There are currently two Russian engines being built for recent fighter aircraft designs. The $3.5 million AL-31 (for the Su-27/30 and the Chinese J-11 and J-10) and the $2.5 million RD-33/93 for the MiG-29 and the Chinese JF-17 (a F-16 type aircraft developed in cooperation with Pakistan). India already assembles the AL-31 engine for the Su-30 and simpler engines for the older MiG-21 and MiG-27. The assembly process is exacting and India has created thousands of technicians and engineers with valuable experience working on these engines.
So far, India has not been able to develop the technology to manufacture core components (that deal with very high pressures and temperatures) and buys these components from Russia. It is some of these components that are failing and India is telling the Russians that the problem must be fixed, soon, or Russia will lose more export sales.
Warplanes: India Battles Russia Over Quality Control
You may very well be wasting your time. As few here want to discuss serious issues or solution. The sky is blue and everything is great!
Well, what else would you expect? It's not as if Sukhoi has a GAO or DOT&E to whom they have to report every last detail of testing/expenditure. The PAK-FA program is whatever the Russians say it is; so of course it's doing great. Best to just chill and enjoy the pictures.
I have no effing idea what is the point you are all getting at.
Firstly Average American is either an idiot or simply the biggest troll on this forum.
From what he has posted to date, his knowledge is extremely limited and sometimes downright hopeless.
He resorts to using websites which are normally blocked or banned in almost every respectable website in the world. One example is strategypage that he uses almost always, which he has used in this particular thread.
Nonsense from StrategyPage: Iraq is safer than-Mexico � Fabius Maximus
The popularity of sites like StrategyPage and Debkafile mystify me. The latter provides interesting data mixed with large quantities of disinformation; the former provides great jokes and often interesting data — mixed in with nonsense.
The above link that average posted is disinformation at its best.
Russia does not have just two engine programs, nor are they building just two engines. The Russian engine program is as vast and diverse as the American engine program.
Apart from the AL-31F and RD-33 which alone have various different variants which are used in many diverse aircraft. The current development programs far exceed the figures achieved for the F-22's and F-35's F-119 and F-135 resply. In fact the AL-31 has already surpassed the F-22's specs and will improve and maybe even match the F-135. The new Type 30 is going to redefine the American definition of a 5th generation engine.
AL-31 in the form of 117S has a T/W of 9:1 which is being made for the Su-35BM. Which already surpasses the F-119 (F-22's engine).
The PAKFA's test flight variant of the AL-31, also called 117 has achieved a T/W of 10.5:1. It delivers a thrust of 147KN.
PAKFA is expected to have a newer 117 engine variant with increased thrust of 165KN. It should easily surpass a T/W ratio of 12:1.
PAKFA's final stage-2 engine currently known as Item 30 is supposed to deliver 176KN and should easily exceed a T/W of 15:1. As a matter of fact, Saturn has revealed the engine will be 30% lighter than 117S and deliver 20% more thrust, which theoretically pushes the engine to a T/W of greater than 17:1.
For comparison,
F-119 for the F-22, the T/W is at 7.5:1.
F-135 for the F-35, the T/W is at 11.5:1.
The AL-31 programs itself has branched off into so many different programs that it is no longer a single program. This is not even counting the RD-33 and the Item 30 programs which are entirely different..
As a matter of fact, with the PAKFA, the Americans will actually be hard pressed to catch up.
Around 5-10 years ago, we had an interview with Saturn's director who pointed out the same. He said that currently Russia is behind the US in engine technology, inferior in some aspects of the aerospace industry and superior in some others. Note that he was talking about military technology, not civilian. But he also pointed out that, pretty soon, the Russians will catch up and maybe even surpass American engine technology. He was not talking out of his ass, especially considering the kind of benchmarks they have set for PAKFA.
Also, Average compares Indian programs as a benchmark for Russian technology, which is nowhere even related. We failed at making a jet engine because we attempted using British techniques and knowhow, not Russian. Our engine development programs developed from the vast number of British engines that served both Britain and the US in the yester years. Not even a bit of our engine technology has anything to do with Russia. It has everything to do with Britain and even the US. After Kaveri failed, we invited American engineers to check our engine, not Russian. After that we invited the French for a new engine program, not Russian. Rather we did not even approach the Russians for any research for our engine. We merely used their high altitude tests beds, the same as what the French have decided to do.
LCA was designed in India, but the FBW and control laws were tested in the US. Wind tunnel tests were carried out in Britain and the US. LCA's flight control software was actually first tested on the F-16 VISTA.
Nothing in our aerospace industry has anything to do with Russia. The FGFA is the first major development program that we are having with Russia. LCA's development is much more related to the US. Kaveri engine has links to the British engine programs. In the future again, Kaveri K-10 may be developed with British assistance since the French deal failed.
So, if people do not know simple things, they gotta start reading from the right places.
@Crusade53
Your attempt was pathetic and juvenile. Go read up more, find out what India really needs and then come back. Nothing in India is crystal clear or sky blue. We know our shortcomings and we know how we are going to fix most of those shortcomings. Your posts are not at the same level as average american's. As a matter of fact, I have never come across anybody's post which is at his level, even Pakistanis. You can probably try doing better than that.
@lookieloo
I am pretty sure you know more than to believe every little thing average american posts. He is clearly biased apart from the fact that he himself has no idea what he is talking about. India wouldn't have picked the PAKFA program as the IAF's new frontline fighter over the F-35 if they didn't think Sukhoi could deliver. Yes, IAF worked out the pros and cons of going for either aircraft before picking the PAKFA.
