Indonesian Air Force Awaits Arrival of Three Russian Su-27SKM Fighters

The Indonesian Air Force is awaiting the arrival of three Russian Su-27SKM fighters, ARMS-TASS reports. As the country's air force chief-of-staff, Vice Marshall Imam Sufaat, announced, two fighters will arrive in the beginning of September and one more in the third week of the month.

According to him, the fighters will be sent to the Hasanuddin airbase located in Macassar on the island of Sulavesi, where they will be based after the conclusion of flight tests with three other Su brand fighters bought earlier.

Delivery of these three fighters is being realized in accordance with a contract for a total of 335 million dollars which was signed by Rosoboronehksport and the Indonesian government in August 2007. The agreement provides for the delivery of six Su brand fighters, including three Su-30MK2 and three Su-27SKM. The three Su-30MK2 already were delivered to the Indonesia in 2008 - 2009.

Indonesia has received seven Su brand airplane in all as of today. A contract for a total of 192.9 million dollars, which assumed the purchase by Indonesia of the first four Su brand airplanes, including two Su-27SK and two Su-30MK, and also two Mi-35 combat helicopters, was signed in April 2003. Delivery of the equipment was concluded at the end of September 2003. With the arrival of the last three aircraft in September of this years, the Indonesian air force's fleet of Sukhoy airplanes will be increased to 10 units.

Source: 13.08.10, Avia.RU

SaM146 Engine Receives AR MAK Certificate of Type

Source: 13.08.10, NPO Saturn

Russia Will not Receive New Airplane for Long-Range Aviation Earlier Than 2025

Fifteen to 20 years are needed for development of the future long-range aviation aircraft complex (PAK DA) and the new airplanes will be built in Kazan', the Vzglyad newspaper reports the president of the Unified Aircraft Building Corporation, Aleksey Fedorov, announced.

"We already have begun to think together with our main customer - the ministry of defense, about new models of strategic bombers and airplanes in long-range aviation. Of course, very much time will be spent on creation of a principally new airplane. It will take 15, and perhaps, even 20 years," Fedorov said.

At the same time, according to Fedorov, "we have to start right now" so that the aviation is ready to produce the new aircraft in 15 years.

"We have to start thinking about the concept of this airplane, to decided on the basic technologies and new components that will be used in this airplane," Fedorov said.

According to him, the new airplanes will be built at the Kazan' Aviation Production Association where the Tu-160 strategic bombers were built earlier.

Source: 11.08.10, Avia.RU

India to Buy Additional 42 Su-30MKI Fighters

((Fighters actually will be built under license in India for delivery to the Indian air force from 2014 through 2018.  Not further translated.))

Source:  11.08.10, Avia.RU

Rafale and Typhoon Bypass MiG-35 in Indian Tender

The French Dassault Rafale fighter and European Eurofighter Typhoon have become finalists of the huge tender held by the Indian air force for the delivery of 126 combat airplanes, Lenta.RU reports referring to the Indian television channel Times Now.

The Russian MiG-35, American Lockheed-Martin F-16IN Super Viper and Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, as well as the Swedish Saab JAS 39 Gripen NG were competing in the tender with the  Rafale and Typhoon. The competition finalists will begin additional tests in the near future, after which the winner will be selected.

According to Indian air force information, Boeing in all likelihood would not have agreed to the transfer of technologies for manufacture of the engines for the F/A-18; therefore, the company's airplane was excluded from the competition. Moreover, the military announced that the Gripen NG dropped out of the competition inasmuch as the performance of its radar did not suit the air force. The Russian MiG-35 demonstrated powerful combat potential, but its engines did not suit the Indians. At the same time, the Indians considered the the F-16N as an airplane without a future.

As the television channel notes, the decision about the Rafale and Typhoon in the finale of the tender is in many way political.

As is expected, a contract will be entered into for 420 billion rupees (9.1 billion dollars) with the winner as a result of the tender.

Source: 09.08.10, Avia.RU 

OAO UMPO Begins Delivery of 117S Articles to Komsomol'sk-on-Amur

The Ufa Motor Building Production Association Joint Stock Company has delivered the first two AL-41F-1S (117S) engines for the Su-35S fighter.

Article 117S is a major upgrade of the AL-31F engines with a thrust that exceeds the figures of the basic engine by 2 tonnes. The rotating jet nozzle with controllable thrust vectoring provides super maneuverability at low speeds and other unique performance for the Su-35S multirole fighter.

According to the contract with the OAO Komsomol'sk-on-Amur Yu. A. Gagarin Aviation Production Association, which was entered into in 2009, OAO UMPO is supposed to assemble 96 117S articles before 2015 for Russia's air force Su-35S fighters.

Source: 06.08.10, OAO UMPO

Aehrokompozit Plans to Assemble First Composite Wing for MS-21 in 2013

Aehrokompozit Closed Stock Company plans to assemble the first wing from composite materials for the future MS-21 domestic airplane in 2013, the company's president, Anatoliy Gaydanskiy announced within the framework of a Rosnano delegation's visit to Ul'yanovsk.

As has been reported, a cooperation agreement for realization of this wide-scale investment project was signed on 15 February 2010 in Moscow. The governor of the Ul'yanovsk Oblast', Sergey Morozov, OAK President Aleksey Fedorov and A. Gaydanskiy signed the document.

The volume of investments in realization of the project of the coming 3 years will be on the order of 250 million dollars.

Source: 09.08.10, Interfax