VVS Russian Airforce Force: News #2

It mentions the Poles have received Jassm-ER, range 980 km, is this not against the anti-proliferation agreement?

The rules don't apply to HATO and the US...

GarryB wrote:The rules don't apply to HATO and the US...

I guess the reality is that Russia give Iran/india etc technology anyway.

Brahmos is based on Yakhont and not Onyx, but hopefully Brahmos II will be hypersonic so the chances of it being less than 500km range are pretty low.

Maybe Iran wants some Mach 5 800km range Onyx missiles for Christmas...

mnztr wrote:It mentions the Poles have received Jassm-ER, range 980 km, is this not against the anti-proliferation agreement?

If it's operated by Poles.. then it would be an MTCR Compliant version of 300 km. If it's 980 km then it's under US jurisdiction.

MTCR Is still a thing TBH. Otherwise China and Russia will happily sells 1500 km range Kalibr or CJ-10 missiles and perhaps even still offering the R-17VTO (Scud-D) with precision Aerofan warhead.

Stealthflanker wrote:

mnztr wrote:It mentions the Poles have received Jassm-ER, range 980 km, is this not against the anti-proliferation agreement?

If it's operated by Poles.. then it would be an MTCR Compliant version of 300 km.  If it's 980 km then it's under US jurisdiction.

MTCR Is still a thing TBH.  Otherwise China and Russia will happily sells 1500 km range Kalibr or CJ-10 missiles and perhaps even still offering the R-17VTO (Scud-D) with precision Aerofan warhead.

This one was approved as a foreign military sale to Poland, so I guess Russia can sell anything to Iran now?

Stealthflanker wrote:

mnztr wrote:It mentions the Poles have received Jassm-ER, range 980 km, is this not against the anti-proliferation agreement?

If it's operated by Poles.. then it would be an MTCR Compliant version of 300 km.  If it's 980 km then it's under US jurisdiction.

MTCR Is still a thing TBH.  Otherwise China and Russia will happily sells 1500 km range Kalibr or CJ-10 missiles and perhaps even still offering the R-17VTO (Scud-D) with precision Aerofan warhead.

Nope, he's right they blatantly violated MTCR.

70 JASSM-ER Missiles for the Polish F-16 Fighters. US State Department Issues A Consent

IL-80 replacement: 
https://www.gazeta.ru/army/2020/10/14/13319491.shtml

They could use IL-476 instead as the follow on to IL-80/82s. The maximum range of the aircraft is 8,500km vs. 5,000 km on the IL-86 & 10,000 km on the IL-96-400.

KiloGolf wrote:RuAF in Germany (Templin, Groß Dölln) in the 90s. Last Su-17M4 left in April 1994.

Su-17 was a great fighter. Grew up watching this thing and while the MiG-21 stole most of the show, I still really admired the look of this airplane with its swing wings and just something about it was extraordinary.

Love the drag racing lol. The MiG-29 got shanked by the drasgter but the Su-17 smoked the souped up beetle! lol

Isos wrote:R-27 and canon fires in Crimea.

Some great sounds of those missiles launching off the rails. That R-27 has a very interesting single spot on the Su-35 right between the engine nacelles. Great making use of any and all available space.

They showed a twin rail for r-77 instead of just one between the engines. So 2 spot means 2 dual launchers so 4 r-77 instead of 2 btw the engines.

The R-77 launch pylon has a pneumatic arm that throws the missile down at launch so this twin pylon must have two pneumatic arms one for each missile to throw it clear of the aircraft.

They were originally designed for internal weapons carriage which is why the R-77s have slim body strakes and folding rear grid fins.

Having the catapult launch would actually make them safer to launch from between engine nacelles than R-27s in practise.

(The R-33 and R-37 have similar catapult launchers so they clear the belly position of the MiG-31 firing them but also being a large heavy missile if a gust of wind at launch directs the missile up into the launch aircraft it could do serious damage to itself and the plane, so the arm launch ensures clean separation every time...)

GarryB wrote:Having the catapult launch would actually make them safer to launch from between engine nacelles than R-27s in practise.

I hope they have them on those two pylons there.  In that photo I posted, it shows the furthest rear mounted R-27 and then there's another pylon forward of that for another missile which I didn't know existed until I saw that pic.  But you're right, having a catapult to safely toss them away from such a volatile area right between the engines would be a better idea, I would think.

BTW, speaking of that R-27 tucked between the two engines, I found it fascinating that they would have one on there during one of their amazing acrobatic air shows.  If you look at this video, aside from the heart-stopping performance of the Su-35, why on earth is there an R-27 mounted on that one rear pylon between the engines during an airshow?! I'm guessing the missile is almost certainly inert?  Even so, any idea if there's a reason for that?

You can clearly see it right at minute 0:36 of this video.

The centreline pylons are normally for carrying R-27s... the early model Su-27s could not carry fuel tanks or weapon pods so the centreline and inner wing and under engine pylons were all intended for the R-27 with the outer 6 pylons (two wing plus one wing tip on each side) were for R-73s.



And expert would notice the two outer wing missiles are R-73s, but the other wing mounted missile and the engine nacelle mounted missiles are the smaller R-27, while the two missiles between the engines are the bigger R-27E missiles...



This is a Venezuelan aircraft I think based on the name of the image and has four R-73s on the outer wing pylons and four dumb iron bombs on twin bomb pylons and then the inner wing pylons are two Kh-31s, with two R-27 missiles on the engine nacelles, while down the centreline there are two R-77 missiles mounted singly on each of the two pylons located there.

The pylons for the R-77 have a pneumatic arm to push the missile clear of the aircraft cleanly.

GarryB wrote:The centreline pylons are normally for carrying R-27s... the early model Su-27s could not carry fuel tanks or weapon pods so the centreline and inner wing and under engine pylons were all intended for the R-27 with the outer 6 pylons (two wing plus one wing tip on each side) were for R-73s.



And expert would notice the two outer wing missiles are R-73s, but the other wing mounted missile and the engine nacelle mounted missiles are the smaller R-27, while the two missiles between the engines are the bigger R-27E missiles...



This is a Venezuelan aircraft I think based on the name of the image and has four R-73s on the outer wing pylons and four dumb iron bombs on twin bomb pylons and then the inner wing pylons are two Kh-31s, with two R-27 missiles on the engine nacelles, while down the centreline there are two R-77 missiles mounted singly on each of the two pylons located there.

The pylons for the R-77 have a pneumatic arm to push the missile clear of the aircraft cleanly.

That's pretty cool, and what a friggin weapon's load!  Looks like those center line pylons are fine for R=77s an R-27s as well which makes it quite versatile.

But did you notice the video and the one R-27 in the same place as the pic I posted a couple of posts ago?  Why during an airshow?  What do you think?  Is there a purpose for that or it probably just happened and is it inert or active?  Could it be a smoker?  Never seem those act as smokers and not the right place anyway.  Plus it's not only this video, I've seen it in several airshows which means it's for a reason.

Another question I have for anyone who might know - any idea why all the MiG-29s/35s. Su-27s, some Su-30s, Su-34 and Su-35s have the top front of the nose fuselage right in front of the canopy painted black?  Is that an anti-glare reason?

See that area on a lot of the models painted black and trying to figure out the purpose.

Gomig-21 wrote: Is that an anti-glare reason?

But did you notice the video and the one R-27 in the same place as the pic I posted a couple of posts ago? Why during an airshow? What do you think? Is there a purpose for that or it probably just happened and is it inert or active? Could it be a smoker? Never seem those act as smokers and not the right place anyway. Plus it's not only this video, I've seen it in several airshows which means it's for a reason..

Actual operational Su-27s often operate with wing tip R-73s and centreline R-27s... the wing tip and centreline positions are low drag as they don't have pylons fitted which makes them lighter.

Aircraft in Syria often have wing pylons fitted and missiles on their wings but rarely have full pylons as shown above...

For an airshow sometimes they have smoke generators in the dummy missiles carried... again having wing tip mounted missiles emphasises the manouvers the aircraft performs and a smoke generator between the two engines creates a centreline line of smoke to show where the aircraft is moving in terms of loops and lines and turns etc etc.

That's pretty cool, and what a friggin weapon's load! Looks like those center line pylons are fine for R=77s an R-27s as well which makes it quite versatile.

As mentioned the R-77 is relatively new to the Russian Air Force and recently a twin mount has been seen on the centreline of the Su-35 I think... so four R-77s between the engine nacelles... a boost in weapon potential.

See that area on a lot of the models painted black and trying to figure out the purpose.

Same reason some sports players put black paint under their eyes... reduces glare when looking towards lights or sunlight...

Western cockpits are generally black for the same reasons but Soviet and Russian cockpits are pale green to reduce glare but also make the cockpit lighter and easier to see in lower light levels...

Graduation ceremonies for young officers were held today at the Krasnodar higher military aviation school of pilots named after A. K. Serov, Syzran and Chelyabinsk branches of the Zhukovsky and Yuri Gagarin Air force Academy.

In total, about a thousand pilots and navigators will join the air units of the Aerospace forces and naval aviation of the Russian Navy.

Among the graduates, about 80 lieutenants completed their training with a red diploma, and 13 people – with a gold medal.

The celebrations in the schools participated the management team of the aerospace forces: commander of the air force, was Deputy commander of the VKS, Lieutenant-General Sergei Dronov, head of army aviation HQs Colonel Igor Romanov, chief Navigator of air force Colonel Anatoly changers.

"It is you, young officers, who will master the latest aviation systems and weapons systems, ensure the country's military security, increase the air power and glory of Russia, "said the commander of the air force-Deputy commander – in-chief of the VKS, Lieutenant General Sergey Dronov, speaking to graduates of the Krasnodar school of pilots." I Emphasize that the troops are waiting for you, preparing for the meeting and will do everything necessary for your arrangement and creation of favorable conditions of service, " Dronov stressed.

All graduates are assigned to officer positions of flight personnel (pilots, navigators, senior pilots, etc.), and will operate, among other things, new models of aviation equipment: su-30sm fighters, su-34 bombers, Mi-28N, Ka-52 attack helicopters, and many others. For this purpose, a program of retraining graduates in the corresponding aviation centers in Ivanovo, Ryazan, Lipetsk and Torzhok is planned.

NOTE: Hopefully this will alleviate the severe pilot shortage from a few years back. There has been a big increase of new pilots over the past 2 years.

Actual graduating totals were 430 new aircraft pilots, 290 helicopter pilots and 200 navigators, Traffic Controllers, etc.

The US appreciated the spectacular photos of Russian "strategists" fully armed

The Russian Ministry of Defense released on November 6, 2020, images of three Russian bombers - Tu-160 Blackjack, Tu-95MS Bear-H and Tu-22M3 Backfire-C, with an arsenal of weapons placed in front of them that can be carried by aircraft. Spectacular photos of Russian combat aircraft were appreciated by experts from the American publication The Drive.


The supersonic strategic Tu-160 with variable sweep wing is located on the runway behind two rows of subsonic air-launched cruise missiles. The armament line closest to the aircraft is represented by 12 Kh-55SM missiles, which received NATO code designation AS-15 Kent. The second line of missiles is a dozen samples of more modern subsonic subsonic cruise missiles Kh-101 (nuclear-powered X-102). Like the Kh-55SM, the missiles are equipped with by-pass turbojet engines. It is reported that the maximum range of the Kh-101 is from 3 to 4 thousand km. Tu-160 is capable of carrying its weapons only in internal tandem bomb bays. Each of them contains a rotating drum-type launcher, carrying six missiles.


Before the "strategist" Tu-95MS Bear-H, six Kh-55SM missiles and eight Kh-101/102 missiles are presented. This bomber is equipped with the same rotating launcher as the Tu-160, but since it has only one bomb bay, the aircraft's internal payload has been reduced to six Kh-55 missiles or six Kh-101/102 missiles. Equipped with four double underwing hardpoints, the Tu-95MS Bear-H is capable of carrying up to eight Kh-101/102 missiles.


The Tu-22M3 Backfire, a long-range bomber of the Russian Aerospace Forces, is presented exclusively with variants of free-fall bombs, including a pair of FAB-3000s weighing about 3 tons each, followed by smaller caliber ammunition. Additional bombs are mounted on the outer Backfire under the fixed wing section.

A few obvious errors...

Kh-102 is nuclear armed, not nuclear powered.

Max range of the Kh-101 is 4,500km and Kh-102 is 5,000km.

The rotary launcher on the Bear is much shorter than the one on the Blackjack and is only long enough to carry the older shorter missiles.

The Kh-101 and Kh-102 can only be carried externally on the Bear which is why the shown weapon load was 6 Kh-55SMs and 8 Kh-101 or 102s.

The 6 Kh-55SMs carried internally, though it could also carry 6 Kh-555s with conventional warheads.

The Kh-101/102s are carried externally on 8 weapon pylons.

GarryB wrote:A few obvious errors...

Kh-102 is nuclear armed, not nuclear powered.

Max range of the Kh-101 is 4,500km and Kh-102 is 5,000km.

The rotary launcher on the Bear is much shorter than the one on the Blackjack and is only long enough to carry the older shorter missiles.

The Kh-101 and Kh-102 can only be carried externally on the Bear which is why the shown weapon load was 6 Kh-55SMs and 8 Kh-101 or 102s.

The 6 Kh-55SMs carried internally, though it could also carry 6 Kh-555s with conventional warheads.

The Kh-101/102s are carried externally on 8 weapon pylons.

The max range for Kh-101 is 5,500km, and the max range for Kh-102 is unknown but presumably greater due to a more compact tactical thermonuclear warhead allowing for more room to store propellant, so it's max range is quite possible north of 5,500km.

The 4,500km range number is for the modernization of the Kalibr subsonic cruise missile.

I created the thread since I did not find any other for the VKS:

The Aerospace Forces of Russia summed up the results of activities in the outgoing year and set tasks for 2021.

In 2020, the main efforts were focused on the implementation of measures for the construction and development of the Aerospace Forces, the supply and development of new and modernized weapons and equipment, and the improvement of military infrastructure.

This year, the enterprises of the military-industrial complex planned to supply over 200 units of new equipment to the troops, including Su-35S and Su-34 aircraft, Mi-28UB and Ka-52 helicopters, L-410UVP-U20 and Yak-130 training aircraft, anti-aircraft missile systems S-400.
To date, more than 70 aircraft and helicopters have already been delivered, about 30 samples of anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense equipment. The rearmament of four anti-aircraft missile regiments was completed with the S-400 air defense system. In addition, more than 150 armament and military equipment units were repaired and modernized.
Five launch vehicles were launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome, and seven communications, navigation and military spacecraft were launched into orbit. The unified space system has passed all tests this year and has proven its effectiveness. It will continue to grow next year.
The ability of military command and control bodies, formations and military units to carry out tasks as intended was tested in the course of surprise checks of combat readiness, which took place under the leadership of the Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces and higher military command bodies. More than 20 such inspections were carried out.
In matters of organizing combat duty, the main efforts were directed at maintaining the readiness of the duty forces (shifts) to perform tasks in any situation.
During the current year's aerospace defense alert, more than 60 launches of ballistic missiles and space missiles were detected by means of the missile attack warning system. The outer space control system has taken on the tracking of more than 1200 space objects, by duty forces and means of the Main Testing Space Center named after G.S. Titov conducted over 500 thousand sessions of spacecraft control.

The air defense duty forces discovered and carried out more than 1.5 million aircraft, of which about 3,600 are combat aviation aircraft of foreign states, over 1,300 reconnaissance aircraft. Fighter crews from the air defense forces on duty took to the air more than 170 times. Violations of the state border of the Russian Federation in the airspace and the rules for the use of airspace were not allowed.

The tasks set for the 2020 academic year for the Aerospace Forces have been completed in full

Despite the difficult epidemiological situation, the intensity of operational and combat training in 2020 was maintained at a high level. About 80 events of various levels and scales were held.
During the exercises and trainings, within the framework of operational training, the issues of improving the algorithms for the work of commanders (commanders) and staffs of all levels of command were worked out, taking into account the experience of performing tasks in the Syrian Arab Republic.
The main efforts in the training of flight personnel were aimed at increasing the level of training of crews to perform combat (combat training) tasks and training young pilots for conducting combat operations.
In particular, in the course of a tactical flight exercise with the unification of the Air Force and Air Defense of the Southern Military District, more than 200 aircraft and helicopters were redeployed to operational airfields.
During the preparation period and in the dynamics of the Kavkaz-2020 command and control squadron, the crews of the military transport aviation parachuted about a thousand personnel and over 100 pieces of equipment.
In addition, joint combat training activities were carried out with the involvement of crews of long-range and military transport aviation, airborne units and other combat arms.
To carry out the combat use of aviation weapons, up to 30 ranges were involved. This academic year, the Aerospace Forces have provided more than 2000 flight shifts.
At the end of the academic year, the average flight time for a crew commander was about 100 hours.
During the exercises with air defense units, live firing at MLRS rockets, unmanned aerial vehicles and other targets was carried out at the ranges. Also, the issues of covering the troops during the marches were worked out.
Particular attention in the Aerospace Forces is paid to graduates of military educational institutions. In total, this year, over 2,000 officers - graduates of universities have been recruited to staff the Aerospace Forces. For the purpose of their professional development in military positions, the service housing stock was prepared, assistance was provided in the delivery of personal property of military personnel, a mentor was assigned to each graduate.
Also, the Main Command of the Aerospace Forces pays attention to the upbringing of the younger generation and vocational guidance of pupils. On Knowledge Day, September 1, 2020, the grand opening of a new complex of buildings of the Tver Suvorov Military School took place, including an educational and administrative building with a library and a reading room with the ability to connect to the Internet, an indoor sports complex with a climbing wall and three separate rooms, a gymnastic town, basketball, mini-football and tennis courts, a new medical center, and other infrastructure facilities.
It is safe to say that the tasks set for the 2020 academic year for the Aerospace Forces have been completed in full.
The main tasks of the Aerospace Forces for 2021 include ensuring the required level of training of military command and control bodies and troops, improving the quality of training measures for troops (forces) without reducing the intensity of combat training, implementing measures to re-equip formations and military units of the Aerospace Forces with new and modernized samples. weapons and equipment.
Efforts will also be directed at mastering promising automated controls, digital equipment and improving the practical skills of officials in the command posts of the Aerospace Forces, maintaining the duty forces (shifts) in readiness to perform tasks in any environment.
It is worth noting that the completion of the S-500 mobile air and missile defense system is planned for 2021.

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