Sukhoi PAK FA

[bhramos]

Su-57 new prototype 511

<3 !!!

 

[Vinod DX9]

A very old graphics of Pak Fa
Note, at that time it was mentioned as Su-50
Several versions were mentioned
Su-55 a new variant mentioned as FGFA
Su-55M further upgraded version
India using Su-50
And most surprising, Iran using Su-50!

 

[thegopnik]

Since no one provided a source of SU-57 using GaN radar which pisses me off. People generally posting sources but when read nothing of the sort mentions DAESA, no mentions of Nobium Nitride for ROFAR. Like come on atleast post a source the explains what you are saying before getting me all excited. for example here is my proof that the SU-57 uses GaN
https://bmpd.livejournal.com/675239.html google translate:

The radar complex of the weapon control system SH-121 of the PAK FA aircraft with the on-board radar H036 with a five-antenna system with active phased array antennas (AFAR) was created with the leading role of the OJSC "Tikhomirov Scientific Research Institute of Instrument Engineering" (NIIP, Zhukovsky). The H036 radar includes five AFARs - the active phased X-band antenna array H036-01-1 located in the front of the fuselage, two side-view AFARs H036B and H036B-01, and two L-band AFAR H036L and H36L-01 in socks Wings intended for detection and state recognition of targets. Also, the RLK includes a universal computer system Н036УВС. Flight-design tests of the prototypes of the SL-121 are conducted from July 2012 on prototypes T-50-3 and T-50-4, and now in the most complete configuration they will be carried out on T-50-5. Serial production of the SH-121 radar is being set up at OJSC "State Ryazan Instrument Plant" (GRPZ).

The greatest progress in the development of the S-121 radar is related to bringing to the state of mass production the main element of the radar with AFAR - the receiving-transmitting modules. The production of such modules - broadband microwave amplifiers for PPR, which is a monolithic integrated circuit of the GaN type - is established at the Istok Research and Industrial Enterprise (Fryazino, Moscow Region), part of the holding company RosElectronics.The development of microwave modules for the H036 radar was carried out at the Istok NPP since 2003. Based on high-power transistors and monolithic microwave integrated circuits, the company developed microwave modules for active phased array, combining all the receiving and transmitting channels of the antenna, power circuits, cooling and digital control systems.

Please people be consistent with what you say along with providing sources

 

[gadeshi]

Since no one provided a source of SU-57 using GaN radar which pisses me off. People generally posting sources but when read nothing of the sort mentions DAESA, no mentions of Nobium Nitride for ROFAR. Like come on atleast post a source the explains what you are saying before getting me all excited. for example here is my proof that the SU-57 uses GaN
https://bmpd.livejournal.com/675239.html google translate:

The radar complex of the weapon control system SH-121 of the PAK FA aircraft with the on-board radar H036 with a five-antenna system with active phased array antennas (AFAR) was created with the leading role of the OJSC "Tikhomirov Scientific Research Institute of Instrument Engineering" (NIIP, Zhukovsky). The H036 radar includes five AFARs - the active phased X-band antenna array H036-01-1 located in the front of the fuselage, two side-view AFARs H036B and H036B-01, and two L-band AFAR H036L and H36L-01 in socks Wings intended for detection and state recognition of targets. Also, the RLK includes a universal computer system Н036УВС. Flight-design tests of the prototypes of the SL-121 are conducted from July 2012 on prototypes T-50-3 and T-50-4, and now in the most complete configuration they will be carried out on T-50-5. Serial production of the SH-121 radar is being set up at OJSC "State Ryazan Instrument Plant" (GRPZ).

The greatest progress in the development of the S-121 radar is related to bringing to the state of mass production the main element of the radar with AFAR - the receiving-transmitting modules. The production of such modules - broadband microwave amplifiers for PPR, which is a monolithic integrated circuit of the GaN type - is established at the Istok Research and Industrial Enterprise (Fryazino, Moscow Region), part of the holding company RosElectronics.The development of microwave modules for the H036 radar was carried out at the Istok NPP since 2003. Based on high-power transistors and monolithic microwave integrated circuits, the company developed microwave modules for active phased array, combining all the receiving and transmitting channels of the antenna, power circuits, cooling and digital control systems.

Please people be consistent with what you say along with providing sources

BMPD is not the only source about the program.
There are interviews and articles by NIIP CTO/CEO Yuriy Beliy where he's stated that N036 Belka is full digital radar suit (e. g. has digital AESA).

And nobody said that PAK FA received ROFAR.
There were several publications about experimental works on ROFAR based on Niobium Nitride as the only material can withstand teraherz working conditions.

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[thegopnik]

BMPD is not the only source about the program.
There are interviews and articles by NIIP CTO/CEO Yuriy Beliy where he's stated that N036 Belka is full digital radar suit (e. g. has digital AESA).

And nobody said that PAK FA received ROFAR.
There were several publications about experimental works on ROFAR based on Niobium Nitride as the only material can withstand teraherz working conditions.

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Interviews and articles... Where are they? This is why BMPD is the only valid source of the SU-57 using GaN LTCC MMICs. Niobium Nitride, DAESA? Give me an article or interview. This is what is pissing me off about this thread and why I created an account.

 

[Fulcrum21]

Sukhoi manufacturing plant can roll out fifth-generation fighter jet : HAL

source : livemint

http://www.livemint.com/Politics/Ed...g-plant-can-roll-out-fifthgeneration-fig.html

“Definitely, it can be used for the FGFA. It will need a little bit of augmentation. We will not need major investment,” Raju, the chairman and managing director of HAL, told PTI. The facility at Nasik is set to fall idle after it delivers the last batch of 35 aircraft out of the total order of 222 to the Indian Air Force.

“I will not comment on the justification on expenditure on the project. But, as a country, if we are looking for fifth generation technology and if somebody has offered it to us, then definitely I would like to go for it regardless of the expenditure,” Raju said. There is a view in the defence establishment that India should not go for the project considering the possible cost which has been roughly estimated at around $25 billion (around Rs1.61 lakh crore).

 

[Anshu Attri]

Is Russia's New Su-57 Stealth Fighter and S-500 Air Defense System Doomed?

http://nationalinterest.org/blog/th...tealth-fighter-s-500-air-defense-system-23383
The Kremlin’s new state armament plan, which will run from 2018-2027, will continue modernization of the Russian Aerospace Forces. However, while Russia will continue to buy modern combat aircraft such as the Sukhoi Su-35S Flanker-E air superiority fighter and the Su-34 Fullback bomber, Moscow is not likely to make large purchases of the fifth-generation Su-57PAK-FA stealth fighter until after 2027.

“The Su-57 is not expected to enter into serial production until upgraded engines are ready, which is unlikely to happen until 2027,” Center for Naval Analyses senior research scientist Dmitry Gorenburg wrote in a new PONARS Policy Memo. “Over the next eight years, Russia will continue to purchase small numbers of these planes for testing.”
Production of other combat aircraft including the Su-35S, Su-30SM Flanker-H multi-role fighter and the Su-34Fullback will continue. Additionally, small numbers of the new Mikoyan MiG-35 Fulcrums are also likely to enter service with the Russian Air Force.
“It will also continue to purchase Su-35S fighter jets, with a new contract for 50 additional aircraft signed in late 2016. Purchases of Su-30SM fighter jets and Su-34 strike aircraft will also continue, most likely at rates of 12-18 aircraft per year of each type,” Gorenburg wrote.
“Mikoyan MiG-35 fighter aircraft may also be procured, but probably not in large numbers.”
However, while fighter production will continue, the Russian Air Force will likely deemphasize combat aircraft procurement to focus on other more pressing priorities.
“Overall, with many modern fighter aircraft now in place, rates of procurement will slow in order to allow for the purchase of other types of aircraft,” Gorenburg wrote.
“The same goes for military helicopters, since the Russian military has received what it needs in new helicopters during the last seven years. Development of a new high-speed helicopter will not start until after 2027.”
During the coming years, the Russian Air Force is likely to focus on addressing support aircraft such strategic airlifters and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance planes. Moreover, the Russians will also have to address persistent problem with their aerial refueling capabilities.
“Transport and refueling aircraft, long an area of weakness for the Russian Air Force, will be one area of focus,” Gorenburg wrote. “Serial production of the long-troubled Ilyushin Il-76-MD90A is expected to start in 2019, and the Russian military is expecting to receive 10-12 such aircraft per year thereafter. A light transport aircraft is under development, with prototypes expected to be completed in 2024.”
One of the priorities in the new state armament plan is airborne command and control.
“The A-100 airborne warning system (AWACS) aircraft, based on the Il-76MD90A, was expected to be delivered starting in 2016 but has been repeatedly delayed. Nevertheless, procurement of this aircraft will be included in SAP-2027,” Gorenburg wrote.
Gorenburg also notes—as fellow CNA researcher Samuel Bendett often points out—that Russia has embarked on a robotic renaissance of sorts.
“Russia is experiencing a boom in domestic production of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs),” Gorenburg wrote. “By 2020, it will have a strike UAV in production, as well as a new generation of reconnaissance UAVs.”
As for Russian air defenses, the new state armament plan continues production of existing systems, however the new S-500 Prometheus seems to have been delayed.
“Russia will continue to deploy S-400 long-range missiles and Pantsir-S short-range missiles,” Gorenburg wrote. “However, it seems increasingly unlikely that the next generation S-500 air defense system will be ready for serial production any time soon, though official plans still indicate that a prototype will be built by 2020. Original plans called for serial production of the S-500 to start in 2015. The new standard short-range air defense system has just started development and is not expected to be ready for production until 2030.”
Overall, there are no surprises in the Kremlin’s new state armament plan as far as the Russian Air Force is concerned.

 

[Kay]

Is Russia's New Su-57 Stealth Fighter and S-500 Air Defense System Doomed?

http://nationalinterest.org/blog/th...tealth-fighter-s-500-air-defense-system-23383
The Kremlin’s new state armament plan, which will run from 2018-2027, will continue modernization of the Russian Aerospace Forces. However, while Russia will continue to buy modern combat aircraft such as the Sukhoi Su-35S Flanker-E air superiority fighter and the Su-34 Fullback bomber, Moscow is not likely to make large purchases of the fifth-generation Su-57PAK-FA stealth fighter until after 2027.

“The Su-57 is not expected to enter into serial production until upgraded engines are ready, which is unlikely to happen until 2027,” Center for Naval Analyses senior research scientist Dmitry Gorenburg wrote in a new PONARS Policy Memo. “Over the next eight years, Russia will continue to purchase small numbers of these planes for testing.”
Production of other combat aircraft including the Su-35S, Su-30SM Flanker-H multi-role fighter and the Su-34Fullback will continue. Additionally, small numbers of the new Mikoyan MiG-35 Fulcrums are also likely to enter service with the Russian Air Force.
“It will also continue to purchase Su-35S fighter jets, with a new contract for 50 additional aircraft signed in late 2016. Purchases of Su-30SM fighter jets and Su-34 strike aircraft will also continue, most likely at rates of 12-18 aircraft per year of each type,” Gorenburg wrote.
“Mikoyan MiG-35 fighter aircraft may also be procured, but probably not in large numbers.”
However, while fighter production will continue, the Russian Air Force will likely deemphasize combat aircraft procurement to focus on other more pressing priorities.
“Overall, with many modern fighter aircraft now in place, rates of procurement will slow in order to allow for the purchase of other types of aircraft,” Gorenburg wrote.
“The same goes for military helicopters, since the Russian military has received what it needs in new helicopters during the last seven years. Development of a new high-speed helicopter will not start until after 2027.”
During the coming years, the Russian Air Force is likely to focus on addressing support aircraft such strategic airlifters and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance planes. Moreover, the Russians will also have to address persistent problem with their aerial refueling capabilities.
“Transport and refueling aircraft, long an area of weakness for the Russian Air Force, will be one area of focus,” Gorenburg wrote. “Serial production of the long-troubled Ilyushin Il-76-MD90A is expected to start in 2019, and the Russian military is expecting to receive 10-12 such aircraft per year thereafter. A light transport aircraft is under development, with prototypes expected to be completed in 2024.”
One of the priorities in the new state armament plan is airborne command and control.
“The A-100 airborne warning system (AWACS) aircraft, based on the Il-76MD90A, was expected to be delivered starting in 2016 but has been repeatedly delayed. Nevertheless, procurement of this aircraft will be included in SAP-2027,” Gorenburg wrote.
Gorenburg also notes—as fellow CNA researcher Samuel Bendett often points out—that Russia has embarked on a robotic renaissance of sorts.
“Russia is experiencing a boom in domestic production of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs),” Gorenburg wrote. “By 2020, it will have a strike UAV in production, as well as a new generation of reconnaissance UAVs.”
As for Russian air defenses, the new state armament plan continues production of existing systems, however the new S-500 Prometheus seems to have been delayed.
“Russia will continue to deploy S-400 long-range missiles and Pantsir-S short-range missiles,” Gorenburg wrote. “However, it seems increasingly unlikely that the next generation S-500 air defense system will be ready for serial production any time soon, though official plans still indicate that a prototype will be built by 2020. Original plans called for serial production of the S-500 to start in 2015. The new standard short-range air defense system has just started development and is not expected to be ready for production until 2030.”
Overall, there are no surprises in the Kremlin’s new state armament plan as far as the Russian Air Force is concerned.

Useless sensationalist headline.... Steath fighters will be inducted in smaller numbers by all air forces around the world including US. US will keep is F-15s, so will Israel.

 

[Sancho]

Translated

The first flight of the flying laboratory T-50 with the engine of the second stage took place

December 5, 2017 in the LII them. M.M. Gromov made the first flight of the newest Russian fighter of the fifth generation T-50 with the engine of the second stage.

The flight was performed by the Hero of the Russian Federation, the chief pilot of PJSC "Sukhoi Company" (as part of the UAC), Sergei Bogdan. The flight duration was 17 minutes. The flight was completed in accordance with the conditions of the flight assignment.

Russian Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov said: "A successful flight with a new engine gives an additional impetus to the program of a 5th generation fighter. This is proof of the high potential of Russian aircraft building, capable of creating highly intelligent advanced systems - a unique glider, innovative digital stuffing, the newest engines. "

http://uacrussia.ru/ru/press-center...chey-laboratorii-t-50-s-dvigatelem-2-go-etapa

 

[Sancho]

Close up of the nozzles

 

[gadeshi]

Congratulations to all Su-57 lovers!!!
Yesterday, December the 5-Th Su-57 2-nd flight prototype (T-50-2) has made its 1-st flight as Item-30 flying lab/testbed carying Item-30 onboard in the left naccel!!!
http://uacrussia.ru/ru/press-center...chey-laboratorii-t-50-s-dvigatelem-2-go-etapa
https://www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=29...se/sid/vesti/isPlay/true/?acc_video_id=738596
https://player.vgtrk.com/iframe/vid...Play=true&showPopUpBtn=false&showZoomBtn=true

 

[gadeshi]

========================================

 

[WolfPack86]

It seems like SU-57 fighter aircraft flight test progressing very well. Now item 30 engines have been tested in flight. This is what Govt of India and Indian Air Force wanted. Now Indian Govt should procure some SU-57 on self. FGFA deal must be signed quickly and must induct first FGFA prototype in 2020.

 

[gadeshi]

It seems like SU-57 fighter aircraft flight test progressing very well. Now item 30 engines have been tested in flight. This is what Govt of India and Indian Air Force wanted. Now Indian Govt should procure some SU-57 on self. FGFA deal must be signed quickly and must induct first FGFA prototype in 2020.

Not so fast, my friend
IAF wanted a proto on Item 30 already, but...
It seems like the first 12 Su-57 from the LRIP-1 will be on "Item 117 without letter".

The good news is Item 117 and Item 30 are interchangeable and seems Item 30 is even shorter and 15% liter (which was known before).

This means that Item 30 is interchangeable with Al-31F as well (in the case of larger air intake throat introduction).
Can you imagine Su-30, Su-33, Su-34 and Su-35S on 18 tons thrusted steroids?

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[WolfPack86]

Not so fast, my friend
IAF wanted a proto on Item 30 already, but...
It seems like the first 12 Su-57 from the LRIP-1 will be on "Item 117 without letter".

The good news is Item 117 and Item 30 are interchangeable and seems Item 30 is even shorter and 15% liter (which was known before).

This means that Item 30 is interchangeable with Al-31F as well (in the case of larger air intake throat introduction).
Can you imagine Su-30, Su-33, Su-34 and Su-35S on 18 tons thrusted steroids?

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There was a news few years ago that Indian Govt of India will procure 65 Pak fa on self. The news came in 2015 when PM Modi signed 36 rafale in France.
http://defenceforumindia.com/forum/...for-pak-fa-during-modis-november-visit.69435/

 

[thegopnik]

I feel like crying because this is too good to be true........Guys they have went from a above 3,500km engine to an above 5,000km engine.....This is more than a 30% range increase and because of that this engine is basically an ADVENT engine.....The US would not have such engines until the late 2020s and only mentions of their ADVENT engines was to be in their F-X program and after that retrofit for F-35s.........So they got the ADVENT engine done in 2017 despite being underfunded with all the sanctions Russia got.........I am feeling so emotional right now I just can describe it

If this forum was a party all drinks would be on me. I am laughing at all the fools that thought the 1st batch of su-57s would only come out in 2027 according to Gorenburg. Well too bad its 2019. So their next testing is avionics I assume. Wonder how the 2018 ROFAR tests will go.

 

[aditya10r]

========================================

Thanks for new wallpaper.

______________________________________

 

[gadeshi]

I feel like crying because this is too good to be true........Guys they have went from a above 3,500km engine to an above 5,000km engine.....This is more than a 30% range increase and because of that this engine is basically an ADVENT engine.....The US would not have such engines until the late 2020s and only mentions of their ADVENT engines was to be in their F-X program and after that retrofit for F-35s.........So they got the ADVENT engine done in 2017 despite being underfunded with all the sanctions Russia got.........I am feeling so emotional right now I just can describe it

If this forum was a party all drinks would be on me. I am laughing at all the fools that thought the 1st batch of su-57s would only come out in 2027 according to Gorenburg. Well too bad its 2019. So their next testing is avionics I assume. Wonder how the 2018 ROFAR tests will go.

Hold your horses, man
ROFAR first ground stand prototype will be ready in 2022-2025 as promised, not in 2018

However, avionics factory and State acceptance tests are done already to extent enough for LRIP-1 production and joint military trials in Akhtubinsk.

The most expected after Item 30 engine are 4 weapons types remaining to certify from 14 new promised

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[gadeshi]

It seems like SU-57 fighter aircraft flight test progressing very well. Now item 30 engines have been tested in flight. This is what Govt of India and Indian Air Force wanted. Now Indian Govt should procure some SU-57 on self. FGFA deal must be signed quickly and must induct first FGFA prototype in 2020.

A technical deposites to produce a 3 PMI protos are on and waiting

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[john70]

More details of the new engine tests on Su 57 :


http://russiafeed.com/russias-fifth-generation-su-57-flies-new-engine/

The Russian authorities have confirmed that on 5th December 2017 Russia’s new fifth generation SU-57 fighter jet carried out its first successful flight test with its new definitive Isdeliye 30 (ie. product 30) engine.

The successful flight test was confirmed by Russian Industry Minister Denis Manturov on Tuesday 5th December 2017


A successful flight with a new engine gives an additional boost to the program of the 5th generation fighter. This is proof of the high potential of Russian aircraft building, capable of creating highly intelligent advanced systems – a unique glider, innovative digital avionics and the latest engines

The Russians have released only limited information about the Isdeliye 30 engine. However it is known to be significantly more powerful than the AL-41F1 engine which has been powering prototype and test versions of the SU-57 up to now.


Sputnik says that the Isdeliye 30 engine has a power rating (obviously with afterburner) of 19,000 kgf as compared with 15,000 kgf for the AL-41F1.

Other sources give power ratings for the Isdeliye 30 of 108 kN (24,086 lbf) of dry thrust and 178 kN (39,680 lbf) in afterburner, as compared with 93.1 kN (21,000 lbf) of dry thrust and 147.1 kN (33,067 lbf) in afterburner for the AL-41F1.

The new engine is also said to be significantly lighter than the older AL-41F1, and to have been designed by NPO Saturn in Rybinsk, the design bureau which traditionally provides the engines which power Russia’s Sukhoi fighters.

It has always been the intention that the Isdeliye 30 would be the SU-57’s definitive engine.

All discussions of the SU-57, and all comparisons of the SU-57’s performance with those of the US’s F-22 and F-35, which are based on the SU-57 flying with the older, heavier and less powerful AL-41F1 engine used by the test aircraft are misleading and invalid, and should be ignored.

The Russians claim that with the Isdeliye 30engine the SU-57’s flight performance surpasses that of any other fifth generation fighter planned or in service, including the F-22 and the F-35, and there is no reason to doubt this.

The SU-57 programme has recently been the subject of much confusion stemming from a previous decision of the Russian Aerospace Forces to field the SU-57 with AL-41F1 engines until the new Isdeliye 30 engine from about 2022 .

The idea was that between now and 2022 the Russian Aerospace Forces would introduce the SU-57 into service with the AL-41F1 engine, and would then remove the AL-41F1 engines from the SU-57s when the new Isdeliye 30 engines became available so as to replace them with Isdeliye 30s.

That plan has now been dropped, with the current plan being to deliver SU-57s to the regiments from 2020 with the new Isdeliye 30 engine already installed, procuring only a small batch of 12 SU-57s with AL-41F1 engines until then, and buying more SU-35 and SU-30 fighters in the meantime.

Inevitably this decision has led to some talk that the SU-57 programme has run into difficulties, supposingly causing the SU-57’s entry into service to be delayed until 2020.

The reality is almost the exact opposite.

The reason the previous plan to deploy SU-57s with AL-41F1 engines has been dropped, and the SU-57’s entry into service has been postponed until 2020, is that progress with the Isdeliye 30engine has been much faster expected, making it possible to field the SU-57 with the Isdeliye 30much earlier than was previously expected.

Given that the Isdeliye 30 engine is now expected to be available as early as 2020, it makes no sense to field the SU-57 for just two years without this engine, which is why its entry into service has been put off until then.

In the meantime the Russian Aerospace Forces will acquire more of the excellent SU-35s and SU-30s. The point is that the SU-35 and SU-30 also use the AL-41F1 engine. Since the engine is the single most expensive part of a fighter aircraft, it would be extremely wasteful to field SU-57s with AL-41F1 engines, and then throw away these expensive engines just a few years later when new Isdeliye 30 engines become available.

By contrast building more SU-35s and SU-30s with AL-41F1 engines makes perfect sense since not only will this provide the Russian Aerospace Forces with more of these excellent aircraft, but these aircraft can remain in service with their AL-41F1 engines until sufficient numbers of SU-57s with Isdeliye 30 engines become available to replace them, probably some time in the late 2020s.

At that point these SU-35s and SU-30s can be sold abroad.

It is precisely this sort of cost-effective and rational approach to military procurement which explains why Russian defence costs are so much lower than those of the US.

The two big remaining mysteries about the Isdeliye 30 engine are (1) it’s real name (the designation Isdeliye 30 – “product 30” – is not a name at all); and (2) why its development has proved to be so rapid.

A possible explanation for the speed of its development is that the Isdeliye 30 engine may have its roots in an engine NPO Saturn is known to have started developing in 1982 for the aborted MiG 1.44 project.

Confusingly this engine was also called the AL-41, though it is a completely different engine from the AL-41F1 engine which currently powers the SU-35 and SU-30 and the test versions of the SU-57.

The AL-41F1 engine is in fact an advanced version of the AL-31 engine developed by NPO Saturn in the 1970s for the SU-27, which first entered service in 1981. NPO Saturn’s decision to call this engine AL-41F1, though obviously intended to hark back to the entirely different AL-41 of the 1980s, is actually somewhat misleading, since it has obscured the AL-41F1’s origins in the earlier AL-31.

The AL-41 engine that was to have powered the MiG 1.44 is claimed by some sources to have had a power rating of 39,680 lbf in afterburner, which is exactly the same as the power rating in afterburner some sources give for the Isdeliye 30. That suggests that the two engines are related to each other, with the later engine possibly taking some of its design cues and concepts from the earlier engine.

If so, then given that considerable work was apparently done on the AL-41 engine in the 1980s – including apparently a test flight on a MiG-25 aircraft – that might explain why the Isdeliye 30‘s development has been so fast.

If the Isdeliye 30 ultimately stems from the AL-41, that might also explain why the Russians have not yet disclosed its true name. Conceivably it too might originally have been “AL-41”.

The Isdeliye 30 engine will not however be the same engine as the AL-41 engine of the 1980s. The period since the 1980s has witnessed huge advances in aircraft engine technology. Even if NPO Saturn has taken the AL-41 as its starting point for the Isdeliye 30 engine, the Isdeliye 30engine will certainly benefit from these advances and any resemblance between the Isdeliye 30and the AL-41 of the 1980s will be superficial.

Doubtless it is these technological advances which explain why the Isdeliye 30 is said to be so much lighter than existing engines, with some reports saying that it is a third lighter than the AL-41F1.

Regardless of the design history of the Isdeliye 30, the fact that it is now on flight test after what looks like a very rapid and trouble free design process is a considerable achievement .

It is a further sign of Russia’s recovery, not just as a military but also as a technological and industrial power.