Indian Air Force: News & Discussions

mokoman

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So old wine in new bottle, just this time with the new masala of partial payment in INR? Safe to say they will spend the next 2 years doing chai biskoot on this :dude:.
hard to believe this comedy is going on for 14 years and still no close to completion.

:hmm: i think defense website owners pay the babus to sabotage the deal so members can have something to talk about.
 

WolfPack86

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India seeks four strategic bombers from Russia
During the course of INNOPROM, India’s Defence Ministry has indicated it is looking to buy four strategic bombers from Russia and a host of other high-tech weaponry, besides stepping up co-production under the ‘Make in India’ programme.
India’s Ministry of Defence has sought to buy four strategic Tu-22M3 bombers and other latest high-tech weaponry from Russia, Interfax reported. This was expressed in the official stand of the ‘Make in India’ Programme at the INNOPROM International Industrial Exhibition in Yekaterinburg.
Interfax reported that, in addition to the bombers, the Indian Air Force is also seeking to purchase 80 Mi-17 helicopters and six Il-76 airplanes, in which the Israeli radar system, the ‘Falcon,’ can be installed.
The Indian Defence Ministry is also keen to acquire modern missile systems, and would like to buy twelve S-400 ‘Triumf’ anti-aircraft missile systems.
пустым не оставлять!!
New long-range Russian bomber to be different

At the official ‘Make in India’ stand, officials indicated a desire to lease two nuclear submarines of the Akula-2 (‘Akula’ means Shark) class, with the option to purchase them after the completion of their lease terms.

RIA Novosti had earlier reported that Russia would soon be able to deliver a second nuclear submarine of the Project 971 Shchuka-B (‘Schuka’ means pike) to India, after the relevant contract is signed.The first such submarine, named the ‘Chakra’, was delivered to the Indian Navy under lease in 2012.

At the Indian stand in the Yekaterinburg exhibition, officials said India was planning to produce over 1,000 T-90S tanks and 200 Ka-226 helicopters under the ‘Make in India’ programme.

The BrahMos cruise missiles, which are being developed in India with the participation of the Russian company NPO Mashinostroyeniya, are currently being successfully tested. The export version of the Russian anti-ship missile P-800 Oniks – the ‘Yakhont’ – has been used as the base to develop the new missile.
 

Flying Dagger

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India seeks four strategic bombers from Russia
During the course of INNOPROM, India’s Defence Ministry has indicated it is looking to buy four strategic bombers from Russia and a host of other high-tech weaponry, besides stepping up co-production under the ‘Make in India’ programme.
India’s Ministry of Defence has sought to buy four strategic Tu-22M3 bombers and other latest high-tech weaponry from Russia, Interfax reported. This was expressed in the official stand of the ‘Make in India’ Programme at the INNOPROM International Industrial Exhibition in Yekaterinburg.
Interfax reported that, in addition to the bombers, the Indian Air Force is also seeking to purchase 80 Mi-17 helicopters and six Il-76 airplanes, in which the Israeli radar system, the ‘Falcon,’ can be installed.
The Indian Defence Ministry is also keen to acquire modern missile systems, and would like to buy twelve S-400 ‘Triumf’ anti-aircraft missile systems.
пустым не оставлять!!
New long-range Russian bomber to be different

At the official ‘Make in India’ stand, officials indicated a desire to lease two nuclear submarines of the Akula-2 (‘Akula’ means Shark) class, with the option to purchase them after the completion of their lease terms.

RIA Novosti had earlier reported that Russia would soon be able to deliver a second nuclear submarine of the Project 971 Shchuka-B (‘Schuka’ means pike) to India, after the relevant contract is signed.The first such submarine, named the ‘Chakra’, was delivered to the Indian Navy under lease in 2012.

At the Indian stand in the Yekaterinburg exhibition, officials said India was planning to produce over 1,000 T-90S tanks and 200 Ka-226 helicopters under the ‘Make in India’ programme.

The BrahMos cruise missiles, which are being developed in India with the participation of the Russian company NPO Mashinostroyeniya, are currently being successfully tested. The export version of the Russian anti-ship missile P-800 Oniks – the ‘Yakhont’ – has been used as the base to develop the new missile.
Dude I don't know if you are a bit of what... But 2016... ???
 

WolfPack86

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Russia Officially Pitches Its MiG-35 Fighter Jets To The Indian Air Force Under MMRCA 2.0 Tender


ByApoorva Jain

July 22, 2021

The Russian MiG-35 fighter jet has been submitted to the Indian Defense Ministry’s tender for the supply of 110 combat aircraft, Dmitry Shugaev, the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation said.

“The Russian side placed this jet [MiG-35] in the tender for the delivery of 110 medium fighter jets for the Indian Air Force,” Shugaev told Russian news agency – Sputnik.

A demonstration flight of the fighter is planned for the MAKS-2021 international aerospace show which is taking place near Moscow from July 20-25.

After the acquisition of 36 Rafale jets under the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) contract, the Indian Air Force has proposed the new MMRCA 2.0 for the procurement of 114 additional fighter jets in a bid to boost its air fleet.

Indian MiG Fighters
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has been operating MiG fighter jets since the Soviet era. One of them is MiG-29, a twin-engine, single-seater air superiority fighter aircraft capable of attaining a maximum speed of 2,445 km per hour (Mach-2.3) with a combat ceiling of 17 km.

India’s immediate neighbors Bangladesh and Myanmar are among the more than 30 countries which use this fighter jet.

It carries a 30 mm cannon, along with four R-60 close combat and two R-27 R medium-range radar-guided missiles, according to the Indian Air Force website. The IAF operates three squadrons of MiG-29, the first delivery of which was received in 2012.

Last year, India’s council for defense purchases approved the acquisition of 21 Russia’s MiG-29 fighters, which also include an upgrade of about 60 MiG-29 in service.

During the MAKS 21 expo, Russia has reportedly handed over to India a commercial offer to deliver 21 MiG-29 fighters, a spokesperson for Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation Dmitry Shugayev told reporters.

“The modernization of all the Indian MiG-29 fighters to the MiG-29UPG level is due to be completed in 2022 under the existing contract,” he added.

The MiG-21 ‘Flying Coffins’
The other MiG fighter operated by India is the MiG-21, a single-engine, single-seater multirole fighter/ground attack jet. It has a max speed of 2230 km/hr (Mach 2.1) and carries one 23mm twin-barrel cannon with four R-60 close combat missiles.

The IAF got its first delivery of MiG-21 in 1963. India has since then operated more than 800 jets, forming the backbone of the IAF. Almost 100 fighters still remain in service.

Among the different variants of MiG-21 operated by India, the Bison is the most advanced version, first flown in 2000. The IAF operates four squadrons of MiG-21 Bison aircraft, each squadron having 16 to 18 fighter jets.

However, the entire fleet of India’s MiG-21s is slated to be retired by 2025, given the number of accidents they have been involved in, earning the dubious epithet, “Flying Coffins”.

In 2012, then-Defense Minister AK Antony told Parliament that more than half of the 872 MiG aircraft purchased from Russia had crashed, killing more than 200 persons, including 171 pilots, 39 civilians, and eight other defense personnel.

This year has already seen three crashes involving MiG-21, in which two IAF’s fighter pilots died. This has once again turned the spotlight on India’s longest-serving fighter plane and its safety record.

For IAF to replace the aging jets with newer ones such as with Dassault Rafales and LCA Tejas, a larger number would have to be procured or produced than the present status. India is due to receive all 36 French Rafale jets it purchased from France by next year.

Earlier this year, India placed an order for 83 Tejas jets with the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

In addition to MiG-21 and MiG-29, IAF also operates another Russian multi-role aircraft, the Sukhoi-Su 30.

The MiG-35
Russia first unveiled the 4++ generation multi-role fighter MiG-35 at the 2007 Aero India air show in Bangaluru.

Flight tests of the MiG-35 began in January 2017 and the first batch of six jets was ordered in August 2018. The first two serial aircraft were delivered to the Russian Aerospace Forces in June 2019.

In the 2019 edition of MAKS, IAF pilots conducted test flights of the MiG-35 when it debuted at an airshow. According to Russian officials, Moscow had then offered to manufacture MiG-35s jointly with India besides Transfer of Technology (ToT) if New Delhi opted to buy them.

Experts view the MiG-35 as an advanced version of the series-built MiG-29K/KUB and MiG-29M/M2 combat aircraft for export purposes.

Ilya Tarasenko, the CEO of MiG Aircraft Corporation, lauded MiG-35 for meeting “21st century standards based on its reliability, repair and upgrades”.

The MiG-35 is the newest aviation complex developed with the use of technologies of fifth-generation fighters and designed for eliminating air targets at any time of day and any weather conditions as well as attacking mobile and stationary land and water targets, Sputnik reported.

The fighter has improved flight performance, a state-of-the-art avionics system, and carries a wide range of air-to-air and air-to-surface guided weapons. Developers also cite decreased visibility for enemy’s radar systems and a new engine with increased thrust among the plane’s advantages.


The latest fighter jet can employ all types of aircraft weaponry available today, including laser weapons, TASS reported.

“This is an aviation combat complex capable of successfully accomplishing missions aimed at destroying air, ground, and naval targets under current conditions,” said Mikhail Belyayev, Senior Test Pilot for the MiG Aircraft Corporation.


Among 200 military exhibits, the MiG-35 fighter jet was also a part of the Russian pavilion in the Aero India 2021, held in Bangaluru.

The ball is now in India’s court to decide which fighter jet should replace the aging MiG-21s as MiG-35 competes against Rafales, F-18 Super Hornets, Eurofighter Typhoons, Su-35, SAAB Gripen jets and other warplanes.
 

armortec

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Russia Officially Pitches Its MiG-35 Fighter Jets To The Indian Air Force Under MMRCA 2.0 Tender


ByApoorva Jain

July 22, 2021

The Russian MiG-35 fighter jet has been submitted to the Indian Defense Ministry’s tender for the supply of 110 combat aircraft, Dmitry Shugaev, the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation said.

“The Russian side placed this jet [MiG-35] in the tender for the delivery of 110 medium fighter jets for the Indian Air Force,” Shugaev told Russian news agency – Sputnik.

A demonstration flight of the fighter is planned for the MAKS-2021 international aerospace show which is taking place near Moscow from July 20-25.

After the acquisition of 36 Rafale jets under the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) contract, the Indian Air Force has proposed the new MMRCA 2.0 for the procurement of 114 additional fighter jets in a bid to boost its air fleet.

Indian MiG Fighters
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has been operating MiG fighter jets since the Soviet era. One of them is MiG-29, a twin-engine, single-seater air superiority fighter aircraft capable of attaining a maximum speed of 2,445 km per hour (Mach-2.3) with a combat ceiling of 17 km.

India’s immediate neighbors Bangladesh and Myanmar are among the more than 30 countries which use this fighter jet.

It carries a 30 mm cannon, along with four R-60 close combat and two R-27 R medium-range radar-guided missiles, according to the Indian Air Force website. The IAF operates three squadrons of MiG-29, the first delivery of which was received in 2012.

Last year, India’s council for defense purchases approved the acquisition of 21 Russia’s MiG-29 fighters, which also include an upgrade of about 60 MiG-29 in service.

During the MAKS 21 expo, Russia has reportedly handed over to India a commercial offer to deliver 21 MiG-29 fighters, a spokesperson for Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation Dmitry Shugayev told reporters.

“The modernization of all the Indian MiG-29 fighters to the MiG-29UPG level is due to be completed in 2022 under the existing contract,” he added.

The MiG-21 ‘Flying Coffins’
The other MiG fighter operated by India is the MiG-21, a single-engine, single-seater multirole fighter/ground attack jet. It has a max speed of 2230 km/hr (Mach 2.1) and carries one 23mm twin-barrel cannon with four R-60 close combat missiles.

The IAF got its first delivery of MiG-21 in 1963. India has since then operated more than 800 jets, forming the backbone of the IAF. Almost 100 fighters still remain in service.

Among the different variants of MiG-21 operated by India, the Bison is the most advanced version, first flown in 2000. The IAF operates four squadrons of MiG-21 Bison aircraft, each squadron having 16 to 18 fighter jets.

However, the entire fleet of India’s MiG-21s is slated to be retired by 2025, given the number of accidents they have been involved in, earning the dubious epithet, “Flying Coffins”.

In 2012, then-Defense Minister AK Antony told Parliament that more than half of the 872 MiG aircraft purchased from Russia had crashed, killing more than 200 persons, including 171 pilots, 39 civilians, and eight other defense personnel.

This year has already seen three crashes involving MiG-21, in which two IAF’s fighter pilots died. This has once again turned the spotlight on India’s longest-serving fighter plane and its safety record.

For IAF to replace the aging jets with newer ones such as with Dassault Rafales and LCA Tejas, a larger number would have to be procured or produced than the present status. India is due to receive all 36 French Rafale jets it purchased from France by next year.

Earlier this year, India placed an order for 83 Tejas jets with the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

In addition to MiG-21 and MiG-29, IAF also operates another Russian multi-role aircraft, the Sukhoi-Su 30.

The MiG-35
Russia first unveiled the 4++ generation multi-role fighter MiG-35 at the 2007 Aero India air show in Bangaluru.

Flight tests of the MiG-35 began in January 2017 and the first batch of six jets was ordered in August 2018. The first two serial aircraft were delivered to the Russian Aerospace Forces in June 2019.

In the 2019 edition of MAKS, IAF pilots conducted test flights of the MiG-35 when it debuted at an airshow. According to Russian officials, Moscow had then offered to manufacture MiG-35s jointly with India besides Transfer of Technology (ToT) if New Delhi opted to buy them.

Experts view the MiG-35 as an advanced version of the series-built MiG-29K/KUB and MiG-29M/M2 combat aircraft for export purposes.

Ilya Tarasenko, the CEO of MiG Aircraft Corporation, lauded MiG-35 for meeting “21st century standards based on its reliability, repair and upgrades”.

The MiG-35 is the newest aviation complex developed with the use of technologies of fifth-generation fighters and designed for eliminating air targets at any time of day and any weather conditions as well as attacking mobile and stationary land and water targets, Sputnik reported.

The fighter has improved flight performance, a state-of-the-art avionics system, and carries a wide range of air-to-air and air-to-surface guided weapons. Developers also cite decreased visibility for enemy’s radar systems and a new engine with increased thrust among the plane’s advantages.


The latest fighter jet can employ all types of aircraft weaponry available today, including laser weapons, TASS reported.

“This is an aviation combat complex capable of successfully accomplishing missions aimed at destroying air, ground, and naval targets under current conditions,” said Mikhail Belyayev, Senior Test Pilot for the MiG Aircraft Corporation.


Among 200 military exhibits, the MiG-35 fighter jet was also a part of the Russian pavilion in the Aero India 2021, held in Bangaluru.

The ball is now in India’s court to decide which fighter jet should replace the aging MiG-21s as MiG-35 competes against Rafales, F-18 Super Hornets, Eurofighter Typhoons, Su-35, SAAB Gripen jets and other warplanes.
Two articles from Russian Topwar website regarding state of MiG (and possibly the state of Chinese engines). Even they throw their hands up at breakneck speed of Indian's acquisition process.

Will China save MiG?

This material is a compilation of comprehension of materials on the Su-35, Su-57, MiG-35 and MiG-31, which have been released recently. Indeed, the situation that is developing around JSC RAC "MiG" causes a very complex set of feelings: bewilderment, surprise, misunderstanding.

Indeed, just recently we condemned the merger aviation concerns "Su" and "MiG", because they understood that the aircraft manufacturers of these firms made such different aircraft that the crossing of "hedgehog and snake" looked more than doubtful.

However, as events since 2001 (when the first tender for the development of a fifth-generation fighter was played) have shown, over the past 20 years RAC MiG has created absolutely NOTHING. Having lost the continuation of the Soviet tender for a new generation fighter (let me remind you that in 1986 MiG put up its project 1.44, and Sukhoi - Su-47) in May 2001, the MiG concern was no longer noticed in new projects.

We understand this: for twenty years, several hundred people simply received a salary, producing practically nothing. And this is not just a shop for the production of squash caviar, it is an aircraft building corporation, which includes design bureaus, test centers, and production facilities of factories in Moscow, Lukhovitsy, Kalyazin, Nizhny Novgorod.

But, alas, this is a fact: for twenty years nothing has been created at RAC MiG that could justify the very existence of the corporation. And you must admit that an aircraft manufacturing corporation that does not develop and does not build aircraft is just unnecessary ballast that needs to be disposed of.

True, the leadership of MiG stubbornly believes that this is not so. And at the disposal of RAC "MiG" there are products with a great future. For example, the MiG-35.

MiG-35: flown into history. Yes, it was under this name that we spoke just recently about the fate of the MiG-35 fighter and that it could help out the corporation and be useful to the Russian Air Force. MiG-35: flies into history as unnecessary

And indeed, a light fighter paired with a heavy one, exactly as described in the material, is not a bad tactic. It would really be useful if not for one "BUT".

Every medal has two sides.

If you look very carefully at the MiG-29M - MiG-29M2 - MiG-29SMT - MiG-35 chain, then the difference will be, of course, but not critical. The engine is still the same RD-33, nicknamed "Diesel", for its smoke and gluttony, which does not provide a decent flight range for a light fighter. While "Sushki" can simply "hang" for several hours in the air, "MiGs" have only recently got rid of the offensive nickname "short drive aircraft". It was in the modification of the MiG-29SMT, when additional fuel tanks appeared behind the cockpit (they are such a characteristic “hump”), that the flight duration increased to more than two hours.

In fact, the difference between the MiG-29SMT and the MiG-35 is minimal. Both have the same ancestor, the MiG-29M2, only the MiG-29SMT was developed "for itself", and the MiG-35 was understood as several projects, often focused on sale.

Yes, in 2019, at the MAKS air show, RAC MiG showed the “new” MiG-35 (not to be confused with the presentation in Lukhovitsy, at the plant. It was in 2017). With a new (real) radar with AFAR from the Fazotron Research Institute and a new avionics complex from the Ramensky Instrument-Making Bureau. Quite like an upgrade, but...

But the question arises: why did the Russian Aerospace Forces refuse to buy the aircraft? Do they not understand their happiness or do they understand too well?

Regarding the fact that the MiG-35, on which the RSU "MiG" had such hopes, was bought by the VKS in a "huge" amount of 6 pieces, there were more than enough versions.

I think that the truth is that the aircraft that made its first flight in 1977 (namely, then the MiG-29 flew) simply exhausted all the possibilities of modernization. Let's call it the Indian point of view. Hindus, famous buyers of our weapons, for 12 years they played a competition for the purchase of aircraft, and as a result, RAC MiG lost this competition miserably.

One can talk for a long time about bias, bias, pressure and so on towards Indian partners, but everything is killed by one question: why did Russia not acquire such a beautiful aircraft for itself?

After all, the “same” MiG-35 was already equipped with a radar with AFAR at the beginning of the games with the Indians. So it's not about electronics. The point is an outdated airframe and frankly old and inefficient engines. It is quite possible that the installation of a new engine would have delayed the retirement of the aircraft, but ... Probably, it would have been easier to develop a new aircraft.


This is obviously the problem here.

Problems of a personnel nature. There are no people, designers who can really work on the creation of aircraft in MiG. They say that the era of those who knew how to think through aircraft "to the screw" ended with Vladimir Barkovsky. Only "effective managers" remained, for whom the sale of land in the Dynamo area is much more important than the development of new aircraft.

By the way, Barkovsky, who actually became the last real general designer, came from the Sukhoi system. But he knew how to build airplanes. But in general, all the last critical years, MiG was headed by leaders from the competitor company Sukhoi - Nikitin, Fedorov, Pogosyan, Korotkov. Completely without hints and comments,

As a result, RAC "Mig", left without design engineers, and in 2011-12 there were many articles on this topic, talk about extremely beggarly salaries in RAC "MiG" appeared regularly, degraded completely and irrevocably.

The only thing the company is good at is building the MiG-29 and upgrading it in small quantities. There are still buyers. But buyers for such an old aircraft are not an eternal and thankless task. The example of India and Algeria is very indicative, although the Algerian MiG-29SMT was generally useful to the Russian Aerospace Forces.

So, the situation is ahovskoe. There are no orders for the MiG-29, the MiG-35, which does not differ much from the MiG-29SMT, is also not very interested in foreign buyers. Today, everyone in the world prefers machines with modernization potential, capable of serving for a long time, and most importantly, cheap. Cheap MiGs can serve, but everyone has questions about the duration and modernity.

The whole question is how long RAC "MiG" will last on the repair of Egyptian, Syrian and Iranian MiG-29s. In principle, the plane has already become the same symbol as the AK-47, that is, an aircraft for the Air Force of third world countries. Eritrea, Cuba, North Korea…

In general, the well-being of the RAC "MiG" is completely dependent on the enterprise "Rosoboronexport", which is the only supplier of orders for the RAC. If they conclude contracts with Rosoboronexport for the supply or modernization of the MiG-29, there will be work. No, it's understandable.

And in fact, orders from third world countries for the MiG-29 are all that RAC MiG can count on.

Apparently, everyone understands everything. Hence the cessation of attempts to "unwind" the MiG. The main evidence that everyone at all levels of power has already given up is the fact that the RAC MiG plant in Lukhovitsy is defined as a production facility for the production of Il-114 passenger aircraft.

The fact that aircraft will be assembled at an aviation enterprise is wonderful. But the fact that the IL-114 is definitely not a military aircraft, I think, is not worth saying.

So, if the MiG-29 is of interest, then the countries that are not able to buy anything newer. The MiG-29SMT and MiG-35 are of no interest at all, apparently, to no one, for the reasons indicated above. What remains of the RAC "MiG"? In addition to the option to finally dissolve in the RAC "Dry"?

Of the entire range of aircraft, the MiG-31 remained. And there is a very interesting point here.

China is showing interest in the MiG-31. Moreover, you can add the word "again", because once the PRC already wanted to buy these aircraft in the 90s, and not just buy, but also acquire a license for production. But something did not work out, and the PRC, having bought the production rights for almost the entire line of Su-27s, refused the license for the MiG-31 and the interceptors themselves.

Apparently, in the nineties, the command of the PLA of the PRC did not see much point in such aircraft as the MiG-31. In fact, the PRC does not have such a huge border as Russia, and therefore there was no need for super-fast and combat-independent interceptors.

But the PLA Air Force has problems of a slightly different nature.

China has fully mastered the development and production of hypersonic weapons. But these weapons require carriers. The dynamically (even too much) developing PLA fleet requires cover, but the program to create Chinese missile carriers is frankly late.

Problems with the creation of the Xian H-20 strategic bomber, which has been under development for more than 20 years, and the Xian H-6, which is a copy of the Soviet Tu-16, cannot be a carrier of hypersonic weapons due to its high-speed qualities.

The question is that the aircraft carrier of hypersonic weapons must have sufficient speed and height, playing the role of the first stage. Or, it must be an aircraft with a decent payload.

In general, a carrier of hypersonic weapons is conceived as either a heavy strategic bomber that is capable of carrying to a great height and launching several hypersonic missiles from there, or a less noticeable aircraft capable of dispersing the "light version" of the missile, as happened with the "Dagger".

Successful testing and use of the Kinzhal complex, consisting of the MiG-31K carrier and the 9-C-7760 hypersonic missile. The 9-S-7760 missile is an aviation variation of the Iskander OTRK.

Similar developments exist in China. As well as the problems of delivering hypersonic missiles to the launch lines. Still, the PRC has very peculiar borders and neighbors, with whom disputes periodically arise. These are mountainous regions practically inaccessible to technology, and sea and ocean spaces. That is, the plane seems to be a completely normal way to deliver a rocket to the launch line.

MiG-31K could solve this problem for China. And China could solve the problems of survival for RAC MiG.

If until now China has not been able to create anything worthwhile in terms of strategic missile carriers (no matter what size), then it would be worth trying to solve the problem precisely at the expense of the MiG-31K, which are quite suitable for this role.

The fact that China needs such a missile carrier was said by many high-ranking representatives of both the party and the Ministry of Defense. And there is an opinion that it is the MiG-31 that is what is needed, because there is simply no other alternative in the modern aviation market.

And here another problem arises. The point is not even whether our leadership decides to sell such an aircraft to China if it asks to sell missile carriers.

The thing is different: will RAC MiG be able to build aircraft.

Today, let me remind you, RAC MiG is busy (since November 2014) with the modernization of the MiG-31 into the MiG-31BM and will be busy with this until 2023. Then everything. There are no orders, no prospects. A Chinese order would be very handy, in the event that missile carriers can really still be built in the RSK. After all, the last MiG-31 was assembled in 1994. Almost 30 years ago. Given the current state of RAC MiG, this will not be very surprising.

And in this case, RAC "MiG" will simply add to the list of enterprises that "did not write to the market" and something else will be produced at the production facilities, at best. At worst, enterprises will simply be closed, and there will be nothing in their place. As happened with the Lipetsk and Volgograd tractor plants, the Voronezh excavator plant, AZLK, ZIL and beyond. Market…

All in all, we don't have much time left to see how things actually happen. But something tells me that a miracle should not be expected. "MiG" will go down in history. But we have JSC Sukhoi Company, which already produces a fairly wide range of aircraft, from fighters to passenger liners. Perhaps, with the help of the remnants of RAC MiG employees, Sukhoi will be able to further resolve all issues of the development of Russian aviation caused by the death of the aviation companies Mikoyan and Gurevich, Ilyushin, Yakovlev.

And the MiG-31 can really become the swan song of the RAC "MiG", no matter how sad it may sound. Much in this matter depends on the Chinese, but without a miracle in the form of orders for RAC MiG, the issue of liquidation is not a matter of very long time.
Author: Roman Skomorokhov
 

armortec

Regular Member
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Two articles from Russian Topwar website regarding state of MiG (and possibly the state of Chinese engines). Even they throw their hands up at breakneck speed of Indian's acquisition process.

Will China save MiG?

This material is a compilation of comprehension of materials on the Su-35, Su-57, MiG-35 and MiG-31, which have been released recently. Indeed, the situation that is developing around JSC RAC "MiG" causes a very complex set of feelings: bewilderment, surprise, misunderstanding.

Indeed, just recently we condemned the merger aviation concerns "Su" and "MiG", because they understood that the aircraft manufacturers of these firms made such different aircraft that the crossing of "hedgehog and snake" looked more than doubtful.

However, as events since 2001 (when the first tender for the development of a fifth-generation fighter was played) have shown, over the past 20 years RAC MiG has created absolutely NOTHING. Having lost the continuation of the Soviet tender for a new generation fighter (let me remind you that in 1986 MiG put up its project 1.44, and Sukhoi - Su-47) in May 2001, the MiG concern was no longer noticed in new projects.

We understand this: for twenty years, several hundred people simply received a salary, producing practically nothing. And this is not just a shop for the production of squash caviar, it is an aircraft building corporation, which includes design bureaus, test centers, and production facilities of factories in Moscow, Lukhovitsy, Kalyazin, Nizhny Novgorod.

But, alas, this is a fact: for twenty years nothing has been created at RAC MiG that could justify the very existence of the corporation. And you must admit that an aircraft manufacturing corporation that does not develop and does not build aircraft is just unnecessary ballast that needs to be disposed of.

True, the leadership of MiG stubbornly believes that this is not so. And at the disposal of RAC "MiG" there are products with a great future. For example, the MiG-35.

MiG-35: flown into history. Yes, it was under this name that we spoke just recently about the fate of the MiG-35 fighter and that it could help out the corporation and be useful to the Russian Air Force. MiG-35: flies into history as unnecessary

And indeed, a light fighter paired with a heavy one, exactly as described in the material, is not a bad tactic. It would really be useful if not for one "BUT".

Every medal has two sides.

If you look very carefully at the MiG-29M - MiG-29M2 - MiG-29SMT - MiG-35 chain, then the difference will be, of course, but not critical. The engine is still the same RD-33, nicknamed "Diesel", for its smoke and gluttony, which does not provide a decent flight range for a light fighter. While "Sushki" can simply "hang" for several hours in the air, "MiGs" have only recently got rid of the offensive nickname "short drive aircraft". It was in the modification of the MiG-29SMT, when additional fuel tanks appeared behind the cockpit (they are such a characteristic “hump”), that the flight duration increased to more than two hours.

In fact, the difference between the MiG-29SMT and the MiG-35 is minimal. Both have the same ancestor, the MiG-29M2, only the MiG-29SMT was developed "for itself", and the MiG-35 was understood as several projects, often focused on sale.

Yes, in 2019, at the MAKS air show, RAC MiG showed the “new” MiG-35 (not to be confused with the presentation in Lukhovitsy, at the plant. It was in 2017). With a new (real) radar with AFAR from the Fazotron Research Institute and a new avionics complex from the Ramensky Instrument-Making Bureau. Quite like an upgrade, but...

But the question arises: why did the Russian Aerospace Forces refuse to buy the aircraft? Do they not understand their happiness or do they understand too well?

Regarding the fact that the MiG-35, on which the RSU "MiG" had such hopes, was bought by the VKS in a "huge" amount of 6 pieces, there were more than enough versions.

I think that the truth is that the aircraft that made its first flight in 1977 (namely, then the MiG-29 flew) simply exhausted all the possibilities of modernization. Let's call it the Indian point of view. Hindus, famous buyers of our weapons, for 12 years they played a competition for the purchase of aircraft, and as a result, RAC MiG lost this competition miserably.

One can talk for a long time about bias, bias, pressure and so on towards Indian partners, but everything is killed by one question: why did Russia not acquire such a beautiful aircraft for itself?

After all, the “same” MiG-35 was already equipped with a radar with AFAR at the beginning of the games with the Indians. So it's not about electronics. The point is an outdated airframe and frankly old and inefficient engines. It is quite possible that the installation of a new engine would have delayed the retirement of the aircraft, but ... Probably, it would have been easier to develop a new aircraft.


This is obviously the problem here.

Problems of a personnel nature. There are no people, designers who can really work on the creation of aircraft in MiG. They say that the era of those who knew how to think through aircraft "to the screw" ended with Vladimir Barkovsky. Only "effective managers" remained, for whom the sale of land in the Dynamo area is much more important than the development of new aircraft.

By the way, Barkovsky, who actually became the last real general designer, came from the Sukhoi system. But he knew how to build airplanes. But in general, all the last critical years, MiG was headed by leaders from the competitor company Sukhoi - Nikitin, Fedorov, Pogosyan, Korotkov. Completely without hints and comments,

As a result, RAC "Mig", left without design engineers, and in 2011-12 there were many articles on this topic, talk about extremely beggarly salaries in RAC "MiG" appeared regularly, degraded completely and irrevocably.

The only thing the company is good at is building the MiG-29 and upgrading it in small quantities. There are still buyers. But buyers for such an old aircraft are not an eternal and thankless task. The example of India and Algeria is very indicative, although the Algerian MiG-29SMT was generally useful to the Russian Aerospace Forces.

So, the situation is ahovskoe. There are no orders for the MiG-29, the MiG-35, which does not differ much from the MiG-29SMT, is also not very interested in foreign buyers. Today, everyone in the world prefers machines with modernization potential, capable of serving for a long time, and most importantly, cheap. Cheap MiGs can serve, but everyone has questions about the duration and modernity.

The whole question is how long RAC "MiG" will last on the repair of Egyptian, Syrian and Iranian MiG-29s. In principle, the plane has already become the same symbol as the AK-47, that is, an aircraft for the Air Force of third world countries. Eritrea, Cuba, North Korea…

In general, the well-being of the RAC "MiG" is completely dependent on the enterprise "Rosoboronexport", which is the only supplier of orders for the RAC. If they conclude contracts with Rosoboronexport for the supply or modernization of the MiG-29, there will be work. No, it's understandable.

And in fact, orders from third world countries for the MiG-29 are all that RAC MiG can count on.

Apparently, everyone understands everything. Hence the cessation of attempts to "unwind" the MiG. The main evidence that everyone at all levels of power has already given up is the fact that the RAC MiG plant in Lukhovitsy is defined as a production facility for the production of Il-114 passenger aircraft.

The fact that aircraft will be assembled at an aviation enterprise is wonderful. But the fact that the IL-114 is definitely not a military aircraft, I think, is not worth saying.

So, if the MiG-29 is of interest, then the countries that are not able to buy anything newer. The MiG-29SMT and MiG-35 are of no interest at all, apparently, to no one, for the reasons indicated above. What remains of the RAC "MiG"? In addition to the option to finally dissolve in the RAC "Dry"?

Of the entire range of aircraft, the MiG-31 remained. And there is a very interesting point here.

China is showing interest in the MiG-31. Moreover, you can add the word "again", because once the PRC already wanted to buy these aircraft in the 90s, and not just buy, but also acquire a license for production. But something did not work out, and the PRC, having bought the production rights for almost the entire line of Su-27s, refused the license for the MiG-31 and the interceptors themselves.

Apparently, in the nineties, the command of the PLA of the PRC did not see much point in such aircraft as the MiG-31. In fact, the PRC does not have such a huge border as Russia, and therefore there was no need for super-fast and combat-independent interceptors.

But the PLA Air Force has problems of a slightly different nature.

China has fully mastered the development and production of hypersonic weapons. But these weapons require carriers. The dynamically (even too much) developing PLA fleet requires cover, but the program to create Chinese missile carriers is frankly late.

Problems with the creation of the Xian H-20 strategic bomber, which has been under development for more than 20 years, and the Xian H-6, which is a copy of the Soviet Tu-16, cannot be a carrier of hypersonic weapons due to its high-speed qualities.

The question is that the aircraft carrier of hypersonic weapons must have sufficient speed and height, playing the role of the first stage. Or, it must be an aircraft with a decent payload.

In general, a carrier of hypersonic weapons is conceived as either a heavy strategic bomber that is capable of carrying to a great height and launching several hypersonic missiles from there, or a less noticeable aircraft capable of dispersing the "light version" of the missile, as happened with the "Dagger".

Successful testing and use of the Kinzhal complex, consisting of the MiG-31K carrier and the 9-C-7760 hypersonic missile. The 9-S-7760 missile is an aviation variation of the Iskander OTRK.

Similar developments exist in China. As well as the problems of delivering hypersonic missiles to the launch lines. Still, the PRC has very peculiar borders and neighbors, with whom disputes periodically arise. These are mountainous regions practically inaccessible to technology, and sea and ocean spaces. That is, the plane seems to be a completely normal way to deliver a rocket to the launch line.

MiG-31K could solve this problem for China. And China could solve the problems of survival for RAC MiG.

If until now China has not been able to create anything worthwhile in terms of strategic missile carriers (no matter what size), then it would be worth trying to solve the problem precisely at the expense of the MiG-31K, which are quite suitable for this role.

The fact that China needs such a missile carrier was said by many high-ranking representatives of both the party and the Ministry of Defense. And there is an opinion that it is the MiG-31 that is what is needed, because there is simply no other alternative in the modern aviation market.

And here another problem arises. The point is not even whether our leadership decides to sell such an aircraft to China if it asks to sell missile carriers.

The thing is different: will RAC MiG be able to build aircraft.

Today, let me remind you, RAC MiG is busy (since November 2014) with the modernization of the MiG-31 into the MiG-31BM and will be busy with this until 2023. Then everything. There are no orders, no prospects. A Chinese order would be very handy, in the event that missile carriers can really still be built in the RSK. After all, the last MiG-31 was assembled in 1994. Almost 30 years ago. Given the current state of RAC MiG, this will not be very surprising.

And in this case, RAC "MiG" will simply add to the list of enterprises that "did not write to the market" and something else will be produced at the production facilities, at best. At worst, enterprises will simply be closed, and there will be nothing in their place. As happened with the Lipetsk and Volgograd tractor plants, the Voronezh excavator plant, AZLK, ZIL and beyond. Market…

All in all, we don't have much time left to see how things actually happen. But something tells me that a miracle should not be expected. "MiG" will go down in history. But we have JSC Sukhoi Company, which already produces a fairly wide range of aircraft, from fighters to passenger liners. Perhaps, with the help of the remnants of RAC MiG employees, Sukhoi will be able to further resolve all issues of the development of Russian aviation caused by the death of the aviation companies Mikoyan and Gurevich, Ilyushin, Yakovlev.

And the MiG-31 can really become the swan song of the RAC "MiG", no matter how sad it may sound. Much in this matter depends on the Chinese, but without a miracle in the form of orders for RAC MiG, the issue of liquidation is not a matter of very long time.
Author: Roman Skomorokhov
Article #2:

MiG-35: flies into history as unnecessary

In fact, two years ago, I already wondered whether our Aerospace Forces / Air Force needed the MiG-35. We can say that the answer is received: it is not needed. At all. And six copies of the aircraft that were released will simply go to the dump after some time. stories. Therefore, this material will become a kind of obituary for this very promising machine, in fact, the crowning achievement of RAC MiG JSC.


In general, the number of the car itself was unlucky. There were so many projects with such a name that when you look at the list, you understand: it’s not good.

The name MiG-35 was once worn by:
- project of the fifth generation multifunctional fighter MiG 1.44;
- prototypes of the MiG-29M and MiG-29K with the Zhuk-A radar;
- a fighter project for the Indian competition MMRCA;
- a project for the development of MiG-29K/KUB aircraft for the Navy;
- a development project for the MiG-29M2, which became the MiG-35 in the single-seat version, and the MiG-35D in the double-seat version.

To say that the MiG-35 is a modification of the MiG-29, a knowledgeable person will not turn his tongue. Yes, this is a development of the model, but it is so radical that in reality it is a different aircraft. Although the MiG-35 took the most useful from its predecessor: low cost of operation, unpretentiousness and the ability to land on unpaved strips.

There are many more differences from the MiG-29:
- fuselage, single for single and double modifications;
- a new wing of a larger area and with more advanced mechanization;
- a large area of stabilizers;
- Radar "Zhuk-A" with an active phased antenna array in the configuration for the Indian Air Force, for the Russian Aerospace Forces a cheaper version of the Zhuk-M radar with a conventional SCAR or (not confirmed, planned with Zhuk-AM)
- a defense complex with electronic warfare equipment, detectors of attacking missiles and laser irradiation, decoy launchers;
- open architecture avionics;
- optical-location station and helmet-mounted target designation and aiming system;
- reduced radar visibility;
- new electronic engine control system RD-33MK;
- three-channel electric remote control system;
- increased fuel supply, the possibility of refueling in the air;
- the possibility of using the MiG-35 as a tanker in the air.

And this is not all that the MiG-35 was “rich in”. But alas, the plane did not "fall into the yard." And the reason for this was not some shortcomings of the MiG-35, the elementary corporate battles under the carpets and on the bath fields were to blame.

In the battle between Mikoyan and Gurevich and Sukhoi, the Sukhoi firm won. In general, of course, it is good that Sukhoi Company is doing very well. Fighters, bombers, passenger liners... AO MiG has virtually no place left on the market.

Today, Su fighters and bombers make up the bulk of the Russian Aerospace Forces. The question is how good it is. Will heavy Su fighters be able to solve all the tasks that modern air combat will pose?

In general, Su and MiG were compared very often. Specifically, the Su-35 and MiG-35 were dismantled "by the bones."

The MiG-35 is capable of fighting on equal terms with all existing vehicles of a potential enemy. Yes, "4++" is almost "5", but almost. However, the MiG-35 has an undeniable advantage: light weight and excellent maneuverability.

Weight 27,5 tons. Speed 2600 km/h, flight range with load - 3 km. Combat radius - 000 km. The rate of climb is one of the best in the world - 1000 m/s. Radars are able to see a target at a distance of 330-200 km. Combat load - 250 tons. 7 mm gun GSh-30-30, 1 hardpoints for rockets, bombs, mines.

The Su-35 differs precisely in how a heavy fighter should differ from a light one. Weight 34,5 tons. The speed is the same 2500 km / h as the MiG-35. Flight range - 3 km. Combat radius - 500 km. Rate of climb 1 m/s. Radars detect a target from a distance of 800 km. Combat load 280 tons. Gun GSh-400-8, made the same missiles as the MiG-30. Electronic warfare equipment, the Irbis radar is an order of magnitude more powerful, plus an optical-location station.

In principle, almost identical aircraft capable of solving the same tasks. Gain air superiority, strike at ground and surface targets. The combat load of the "thirty-fifths" is almost the same, respectively, the tasks that aircraft can solve with its help, too.

The Su-35 "sees" further than the MiG, but the MiG is significantly cheaper. In the case of combat use, light fighters of the MiG-35 type are more profitable. They do not cause such financial damage in case of loss, their failure is easier and faster to compensate. And if both fighters, light and heavy, can cope with the task with the same efficiency, then it is better to take the light and cheap MiG into the sky than the expensive Su.

It has been said more than once that the MiG is an air war worker. By the way, the conflict in Ukraine showed this. The light fighter is the best vehicle for fighting at close range and at high speeds. The MiG-35 is slightly smaller than the Su-35, carries slightly less weapons, but thanks to this it is slightly faster and more maneuverable.

Yes, in terms of radio electronics, target detection, the MiG is inferior to the Su. But for this "Su" pays much more takeoff weight.

The aircraft are similar in functionality, although they belong to different classes. A light fighter can be used where it would be simply unprofitable to use a heavy one: to shoot down a reconnaissance drone at high altitude, it is not necessary to use an expensive air defense missile for this. And why raise something that is more expensive to maintain and operate, if a cheaper aircraft can solve the same problem?

The MiG-35 is a close range fighter for maximum effect at minimum cost.

The Su-35 is still an expensive fighter, mainly intended for defense or attack at long range.

And here, defending the MiG-35, I want to bring the balance to the US Air Force. Our potential ones are armed with about 450 F-15 units of all modifications. What is an F-15? This is an all-weather fighter-bomber capable of solving approximately the same range of tasks as the Su-35.

But the F-16, which is just a light fighter, in the US Air Force, there are more than 1000 units. And in general, the universal and cheap "Falcon". Capable of carrying 9-10 tons of weapons at a range of 1 km, it is the most popular aircraft in the world. At least, that's what they think in 800 countries, which are armed with this aircraft.

The MiG-35 is in no way inferior to the F-16, and in terms of speed, rate of climb and maneuver it surpasses the American. The Su-35 can rely on earlier detection and longer-range missiles. But this is not the way to solve all problems. The heavy and not very maneuverable R-37 can be evaded, that's a fact.

It's a pity, but our Ministry of Defense does not understand that both the MiG-35 and the Su-35 should be produced. Simply because these aircraft are capable of solving different combat missions in different ways. But alas, in our country, the ability to solve all problems behind the scenes is of greater importance, and therefore RSK MiG will be left without orders. And the MiG-35 will go down in history, as many other aircraft have gone.

Not sure if this is the right way. Yes, and it is, in principle, actually over.

Artem Mikoyan, the founder of the Design Bureau, which created many MiGs, was a very mediocre aircraft designer and simply an incomparable organizer.

Family ties, government and administrative resources, all this allowed Artem Ovanesovich to build an entire empire, which became the "RSK MiG", which gave the world such outstanding aircraft as the MiG-15, MiG-17, MiG-21, MiG-25, MiG-31 and MiG-29.

But after the death of Mikoyan in 1970, the decline of the MiG began. Followers of Mikoyan outright lost the duel with representatives of the Sukhoi company, led by an evil genius aviation Mikhail Pogosyan.

By the way, few people know, but the last six general directors of RSK MiG JSC were from JSC Sukhoi Company or JSC Irkut. That is, direct competitors.

The result is layoffs. Frame loss. Practical stop experimental design work.

Even the KLA, which includes MiG, admitted that the corporation today has actually lost its importance as an independent developer of aviation equipment and has been exclusively engaged in the modernization of the MiG-15 and MiG-29 families for the past 31 years. There is no strength or opportunity for more.

At the same time, it is believed that the potential for upgrading the MiG-29 is practically exhausted. That is, further modernization does not make any financial or industrial sense. And therefore, the production of the MiG-29K will be curtailed as unnecessary, after the fulfillment of the contract with Egypt, the production of the MiG-29M2 will be curtailed, and the maintenance of the MiG-31, MiG-29K and MiG-29SMT will be given to a group from the Sukhoi company.

And on this it will be possible to say the last “sorry” to the MiG company, which has done so much to ensure that we have a clear and calm sky above us.

And the last representative created by this company, the MiG-35, will go into oblivion just like the entire company that created it.

Truly, the last flight in history.


Author: Roman Skomorokhov
 

nixin

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Didn't post in Agnipath Thread , as the scheme is already operational.

And yeah many people are worried about this
IMG_20220705_232844.jpg

We will see this after 5 years exact actually but
They haven't even achieved the percentage of Muslim recruitment (3% as of now) in UPSC exams to the percentage of their population (25%)till now.And considering JEE/NEET/CDS/NDA exams and other academics Hindus will excel easily (and already are far better than madarsa students) because we sacrifice our roots and culture very much to gain strength in western knowledge systems , but still we are improving and awakening is inevitable.

In academics we are good which creates vertical growth model dominant among Hindus , but in horizontal growth Hindus lack ,we have to improve that so help uplifting your family ,neighbours (Hindu) and guide Hindu youth if you have influence and power .

Remember one thing: Our goal should be occupying every occupation and boycott muzzies totally.

No need to reply , keep the thread clean and mind crystal clear about our goal.
 

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