Russia to offer TU-95 & TU-22M bombers to China

TheMoscowTimes ^ | 13-1-05

[sukhoi-30mki]

Friday, January 14, 2005. Page 3.

Air Force to Offer Strategic Bombers to China

By Lyuba Pronina Staff Writer

Itar-Tass

The Air Force intends to show its Tu-22M3, above, and Tu-95 to the Chinese military.

Russia could sell China strategic bombers and plans to tout them during a joint exercise later this year, Air Force commander General Vladimir Mikhailov said Thursday.

"We could sell some Tu-22M3 and Tu-95 bombers [to China]. We will show them to our neighbor. ... If they have the money, let them buy," Mikhailov told reporters at a briefing, referring to the first-ever joint Russian-Chinese military maneuvers announced by Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov last month.

Able to carry long-range nuclear cruise missiles, these strategic bombers would significantly boost Chinese nuclear capability, said Konstantin Makiyenko, a defense analyst with the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies.

Over the past decade, China has been the top customer for Russian arms, stocking up on Sukhoi fighters, destroyers and advanced air-defense systems.

The strategic arm of the Air Force is to get two new Tu-160 bombers this year. Last month, its commander, Lieutenant General Igor Khvorov, said the Air Force is considering about 10 design proposals for a new generation bomber based on the Tu-160.

The Air Force's 30 percent increase in budget funding this year should help to speed up the modernization of its existing fighter planes and the next generation fighter program, Mikhailov said Thursday.

This year the Air Force will finance the upgrade of 17 more Su-27 jets into the more advanced Su-27SM version fitted with new avionics. Late last year it received seven Su-27SMs from the Sukhoi production plant at Komsomolsk-on-Amur.

Mikhailov said that Sukhoi is continuing work on the fifth-generation fighter, which it hopes to test-fly by 2007. Its future progress would depend on financing, which has been insufficient so far, he said.

In a new development, Mikhailov said that MiG-29 fighters would also be modernized, signaling a shift by the Air Force away from Sukhoi-only upgrade programs.

He said that MiG officials would next Monday begin inspecting the MiG-29s that are to be upgraded. After the refit, some will be returned to the Air Force and some sold abroad.

Mikhailov said he had also discussed with MiG executives the creation of a new light fighter, but he refused to go into details.

"This means that the Air Force will resume a tender for the next generation fighter," said Makiyenko, the defense analyst. "MiG has continued working on this project, despite Sukhoi winning the government tender two years ago."

In a separate comment, Mikhailov said Air Force pilots will fly an average of 60 hours this year, an increase on previous years.

[sukhoi-30mki]

.The TU-22M Backfire makes sense especially if used in the maritime context.A Backfire equipped with airlaunched Yakhont or Krypton supersonic missiles are a real potent threat to any fleet in the Pacific.The Russians hawked the Backfire(along with 2 Akula class N-attack subs) to India as a carrot for the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier-now that deal has been signed,but there's not been a word on the Backfires.Im still pulling my hair out wondering on any reason why China will have interest in the Tu-95.Unless it's armed with longrange land attack cruise missiles(which the PLA has already tested),it would be the perfect example of a proverbial sitting duck.Any thoughts??

[sukhoi-30mki]

-The B-52's Russian cousin(well atleast that's how some folks see it!!),the TU-95 Bear. The Supersonic TU-22M3 bomber.

[demlosers]

May be the navy should re-think about retiring the AIM-54 Phoenix missile...

[sukhoi-30mki]

PING!!!!

[ProudVet77]

And the Tomcat.

[Poohbah]

.The TU-22M Backfire makes sense especially if used in the maritime context.A Backfire equipped with airlaunched Yakhont or Krypton supersonic missiles are a real potent threat to any fleet in the Pacific.

If they can find the fleet. Big ocean, small ship...

Im still pulling my hair out wondering on any reason why China will have interest in the Tu-95.

Maritime patrol, to find the enemy fleet.

Of course, the Bear is dead meat if it actually succeeds in finding the fleet in a shooting war.

[wildcatf4f3]

How about a companion to the aging and dwindling Tomcat fleet. The whole world has it in it's crawl to bring us down. The Russians sure know how to F things up. Just think if they ever really modernized with a market economy. They have huge resources in oil, lumber, iron, tungsten, coal, etc. Its our good fortune that they prefer Czars with their attendant mismanagement and graft. The Chinese will never be able to control the Pacific until they develop leadership which emphasizes the individual and freedom of action. They may be able to strike a good first blow but then would suffer from predictable strategy (stratergy) and tactics. The sea belongs to us for the next century. But make no mistake--WE ARE THE TARGET.

[Wristpin]

"May be the navy should re-think about retiring the AIM-54 Phoenix missile..."

Exactly. Currently the Chicoms don't even have a true "blue water" Navy or any conventional longe range threats. While the Bear is an outdated aircraft, just think about the poke in the eye effect if Chinese Bears start flying up and down the coast of Guam or Japan.

Anyone know which variant of the Bear the russkies are selling? D, F or H?

[sukhoi-30mki]

But there is a maritime variant of the Bear known as the TU-142,which is in service with the Russian & Indian navies.From what Ive read,it's pretty much a standard maritime patrol aircraft(with massive range),unlike it's more heavily armed cousin,the TU-95.Besides ,this offer has been made by the airforce chief,so maritime patrol is not the primary aim here.The Chinese already have an MPA of their own(the Y-8?),which has a decent endurance,though it's sensors could do with an upgrade.

[sukhoi-30mki]

China tests new land-attack cruise missile

By Wendell Minnick

China has test-fired a new land attack cruise missile (LACM) designated Dong Hai-10 (DH-10), or East China Sea-10.

A US defence source identified the DH-10 as a ground-launched second-generation LACM with a range of more than 1,500km. He said it is likely to be equipped with an integrated inertial navigation system/Global Positioning System, supplemented by a terrain contour mapping system and digital scene-matching terminal-homing system able to provide a circular error probable (CEP) of 10m.

China is also expected to field a second LACM within the next few years. The Ying Ji-63 (YJ-63), or Strike Eagle-63, is described by the source as a first-generation LACM with a range of 400-500km and the ability to carry a 500kg high explosive warhead at a speed of Mach 0.68. The missile is believed to be fitted with combined inertial and GPS mid-course guidance, plus some form of electro-optical terminal guidance. The latter is expected to provide a CEP of 10-15m, but it will probably be limited by weather. If it is a TV homing system rather than an autonomous scene-matching sensor, this will require a line-of-sight communications link with the launch aircraft or another platform.

The US source further pointed out that Harpy unmanned aerial vehicles obtained by China from Israel in 2001 are now operational.

These three sophisticated weapons pose new challenges to Taiwan, which has been engaged in extended debate over the ballistic missile threat from China. "Taiwan has not met the growing LACM threat head on," the source complained.


http://www.janes.com/defence/news/jmr/jmr040921_1_n.shtml

[Rebelbase]

"If they can find the fleet. Big ocean, small ship..."

I wonder how many satellites are in orbit that have the capacity to track a fleet? The Russians, Chinese at the least have that capability. What other nations that could be corrupted into providing that data to the Russians/Chicoms?

Seems like neutralizing the spaced based remote sensing capacity of our enemies would be a major priority in any conflict.

[bill1952]

No maybes about it. I still don't understand the rational behind that decision.

Speaking of rational thinking what in hell is Russia thinking anyway?

How is selling nuclear bombers to the Chinese going to improve their security or improve their position in the world?

I understand Putin's KGB roots, but come on!
Arming it's neighbor with backfires that could be used against our naval forces is going to have consequences.

Not the least of which is an arms race that will leave them with a much more dangerous opponent right on that weak border.

We may be the number 1 target right now, but it's a poor weapon that can't be pointed two ways...

[sukhoi-30mki]

Last year,the Russian airforce decided to retire or put in storage several Backfires,Mig-29s,TU-95s & transport helos.The systems being offered to the PRC are probably part of that surplus.

[sukhoi-30mki]

The only way Russia can upgrade or maintain it's airforce is to sell off old systems to folks who have the cash to buy it.There's simply no way that the Russian government can solely provide the funds for new weapon systems.

[connectthedots]

Russian Bombers = target drones from American air power.

[bill1952]

I hadn't thought of that, but it seems like a race to the bottom. 8^)

[maestro]

yep......China will sell them to Islamic/Hindu nations?

[sukhoi-30mki]

sell what???The world's largest Hindu nation(by population) has a 40 year old territorial dispute with the PRC & has openly stated that the primary reason for it's nuclear tests in 1998 was China's nukes-China sees that nation,along with Japan as it's most formidable challengers to Asian supremacy.China sells a lot of weaponry to Islamic nations,but so do the Russians or even the US for that matter

[demlosers]

No maybes about it. I still don't understand the rational behind that decision.

If the Chinese do get a long range interdiction capability, the US navy will have no choice but to resurrect the AIM-54s or another missile with the same capabilities.

Speaking of rational thinking what in hell is Russia thinking anyway?

The usual - money and their tendency to aggravate the US.

[demlosers]

However, my guess the navy is in no rush to demil the AIM54, but store them in cold storage in some of our many and large munitions dumps...just in case.