Professional Documents
Culture Documents
MiG-29
under upgrade
[p. 20]
Skat UCAV
a future of combat aviation?
[p. 36]
Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG Bld. 7, 1st Botkinsky proyezd, Moscow, 125284, Russia Phone: +7 (495) 252-80-10 Fax: +7 (495) 250-19-48 www.rskmig.com
November 2007
Editor-in-Chief
Andrey Fomin
Deputy Editor-in-Chief
Vladimir Shcherbakov
Editors
Yevgeny Yerokhin Andrey Yurgenson
Columnist
Alexander Velovich
Special correspondents
Vladimir Karnozov, Alexey Mikheyev, Victor Drushlyakov, Andrey Zinchuk, Valery Ageyev, Alina Chernoivanova, Natalya Pechorina, Dmirty Pichugin, Sergey Krivchikov, Sergey Popsuyevich, Piotr Butowski, Alexander Mladenov, Miroslav Gyurosi Dear reader, You are holding a fresh copy of the Take-off magazine timed with the Dubai air show that has been among the major respectable international aerospace exhibitions. Russian participants interest in it is owing, inter alia, to the Middle East returning as a leader in importing Russian-made aircraft and cooperating with this country in the aerospace field. Just about two months before this Dubai airshow, the town of Zhukovsky in the Moscow Region saw the completion of the 8th International Aviation and Space Salon MAKS 2007 the aviationrelated event of the year in Russia. According to numerous MAKS 2007 exhibitors and visitors, the show became far more impressive, with the number of exhibitors growing noticeably, number of foreign delegations increasing and infrastructure of the show improving. The status of MAKS as a business event and a place to conduct scientific fora and conferences has been bolstered. For the first time, Russian aircraft makers exhibited their projects in Zhukovsky under the aegis of the United Aircraft Corporation and helicopter makers did that under the auspices of the Helicopters of Russia holding company. Actually, the tendency for aerospace developers and manufacturers to merge both in Russia and abroad has been highlighted at MAKS 2007. This years air show was a kind of parade of aerospace novelties that were aplenty in Zhukovsky both combat aircraft and missile weapons, on the one hand, and civil planes, on the other. This is a good sign of positive dynamics emerging in the Russian aircraft industry, the other proof being a series of key contracts and agreements made in the course of MAKS 2007. In this issue, we have focused on the novelties and events of the MAKS 2007 show we deem the most important and interesting ones, as well as on other news of Russian aviation and space industry of recent months, with preference given to those of them that could be of special interest to the current and potential users of Russian aircraft in the Middle East and North Africa. I wish you fruitful work at the Dubai air show, useful contacts and lucrative contracts! Sincerely, Andrey Fomin, Editor-in-Chief, Take-off magazine
Web support
Georgy Fedoseyev
Translation
Yevgeny Ozhogin
Cover picture
Piotr Butowski
Publisher
Director General
Andrey Fomin
Marketing Director
George Smirnov
Executive Director
Yury Zheltonogin
News items for In Brief columns are prepared by editorial staff based on reports of our special correspondents, press releases of production companies as well as by using information distributed by ITAR-TASS, ARMS-TASS, Interfax-AVN, RIA Novosti, RBC news agencies and published at www.aviaport.ru, www.avia.ru, www.gazeta.ru, www.cosmoworld.ru web sites Items in the magazine placed on this colour background or supplied with a note Commercial are published on a commercial basis. Editorial staff does not bear responsibility for the contents of such items. The magazine is registered by the Federal Service for supervision of observation of legislation in the sphere of mass media and protection of cultural heritage of the Russian Federation. Registration certificate PI FS77-19017 dated 29 November 2004 Print-run: 5600 copies
Aeromedia, 2007
P.O. Box 7, Moscow, 125475, Russia Tel. +7 (495) 644-17-33, 798-81-19 Fax +7 (495) 644-17-33 E-mail: info@take-off.ru http://www.take-off.ru
CIVIL AVIATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Two more Il-96s built New aircraft for Russian carriers Tu-204 acquires Red Wings
The time has come. First airworthy Sukhoi SuperJet 100 rolled out in Komsomolsk-on-Amur
The time has come was the motto of the long-awaited event the rollout of the first flying prototype of the advanced Russian regional airliner, the Sukhoi SuperJet 100, conducted by the Sukhoi Civil Aircraft company on the premises of the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Production Association (KnAAPO) on 26 September. The first SuperJet 100 rolled out of the Sukhoi Civil Aircraft hangar in a well-rehearsed top-class ceremony attended by First Vice-Premier Sergey Ivanov and leaders of Russian and foreign companies involved in the Sukhoi SuperJet 100 programme, airlines and a thousand other guests and media people. The ceremony marked another stepping-stone to developing the advanced Russian regional jet. The first flying SuperJet serialled 95001 now enters ground tests in the run-up to flight trials. According to Sukhoi Director General Mikhail Pogosyan, the maiden flight is slated before year-end. Andrey Fomin reports from the Komsomolsk-on-Amur
INDUSTRY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
UAC and Aviation of Ukraine to work together Line of helicopter models to be optimised Su-35s debut Details on MiG-35s new exterior Tikhomirov-NIIP unveils AESA developments Kamovs new programmes Second Ka-60 has flown! Tactical Missiles Corp. unveils new weapons Novator air-launched premiers Back to origins (La-225 UAV) BARUK, younger brother of Dan Squadron of new unmanned aircraft (ENIKS UAVs)
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be either deep or lite. The former option results in the MiG-29SMT featuring the highest combat capabilities for earlier built aircraft of the type. Such fighters have already been supplied to countries in the Middle East and North Africa. The MiG-29SD and MiG-29SM offer less expensive upgrade packages, with their avionics not being subject to such drastic updating. Nonetheless, these versions acquire a number of advanced capabilities in using latest weapons systems. In addition to modernising operational MiG-29s, MiG Corp.s work is in full swing on developing a heavily upgraded derivative of the Fulcrum, the MiG-35, that will hit the market after 200910. The MiG-35s advanced technical solutions also are to be embodied in the MiG-29M/M2 intermediate derivative carrying less expensive avionics and weapons suites commonised with the MiG-29SMT. Andrey Fomin reviews MiG-29 upgrade programmes
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Irkut makes first Su-30MKA jets for Algeria Venezuelan Su-30 deliveries on schedule MMRCA tender kicks off at last Indonesia to get more Sukhoi fighters Ilyushin Finance Co. to deliver planes to Cuba and Iran Ka-32 exports on the rise
MILITARY AVIATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Su-34 fielded with Air Force Growing number of upgraded Su-27SMs RusAF Chief tries Yak-130 out
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The Skat low-observable jet-powered combat unmanned aerial vehicle (UCAV) under development by MiG Corp. became a most interesting and unexpected novelty of the MAKS 2007 air show. Unveiling the Skats full-scale mockup to the media in a MiG Corp. hangar at LIIs airfield in Zhukovsky on the third day of the show made quite a stir, because no details on MiG Corp.s UCAV development had been available and the Skats demonstration at MAKS 2007, albeit planned by the developer, had not been advertised at all. Permission to unveil the Skat UCAV was given by Russian President Vladimir Putin on 21 August. As a result, a full-size Skat mockup was displayed in a hangar of MiG Corp. at Gromov LIIs airfield, rather than at the display ground, and few media people were invited, among which Take-off editor was lucky to be
COSMONAUTICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
ISS now run by female. Another replacement in position in orbit
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There has been a change of the crew of the ISS. In October, a woman, NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, headed a long-term orbital expedition for the first time in history of space exploration. She and Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko were accompanied to the ISS by the first Malaysian cosmonaut Sheikh Muszafar Shukor. He spent 11 days in orbit and came back to the Earth together with the ISS-15 crew cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Fyodor Yurchikhin. Alina Chernoivanova tells about the current mission to the ISS
FSA Chief on prospects of Russian space exploration Latest space rocket designs at MAKS 2007 Aspects of GLONASS development
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AIRSHOW | MAKS-2007
Le Bourget 2007 Participant companies Participant countries Aircraft demonstrated Total visitors Business visitors Public 2000 42 140 314,000 154,000 160,000
occupying pavilions, which area totalled more than 32,000 sq.m. Chalets for negotiations numbered 76. Foreign participation increased considerably too. 247 foreign companies attended an 84-per cent increase over MAKS 2005, with 79 of them being newcomers. The number of national expositions grew too. The public and experts had an opportunity to see the expositions of Germany (25 companies), France (22), United States (13), China (14), Belgium (17), Ukraine (15) and the Czech Republic (8). A key feature of MAKS 2007, setting it apart from the previous and foreign air shows, was the conduct of international scientific conferences, seminars and roundtables, in which leading Russian and foreign scientists, designers and engineers spoke on latest trends in aircraft development and manufacture. The flight demonstration of aircraft at MAKS 2007 routinely one-upped demonstration programmes of other international aerospace shows. 62 aircraft of
Russian Falcons military display team from Lipetsk, who debuted this year with a mock dogfight staged by four Su-27 and Su-30 fighters. Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the opening ceremony of MAKS 2007, saying that the show could
potentially turn into the major forum of business partnership in aviation and space exploration. The first three days of the air show were dedicated to business, with over 300 business meetings conducted, including signatures of contracts, agreements and MoU. The total worth of the agreements signed exceeded $3 billion. The key international deals clinched in the course of the show include the memorandum on the contract for six Sukhoi Su-27SKM and Su-30MK2 fighters for Indonesia coming into force, the agreements on delivery by the Ilyushin Finance leasing company of five Tupolev Tu-204s to Iran and two Tu-204s and three Antonov An-148s to Cuba, the signature of the memoran-
dum of understanding and cooperation by Russias United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) and Aviation of Ukraine state aircraft-making concern, MiG Corp.s contracts with Kazakhstan and Poland on MRO and support of earlier-delivered aircraft, etc. During the air show, several major deals were made on making and delivering Tu-204, Il-96 and An-148 aircraft and engines to power them to Russian carriers. In all, MAKS 2007 was attended by 725,000 people more than 40 per cent increase over the previous show and the record for all international air shows! The event prompted unheard-of interest of the media, with 3,644 reporters from 713 media covering MAKS 2007 from 46 countries.
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Andrey Fomin
Alexey Mikheyev
site number, Alexander Rubtsov, signed a memorandum, under which Ilyushin Finance Co. is to lease five Il-96-400T freighters to
the airline. The first two of them are to start cargo operations by the end of 2007, with the rest to follow suit before 2010. The second brand-new Il-96 participating in this years MAKS show was the Il-96-300 (RA-96018) airliner made by VASO in August for use by the Rossiya state transport company. The company has in its inventory two Il-96-300PU airliners designed for carrying the Russias President and other governmental officials. Unlike the two presidential jets, Rossiyas new buy has the traditional passenger layout.
Sergey Sergeyev
200810, Ilyushin Finance Co. and VASO on 23 August clinched a firm deal on acquisition of 34 airliners of the type. They are designed for Russian and foreign carriers. On the same day, the East European Air Transport Association (EEATA) signed a memorandum on acquir-
ing five An-148 planes in the cargo version for the Polish airline Exin and Hungarian carrier CityLine Hungary. Thus, by the time MAKS 2007 wrapped up, the number of firm orders for the An-148 had totalled 45, with 89 options. To fit the An-148s in production by
VASO with engines, Ilyushin Finance Co. and Motor Sich signed a contract of sale on the very first day of the air show, under which the Zaporozhye-based engine manufacturer is to deliver 74 D-436-148 engines and 37 AI-450-MS auxiliary power units.
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Alexey Mikheyev
Alexey Mikheyev
Finance Co. a firm order for financial leasing of six brand-new Tu-204 aircraft in various configurations, including the Tu-204SM upgraded model now under development. Their deliveries are slated to begin in late 2009 or early 2010. Therefore, to plug the hole while the carrier is waiting for the new Tu-204s, the lessor is pondering temporary commissioning of several earlier-built aircraft of the type, e.g. those previously operated by Siberia Airlines (S7) and now flown by Aviastar-TU the Tu-204-100s No 64011 and 64017, which were built in 1993 and 1996. Another Tupolev aircraft could be delivered to Red Wings as early as next March.
In addition, at the same time with delivering the RA-64018 to Red Wings on 2 October, Alexander Rubtsov and Konstantin Teterin signed another document aimed at developing the carriers aircraft fleet an agreement on the delivery of five more Tu-204-100s worth about $160 million in total. Thus, in the coming years, the Tu-204-family planes in service with Red Wings are to total 14, which will make the airline the major operator of aircraft of the type. The new Russian low-cost carrier is expected to arrange the booking of tickets two to three weeks in advance via the Internet, like other discounters do.
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Yevgeny Yerokhin
Yevgeny Yerokhin
Mikhail Pogosyan, Sukhois Director General (left), and Sergey Ivanov, Russias first Vice-Premier, at the Sukhoi Superjet 100 roll-out ceremony
tough: the SuperJet is to be certificated in late 2008 when the first production aircraft are to be delivered to the launch customer, Aeroflot Russian Airlines. Attending the rollout ceremony, Aeroflots boss Valery Okulov concluded his welcome address by wishing well to the aircrafts developers and voices his hope for the first SuperJets delivery to be on schedule. Sukhoi Director General Mikhail Pogosyan agreed that the certifications unprecedented tight schedule posed the main hurdle for the programme but his company and subcontractors had been doing their best to stick to the schedule. Stringent (to the day!) compliance with the first SuperJets rollout schedule is a good case in point. At the same time with the certification tests, KnAAPO will launch production in 2008. According to Vladimir Bychenko, the
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first 13 aircraft are planned for production next year, while the proactive renovation of KnAAPOs production facilities is to allow production of as many as 30 airliners in 2009. The annual SuperJet output is to be driven to 60 by late in 2010, and then to 70 afterwards. About 115 million euros are to be invested in the production lines overhaul. The money is to be obtained from several sources, including the governmental financing, Sukhois and KnAAPOs own funds and money provided by leasing companies. To date, KnAAPO has used about 50 million euros on setting up an upto-date engineering centre, which provided the paperless preproductioning technology, and on acquiring manufacturing equipment from major foreign companies.
Productionising the SuperJet, KnAAPO takes delivery of automated assembly systems allowing manual assembly work to be minimised. This steps up quality and precision of the production processes and saves time. Production aircraft are to be assembled at the production line, with the final assembly shop being furnished with six work areas, namely the automated jigless fuselage assembly-hole laser assembly area (the first such area in Russia), wing/fuselage mating area; powerplant/airframe integration area, aircraft system assembly area to fit the hydraulic, oxygen and fire-suppressant systems, and other areas. At the same time, six aircraft will be in the assembly shops, moving from area to area. A production SuperJet is to be completed in only 28 days. The SuperJet cooperative manufacture also involves two more Russian aircraft
take-off november 2007
Yuri Kabernik
Right: SaM146 new-generation turbofan designed and manufactured by Russias NPO Saturn in cooperation with French SNECMA onboard the first Sukhoi Superjet 100 flying prototype
plants NAPO (Novosibirsk Aircraft Production Association) making fuselage nose and tail sections and empennage and VASO (Voronezh Aircraft Production Joint Stock Company), the manufacturer of the new airliners composite parts and components that make up 10 per cent of the structure. The SuperJets wing high-lift devices, elevators, rudders, hatches, fairing and the inboard leading-edge blendings are made of composites. NPO Saturn and SNECMA handle the development and manufacture of the SaM146 engine to power the SuperJet. The two companies set up the PowerJet joint
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Yuri Kabernik
Left and centre: wing and fuselage assembly for the second Sukhoi Superjet 100 flying prototype (No 95003). Top: airframe panels manufacture by means of Broetje automatic processing system
will be certificated under the Russian, EU and US air rules, which will permit the SuperJets operation in any country. In accordance with the SuperJets service-entry schedule and under the existing contracts, Saturn shall launch deliveries of production SaM146s in 2008. According to a Saturn spokesman, 267 SaM146s are planned for delivery to Sukhoi Civil Aircraft in 200810, of which 167 have already been firm orders. Major French, German, US and other companies handle the development, manufacture and delivery of systems and
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By the time the first flying SuperJet was rolled out, the developer had snagged 73 firm orders, including 10 from Italian carrier ItAli and 61 from Russian airlines, with 41 options. In September, a customer from the former Soviet Union appeared a contract was signed on 14 September in Yerevan for two SuperJet 100/95LR extended-range planes and two options for Armenian carrier Armavia. The deal, which value is estimated at $5560 million, will be financed by Russian bank VTB. The first aircraft for the Armenian airline is to be delivered late in 2008.
Maxim Grishanin offered a new assessment of the market. In accordance with the socalled conservative forecast, Sukhoi Civil Aircraft with its SuperJet 100 regional airliner eyes 15 per cent of the global market of airliners, whose total capacity until 2022 is estimated by Boeing at 6,000 units. Thus, we are talking here about as many as 900 SuperJet 100s. Considering the advanced 120-seat SuperJet variant now under development, Maxim Grishanin said in Venice, the total number of possible sales of the whole SuperJet family may well be 1,800 aircraft.
take-off november 2007
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industry | in brief
Russian and Ukrainian aircraft plants launch the full-scale production of the An-148 and set up relevant maintenance centres. Cooperative development of the MS-21 medium-haul airliner and an advanced wide-body airliner was pronounced promising as well. A month after the MoUs signature on 1920 September, the programmes of the joint An-140, An-74 and An-148 production by Ukrainian and Russian manufacturers were presented to UAC and the Aviation of Ukraine delegations as well as media and new fields of cooperation to explore were discussed on the premises of KSAMC (Kharkov), Aviant (Kiev) and Antonov (Kiev).
Being more specific on the MoU, Ilyushins Director General/Designer General Victor Livanov, dual-hatted as the head of UACs Transport and Special Aircraft Division, told at a news conference in Kiev that, as far as cargo ramp aircraft are concerned, the parties were intent on joint promotion of the An-124, Il-76, An-70, MTA, Il-112 and An-74 freighters on the markets, including the Russian one. In this context, the Ukrainians were invited to join the MTA programme, and the Russians indicated their willingness to reconsider their stance on the An-70 programme. Feasibility of passenger aircraft cooperation was mentioned before the gathering in Kiev by Ilyushin
Andrey Fomin
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industry | in brief
Alexey Mikheyev
Ka-226 featuring the unique capability of landing on tiny helipads and the Ansat being just the thing for flying rather long distances. In addition to the Rolls-Royce-powered Ka-226 variant, another version, this time powered by a powerplant from Turbomeca, is to be built. Russo-French R&D in under way into the version
According to Yuri Ivanov, in the 4.5t takeoff-weight class, in which the Mi-54 used to be planned for development, a different machine will be developed with foreign participation to meet the FAR and JAR standards. The aircraft will be able to carry either Russian or foreign-made engines. The head of Helicopters of Russia also brought Kamovs pro-
Alexey Mikheyev
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Andrey Fomin
industry | in brief
Su-35s debut
Probably, the first flying example of the Generation 4++ Sukhoi Su-35 heavily upgraded fighter, which is to replace the current Su-30MK fighter family on the global market after 200910, was the most-high profile debutant of the MAKS 2007 air show. Sporting a new yellow-and-brown camouflage paintjob and No 901, the first Su-35 had been completed by KnAAPO by August 2007 and had not flown by the time the air shows kicked off. It was shown only as a static display for this reason. An An-124 Ruslan transport aircraft airlifted it to Gromov LIIs airfield in Zhukovsky on the eve of the MAKS 2007 show. After the show had been over, it carried on with the ground tests in the run-up to its flight trials. The maiden flight is slated for November this year. The aircraft has been fitted with flying examples of the Saturn 117S engine rated at 14,500 kgf. Prior to MAKS 2007, the first Su-35 had been equipped with the Tikhomirov-NIIP Irbis-E passive phased array radar (PAR) and, during the show, was displayed with its nose cone detached for a while. The full-scale mockup of the phased array and a scaled-down mockup of the whole Irbis-E radar were exhibited by Tikhomirov-NIIP as part of its pavilion exposition. The Irbis-E radar features, among other things, an electro-hydraulic actuator enabling the phased array to scan 60 deg. in azimuth and 120 deg. around its longitudinal axis. However, the principle advantage of the Su-35s radar is its 350400km acquisition range. This has been the world record as far as production active and passive fighter PARs as well as those now
under development are concerned. At present, the Irbis-E is in its flight trials on board the Su-30MK2 No 503 flying testbed, with the first series of test mission having produced very good results in basic declared air-to-air and air-to-surface characteristics. Both the existing air-launched weapons (R-73E, RVV-AE, R-27ER1, R-27ET1, Kh-59MK, Kh-29T and Kh-31A/P) and unveiled full-scale mockups of a super-long-range two-stage air-to-air missile and the 3M-54AE two-stage long-range antiship missile were displayed on the Su-35s hardpoints and laid out in front of it. The two two-stage missiles in question are both from the Novator design bureau in Yekaterinburg. The first Su-35 prototype has been followed by two more in KnAAPOs jigs (the second and fourth prototypes). They are to join the flight test programme in 2008. At the same time, several flying testbeds derived from various Su-27 versions are used in the trials to test the 117S engine, Irbis-E radar, a new infrared search-and-track (IRST) system, the advanced KSU-35 integrated control system, etc. The Su-35 is expected to enter full-rate production and delivery already in 2009, with its production to continue until a Russian fifth-generation fighter hits the market. The Su-35s production also has become part of the State Armament Programme for the Period until 2015, under which its deliveries to the Russian Air Force are planned.
KnAAPO
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Yevgeny Yerokhin
Piotr Butowski
industry | in brief
Participating in the MAKS 2007 air show, the MiG Corp. placed emphasis on displaying the ad-hoc painted MiG-29K and MiG-29KUB carrierborne fighters under development on order from the Indian Navy and on the Gen. 4++ MiG-35 fighter demonstrator, known from the air show in Bangalore, and upgraded MiG-29SMT. A number of interesting innovations under the MiG-35 programme could be seen at the stand, in particular, the full-size Zhuk-AE active phased-array radar mockup, OLS-UEM IRST and a MiG-35 model featuring several design
At the stand shared with the State Ryazan Instrument Plant in the United Aircraft Corporations combat aircraft pavilion, the Tikhomirov-NIIP instrument research institute unveiled at MAKS 2007 fragments of the prototype X- and L-band active electronically scanned arrays (AESA) in development to fit the radar system of the future PAK FA tactical fighter. AESAs being developed by Tikhomirov-NIIP are based on modifications compared with the up-to-date Russian technologies and electronic componentry, including flying demonstrator. The latest MiG-35 will have larger microwave multifunction integrated vertical tails, whose outline will be different to that of the well-known MiG-29 familys fighters. In addition, its tail sections shape will change as well due to introduction of a large central tail boom. The improvements stem from the necessity of housing extra fuel and from an increase in the takeoff weight. In addition, the MiG-35 had as many as 10 underwing weapons stations. It looks like the aircraft will kick off its tests in this very layout, with the tests slated for late 2008 or early 2009.
Yevgeny Yerokhin
Kamovs second latest programme unveiled at MAKS 2007 looks far more revolutionary. It is about developing the Ka-92 high-speed helicopter powered by a rigid coaxial three-blade coaxial main rotor and a coaxial push-type propeller set in the tail section aft of the tail unit. Judging by a poster at Kamovs stand, the Ka-92 is designed for use as a trans-
port means in inaccessible areas of the country. There has been no detailed information offered yet, but the proof that this is not a dusted-off design of yester-years is the fact Oboronproms chief Denis Manturov presented a Ka-92 model to Russian President Vladimir Putin attending the helicopter makers stand at MAKS 2007.
Alexey Mikheyev
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Alexey Mikheyev
Yevgeny Yerokhin
industry | in brief
Alexey Mikheyev
The second example of the advanced Kamov Ka-60 medium multirole helicopter entered the flight test programme on the Kamov companys premises in Moscows Lyubertsy suburb on 21 September. The machine completed its first flight controlled by a test pilot crew of Alexander Smirnov (pilot in the right seat) and Alexander Papai (unlike the first prototype, the second machine is the Ka-60U trainer version with double controls). The maiden flight of the second Ka-60 (side No 602) had been awaited for quite a while. The aircraft was built as far back as 2003 and exhibited as a static display at the MAKS 2003 air show. Engine runs began in March 2005, but it took the prototype the long 2.5 years from the first engine run to the maiden flight, because the powerplant and power train were in need of debugging and additional ground tests. Following the early test hovers, the Ka-60 (No 602) was moved to Kamovs new flight test base near the Chaklovsky airfield where it will undergo further trials. At the same time, the future of the Ka-60 remains hazy. Yuri Ivanov, Director General of the Helicopters of Russia joint stock company (a 100-per cent subsidiary
of Oboronprom), said during MAKS 2007 that the current Russian helicopter type and model optimisation concept does not provide for actual steps to be taken to productionise the Ka-60. In the 6.5t field (i.e. the advanced Ka-60 and Ka-62), it would, possibly, be easier to obtain a licence for making a similar foreign machine in Russia due to the lack of the proper financing of these [Ka-60 and Ka-62] helicopters and the lack of the engine to power them, Yuri Ivanov told at a news conference in Zhukovsky. As is known, the Ka-60 was developed to be powered by the RD-600V 1,300 hp (emergency rating 1,550 hp) engine from the Rybinsk Engine Design Bureau (now NPO Saturn). The IACs Aircraft Registry type-certificated the engine on 30 December 2003, but the RD-600V has not entered production due to the lack of orders and proper funding. The same goes with the Ka-60s power train: the VR-60A main and KhVR-600A reduction gearboxes were developed by the Voronezh-based OKBM Engine-Building Design Bureau but its testing dragged its feet due to the lack of money. By the way, the problems faced by the VR-60A reduction gearbox are considered to
be among the reasons behind the delays in the helicopters tests. A manufacturer of the Ka-60s production model has not been selected yet either. The first prototype (side No 601) was made in 1997 by Kamovs prototype division that later assembled the second prototype made by the MiG Corp.s production and test outfit in Lukhovitsy. Then, the Ka-60 and Ka-62s production was planned to run at the Ulan-Ude Aircraft Plant (UUAZ) that used to make Kamovs Ka-15, Ka-18 and Ka-25 helicopters. They say the Ka-60 might enter production at another Kamov-related helicopter plant, Progress, in the town of Arsenyev in the Russian Far East, which now builds Ka-50s and Ka-52s. However, it looks like neither plant has taken any concrete steps to productionise the Ka-60 yet. Meanwhile, the Kamov company is hopeful for its machine to face a bright future, all the more so that no helicopters in the class are made in this country, and the niche of the 6.5t helicopter with the 22.75t lifting capacity remains vacant. Therefore, the company carries on with its work on the Ka-60, paying for it, essentially, out of its pocket.
The first prototype helicopter, which entered the trials almost a decade ago (by the way, it completed its 10 December 1998 maiden flight, controlled by the very Alexander Smirnov who took off the second prototype from the ground as well), is having bugs ironed out of its empennage and avionics. Once this is done, it is to resume flying. Testing as many as two flying prototypes will allow the programme to step up its tempo, which, Kamov hopes, will attract launch customers. In such a case, one could expect a change of heart of the Russian helicopter industrys leaders as to the programme.
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Alexey Mikheyev
industry | in brief
Yevgeny Yerokhin
Kh-38ME
Kh-31AD
tories (the Kh-25M and Kh-29 missiles in the first place). Thus, the missile will handle a wide spectrum of missions. Its characteristics have not been revealed yet, but in terms of dimensions, the missile is known to be between the family of Kh-25M modular missiles with a launch weight of about 300 kg and the heavier Kh-29T/L, which launch weight stands at 660680 kg. Like the designs they are to oust, the new missiles are to be fitted with various guidance packages, including TV or active radar homers, homing submunitions packed by the cluster warhead, etc. A full-size mockup of the modified Kh-31AD high-speed antiship missile featuring an improved powerplant and a large fuel capacity was unveiled at the air show as well. The derivative has a longer range over the baseline Kh-31A.
Kh-58UShKE
Obnosov speaking during MAKS 2007, the company devised a comprehensive air-launched weapon development programme in 2006. To date, timeframes for delivering weapons to fit a fifth-generation aircraft have been hashed out, financial sources have been determined and in-house cooperation has been opti-
vestor and in-house financing. According to Obnosov, the corporations governmental financing has been virtually unchanged, accounting for mere 20 per cent, with the government to start providing the bulk of the funds to pay for advanced programmes no sooner than in 2011.
to launch the trials of several latest designs in the forthcoming months, Boris Obnosov said at MAKS 2007. Thus, cutting-edge air-launched guided weapons may enter inventory after 201012. All of them are designed to fit future aircraft, particularly, the PAK FA, and the Su-35 and MiG-35 upgrades.
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Yevgeny Yerokhin
Yevgeny Yerokhin
industry | in brief
Back to origins
The Lavochkin scientific production association, which designed several versions of jet-powered drones and unmanned recce aircraft of the La-17 series and then switched to spacecraft development, is coming back to aeroplane development. News came during MAKS 2007, when the company unveiled a mockup of its new UAV bearing the famous brand name of Lavochkin. The aircraft is dubbed La-225. Take-offs correspondent was told at Lavochkin that work on advanced drones had been under way for several years now. There are several programmes in various stages of development, including the Krechet (Binom), Colibri and Terrier (Navodchik) remote-sensing UAVs. Displayed at MAKS 2007, the La-225 Komar mobile air recce UAV is designed to feed real-time video imagery to the ground control post. The vehicle is powered by a two-stroke petrol engine (there are several versions of the powerplant to fit it), can remain airborne for six hours and keep an eye on a perimeter up to 300 km (up to 500 km, if a relay capability is available). According to Lavochkin, the aircraft is at the flight test and experiment stage.
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Yevgeny Yerokhin
Andrey Fomin
MiG-29 and Su-27 families have been unable to use such long-range and heavy missiles weighing 1.4 t or more. Novator used to be a specialist in naval anti-ship and surface-to-air missiles. At the air show, the company made its debut in the field of aircraft weapons. The design bureau has been working in this field for a rather long time, with the efforts being based on proven solutions
Bureau and NPO Saturn. The engine furnishes the missile with the Mach 0.60.8 subsonic cruising speed. The 3M-54E version is a two-stage design with a supersonic warload stage powered by a solid-propellant booster accelerating it to Mach 2.35. The missiles have the normal aerodynamic configuration with the pop-up wing and cruciform tail unit. The solid-fuel sustainer is housed by the tail section of the missiles
body and has a belly-mounted air intake. On hardpoints, the Club familys missiles are inside the cruciform-empennage containers, from which they are ejected by an expulsion charge after the release from the carrier. It is such containers that were exhibited during MAKS 2007. Release can take place within the 50011,000m altitude bracket. The cruising altitude above water is 20 m, with the 3M-14AE hugging terrain at an altitude of 50150 m. On the terminal leg towards the target, the altitude over the sea drops to 510 m. The maximum range of the Club-family weapons is 300 km. the 3M-14AEs launch
weight measures 1,400 kg, with the two-stage 3M-54AE weighing 1,950 kg. Depending on the variant of the missile, the warhead weighs from 200 kg to 450 kg. Another latest product from Novator, displayed together with the Su-35 aircraft at MAKS 2007, is a superlong-range two-stage air-to-air missile, which provisional designation AAM was stencilled its mockups. Two full-size AAM mockups were on display by the Sukhoi design bureau, attached to the Su-35 or laid out in front of it. However, Novators stand lacked any information on the weapon, and its experts kept mum about it.
Andrey Fomin
Andrey Fomin
industry | in brief
designation via the ground control post. The system is expected to have the round-the-clock all-weather capability. The UAVs weapons are housed by two under-wing pods fitted with homing or shaped charge/fragmentation submunitions. The system is being designed as heavily commonised with the baseline Dan aerial target system in service with the Russian Defence Ministry. The same is true with the aircraft as well. Its fuselage is 4.6 m long, with its wing spanning 5.63 m. The takeoff weight is within 500 kg, and both weapon pods weigh
30 kg and surveillance/targeting gear weighs up to 90 kg. The systems combat radius is 150 km and its altitude bracket between 50 m and 6,000 m. The piston engine provides the 150 300-km/h speed for at least 1015 hours. The UAV can take off from the mobile launcher, propelled by its booster motor. The UAV lands in a fixed-wing aircraft manner, using its four-strut landing gear, but it can descend by parachute if need be, e.g. if there is no suitable airstrip available. Belarus is said to be among the systems component suppliers.
Particularly, a Belarus-made powerplant is to be used. The Dan-BARUK UAV systems unveiling at MAKS 2007 in UACs joint pavilion proves the developer is quite serious about the programme it is running. The Rosoboronexport state corporation promotes the Sokol design bureaus products abroad. Sokol and Rosoboronexport have crafted technical and commercial proposals for potential customers. According to a Sokol spokesman, the programme is focused on export sales, moreover, there is already a concrete customer that has not been named as yet.
E22 Berta
M850 Astra
are aerial targets designed for range practice of air defence missile system crews, with the Astra being an air-launched UAV while the Berta is launched from the ground. The UAVs
land by parachute. Both targets are powered by ENIKSs traditional powerplants pulsejet engines; however, there are the piston-engined and turbojet Berta variants.
Yevgeny Yerokhin
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Yevgeny Yerokhin
MiG-29
Piotr Butowski
Over 800 MiG-29 fighters have been exported since the aircraft entered production, with many of them still being in service with the air forces of almost 30 countries. Many of them were delivered from 1986 to 1995 and are now in the middle of their service life, which makes the users keen on having them upgraded. Therefore, along with designing and productionising new variants, such as the MiG-29K/KUB, MiG-29M/M2 and MiG-35, MiG Corp. has been pursuing several MiG-29 upgrade programmes to meet requirements of various customers. At the same time with introducing advanced avionics and weapons, the upgrade may include overhaul, conversion to on-condition maintenance and service life extension. Depending on tasks and the depth of the pockets of the customers, the upgrade may be either deep or lite. The former option results in the MiG-29SMT featuring the highest combat capabilities for earlier built aircraft of the type. Such fighters have already been supplied to countries in the Middle East and North Africa. The MiG-29SD and MiG-29SM offer less expensive upgrade packages, with their avionics not being subject to such drastic updating. Nonetheless, these versions acquire a number of advanced capabilities in using latest weapons systems. In addition to modernising operational MiG-29s, MiG Corp.s work is in full swing on developing a heavily upgraded derivative of the Fulcrum, the MiG-35, that will hit the market after 200910. The MiG-35s advanced technical solutions also are to be embodied in the MiG-29M/M2 intermediate derivative carrying less expensive avionics and weapons suites commonised with the MiG-29SMT.
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Andrey Fomin
before 2002 a total of 36 Soviet-built aircraft discarded from service by their own air forces. Yemen got its MiG-29s in the same fashion: four used fighters were exported by Moldova (all data of MiG-29 exports have been taken from the UN Register of Conventional Arms at http://disarmament2.un.org/un_register.nsf). Eritrea took delivery of its first MiG-29s in 199899 when six to 10 aircraft of the type arrived from Russia. However, many of them were lost soon during the war against Ethiopia. Sudan was next to join the club of MiG-29 users, having bought from MiG Corp. 12 MIG-29SE and MiG-29UB aircraft in 200304 under the contract signed in 2001. The willingness of the users in the region to have the combat capabilities of their MiG-29s enhanced (the former Soviet states sometimes delivered the fighters in a state that was not satisfactory enough) and expand their fleets of the fighters of the type has led to new contracts awarded to MiG corp. earlier in this decade. Under the contracts, the manufacturer upgrades the fighters to MiG-29SMT standard or replaces them with brand-new aircraft of the same type. Yemen became the launch customer for the MiG-29SMT in the region and in the world, having ordered upgrade of 20 fighters, including upgrade of four MiG-29UB two-seaters, in December 2002. At the first stage, Yemen got 14 baseline MiG-29s in the early 2000s, which soon afterwards were replaced with upgraded MiG-29SMTs. Delivery of updated twinseaters kicked off in 2004 and that of MiG-29SMT singleseaters in March 2005, having been completed by 2006.
The next country to field upgraded Fulcrums was Eritrea receiving two MiG-29SMTs in 2005. 2006 saw the kick-off of the deal, clinched earlier in the year, for 28 MiG-29SMT singleseaters and six upgraded MiG-29UB twinseaters to Algeria. The first twinseaters went to Algeria late last year, followed by early single-seat MiG-29SMTs this year. As was announced during the Le Bourget air show in June, early 2007 saw the signature of
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Low-cost option
Cash-strapped countries in Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia needing inexpensive
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Piotr Butowski
Andrey Fomin
New Zhuk-ME slotted-array radar designed by Phazotron-NIIR corp. featuring increased to 120 km target detection range, wider scan area and four-target multiple-engagement capability
New glass cockpit with two huge multifunction colour LCDs, new HUD and HOTAS concept implemented
Optionally upgraded infra-red search-and-track system Option for additional 950-litre dorsal fuel cell
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MiG-29SMT
upgraded fighter main features
Drawing by Alexey Mikheyev R-27T1 (ET1) medium-range IR-guided air-to-air missile
Klimov RD-33 Series 3 turbofan engines with increased to 2,000 h service life being produced by Chernyshev Moscow-based Machine-building Plant
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Anton Pavlov
Zhuk-ME slotted-array radar designed by Phazotron-NIIR corp., the core of the MiG-29SMTs upgraded weapons control system
and communications suites have been beefed up through introducing a multifunction computer, a satnav receiver and an extra comms radio. The advanced MSP-418K podded electronic warfare system can be added as well. The MiG-29SMs air-to-air weaponry is similar to that of the MiG-29SE, but in addition it can use such air-to-ground PGMs, as the Kh-29T(TE), Kh-31A and Kh-31P guided missiles as well as KAB-500Kr and KAB-500-OD guided bombs. Using a target designation pod or having the targets painted by external
laser designators, the aircraft can use the Kh-29L and Kh-25ML guided missiles and KAB-500L guided bombs.
Deep upgrade
A deeper upgrade of the MiG-29 fighter, the MiG-29SMT, is offered to the Middle East, North African and Asian countries that are in cash and in need of top-notch multirole fighters. The MiG-29SMT features the sophisticated Zhuk-ME radar, a new cockpit management system, a number of latest avionics,
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Anton Pavlov
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Left: MiG-29SMT (aircraft 919) featuring additional 950-litre dorsal fuel cell became a prototype for upgraded fighters for Algerian Air Force being delivered since 2006
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Piotr Butowski
MiG -29UB upgraded 17.42 11.36 4,73 16,000 21,000 3,380 11,500 21,150 4,500
MiG-29SMTs glass cockpit: the main sighting and navigation information is displayed on two huge multifunction colour LCDs and HUD with HOTAS concept is implemented
4,500
MiG-29SM and Fulcrums latest versions the MiG-29K/KUB and MiG-35 in terms of the existing production weapons. Important features of the MiG-29SMT are its extended service life and reduced operating cost. To maintain the relevant serviceability and combat readiness of the aircraft and ensure their flight safety, the fighters are now subject to on-condition maintenance. The assigned life has been extended to 4,000 flight hours and the service life to 40 years (production MiG-29s had 2,500 hours and 20 years respectively). MiG-29SMTs are powered by RD-33 Series 3 engines, which assigned life has been extended to 2,000 hours. The RD 33 Series 3 is in production with the MMP Chernyshev Moscow-based Machine-building Plant. On-condition operation includes operational maintenance (preflight and between-flights servicing totalling within 25 min., as well as post-flight action up to 45 min.) and periodic maintenance, including dedicated inspections and tests,
periodic maintenance every 200 flight hours logged or 24 months of operation, technical assessment and reconditioning every 1,000 flight hours logged (for comparison: during planned-maintenance operation of earlier-built fighters of the MiG-29 family, periodic maintenance was run every 100 flight hours or 12 months, scheduled maintenance every 200 fight hours (24 months) and overhaul every 800 and 1,500 flight hours, or 9 and 17 years respectively). MiG-29SMT fighters can result from both upgrading the existing MiG-29s (MiG-29SEs) and making new aircraft. MiG-29SMT deliveries to the launch customers Yemen and Eritrea kicked off in 2005 and to Algeria in late 2006. The two-seat combat trainer variant of the MiG-29SMT was designated as upgraded MiG-29UB, or MiG-29UBT. It has the same avionics suite and cockpit management system, save for the radar. Its weapons fit matches that of the MiG-29SMT, except for the radar homing missile capability (an
MiG-29SMT prototype (aircraft 777) with different PGMs being displayed at Dubai airshow in November 2005
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Piotr Butowski
MiG-29M-OVT main data Aircraft length, m ...............................................................17.37 Wing span, m.....................................................................11.36 Height, m .............................................................................4.73 Normal take-off weight, kg ...............................................16,100 Internal fuel, kg ..................................................................4,400 Max speed, km/h: - at sea level ......................................................................1,500 - at high altitude .................................................................2,300 Max Mach number .................................................................2.2 Service ceiling, m ............................................................17,500 Max g load ................................................................................9 Ferry range with three drop fuel tanks, km .........................3,000 Powerplant type ........................................................RD-33 OVT Take-off thrust, kgf .........................................................2x8,300
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by Irkuts test pilots were ferried this summer to the Sukhoi design bureau for flight trials. They have been flown at the Defence Ministrys Flight Test Centre (GLITs) in Akhtubinsk. Three more aircraft were built in September. They are designed for converting the first team of Algerian Air Force pilots who are having ground school at Sukhois training centre in Zhukovsky (Moscow Region), with the flight training phase to take place there as well. To this end, three Su-30MKAs were ferried from Irkutsk to Gromov LIIs airfield in Zhukovsky. Following the flight trials and training the Algerian crews, the aircraft will go to Algeria, Demchenko is quoted as saying by the Interfax-AVN news
agency. The Irkut president also said the plant in December would assemble one more production Su-30MKA that would be shipped to the customer at once. Under the contract, the Russian company will have delivered the first Su-30MKA six-ship tranche to Algeria by early next year. The remaining 22 aircraft will be delivered during 200809, after which a new deal might be clinched, Irkuts president admits. The current contract provides for an option for 28 Su-30MKAs more. The deal under the option may be finalised based on the result of operating the aircraft to be delivered under the first contract, Oleg Demchenko said at MAKS 2007.
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Alexey Mikheyev
The Indian government issued on 28 August the request for proposals under the MMRCA (Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft) programme stipulating for the Indian Air Force (IAF) to acquire 126 medium multirole fighters. Thus, a largest combat aircraft tender in history (estimated to be worth more than $10 billion) kicked off officially. Until that date, only requests for information had been sent to potential contenders. Based on this preliminary stages results, a group of principal aspirants for the multibillion-dollar deal has emerged. Six companies from the United States, Western Europe and Russia are will-
ing to take part in the Indian tender Lockheed Martin and Boeing with their F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-18E/F Super Hornet respectively, Dassault with its Rafale, SAAB and BAE Systems with their JAS39 Gripen, Eurofighter with the EF2000 Typhoon and Russias MiG Corp. with its MiG-35. The proposals should be submitted within six months, i.e. by late February 2008. The first stage of the tender the three-month evaluation of the six contenders demonstrators is to begin already next June. Then, IAFs experts will go to the fighters countries of origin to evaluate the capabilities of
their weapons suites. A short list of contenders is to be approved early in 2009, with a final decision to be taken based on the short list in 201214 following the final evaluation of the remaining contenders (that stage will mostly be focused on the commercial side of the deal, particularly, offset programmes offered by the seller, which at the Indian governments request should total 50 per cent of the contracts value). With a decision taken, a contract is to be awarded to a winner that will deliver 18 fighters to IAF, with the remaining 108 to be licence-produced by Indian corporation HAL.
According to expert opinion, the Generation 4++ MiG-35 multirole being developed and offered by the MiG Corp. will be among the main contenders in this race. The company had completed a MiG-35 technology demonstrator based on the MiG-29M2 No 154 by early 2007. The demonstrator was displayed at the Aero India 2007 air show in Bangalore in February. In all probability, the aircraft will be used in the first phase of the competitive trials in India next summer. MiG Corp. plans to launch testing prototype (preproduction) MiG-35s in the final configuration, intended for IAF, in late 2008 or early 2009. Soon after MAKS 2007, Russian President Vladimir Putin paid an official visit to Indonesia, during which an intergovernmental agreement was signed on Russia providing a $1 billion state credit to Indonesia to finance its procurement of advanced Russian arms. The latter may include about 10 Mil Mi-17 helicopters, five more Mi-35 attack helicopters and an additional tranche of Sukhoi fighters Indonesian Defence Minister Juwono Sudarsono said the country would continue to buy Sukhoi fighters to bring their number up to 18.
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Alexey Mikheyev
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Alexey Mikheyev
on-site ground-school and flight conversion of flying and ground crews in combat units. To this end, an up-to-date Su-34 simulator will be set up. It maximises the simulation of real-life flight and combat procedures as realistically as possible. However, transition to en-mass conversion of combat pilots will begin once Su-34 start fielding with RusAF combat units in sufficient numbers. To date, NAPO has delivered only two production aircraft, with six Su-34 prototypes and LRIP aircraft more undergoing the joint official trials in Akhtubinsk and Zhukovsky. If all goes to plan, CCTC could be furnished with several aircraft more once they have completed their trials in Chkalov GLITs. The Su-34 entered full-rate production in 2006 under a three-year
contract. Alas, one should hardly expect that the manufacture and delivery of six such aircraft before year-end would not slip behind schedule. Meanwhile, the plan provided for making up to 10 aircraft a year since 2008. According to first Vice-Premier Sergey Ivanov speaking in public on his visit to NAPO last year, 24 production Su-34s are to be built to form an air regiment the three-year contract. As many as 58 aircraft were to be delivered by 2015. In all, RusAF needs about 200 aircraft of the type, says Mikhail Pogosyan, Sukhois Director General, but the company plans to make a total of 300400 Su-34 aircraft, considering the prospects the fighter-bombers export variant, the Su-32, is facing on the global market.
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A.Gordeyev
A.Gordeyev
liminary report on the Yak-130. The official tests are to be completed in late 2008. The aircraft is being productionised at the same time, Demchenko said. Col.-Gen. Zelin said the Air Force would launch procurement of production Yak-130s in 2008, with the first four aircraft to be delivered to the Combat and Conversion Training Centre (CCTC) in Lipetsk in later 2008 for familiarisation and issuance of recommendations to combat units on its operation. This done, the early Yak-130s are slated for fielding with the training centre in Borisoglebsk, Alexander Zelin says. In all, RusAF plans to field at least 60 Yak-130s by 2015.
As Oleg Demchenko said during the air show in Paris in June, the State Armament Programme for the Period until 2015 stipulated the number of aircraft, with additional orders being mulled over. The wings of the Yak-130s earmarked for RusAF will be made in Irkutsk and airframes in Nizhny Novgorod, with the Nizhny Novgorod-based Sokol plant to handle the combat trainers final assembly as well. In all, the Irkut Corp. has plans for over 150 Yak-130s to be delivered in the coming years in cooperation with Sokol. According to Oleg Demchenko, this year, the aircraft plant in Irkutsk has launched work under the first foreign contract for
aircraft of the type, under which 16 Yak-130s are to be exported to Algeria. The first six aircraft are to be delivered in 2008, with the remaining 10 to follow suit in 2009. Concurrently, talks are underway with other potential foreign buyers. Oleg Demchenko says his company has 82 orders for the Yak-130. We are facing the future with confidence, Irkuts president said, Air forces around the world are to start renovating their trainer aircraft fleets in 2012. Only Russia, Italy and South Korea can now offer such advanced trainers. We are leading other countries by 1.52 years in this respect and, hence, expect to get a large slice of the market.
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Alexey Mikheyev
Andrey FOMIN
The Skat low-observable jet-powered combat unmanned aerial vehicle (UCAV) under development by MiG Corp. became the most interesting and unexpected novelty of the MAKS 2007 air show. Unveiling the Skats full-scale mockup to the media in a MiG Corp. hangar at LIIs airfield in Zhukovsky on the third day of the show made quite a stir, because no details on MiG Corp.s UCAV development had been available and the Skats demonstration at MAKS 2007, albeit planned by the developer, had not been advertised at all. Permission to unveil the Skat UCAV was given by Russian President Vladimir Putin on 21 August. As a result, a full-size Skat mockup was displayed in a hangar of MiG Corp. at Gromov LIIs airfield, rather than at the display ground, and few media people were invited, among which this author was lucky to be.
SKAT
World experience
Mind you, there have been no unmanned aerial vehicles in this class in Russia until now. Development of heavy (i.e. weighing over a tonne) jet-powered reusable UAVs (it is reusability that distinguishes UAVs from cruise missiles) has been handled in this country by the Tupolev design bureau since the late 1960s. Tupolev has developed the VR-2 Strizh subsonic theatre-wide recce UAV (141, or Tu-141, with a takeoff weight of 5.4 t) and VR-3 Reis subsonic tactical recce UAV (143, or Tu-143 with a takeoff weight of 1.4 t). Both were in full-scale production and in service with the Soviet Army. In addition, there was production and operation of the La-17R subsonic tactical recce UAV with a takeoff weight of about 3 t, which was derived from the La-17 target drone by S.A. Lavochkins design bureau. Application of the above UAVs was limited to aerial reconnaissance, and the way they took off and landed was unlike that of ordinary planes they would be launched from special launchers by means of solid-propellant boosters and would land by parachute. The soviet jet-powered UAVs were not fit for fighting despite a number of attempts to design combat-capable vehicles. At the same time, the lessons learnt from the armed conflicts of the 80s and 90s, evolution of air defence and electronic warfare (EW) assets and growing costs of training flying crews had by the early new millennium raised the issue of a new class of heavy jetpowered UAVs capable of full-fledged combat operations solo and as part of a package, including such missions as taking out surface threats with precision-guided munitions (PGM), while having the performance as well as avionics similar to those on up-to-date manned tactical aircraft.
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Andrey Fomin
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Andrey Fomin
Sergey Kuznetsov
2006). The French programme has gradually evolved into a pan-European one dubbed nEUROn. Sweden, Italy and Spain, which decided to pool their UAV expertise for common good, have joined the programme along with Greece and Switzerland. The UK follows its own way so far, pursuing its Taranis programme stemming from the Raven experimental UAV programme. Both the nEUROn and Taranis are based on the concepts similar to that implemented in the X-45 and X-47, but their takeoff weight is estimated at 68 t so far. It has come to public knowledge recently that, following last years loss of a prototype, Germany has decided to terminate the Barracuda UCAV programme unveiled at the Berlin air show in May 2006 and is pondering joining a European future combat drone programme (most probably, the nEUROn programme).
Sergey Kuznetsov
Sergey Kuznetsov
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Yakovlev Proryv UAV family being designed using Yak-130 combat trainer technologies (drawing by Alexey Mikheyev)
Skat UCAV and MiG-29 fighter dimensions comparison (drawing by Alexey Mikheyev)
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Yevgeny Yerokhin
control surfaces are mounted on nearfuselage areas of the wing centre section and feature the forward sweep along the trailing edges (the same 54 deg. or so but in the opposite direction). The Skats powerplant is wrapped around a single Klimov RD-5000B nonafterburning turbofan rated at 5,040 kgf and being a derivative of the RD-93 reheated turbofan a version of the MiG-29s RD-33, which is mounted on single-engined foreign combat aircraft. The RD-5000B is fitted with a flat exhaust nozzle to reduce its infrared signature. At the first stage of the Skats trials, the engine can be equipped with a regular axisymmetric nozzle. The nonvariable air intake is set on top the fuselage nose section. Inside the UCAVs airframe, there are two 4.4m-long weapons bays with the 0.65x0.75m cross section on the sides of the engines air duct and the powerplant itself. Each can house an air-to-surface or antiradiation missile or a 250500kg smart bomb. The Skat
Calculations place its service ceiling at over 12,000 m and range at around 4,000 km. The Skats dimensions are comparable to those of the MiG-29 fighter, with its length being 10.25 m, wingspan 11.5 m and height 2.7 m. Its maximum takeoff weight is estimated at 10,000 kg.
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Andrey Fomin
Skat
advanced stealth unmanned combat aerial vehicle
(drawing by Alexey Mikheyev)
Skat-PD
Institute (the militarys traditional supervisor of scientific support of air defence forces), Vega corporation recently appointed UAV industrial integrator by the government, GosNIIAS (aircraft industrys major centre devising concepts of developing combat aircraft and weapons systems and integrating avionics suites). The Skats powerplant has been developed by the Klimov company in St. Petersburg in cooperation with the Soyuz design bureau (Tushino, Moscow) and will be made by the MMP Chernyshev company, if it enters production. Irkuts subsidiary, Russian Avionics design bureau, is in charge of developing the UCAVs avionics suite. Another subcontractor, the Hius close corporation (Tver Region), is a new kid on the aircraft-making block, but according to Vladimir Barkovsky, director of the Mikoyan Engineering Centre, it is very experienced in developing and making composite products.
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Hius develops composite structures to fit the Skats airframe. The full-size Skat UCAV mockup shown to the media at MAKS 2007 was made by MiG Corp.s prototype-making division in summer 2007. It is intended for testing design and layout solutions and optimising the drones performance. Next stages of the programme provide for making flying technology demonstrators the manned Skat-PD and unmanned SkatD versions and flight-testing them to debug the Skat and demonstrate all of its technologies, including the use of weapons. Vladimir Barkovsky attributes the need for a manned Skat variant to the Russian law imposing stringent limitations on UAV flights. The applicable law needs updating, and this is under way already. MiG Corp.s managers decline to specify the date the flight tests of Skat prototypes
will kick off. Obviously, test flights will hardly begin in the coming months. However, the priority given the programme by the company gives hope for the Skats maiden flight to be round the corner. Should the programme succeed, of which the developer is certain, the Defence Ministry is expected to throw its weight behind it, with the programme to be made part of the governmental defence procurement programme. Given the current trends in military aircraft development, the Skat is facing good prospects on the global market as well. Foreign participation in developing the Skat or its derivative cannot be ruled out, because such large-scale programmes have been increasingly pursued collectively in the West, with the afore-said nEUROn being a good case in point. Thus, the Skat may face bright vistas, given the present-day global combat aircraft tendencies.
take-off november 2007
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cosmonautics | mission
There has been a change of the crew of the ISS. In October, a woman, NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, headed a long-term orbital expedition for the first time in history of space exploration. She and Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko were accompanied to the ISS by the first Malaysian cosmonaut Sheikh Muszafar Shukor. He spent 11 days in orbit and came back to the Earth together with the ISS-15 crew cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Fyodor Yurchikhin.
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cosmonautics | mission
Another Russian spacecraft went to the International Space Station on 10 October. The Soyuz-FG launch vehicle hauling the Soyuz TMA-11 blasted off the 1st Launch Pad at Baikonur at 17.22 hours Moscow time, with the spacecraft docking to the Zarya functional cargo unit of the Russian segment of the ISS two days later. The 16th main expedition comprising Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson as well as the first Malaysian angkasawan Sheikh Muszafar Shukor arriving under the 13th expedition programme (angkasawan is the derivative of the Malay word angkasa outer space). The three have long space-related careers. Malenchenko first went to orbit in 1994, having worked 126 days at the Mir space station. He flew again in September 2000 as part of the STS-106 mission on board the Atlantis space shuttle under the programme of preparing the ISS for the arrival of the first permanent crew. Third time Malenchenko came to the orbit in April 2003 as crew commander of the 7th main expedition. While in orbit, Malenchenko got married, with his marriage of Russian-American Yekaterina Dmitiryeva being effected in absentia (under the law of Texas, the bride was present at the Mission Control Centre in Houston during the marriage ceremony). This was the first ever in-orbit marriage in history of space exploration. This flight was not the first one to Peggy Whitson. She spent six months at the ISS as the first researcher astronaut in 2002, having conducted 21 experiments in the fields of microgravity and medicine. However, this time around, she has much greater authority, having become the first female ISS crew commander. During the six month stint, she will have a crew of two men under her command, one of whom is Malenchenko and the slot of second flight engineer is to be occupied by alternating personnel. Until late October, it had been occupied by NASA astronaut Clayton Anderson, who came to the ISS as part of the STS-117 mission on the Endeavor shuttle in August this year. The STS-120 missions Discovery brought on 25 October US astronaut Daniel Tani to replace Anderson. Tani will have stayed at the ISS until December when he will be replaced by ESA astronaut Leopold Eyarts, who is to come on the Atlantis shuttle (STS-122). Finally, US astronaut Garret Reisman will replace Eyarts in February 2008, coming on board the STS-123 missions Endeavor. The ISS-16 crew led by Whitson will pursue a complex and rich programme. With the arrival of the Discovery to the ISS, a new construction phase began the shuttle, also commanded by a female NASA astronaut, Pamela Melroy, brought the second module, Node 2, into orbit. The first one, dubbed Unity, has been part of the ISS since 1998. Node 2 made in Italy will link three lab modules the US Destiny, the ECs Columbus and Japans Kibo. Columbus will be brought to the ISS in December while Kibo in early 2008. This will beef up the capabilities of the ISS, allowing its crew to increase from three to six. The Whitson-led crew also will receive two Progress cargo craft and the first EC freighter, the ATV Jules Verne, which launch is slated for January 2008. As usual, the main expeditions programme provides for several dozen experiments. The third member of the Soyuz TMA-11s crew, Malaysian Shukor, went to outer space for the first time, but his space epic has gone down to history of Malaysia. Mulling over sending a man into outer space began in Malaysia as far back as the late 1980s in response to a proposal from the Soviet government. However, only in 2002 did Malaysias National Space Agency sate that it was ready to meet all relevant requirements. A space flight of a Malaysian was specifically stipulated in the major package agreement between the two countries (under the agreement, Malaysia procures an almost $1 billion worth of Su-30MKM fighters and send a Malaysian national to outer space). Soon after clinching the deal, the Malaysian Space Agency started accepting applications from volunteers eager to become the first angkasawan. Applications were accepted via the Internet, with anybody above 21 having the right to apply. In the end, out of 11,000 applicants, about 3,700, who met the age and education requirements, were selected, of whom subsequent additional tests and medicals left only four, including a female. The four were further reduced to two Sheikh Muszafar Shukor, who, in the end, went to the ISS with the short-duration crew. His backup was Faiz Bin Halid. 35-year-old Shukor is an orthopaedic surgeon. He teaches medicine in Kebangsaan University. During his 10-day space flight, he conducted a series of experiments, including those aimed at researching cancer cells, proteins and microbes as well as an experiment official dubbed Malaysian Cuisine in Outer Space. Truth be told, there was not much food in question (the pack of nine Malaysian national dishes cooked to Islamic standards (halal) weighed 550 g, but the angkasawan managed to treat his comrades-in-orbit right after the end of Ramadan. By the way, since Shukor also was the first Muslim to be in outer space during Ramadan, the Malaysian ulema had devised for him the worlds first Muslim cosmonaut memo that allowed him to pray in accordance with special rules. Shukors space flight inspired Malaysia so much that the countrys vice-premier arrived in Russia to greet the angkasawan upon his return from orbit and, at the same time, talk with the Russians about having the other Malaysian cosmonaut, Faiz Bin Halid, fly to the ISS. The initiative came as
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a pleasant surprise to the Russian Federal Space Agency (FSA). However, the other surprise could hardly be called pleasant: the Soyuz TMA-10s lander with the Malaysian on board followed a ballistic trajectory. On the morning of 21 October, Oleg Kotov and Fyodor Yurchikhin, who were members of the 15th main expedition, and Sheikh Muszafar Shukor left the ISS and headed for the Earth. At 14.37 hours Moscow time, the lander was to touch down 85 km north of the town of Arkalyk in Kazakhstan. However, at 14.18, two minutes after entering the atmosphere, Oleg Kotov reported to the Flight Control Centre (TsUP) that the onboard computer opted for ballistic landing for some reason. About a minute after the sitrep, the landers crew experienced g-load exceeding the normal one by two times about 8.5 g. According to Kotov, electronic gear was sparking and there was a bit of smoke during the descent. At 14.20 hours, two minutes earlier than it would have happened in the automatic controlled descent, the main parachute deployed. While I was telling Sheikh to hold on, we already landed, Fyodor Yurchikhin reminisces on the ballistic descent. About a minute earlier that the
estimated time, the landers soft landing motors kicked in, and the capsule touched down 10 km away from the Kazakh town of Tolybai at 14.36 hours, undershooting more than 400 km. Already at 14.49 hours, the first search-and-rescue helicopter landed by the Soyuz capsule lying on its side. The landers crew did not even have enough time to get really scared. According to doctors, the Malaysian cosmonauts pulse rate was 72 beats per minute and that of Yurchikhin and Kotov 8090 beats per minute. Soon afterwards, the three were flown to Zvezdny Gorodok out of Moscow, and Energias ad hoc technical commission launched investigation into the reasons behind the ballistic descent. Mention should be made that last time a Soyuz spacecraft landed in a ballistic descent was May 2003, when Nikolay Budarin, Kenneth Bowersox and Donald Petit were returning from the ISS. They were subject to 8.1g overload and the craft landed 460 km away from the estimated location. Later on, investigation revealed that the lander went into ballistic descent due to an inadequate reaction of the BUSP-M descent control unit part of the descent control system to signals it received from the KIOO-18 gyro and angular rate meter. According to FSA chief Anatoly Perminov, this time the reasons for the lander to go ballistic were different. Most probably, the atmospheric state and the attitude of the craft played their part, Perminov guessed. Anyway, the ad hoc commission will find out the reasons, but the FSA chief was certain that the incident would not have an impact on those queuing up to fly to outer space in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft.
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Khrunichev displayed mockups of the Angara and Proton LV families, long known by experts and space exploration enthusiasts. However, they included novelties as well, e.g. the Angara-5P two-stage LV designed for inserting the manned system Khrunichev is developing based on its TKS manned spacecraft expertise, and as many as three different versions of the Angara-1 light launch vehicle. TsSKB-Progress from Samara unveiled its R-7 family rocket mockups the Soyuz-2-1b, Soyuz-2-3 and 1617t-capable Soyuz-2-3. While the first two are known, the third one became the second sensation after the Rossiyanka. Some data on the rocket have been circulating for a
while, but the general look and basic characteristics of the future launch vehicle were unveiled during MAKS 2007. Despite the Soyuz-2-3 designation shared with the baseline model, the third variant is radically different rocket featuring enlarged strap-on boosters to house NK-33-1 engines, just like the central booster will. To carry manned spacecraft, the third stage is to be powered by the RD-0110 engine. Fitted with the advanced efficient RD-0124, it will haul unmanned spacecraft. The second- and third-stage blocks have the same diameter, due to which the rocket measures roughly the same 46 m despite its launch weight growing up to 481 t. In spate of a considerable difference from other versions, the 17t-capable Soyuz will likely to launch from a modernised launch complex of the Soyuz rocket, if the programme goes ahead, of course. Meanwhile, the future of this interesting rocket, which load ratio exceeds those of the Zenit and Angara, is a big question mark. The Soyuz-2-3 line stems from the Yamal, Aurora/Onega and Yamal-1 designs that were considered in 19972004 but have been as far back from being embodied in metal, as they were a decade ago.
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measurement equipment that will enhance the operating stability of the constellation. The Glonass-K is slated for orbiting in 2009. During the air show, the Roscosmos chief and Vnesheconombanks representatives signed an agreement on cooperation and coordination in devising techniques of financing Roscosmos programmes and the GLONASS federal programme in the first place. Introduction, albeit slow, of the Russian satnav system in everyday life is beginning. The Kompas design bureau (Moscow) displayed the first Russian-made GPS/GLONASS navigation receiver during MAKS 2007. Initially, the gadget was developed for the Defence Ministry. It is immune to jamming, high and low temperatures and shocks. The compact NPI receiver is made of Russian electronic componentry, save for its German-made LCD that will lose ground to a Russian one once the device enters full-rate production. The receiver is estimated to cost within the $5001,500 depending on the scale of production.
Introduction of satnav capabilities to aircraft has been especially high on the agenda, because this enhances flight safety and, as far as military aircraft are concerned, effectiveness of combat operations. The growth of air traffic places greater emphasis on precise following of designated routes and air corridors, which has a heavy influence on flight safety. The current stacking standards stipulate air corridors must be stuck to with a 1-mile precision. GLONASS integrating with the joint navigation and aircraft positioning system will allow real-time route checking. The system will update the preset route every five seconds, thus ensuring compliance with all aircraft navigation requirements. The Atlant-Soyuz airline has been the first among Russian carriers to fit GLONASS gear on its aircraft, the Tupolev Tu-154M (RA-85740). The Vnukovo-based 400th Aircraft repair Plant fixed the airliner with the BMS onboard multifunction system from Navigator VNIIRA (St. Petersburg). In addition to GLONASS, BMS can use inputs from the US GPS and
European Galileo satnav systems and GNSS-SBAS (WAAS, EGNOS, MSAS) satellite-based augmentation systems. The gear proved to be effective and functionable. The Kompas design bureau designed a landing system for aircraft-carrying vessels the first Russian system of the kind, wrapped around GLONASS/GPS. The designers did their best to maximise its reliability and interference immunity and make it adaptable to commercial users requirements in the future. The system can be used on offshore rigs and civil vessels and at small airports. The government is to spend about 10 billion rubles ($400 million) on the GLONASS system in 2007. The number of Russian navigation satellites is to be beefed up to 18 navsats in 200809 and to the 24 required to complete the constellation by 2011. The precision of positioning is to be the same as that of GPS 1 to 5 m (it is lower by an order of magnitude so far). Two Proton launch vehicles were to insert six more GLONASS satellites late in 2007.
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