Roy's Russian Aircraft Resource

(Translated by Roy Cochrun)
(Translating the Russian Aviation News for You since Spring, 2000)

Highlights for the Week of 07 August 2011

Date Posted 11 August 2011

First Article 476 Airplane to Be Transferred to Flight Test Station at Year’s End

ZAO Aviastar-SP will assemble the first Article 476 military transport airplane and transfer it to the flight test station, a source in the defense industrial complex has reported to AviaPort.

“The article 476 airplane’s test flights will begin in the beginning of 2012 after the execution of some number of ground tests at the flight test station. It is being proposed to build three airframes in all for the tests: flight (it will be built first), service life and static. The new aircraft’s fuselage will undergo practically no changes, but the wing will be different in design, its design will use long-length panels, that is, the use of the principally new design and technology of the Il-96 airplane’s wing. The basic characteristics of Article 476 in comparison with the Il-76MD will be somewhat improved,” he said.

Earlier the Il-76MD/TD airplanes were built in series at the Tashkent aircraft plant in Uzbekistan. A decision to transfer Il-76 series production to Russia was made after the loss of a contract for the delivery to China of nearly 40 Il-76MD and Il-78 airplanes.

The Article 476 airplane, which sometimes is designated the Il-476 in the press, is supposed to have a practically new wing, in the manufacture of which new technologies will be used, new avionics and new PS-90A-76 engines with a thrust of 14.5 tonnes each. As reported previously, Russia’s defense ministry plans to obtain several Article 476 airplanes both in a tanker variant and in a military transport variant within the framework of the state arms program for the period from 2011 through 2020.

Source: 10.08.11, AviaPort.RU, Correspondent: Dmitriy Kozlov

Russia Transfers First Batch of Mi-17V5 Helicopters to India

((Total will be 80 helicopters. Title says the rest. Not further translated.))

Source: 10.08.11, Lenta.RU

Date Posted 10 August 2011

Russia Will Create a New Flying Radar by 2016

A new A-100 long-range radar detection and control airplane (DRLOiU) will be created in Russia, RIA Novosti reports Russia’s air force commander-in-chief, General-Colonel Aleksandr Zelin, announced. “There is the full support of the chief of the general staff and financial support. We must create this aircraft by 2016 and we will receive the carrier somewhere by 2013 – 2014,” the CinC noted.

The development of the antenna and radar for the new DRLOiU airplane already has been concluded. “It is completely different than in the A-50, with an active phased array. The airplane will be able to resolve missions against aerial and ground targets,” Zelin said. A modified Il-476 airplane with PS-90 engines will be used as the carrier for the new radar complex. It will provide greater flight range than the A-50 serving in the inventory.

The general director of the Vega concern, Vladimir Verba, announced for the first time that a new DRLOiU airplane would be created in Russia in September 2010. Vega is creating the radar for the new airplane. According to Verba, the completely new complex will be ready by 2015 and will be based on an Il-76 or An-124 “Ruslan” airplane. Development of the A-100 is underway in accordance with a Russian presidential decree of 28 April 2004.

At the present time there are 26 A-50M DRLOiU airplanes based on the Il-76MD in the Russian air force inventory. The Taganrog Beriev Aviation Scientific and Technical Complex is manufacturing the airplanes. The A-50 is able to make flights at a speed up to 800 kilometers per hour to a distance up to 7,500 kilometers. The airplane is able to detect various types of aerial and ground targets at a range to 650 and 300 kilometers respectively. At the same time the complex assures tracking of up to 300 targets.

At the present time the Vega concern together with the TANTK Beriev is upgrading A-50M airplanes to the A-50U version. The latter is a highly modified DRLOiU airplane with the “Shmel’-M” and “Shmel’-2” improved radar complex. In comparison with the basic A-50, the new DRLOiU airplane provides target lock-on at a greater distance.

Source: 09.08.11, Lenta.RU

Air Force Commander-in-Chief: Work on Su-35 Creation Slow

The head of the Russian air force, General-Colonel Aleksandr Zelin declared that he is dissatisfied with the base of operations on the creation of the Su-35 multirole airplane, Rosbalt reports.

“Regarding the Su-35, the work on it is not going as I would have liked,” Zelin said. According to the CinC, the Su-35 is inferior in aircraft equipment and the defense system complex to American airplanes of the very same type. “Our airplane is supposed to be more reliably protected from enemy anti-aircraft defense systems,” Zelin said.

Work on creation of the T-50 fifth generation airplane is on schedule.

Source: 09.08.11, Avia.RU

Plans to Complete Su-25UBM State Tests in September

It is planned to sign the document about the conclusion of state joint tests of the twin-seat upgraded Su-25UBM attack aircraft in September 2011, a source in the defense industrial complex has reported to AviaPort.

He noted that some disruption in the time for conclusion of the attack aircraft’s tests is not related to the airplane itself which has fully undergone tests, including the combat usage of the Su-25UBM.

The Su-25UBM attack aircraft can be used successfully both as a training airplane for training the flight crew of air force attack units and for the conduct of full-fledged combat operations. Flight performance of the Su-25UBM practically coincided fully with the performance of the Su-25UB, but the combat capabilities are being increased significantly and correspond to the combat capabilities of the Su-25SM attack aircraft, the specialist said.

The inter-industrial Sukhoy Attack Aircraft scientific and production concern (NPK) was formed and approved by the Russian Federation government in 1992 for the operational resolution of all attack aviation tasks. 47 enterprises are included in this integrated company, which work closely in accordance with a memorandum of mutual understanding signed earlier. NPK founders are only legal entities, the concern has no shares.

Source: 10.08.11, AviaPort.RU, Correspondent: Dmitriy Kozlov

Upgrade of Il-76MD and Il-78M Airplanes to Begin in 2012

((Using PS-90A-76 engines. Title says the rest. Not further translated.)))

Source: 10.08.11, AviaPort.RU, Correspondent: Dmitriy Kozlov

Date Posted 09 August 2011

Americans Conclude Mi-17 Helicopter Delivery to Iraq

The American company ARINC Engineering Services has concluded the delivery to Iraq of 22 multirole Mi-17 helicopters, carried out in accordance with a contract with the U.S. Army. As Lenta.Ru reports referring to Defense Aerospace, the last two helicopters were delivered to Iraq on 15 June 2011; however, it only has become known about it now. The helicopters arrived at the Eht-Taji air force base 6 months ahead of schedule.

The contract for the delivery of the 22 Mi-17 helicopters to Iraq was signed in December 2007. The aircraft were obtained from Russia and then underwent reequipping and upgrade in the United Arab Emirates. Within the program of the upgrade, the Mi-17 received the AAR-60 missile warning system, a self-defense system, new aircraft equipment and communications equipment. Reequipping is underway at the present time on Mi-17 helicopters for Afghanistan in accordance with a counterpart program.

Besides the Mi-17, Iraq’s military aviation also is receiving Mi-171E helicopters. Four such aircraft were delivered to the Iraqi military in January 2011. These helicopter also underwent reequipping at an enterprise in the United Arab Emirates.

At the present time there are 40 Mi-17 and Mi-171E helicopters in Iraq’s inventory. Iraq received the last two of the eight ordered Mi-171E worth a total of 158 million dollars in the middle of September 2010. Russia delivered these aircraft with the financial participation of the U.S. The helicopters underwent upgrade in the UAE before shipping to Iraq.

Source: 08.08.10, Avia.RU

Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute Preparing for Second Stage of Frequency Tests for MS-21 Composite Wing Box

((Title says it all. Not further translated.))

Source: 08.08.11, AviaPort.RU

It’s High Time

Mongolia will obtain five MiG-29.

((Rest snipped. From English-language source.))

Source: 09.08.11, Voenno-Promyshlennyy Kur'er

Date Posted 08 August 2011

Engines and Radar Fail MiG-35 in Indian Tender

The feeble performance of the engines and radar was the reason for the Russian MiG-35 fighter’s exclusion from the Indian tender for the delivery of 126 combat MMRCA airplanes. As Flightglobal reports, such information is contained in the Indian air force report handed over to the Rosoboronehksport state company. ((Rest snipped as it is available in English at Flightglobal.com)).

Source: 05.08.11, Lenta.RU

Aviation Lovers Unable to Visit MAKS-2011 Able to Observe All Air Salon Events in Virtual Reality

Aviation lovers unable to visit MAKS-2011 will be able to observe all air salon events in virtual reality, Aviasalon Joint Stock Company general director, Vladimir Borisov, reported to journalists today ((05 August)).

According to him, at the initiative of students and scientific and technical specialists of the town of Zhukovskiy, the Aviasalon company will launch the “MAKS-2011 Virtual Air Salon in 3D” project which is an implementation of a 3D version of the exhibition. It will be accessible on the Internet around-the-clock for 2 years in Russian and English until the next salon, MAKS-2013.

“In essence, it is a site of which visitors are offered a virtual excursion around the whole MAKS air salon,” Borisov said. According to him, one can choose any participating company in the pavilions of the air salon and get acquainted with its types of activity, services and product, manufactured by that company and also to find out the company’s contacts and its representative at the air salon.

For the convenience of business visitors, search by categories, address and key word has been built into the electronic catalog and the ability to print the business card of any company has been provided. All product can be represented in the form of 3D catalogs (catalogs filled with 3D objects).

Source: 05.08.11, ARMS-TASS

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