Militarov wrote:sepheronx wrote:Militarov wrote:sepheronx wrote:Militarov wrote:Flanky wrote:People do the fact that having lightweight PAK-FA is not a priority does not mean that there is zero interrest from goverment. It just means that they want to finish T-50 and put it into production before focusing on LMFI. By the time this change of focus happens MIG is perfectly capable of funding the research using its own funds. That would significantly shorten the development time and by the time MoD will provide the funds MIG would have finished some part of the research and development efforts. I have read that the goverment indeed plans to have and even export lighter version of 5th gen fighter. So the approach MIG takes is the right one.
Russia badly lacks light single engined fighter they didnt have one basically since MiG21, cheap single engined fighters are needed for air patrols, training, building pilot hours in air etc, especially great solution if they are unified with bigger twin engine platform and built on same core (radar, engine, controls layout, common parts...). Something of a Tejas class lets say, to cost 20-25mil USD so its available in quantities.
I am always expecting a cheap single jet engine fighter would be ideal for Russia. But it appears that Russia has very little love for them and would rather spend a bit more for a dual engined aircraft. They had singe jet engine aircrafts in service after MiG-21 and that was MiG-23 and 27 which both were also retired same time (roughly). I imagine this LMFS if ever made, will also be dual engine. Would have been cool if Russia did ever decided to actually develop the MiG-33 (fabled I know) which ended up as the JF-17.
Legend says Russians stopped making single engined fighters coz of their bad experience with MiG21 crashes due to engine failures, but hey, engines improved since then i dont see AL-31F M2 for an example being unreliable etc, making some lighter multirole fighter with such engine would be ideal imo, abit bigger than JF-17 or modern RD33 engine anyways to be in JF17 class doesnt really matter. And yeah i am afraid that future LMFS shall be twin engined most likely it seems.
Well apparently Pakistan and China both praised the RD-93 engines used on the JF-17. I also would prefer to see a single engine aircraft as a single jet engine will greatly reduce overall costs. But a major problem I am seeing with smaller aircraft of Russian design, and it is evident on MiG-29/35's, is the powersupply/generator used to power onboard electronics. I had an argument a while back with an Egyptian on this forums (whom I regret being aggressive towards as he was actually a really good guy), that was saying that the Zhuk-A radars are quite weak. Issue was that the radar used on the Zhuk-A as an example had a detection range of roughly 160km for 3m^2 targets. After doing an investigation, the apparent GaAS modules used were rated at most 5W each (these modules are from Istok. But updated info I found was roughly upwards to 10w each and while the competition from Tikhomirov NIIP apparently has 15W or higher GaAS and working on 30W GaN modules), and that the performance should be around 250km for 3m^2 targets and that the main issue is that the modules are roughly only operating at 3W max and not at their intended max wattage (thus producing reduced performance). And so there are two theories behind it: either it has issues with proper cooling thus the modules have to be reduced in the amount of power sent to the modules so it does not overheat causing damages, or it is due to a lack of power being drawn, thus generator/psu issues. How I figured it was a PSU issue is that I figure (just guessing really as I didn't think that Tikhomirov made any modules, and still not entirely sure it is them that is making it or Istok is really the only one making the modules) that both N036 radar used for PAK FA and Zhuk-A were both using same T/R modules and that N036 using 1500 t/r modules was indeed performing in its respective performance rating (400km for fighter sized targets) compared to what the Zhuk-A's intended range of 250km when only operating at 160km with roughly close to 1000 t/r modules. And thus I figure that the N036 was running at its full capacity in order to see such targets from a distance all due to its powersupply being able to produce upwards to 15KW of power, which is a huge amounts (Su-35S for example produces 20KW).
If I am correct on my assumptions, then the big challenge for Mikoyan is producing generator/psu and cooling system for the aesa modules. Since phazotron (whom makes the Zhuk-A) is owned by KRET (a subsiduary of Rostec), then the future holds using Photon's for the T/R modules rather than simply electron flow. And that there will be massive performance increases. But one thing to make certain of its true performance, will have to be what I presume is the main problems facing MiG-35.
Yeah i have been reading about whole AESA developing in Russia mess myself but at the end of the day i dont think powering it up should be much of an issue, if Chinese can power up their J10B/JF17 radars no question about Russians being able to. Power consumption incr. with AESA with 1000+ modules surely can be troubling but they, there are solutions i suppose in better/newer electricity generators, or on other side, reduce amount of modules, after all goal would be cheap multirole fighter, no need for 1500+ modules.
Russia's AESA development seems to be going quite well, but the whole setup in terms of media information and open information is so clouded that I have absolutely no idea what is what and who makes what. I am aware Istok makes some. Then I am aware that there is another company making them. Then we get tidbit information of radar systems to be used on ships that are using Russian made GaN modules of roughly 30W each, but we get little no details afterwards. Apparently there is evidence that the T/R modules for the N036 are roughly 10 - 15W each, but there is some conflicting info if the Zhuk-A uses 5W or 10W modules. There was apparent issues with cooling the modules which caused issues in terms of performance, but I don't know if they fixed it or not, cause I have only heard rumors that the intended tests for N036 works, so that would mean that they operated in their intended purposes. Two different companies, so possibly two different solutions to the same problem.
Now development on making GaAS/GaN modules much cheaper currently in works and using Photons rather than electrons for the semiconductors for future (by 2020). So I have no real idea. Not a lot of people do. That guy Jo over at keypub obtains a ridiculous amounts of info on such things and I know Berkut also made mention as well. So he is another good one that would possibly know more.