Date Posted 04 March 2010

India to Buy Additional 42 Su-30MKI Fighters in Russia

Russia is preparing a contract for the delivery to India of an additional 42 Su-30MKI multirole fighters, Lenta.RU reports.

Rosoboronehksport and the Irkut corporation are participating in the negotiations for Russia. The total of the possible deal is not being specified; however, according to some estimates, it could be nearly 3.5 billion dollars.

India so far has ordered already 230 Su-30MKI fighters in Russia for a total of 8.5 billion dollars. The delivery of these airplanes was stipulated in three contracts, the first of which (for 50 airplanes) was entered into in 1998; later, India ordered 40 more fighters, and later obtained a license for the manufacture of 140 Su-30MKI.

At the present time India has at its disposal a fleet of 103 Su-30MKI fighters suitable for use, but by 2015 intends to increase the number of such airplanes in the air force to 230 units. Purchase of the Russian fighters is being realized within the framework of a program to upgrade the Indian air force, in which in the next 12 years it is planned to spend more than a hundred billion dollars.

Source: 03.03.10, Avia.RU

Date Posted 03 March 2010

Ace Pilot Dies

Vladimir Sergeevich Il'yushin, Hero of the Soviet Union (1960), Honored Test Pilot of the USSR (1966), winner of the Lenin (1976) and State (1997) prizes and Honored Master of Sports (1961) died on 1 March 2010 after an extended illness.

Il'yushin was born on 31 March 1927. In 1951, he graduated from the Zhukovskiy Air Force Engineering Academy, and 2 years later - the ministry of the aviation industry test pilot school. He flew from 1943 through 1981 on 145 types of airplanes and helicopters and their modifications. From 1953 through 1957 he was a test pilot at the M. Gromov Flight Research Institute, and from 1957 at the Sukhoy OKB: test pilot (the firm's chief pilot), deputy chief designer (from 1972) and a consultant member of the council of elders (from 2000). During his work at the Sukhoy OKB he lifted 12 prototypes into the air for the first time - from the Su-9 to the Su-27.

He was decorated with the orders "For Service to the Fatherland" III degree, Lenin, Red Banner, Red Banner Labor, Red Star, "Badge of Honor," medals and the "Honorary Aircraft Builder" badge.

General-Major of Aviation Vladimir Il'yushin set a world record for dynamic ceiling 23,852 meters (1959) and an absolute world altitude record in horizontal flight of 21,170 meters (1961).

(("Ace" does not indicate combat victories in Russia.  The famous designer, Sergey Il'yushin, was this test pilot's father.))

Source: 03.03.10, Vremya Novostey

The An-70: Its Difficult Trip into the Sky

((Your friendly translator titles this long article as "Beating a Dead Horse to Death."  The article discusses the evolution of this An-12 replacement, now over 30 years in the making, and reasons for continuing it.  It concludes that now that there is a new leader in Ukraine, perhaps they can get back to work on it for the benefit both of Russia and Ukraine.))

Source: 03.03.10, Krasnaya Zvezda, Correspondent: Yuriy Avdeev

Il'yushin Finans to Deliver Two An-148 Airplanes to Myanmar Government

((Two VIP variants, according to Flight International. Not further translated.))

Source: 03.03.10, AviaPort.RU, Correspondent: Andrey Yurgenson

Date Posted 02 March 2010

Main Tests of Fifth Generation Fighter to Begin in April

The main tests of the T-50 fifth generation fighter (the PAK FA - the future tactical aviation aircraft complex) will begin in April of this year at the Gromov Flight Test Institute, RIA Novosti reports.

Three fifth generation fighters made first flights in January - February at Komsomol'sk-on-Amur where they are now located for the time being. One of the three airplanes that has been undergoing tests at Komsomol'sk-on-Amur will fly to the Gromov Flight Test Institute. Tests at the Gromov Flight Test Institute may take several years.

The Russian fifth generation fighter lifted into the air for the first time on 29 January.

Source: 01.03.10, Avia.RU

Russia to Receive Three More Experimental Examples of Fifth Generation Fighter over 2 Years

The Sukhoy company plans to build three more experimental examples of the fifth generation fighter in 2010 - 2011, the company's general director, Mikhail Pogosyan, reported to journalists. "The fifth generation airplane task is to include three more airplanes in the second half 2010 and beginning of 2011 for tests  under the program," Pogosyan said, commenting on the results of a meeting on defense industrial complex problems that the Russian Federation government head, Vladimir Putin, held at the Sukhoy base.

Pogosyan noted that an increase in the number of prototypes will allow intensifying tests of the fifth generation airplane appreciably.

Source: 02.03.10, Interfax

Sukhoy in the Fifth Generation

((Long fluff piece about Putin's visit to view the PAK FA.  Not translated here.))

Date Posted 01 March 2010

Engineering Concept of Russian Aircraft Carrier to Be Developed by End of 2010

The engineering concept of the Russian aircraft carrier will be developed by the end of 2010, Lenta.RU reports.

As the Russian Federation naval commander-in-chief, Vladimir Vysotskiy has declared, after the ship's main tactical and technical characteristics have been determined, development of the working documentation will begin.

Vladimir Vysotskiy noted that experimental design work on the creation of the Russian aircraft carrier already is under way. "In favorable times, I think that the  ship can launched by 2020," the naval chief declared. He also emphasized that building an aircraft carrier within the framework of state defense order financing will be very difficult. In Vysotskiy's opinion, a Federal goal-oriented program is necessary to achieve the task before them.

In February 2009, the manager directing the Unified Ship Building Corporation's (OSK) state defense order, Anatoliy Shlemov, declared that the new generation Russian aircraft carrier will be atomic ((powered)).  He also specified that the ship will have a displacement up to 60 thousand tonnes. According to Shlemov, it is planned to build from three to six aircraft carriers in all.

Source: 27.02.10, Avia.RU

---

Search older news items.

search for 

The Aviation Store

Please note:  These news items are a free service of Roy's Resources.  Rates for translation normally start at 10 cents per word and drop for longer jobs and repeat business.  If you would like any other Russian text translated at the usual rates, please feel free to contact Roy at roy@royfc.com.  See the translation page for further details.

You are visitor numbersince 26 August 2004
By 26 August 2004, there had been about 38,105 visitors

---