infrared | Altitude Max: 0 m |
| Range Max: 9.3 km | Altitude Min: 0 m |
| Range Min: 0 km | Generation: Early 2000s |
| Properties: Continous Tracking Capability [Visual] |
| Sensors / EW: |
|---|
| Generic MAWS – Infrared Role: MAWS, Missile Approach Warning System Max Range: 9.3 km |
Source cmano-db.com
The 101KS-O infrared countermeasure system has sensors housed in turrets mounted on the dorsal spine and forward fuselage and uses laser-based countermeasures against heat-seeking missiles. The Atoll complex also includes the 101KS-U ultraviolet missile warning sensors and 101KS-N navigation and targeting pod.
101KS-N navigation and targeting pod (mounted on the underside of the engine air intake)
PAK FA Glonass reciever antennae cover is placed behind the cockpit
AK FA Glonass reciever antennae Developed in Solidworks The reicevers are beaming up without giving up the aircraft position…Also its ECM protected. Source defence.pk
BINS-SP2 strapdown inertial navigation system, allows the fighters to navigate even in the absence of satellite, land-based, or offshore navigation systems. Source kret.com
The BINS-SP2 architecture is based on three laser gyroscopes and three quartz accelerometers. The system can establish the platform’s coordinates and motion variables in the absence of external data inputs.
The system was developed by Moscow Institute of Electromechanics and Automatics, a subsidiary of Radioelectronic Technologies. General director Alexey Kuznetsov says the BINS-SP2 can operate at temperatures between –60° and +60° C, and at altitudes up to 25 km.
Anatoly Chumakov, general director of the BINS-SP2 manufacturer Ramenskoye Instrument Making Plant, predicts great demand for the system from military and civilian customers. Three examples per airframe could be installed on civilian aircraft, and two per airframe on warplanes. The system has a service life of 10,000 hours. It can also be used on sea vessels and road transport. Source ato.ru
Sukhoi states that the main export advantage of the PAK FA is its lower cost than current US fifth generation jet fighters. Russia was reported to be offering the PAK FA for South Korea’s next generation jet fighter. South Korea’s defence procurement agency confirmed that the Sukhoi PAK FA was a candidate for the Republic of Korea Air Force’s next-generation fighter (F-X Phase 3) aircraft; however, Sukhoi did not submit a bid by the January 2012 deadline.
Russia’s Centre for Analysis of World Arms Trade predicts that the PAK FA will be available for export in 2025; though this may include the Sukhoi/HAL FGFA for India, the primary export version. Ruslan Pukhov, director of the Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, has projected that Vietnam will be the second export customer for the fighter. In 2012, Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said that Russia and India would jointly build the export version of the T-50 starting in 2020. In 2013, United Aircraft Corporation president Mikhail Pogosyan said that the Russian PAK FA and the Sukhoi/HAL FGFA will use “identical onboard systems and avionics”.
In 2013, Russia made an unsolicited call for Brazil to help in developing a next-generation fighter based on the T-50.
The completed joint Indian/Russian versions of the single-seat or two-seat FGFA will differ from the current T-50 flying prototypes in 43 ways with improvements to stealth, supercruise, sensors, networking, and combat avionics.
In March 2010, Sukhoi director Mikhail Pogosyan projected a market for 1,000 fighter aircraft over the next four decades, which will be produced in a joint venture with India, 200 each for Russia and India and 600 for other countries. He has also said that the Indian contribution would be in the form of joint work under the current agreement rather than as a joint venture. In June 2010, the Indian Air Force planned to receive 50 of the single-seat “Russian version” before receiving the two-seat FGFA. Then in an October 2012 interview the Chief of Air Staff of India, NAK Browne, said that the IAF will purchase 144 of the single-seat FGFA. To reduce development costs and timelines, the IAF plans to begin induction of the FGFA in 2020.
Navalized Sukhoi T-50 PAK FAs will be deployed on the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov and future Russian aircraft carriers. There will be a competition between the Sukhoi, Mikoyan and Yakovlev design bureaus to choose the new naval aircraft.
Alexei Fedorov has said that any decision on applying fifth-generation technologies to produce a smaller fighter (comparable to the F-35) must wait until after the heavy fighter, based on the T-50, is completed.
Naval version – defence.pkFrom the model of the carrier it shows PAK FA T-50 so there would definitely be a Naval version.
On 10 June 2014, the fifth flying prototype, aircraft T-50-5, was severely damaged by an engine fire after landing. The pilot managed to escape unharmed. Sukhoi stated that the aircraft will be repaired, and that the fire “will not affect the timing of the T-50 test program”.
Data from Aviation News, Aviation Week, Air International
Main material source: wikipedia.org
Images are from public domain unless otherwise stated
Main image by Innokenty Grigoriev – AviMedia
Updated Aug 28, 2018
Revised Sep 18, 2020
Apr 27, 2016 00:50 UTC by Defense Industry Daily staff
Australia has been cleared by the US State Department to purchase up to 450 AIM-120D air-to-air missiles. The $1.22 billion sale will see Australia become the first customer of the AIM-120D, where the munition will be used on their fleets of F/A-18, E/A-18G, and F-35 aircraft. Included in the sale will be up to 34 AIM-120D Air Vehicles Instrumented (AAVI), up to 6 Instrumented Test Vehicles (ITVs) and up to 10 spare AIM-120 Guidance Sections (GSs).
“Australia could become the first foreign nation to buy the radar-guided Raytheon AIM-120D air-to-air missile under a $1.1 billion foreign military sales package approved by the US government this week.
AIM-120D is the latest variant of Raytheon’s popular AMRAAM series, developed for the US Air Force and Navy. The networked, beyond-visual-range missile introduces satellite-aided navigation, a two-way datalink and new guidance software that “improves kinematic performance and weapon effectiveness”. It has greater range than the legacy variants and is optimised for high-angle off-boresight shots.” Australia seeks DOD’s newest air-to-air missile, the AIM-120D posted by Flight Global on 25 APRIL, 2016 Source flightglobal.com
######
“WASHINGTON, Apr. 25, 2016 – The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Australia for AIM-120D Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles and associated equipment, training, and support. The estimated cost is $1.22 billion. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale on April 21, 2016.
The Government of Australia requested a possible sale of:
Major Defense Equipment (MDE):
Up to 450 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AIM-120D)
Up to 34 AIM-120D Air Vehicles Instrumented (AAVI)
Up to 6 Instrumented Test Vehicles (ITVs)
Up to 10 spare AIM-120 Guidance Sections (GSs)
This request also includes the following Non-MDE: containers, weapon system support equipment, support and test equipment, site survey, transportation, repair and return warranties, spare and repair parts, publications and technical data, maintenance, personnel training, and training equipment, U.S. Government and contractor representative engineering, logistics, and technical support services, and other related elements of logistics support.
The total estimated value of MDE is $1.08 billion. The total overall estimated value is $1.22 billion.” Posted by Defense Security Cooperation Agency on Apr. 25, 2016 Source sca.mil
Tuesday, 26 April 2016
KUALA LUMPUR: The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) expects to buy 18 Littoral Mission Ships (LMS) in its effort to strengthen the country’s maritime security, says Laksamana Datuk Seri Ahmad Kamarulzaman Ahmad Badaruddin.
He added that the LMS would replace the older patrol ships.
“It is cheaper to buy new ships than to maintain the old ones that are already 30 to 40 years old. Although the LMS is smaller, it is capable of doing a lot of missions.
“The LMS will not only carry out surveillance work, but also provide humanitarian aid and disaster relief,” he said
Ahmad Kamarulzaman said six new Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), which is bigger and faster, would also be received by the RMN between 2019 and 2023.
The ships were acquired under the 11th and 12th Malaysia Plans and built by Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd.
“With the new ships in place, the RMN will be able to beef up its armada combat capabilities as the number of combat vessels would be 10, instead of four previously,” he added.
It was reported that the six ships, estimated to be worth RM9bil, would be equipped with superior four-dimensional warfare capabilities for electronic, air, surface and underwater threats integrated with state-of-the-art systems.
It also has stealth capability which reduces radar reflection to minimise visibility and detection and it is also capable of rapid launch and recovery of boats.
Ahmad Kamarulzaman said the RMN was also set to consolidate all its naval units from 15 classes to five in an effort to strengthen the country’s maritime security.
“This is part of the RMN’s transformation programme to strengthen its armada and also to be cost effective,” he added.
“According to Kamarulzaman, the LMS will be smaller, less capable and more importantly, less expensive than the LCS. It will be multi-mission ship capable of conducting patrols and other duties. Both the LMS and MRSS and the rest of the future armada will be locally built to reduce the procurement and maintenance costs.” Posted March 12, 2016 @malaysiandefence.com
Main image is NOT actual ship just for reference @aeronewstv.com
Sunday, April 24, 2016
21:16 21.04.2016(updated 13:31 22.04.2016)
Saudi Arabia is planning to build a canal that will connect the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea bypassing the Strait of Hormuz controlled by the Iranians. Since the canal would pass the Shia territories in Yemen, Riyadh needs to take the country under full military control, Craig Murray notes.
Regardless of vocal opposition from the EU Parliament and major human rights groups, the US government plans to continue high-tech weapons deliveries to Saudi Arabia which uses it against defenseless Yemeni civilians, Craig Murray, human rights activist, author and former British Ambassador to Uzbekistan, writes on his blog.
Embarrassingly for London, “UK special forces are operating inside Yemen in support of the onslaught,” he notes.
“Yemen of course has very little oil of its own,” the author remarks.
“But where the West gets involved in conflict, it is almost always at base either about oil resources (e.g. Kuwait, Libya, Syria, Iraq) or oil routes (e.g. Afghanistan, Georgia, Balkans). It turns out that Britain’s unflinching military support of Saudi Arabian aggression in Yemen is about oil routes,” Murray elaborates.
The truth of the matter is that last year Riyadh announced a plan to build a 950 kilometer canal, dubbed Salman Canal, connecting the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea.
But what lies at the root of the plan?
It is expected that the canal will allow ships to reduce their trip through the Strait of Hormuz almost by half. What is more important, Iran is keeping an eye on the strait. By bypassing Hormuz, Saudi Arabia hopes to overcome this “obstacle.”
“Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE could export their oil through this canal up to the Arabian Sea, thus avoiding the Strait of Hormuz,” Gulf News reported in September 2015.
In accordance with the plan, 630 kilometers of the canal will be built in Saudi Arabia and 320 kilometers… in Yemen.
“The canal will add 1,200km of clean and splendid coasts in the Empty Quarter and will have 20 tunnels for cars and pedestrians on the Saudi side, while it will add 700km of waterfront to Yemen and revive the desert areas in the east of the country,” Saad Bin Omar of the Riyadh-based Arab Century Centre for Studies said, as quoted by the media outlet.
However bright the prospects are in the eyes of Riyadh, it does not mean that Yemen will enthusiastically embrace the project.
To complicate matters further, “the eastern Yemeni regions through which it would pass are predominantly Shia, this is a major problem for the Saudis,” Murray stresses.
“There would need to be a Yemeni government not only willing to agree, but both able and willing to enforce security on the canal,” he explains.
And it means Riyadh needs not only to establish a government loyal to the Saudis in Yemen but also to maintain effective military control of the country.
Remarkably, Washington and London are backing Riyadh and its military adventure, while American thought leaders admit that Saudi Arabia’s activities in Yemen and Syria undermine the regions’ stability.
“Iranian control of the Strait of Hormuz has long been the nightmare of the American right,” Murray notes, adding that “Western elite support for the appalling Saudi regime is a given, because Saudi cash pumps primarily into banking, armaments and high end property, the three areas most dear to the interests of the 1%.”
“The United Kingdom is supporting yet another war for oil. But don’t worry about it, the corporate media is full of the Queen’s birthday! Stop thinking and shout hurrah!” Murray remarks.
by 24th April 2016 @ascorrespondent
NORTH KOREA is ready to put a stop to its nuclear tests – but only if the U.S. agrees to cease its annual military exercises with South Korea.
In his first interview with a Western news organization, North Korean foreign minister Ri Su Yong spoke with the Associated Press, defending his country’s right to maintain a nuclear deterrent, adding that North Korea would not bow to international pressure.
Pyongyang has long claimed that it was the U.S. that drove the nation to develop nuclear weapons.
“Stop the nuclear war exercises in the Korean Peninsula, then we should also cease our nuclear tests,” he said.
Ri also hinted that the suspension of the military exercises would likely reduce tensions between North and South Korea.
On Sunday, North Korea announced that it had successfully test-fired a ballistic missile from a submarine the day before, and that it has bolstered its nuclear attack capabilities.
The state-owned Korean Central News Agency reported that its leader Kim Jong Un had observed the firing of the missile from a test facility.
While South Korean weapons experts said it is unlikely that North Korea currently possesses an operational submarine that can fire multiple missiles, they do accede that the North is making progress on such technology.
Such a development is raising alarm bells, as missiles fired from submarines are harder to detect prior to launch compared to land-based ones.
In response to the missile test, the U.S. said it is restricting foreign minister Ri’s movement, as he is currently in New York to attend U.N. functions.
U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said due to the recent missile firing, the U.S. has decided that it was necessary to limit the travel of Ri and his delegation to only those places necessary for them to conduct their duties.
North Korea has been firing missiles and artillery shells into the sea in protest against military drills between the U.S. and South Korea, and refuses to stop, despite international sanctions.
Additional reporting by Associated Press
北, 신포 동북방 동해상에서 ‘잠수함 미사일’ 1발 발사
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff says the projectile,… presumed to a submarine-launched ballistic missile, was fired from near Shinpo, Hamgyeongnam-do province, on Saturday evening at 6:30 p.m, South Korea time.
The South Korean military is currently assessing whether the launch was a success.
The projectile was fired from a two-thousand ton submarine and South Korean military officials believe the missile’s rocket booster did ignite, but it was only in the air for a short time.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul say they are keeping a close eye on North Korea’s movements, and maintaining a high state of readiness.
North Korea conducted a failed SLBM launch in November of last year and another, possibly successful, launch around six months before that.
Experts have noted that SLBMs need to be tested numerous times in order to refine the launches, especially given the complexity of the technology involved.
This latest launch comes amid mounting speculation North Korea could conduct a fifth nuclear test ahead of a rare party congress early next month.
Kim Hyun-bin, Arirang News.
French company Sagem announced on 19 April that it had signed a joint venture (JV) with Indian company OIS Advanced Technology (OIS-AT) that will allow the manufacture of components for the AASM Hammer precision-guided munition in India.
The agreement will have OIS-AT manufacturing bomb guidance and glide kits for the system in India, as part of the Indian government’s ‘Make In India’ campaign to promote defence equipment manufacturing in India.
Sagem added in a statement that the guidance and glide kits would be “customised to specifically meet Indian Air Force requirements”.
According to IHS Jane’s Air Launched Weapons, Sagem is understood to have been negotiating an AASM contract with India to supply weapons for Indian Air Force Sukhoi Su-30MKIs, upgraded Mirage 2000Hs, and upgraded SEPECAT Jaguar IS/IBs. Indian sources also stated that the AASM would be integrated on Indian Navy MiG-29Ks.
The AASM Hammer is a modular kit that adds a guidance/seeker assembly to the existing ‘dumb’ general-purpose aerial bomb, along with pop-out airfoils to increase the bomb’s gliding range. Additionally, a rocket booster further extends the bomb’s stand-off capability.
The baseline version of the system for use by the French military and for existing export variants is for use on a 250 kg (500 lb) bomb. Initial testing was conducted on a Dassault Mirage 2000N, with later tests taking place on a Dassault Rafale. It is currently cleared for use on the Lockheed Martin F-16 and Dassault Rafale, with Sagem having evaluated compatibility with larger platforms such as the Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules, Lockheed Martin P-3 Orion, and the Dassault Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft.
The 250 kg variant has a maximum range of 15-60 km, depending on the attack profile, and can use either a GPS, an inertial navigation system (INS) with imaging infrared seeker, or a laser seeker.
Source janes.com
Armement Air-Sol Modulaire (AASM) HAMMER (Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range) is a new generation medium-range modular air-to-ground weapon designed and manufactured by Sagem (Safran group), for the French Air Force and Navy.
The AASM weapon system has a length of 3m and weight of 330kg, and has a range of over 60km at high altitudes and 15km at low altitudes. It has fire and forget capability, and an extended stand-off capacity.
The interoperable missile has the ability to engage multiple targets simultaneously. It can also strike fixed or moving targets with high precision. The missile is maintenance-free and has low lifecycle costs.
The missile uses single, double or triple store adaptors and uses Sagem’s Hemispheric Resonating Gyro, inertial / GPS hybridisation and strap-down infrared imagers and associated algorithms for conventional deep strike missions.
The AASM HAMMER missile consists of a guidance kit and a range extension kit. The kits are fitted with Mk82 warheads including Smart Bomb Unit (SBU)-38, SBU-64 and SBU-54. The easy to use missile supports operations with 125kg, 250kg, 500kg and 1,000kg bomb bodies, and can be reprogrammed during the flight.
The basic version SBU-38 HAMMER is provided with hybrid INS/GPS guidance, while the SBU-54 version is equipped with INS/GPS/IR (infrared) guidance. The latest version SBU-64 uses INS/GPS/laser guidance.
AASM INS/GPS
The hybrid inertial/GPS layout is the standard guidance mode for coordinates. Once the coordinates have been entered in the weapon, the inertial guidance system enable it to hit the target without requiring a GPS signal, if it is unavailable. This version is designated the SBU-38 Hammer (Smart Bomb Unit).
The AASM’s modularity allows it to be used on 125, 250, 500 and 1000kg bomb bodies. Its engine provides it with range greater than 50km, meaning it can be fired at a standoff distance. Autonomous after it has been dropped, it can be used at low altitudes, cross hilly terrain or veer sharply from the firing aircraft.
AASM INS/GPS IR
The inertial/GPS/IR kit adds an infrared imager for terminal guidance. With a simplified model of the scene around the target first being uploaded to the weapon, this imager allows the AASM to recalculate its trajectory during the last few seconds prior to impact, using image recognition algorithms. This allows the AASM to hit its target with the highest possible accuracy, even if GPS coordinates are incorrect, or the GPS signal is unavailable. This version is called the SBU-64 Hammer.
The AASM’s modularity allows it to be used on 125, 250, 500 and 1000kg bomb bodies. Its engine provides it with range greater than 50km, meaning it can be fired at a standoff distance. Autonomous after it has been dropped, it can be used at low altitudes, cross hilly terrain or veer sharply from the firing aircraft.
AASM INS/GPS Laser
The inertial/GPS/laser kit adds terminal laser guidance to engage agile, moving land or naval targets, illuminated by a ground or airborne laser designator. It will be deployed by French armed forces starting in 2012. This version is designated the SBU-54 Hammer (Smart Bomb Unit).
The AASM’s modularity allows it to be used on 125, 250, 500 and 1000kg bomb bodies. Its engine provides it with range greater than 50km, meaning it can be fired at a standoff distance. Autonomous after it has been dropped, it can be used at low altitudes, cross hilly terrain or veer sharply from the firing aircraft. Source sagem.com
The laser terminal guidance version can be deployed to engage moving targets, while the infrared terminal guidance version minimises target coordinate errors.
The combat proven missile can operate in all weather conditions during the day and night. It has vertical strike capability and can support deep strikes, close air support, air interdiction, and SEAD-type or anti-ship combat missions.
The propulsion system is fitted at the rear of the missile and consists of a solid rocket motor and four winglets for flight control. Source airforce-technology
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Thai Military and Asian Region 