Posted on 08/18/2009 9:22:22 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
Russian Defense Ministry orders 64 Su-family fighters
MOSCOW, August 18 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Defense Ministry and the Sukhoi aircraft maker signed on Tuesday a contract on the delivery of 64 Su fighters to the Russian Air Force.
The contract, signed during the MAKS-2009 air show in Zhukovsky near Moscow, stipulates the delivery of 48 Su-35 by 2015, and 12 Su-27SM and four Su-30M2 multirole fighters by 2011.
The value of the contract was not disclosed, but according to open sources, the cost of a Su-35 fighter, billed as "4++ generation using fifth-generation technology," is estimated at up to $65 million.
The head of Vnesheconombank (VEB), Vladimir Dmitriyev, announced at the air show on Tuesday that the national development bank would grant Sukhoi a 3.5 billion-ruble ($109 million) loan to start mass production of Su-35 jets.
The Su-35 fighter, powered by two 117S engines with thrust vectoring, combines high maneuverability and the capability to effectively engage several air targets simultaneously using both guided and unguided missiles and weapon systems.
The aircraft also features the new Irbis-E radar with a phased antenna array, which allows the pilot to detect and track up to 30 air targets, while simultaneously engaging up to eight targets.
It is equipped with a 30-mm cannon with 150 rounds, and can carry up to eight metric tons of combat payload on 12 external mounts.
Russia's Air Force commander, Col. Gen. Alexander Zelin, said in July that up to three air regiments would be equipped with Su-35 fighters in the future.
Russia also plans to export at least 160 Su-35 fighters to several countries including India, Malaysia and Algeria.
Chum for the Raptors.
Family-fighters? You mean, with cupholders and that ceiling DVD player in the backseat?
You mean the Raptors just canceled by Congress at Obama’s behest?
Didn’t Congress just cut funding to the F-22’s?
Not canceled, just capped at 187.
Have you ever had a eight hour flight with a cranky weapons officer who can't keep his hands to himself? You'll be glad you had the DVD player and couple of bags full of Cheerios.
That won’t be enough to maintain air superiority against the Sukhoi hordes, especially with the F-22 heavy maintenance requirements.
If we survive 8 years of an O administration as an independent free nation I will be the most surprised man in the US. Make no mistake, Putin's Russia is every bit as much our deadly enemy as the old USSR ever was before Ronald Reagan put it out of commission.
Noooooooo!!!
Not again!!!
Does anybody have the confirmed narrative on this?
Should be interesting.
The aircraft also features the new Irbis-E radar with a phased antenna array, which allows the pilot to detect and track up to 30 air targets, while simultaneously engaging up to eight targets.
It is equipped with a 30-mm cannon with 150 rounds and can carry up to eight tons of combat payload on 12 external mounts.
Prototype #4, Su-35, During taxi, the pilot lost control and the plane careened off the runway.
Maybe, maybe not.
The DOD and USAF have been releasing pre-packaged F-22 stories for several years now. Stories about how the F-22 took down F-15s and F-16s in 7:1 or greater odds.
The Navy F/A-18 pilot who got that might have an interesting story.
Or, it could be the gun cam pic of the last remaining F/A-18 from that squadron.
You never know.
Currently, Ebersole explains, the Raptor fleet consists of three configurations. The training aircraft at Tyndall AFB and a portion of the early operational test fleet at Nellis AFB were built to the early Block 20 standard. This group of 34 planes is capable of operating under the current Increment 2 package. However, due to their older hardware configuration, in the future they will only receive minor upgrades wherever possible, Ebersole said.Of course one can never say "never," but as the way things stand, the currently planned upgrades break down exactly as given in the Dew Line, with eventually three blocks of aircraft with three sets of capabilities.A further group of 63 aircraft, comprising the earliest production Lots of operational Raptors, were built to the later Block 30 configuration. While this group of aircraft will receive the full Increment 3.1 upgrades, these F-22s will not receive the full Increment 3.2 modifications, Ebersole said. He explained that these older aircraft are not “hardware enabled” to receive the Increment 3.2 package. Ebersole added, however, that wherever possible, select capabilities found in Increment 3.2 would be incorporated into these machines.
“The selected capabilities from Increment 3.2 that can be immediately retrofitted into the earlier jets are software only updates, Electronic Protection, Combat ID, and Link-16 improvements”, Miller said. Retrofitting other Increment 3.2 improvements requires a “few minor hardware changes necessary for AIM-9X and major changes are necessary to the Raptor's Stores Management System to accommodate these weapons”, Miller explained, referring to the AIM-9X and the AIM-120D. She added, “There is a study on-going to assess the feasibility of pushing the weapons capabilities to the earlier jets”.
There are no current plans to retrofit new hardware and wiring to the earlier block aircraft, at least until a distant future service life extension program.
‘No current plans’ means not a darn thing. And no it would not have to be a ‘distant future’. They are upgrading and changing things ALL the time and you don’t hear about 99% of them. Most military contracts are not big flashy things you hear about. There are a lot of ins and outs to what planes can and can’t do. They are always tweaking things and finding ways to use things differently.
Ebersole, expanding on the issue, explained, “The AIM-9X and AIM-120D are not currently programmed to be retrofitted into the Block 30 aircraft. These capabilities are enabled by the Enhanced Store Management System (ESMS) that is unique to the Block 35 aircraft. The Air Force and our industry partners are currently executing design trade studies to identify cost effective options to flow this capability back to the Block 30 aircraft without the ESMS enabler”.The last 87 Raptors to be built for the USAF, starting with the Lot 6 aircraft stationed at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, have added processing power and are “hardware enabled” to receive the full Block 35, Increment 3.2 configuration, Ebersole said. He emphasized that these aircraft are still Block 30 machines in terms of their current hardware configuration. “There are no Block 35 aircraft yet”, Ebersole stated bluntly.
A total of 37 of these improved “hardware enabled” machines have been handed over to the USAF at the time of this writing. There are 50 more planes still on order before production of the Raptor is scheduled to end in 2011. These 87 improved aircraft will still require “some hardware retrofits” when being upgraded to the Increment 3.2 capability, Ebersole explained. The addition of the MADL data link, for example, is one such system that will require additional hardware modifications. It is important to note that all F-22s currently operational with the USAF are Increment 2 enabled aircraft operating with Block 20 level capability. .
Unless and until there is a line item in a budget, and a program office staffed, there is no planned update. It takes years for upgrades to make it from the study phase to the implementation phase, if it makes it at all. This article outlines all of the upgrades that are currently being worked on, and represent the only upgrades that will occur in the next decade. Beyond that is anybody's guess.
Posting highly stripped down facts for the implications the convey is either inflammatory or stupid.
If you are so well versed in military contracting, then you know what a ‘trade study’ is.
To equate an industry funded speculation to a funded, budget line item upgrade is either inflammatory or stupid.
Sukhoi Flankers Don't underestimate this beast, because the Flanker-E can be a vaunted opponent of the Raptor in A2A combat.
I love the camo pattern in that last pic.
The U.S. military procurement system is so moribund right now because of all the congressional mandated decentralization and idiotic federal contracting requirements that I see the U.S. going the way of Britain in a very short time and becoming a second rate force technologically. I work with a lot of military RDT&E types, and their frustration with governmental incompetence and inconsistency in policy is leading to a big brain drain when it comes to U.S. weapons technology, of which nothing good will come of it.
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