VVS Russian Air Force: News #1

Thank You Mindstorm , Garry and Cyberspec.

The reason why I was asking for pictures was I was looking for evidence of it being using by Ukraine Airforce  of Su-25 using R-60MK or R-73 AAM.

We are discussing the same issue on BRF and most people do not believe US Narrative of the incident based on past behaviour and little evidence presented and we Indians have been victim of US propoganda in the past.

http://forums.bharat-rakshak.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=6747&p=1691567#p1691567


Some one asked for  Su-25 with AAM pictures and for Ukraines I dont find any , As they say Pictures Speak a Thousand Words.

Even though we know that these AAM was fired from Su-25

Mindstorm I think Ukraine would have used R-73  to take out 777 , Its got the range and warhead to bring a big 777

AAMs have a limited life on aircraft... they are rated for x amount of hours carriage before they have to be serviced and checked, so unless they are going to actually use them they most often don't carry them.

if the aircraft was used for air patrol or air escort missions it will most likely carry an AAM... but equally unlikely will be photographed for security reasons.

BTW who is to say it was an R-73?

It could just as easily have been an R-60MK... it has a history of bringing down large aircraft too....

ie:

I think for A2A missile or Strafing by gun to happen both Su-25 and 777 has to be on level flight more or less , 777 was flying at 32 k feet and wiki says Su-25 in clean configuration cant fly above 22K feet and 16K feet with max weapons

Well you have answered your own question... if the plane is flying at 32K feet then there is little chance of the Su-25 doing any strafing with its cannon.

A missile on the other hand can climb and hit targets above the flight altitude of the launch aircraft.

14 Brigades, Helicopter Regiments to be Established in Russian Air Force in Coming Years

POGONOVO RANGE (Voronezh region), July 26 (RIA Novosti) – Fourteen army aviation brigades and separate helicopter regiments will be formed in the Russian Air Force in the next few years, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force said Saturday.

"We will have 14 brigades and regiments, including 10 army aviation regiments. Our Armed Forces have 10 combined-arms armies, each army will have one helicopter regiment. There are four military districts, each district will control an aviation brigade. In total, 14 brigades and regiments," Lt. Gen. Viktor Bondarev said.

Certain helicopter regiments will be equipped with the Ka-52, Mi-28N, Mi-8 MTV-5, Mi-8AMTSh and Mi-26. "Each regiment will have 66 helicopters, each brigade - 84-88," Bondarev said.

The army aviation brigades and separate helicopter regiments are being formed to further develop the Armed Forces. "No army can feel confident without aviation,” Bondarev said.

A combined-arms army and troops stationed on the territory of the military district should be supported by aviation, and such brigades must be ready to carry out strategic tasks if necessary, the commander said.

so 660 plus 344 helicopters in combat units. plus probably some training and testing units. overall easely over 1200 helicopters for the army.

I can not find a good place to post it – Russian Air Force? Not really since Bel AF and Chinese AF also took part. CIS military? Not really either since China is not CIS. I had to make a choice so in the end I opted for the RuAF thread after all.

To the point – today Aviadarts were supposed to conclude. What are the results in general and for the participating countries individually?
Would appreciate detailed info or at least links – thx in advance.

Looking into the future – do you think there will be participation from more air forces (maybe India, Vietnam, others) in the coming year (-s) ?

Nice number   

Russia’s Air Force to receive over 260 new aircraft in 2014 — deputy defense minister


It seems that numbers have increased as far as I know + we now know number of upgraded planes/helicopters. 260+ new + 80 upgraded = 340+ new/upgraded which is a nice number    

Viktor wrote:Nice number   

Russia’s Air Force to receive over 260 new aircraft in 2014 — deputy defense minister


It seems that numbers have increased as far as I know + we now know number of upgraded planes/helicopters. 260+ new + 80 upgraded = 340+ new/upgraded which is a nice number    

260 new in 1 yr is 2600 new equiv in 10 yrs. 5200 over 20. Then considering some planes might be refitted to have a 30 yr life expectancy, we are talking pretty huge numbers when multiplied out.

Ofcourse there is no guarantee this figure will be repeated.
Furthermore, there will be new generation planes and copters being built over coming yrs, most notably Pak-fa, Pak da, the new Mig31 etc etc.

So why is Russia producing/ulgrading such large numbers?

I wonder whether the huge production is yr is anomalous, or whether there is another reason.
Is Russia thinking there is a major need to enlarge the military  - in view of the Ukraine and potentially other places?

Or is Russia considering a new "BRICS military architecture". Note how Russia will provide military assistance to China of all countries in building the new Nicaragua canal. Perhaps this will be repeated in other ways? I've always said that Russia could play "global bodyguard" to rival America's "global"(bent) "policeman".

Number seems elevated IMO. Depends on Mi-8 numbers. Anyone want to hazard a breakdown?

here' a wild guess: 100 combat and trainer planes. plus 10 or so transport il76 and some lighter ones. maybe a few special mission plnes. 35+ mi28 and ka52. 10+ mi35. 40+ mi8,a few mi26, 30+ ansat-u and ka226.

anyhow, it may very well be thatcurrent production rates are not here to stay but are temporary increases due to rearmament programme needs. once we get to 2020 it is possible we will see a noticable slow down of purchases for ruaf. otherwise it would suggest ruaf is aiming for a fleet of over 2200 pure combat planes, which may not be realistic when one looks at number of planned pilots in training.

eridan wrote:here' a wild guess: 100 combat and trainer planes. plus 10 or so transport il76 and some lighter ones. maybe a few special mission plnes. 35+ mi28 and ka52. 10+ mi35. 40+ mi8,a few mi26, 30+ ansat-u and ka226.

anyhow, it may very well be thatcurrent production rates are not here to stay but are temporary increases due to rearmament programme needs. once we get to 2020 it is possible we will see a noticable slow down of purchases for ruaf. otherwise it would suggest ruaf is aiming for a fleet of over 2200 pure combat planes, which may not be realistic when one looks at number of planned pilots in training.

As I remember, the Americans were starting to cry because they thought the number of their own combat planes would fall below 2000.

Once Pak Fa, Mig LFMS and all the new generation planes start production, we could arguably see even bigger numbers being produced.

Maybe this big inc in production is an anomaly. I wondering how the production lines are set up ie what is the optimal production?

Perhaps Russia is planning to produce lots for India, China and other customers. Perhaps Russia is planning for a big war, or "face off"?

But to me, the important thing isnt just producing numbers. Its getting the right bang for the rouble. Making the investment pay in war AND peacetime.

Russia's enemy guarantees the safety of other states. THAT is how it can have a huge military.
To me, Russia perhaps needs to start doing more of the same. After all, its what it does for Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and places. Even if it doesnt openly admit it.

Aviadarts 2014 have concluded. There is a 3 : 40  clip on Channel 1 Russian TV one can watch on YouTube but I am not allowed to post links.

Too much said and shown to translate all but:

1. The prises were cars and bikes

2. The first place was wont by RuAF pilot Georgiy Dedio

3. The PLAAF participation is shown about 1 : 50 – 2 : 05. If I understand correctly one of the Chinese Flankers suffered a birdstrike but fortunately without serious damage. The Chinese missed one of their targets but still did well – see 4

4. The PLAAF pilot Wan Zhen (not 100% sure – this is how it sounded phonetically in the clip) was second, you can see him and the Chinese team posing with a car they won at 3 : 14

5. A prise was also won by a pilot from Belarus but unfortunately no details were given

6. During the competition a forest fire broke out and one could see Il 76 ‘water bombers’ in action.

7. It is interesting to note that  decommissioned L 39 trainers were used as targets.

Interview



Vladimir Mikhailov: no contract will not be ripped off UAC


http://itar-tass.com/opinions/interviews/2227

Thanks for info. Thank god that birdstrike was not more serious.

Russia’s Air Force to receive over 260 new aircraft in 2014 — deputy defense minister

LIPETSK, July 28./ITAR-TASS/. Russia’s Air Force will this year receive over 260 new aircraft, a senior defense official said Monday.

“Over the past year, the Russian Air Force got more than 200 aircraft. This year, there will be many more of them - over 260; some 80 will be upgraded,” Russian First Deputy Defense Minister, Army General Arkady Bakhin, told journalists.

Earlier, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yury Borisov said this year the military will receive more than 230 aviation specimens. He said that in the first half of 2014, military representative offices already obtained 34 planes and 38 helicopters for the Air Force.

Russian state-controlled United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) military aviation programs department head Vladimir Mikhailov said earlier that this year the Defense Ministry will receive about 100 combat aircraft.

According to Bakhin, technical tasks the army charges industrial enterprises with are successfully fulfilled, which could be seen by visitors of the recent Aviadarts 2014 international flying skills competition in central Russia.

From Belta news (Belarus news agency). Military pilots of the 116th guards attack aviation base of the air and anti-aircraft defense forces of the Republic of Belarus finish second at the international aviation competition Aviadarts 2014 that was held in Russia.

The Belarusian team (three Su-25 crews) was behind the winner just eight points in the final.

The competitions that included aerial navigation and target reconnaissance also featured transport aviation, fighters and helicopters. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu put forward an initiative to hold such competitions in 2013. Partaking in Aviadarts 2014 were pilots from Belarus, China and Russia.

Let me add, that the above is not mutually exclusive with PLAAF being second because the competition was held in several categories fighters, ground attack aircraft, helicopters etc. as mentioned in my previous post a Chinese pilot was second in fighters while the PLAAF did not send ground attack aircraft or helicopter teams.

Nice   

Three companies from Russia are able to create hypersonic aircraft. (Sukhoi, Tupolev and Myasishchev)

Hypersonic aircraft in Russia can create three companies, according to the UAC

The word on russian fora is 4 KnAAZ Sukhois borts 70, 91, 92, 93 will fly out to their units (not known yet) very soon. Bort 70 is said to be a Su-30M2, but not sure about the other 3, they could also be M2s or could be Su-27SM3s?

260 new in 1 yr is 2600 new equiv in 10 yrs. 5200 over 20. Then considering some planes might be refitted to have a 30 yr life expectancy, we are talking pretty huge numbers when multiplied out.

And in 1,000 years time they will be making trillions of planes a day... except that they are rebuilding an air force... once they get to a few thousand they will switch to focusing on new designs, unmanned designs and exports and a few planes for top ups to replace attrition loses.

Odds are they will be balancing domestic with export orders and will not increase production too much. They will also likely reinvest in production tools to allow a wider variety of aircraft and equipment be made.

They wont have an air force of 5200 aircraft unless you count drones and then they will likely have rather more than this from little hand held drones right up to enormous air ships with huge AESA arrays.

mack8 wrote:The word on russian fora is 4 KnAAZ Sukhois borts 70, 91, 92, 93 will fly out to their units (not known yet) very soon. Bort 70 is said to be a Su-30M2, but not sure about the other 3, they could also be M2s or could be  Su-27SM3s?

Maybe they will equip full regiment with Su-27SM3 and Su-30M2 in Krymsk.

Eastern military district will take delivery of the first batch of Mi-35M helicopters in 2014
Russian Aviaton » Thursday July 31, 2014 23:51 MSK

This year six state-of-the-art Mi-35M helicopters will be delivered to an air base located in Primorski Krai, Interfax-AVN reports with reference to the head of press-service of the Eastern military district (EMD), Colonel Alexander Gordeev.

"Pilots and technicians of the air base departed to Rostov-based enterprise and will start the acceptance of these helicopters soon. Upon completion of the acceptance the vehicles will complete ferry flight to the home base covering the distance of over 10,000 km", - Gordeev said.

Mi-35 is the upgraded version of Mi-24 helicopter. It is manufactured by Rostvertol (part of Russian Helicopters Holding Company). It is designed for destroying armored vehicles and providing fire support, airlift delivery, medevac operations and cargo transportation (inside the cabin or using an external sling).

Moreover, this year units of the military district’s army aviation will also take delivery of Mi-8AMTSh assault transport helicopters as well as Ka-52 attack helicopters. A total of 20 state-of-the-art helicopters will be delivered to the EMD.

Combat Aviation Alerted at Russian Far East Airfields – Russian Defense Ministry

MOSCOW, August 1 (RIA Novosti) - Eastern Military District combat aviation crews at airfields in the Far East were unexpectedly alerted, Aleksander Gordeyev, the head of the Eastern Military District, said Friday.

“Pilots and crews of Su-24, Su-25, Su-27, Su-30CM aircraft and the new Su-35 fighter, as well as an engineering team and support units, were alerted at four airfields,” Gordeyev said.

The units are to carry out air combat and domination drills, and practice providing cover for naval and ground forces. The teams are later to proceed to combat firing, bomb and missile attacks.

The alert came as part of an unscheduled exercise carried out by the Khabarovsk and Primorsky air force. The exercise is under the command of Major General Aleksander Tatarenko, the Eastern Military District Air Force Commander.

The first unscheduled exercises of this kind in Russia in almost 20 years took place in 2013. Specialists approved of the practice initiated by the Russian Ministry of Defense, pointing out that the exercises could show the actual state of the military and help them develop quicker responses to threats.

Werewolf wrote:The most sexy plane ever build, imo.

Even more good-looking than Tu-96 with its 18100 hp NK-16 engines? But, well, Tu-95I with its 20000 hp NK-20 engines would look even better. But then the 38000 hp Kuznetsov engine ...

Here are two pictures of Tu-96, by the way.

Russia launches large-scale combat air drills with over 100 aircraft


MOSCOW, August 04. /ITAR-TASS/. Russia begins on Monday five-day Air Force combat drills, which involve a total of over 100 fighter jets, bombers and helicopters in the country’s Central and Western military districts, a spokesman for the Russian Air Force said on Monday.

Colonel Igor Klimov said the large-scale exercises would be conducted jointly with the Russian air-defense forces.

“In all, the maneuvers will involve 100 planes and helicopters such as Su-27 Flanker fighter jets, MiG-31 Foxhound fighter jets, multipurpose Su-34 Fullback fighter-bombesr, Su-24 Fencer bombers as well as Mi-8, Mi-24 and Mi-28N combat helicopters,” Klimov said.

The combat aircraft will be practicing shooting at targets on land and in the air at new firing ranges as well as conducting launches of anti-aircraft missiles at the Ashuluk firing range in the southern Astrakhan region.

The first stage of the drills stipulates redeployment of combat aircraft from airfields of the Western Military District to the airfields of the Central Military District and during the second stage the aircraft would conduct mission flights from the southern airfield of Russia near Armavir, Krymsk, Mozdok, Morozovsk etc.