Posted on 07/19/2010 8:08:40 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
FARNBOROUGH: Russia's military is hoping a national rearmament programme will start soon By Alan Dron
Russia's air force and aviation industry is waiting to see what the much-heralded national rearmament programme promised by President Medvedev will yield in terms of firm aircraft orders.
After years of shrinking inventories and straitened budgets, there are hopes that new equipment will at last start to find its way to units. Announcements on new equipment are expected later this year.
There have been strong indications that heavy transport aircraft in the form of the Antonov An-124 and latest versions of the Ilyushin Il-76 will be among the early types to see new orders.
© Sukhoi
However, some of the keenest interest inside and outside Russia will be focused on the future of Sukhoi's fifth-generation PAK FA advanced tactical frontline fighter.
Alexey Fedorov, chairman of United Aircraft, the umbrella organisation that includes Sukhoi's military operations, says that the PAK FA remains in "preliminary flight test", confirming its predicted performance. So far, "the aircraft behaves as we expected".
Two further aircraft are due to join the flight-test programme to concentrate on onboard systems, including air-launched weaponry, with operational service due between 2015 and 2016.
The Russian air force requirement for the PAK FA is 250-300 aircraft, with India requiring roughly the same number under its Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft programme, says Fedorov.
This aircraft would be a derivative of the PAK FA and "we are in negotiations with the Indian air force on specifications".
© RSK MiG
He declines to reveal further details, other than that service entry with India would probably be one to two years after the Russian air force receives its first examples.
India also holds the key to the continuation of another Russian design. The RSK MiG-35, the latest variant of the MiG-29 family, is one of six contenders squaring up for the biggest current prize in international fighter contracts, New Delhi's Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft contest for 126 aircraft.
India, whose air force and navy operate the MiG-29, would, until recently, have been considered to have a natural inclination towards Russian equipment.
However, the burgeoning Asian power has shown a new willingness in recent years to buy from the USA, in the form of Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules transports.
Whether this amity will read across to the fighter contest is a moot point and Indo-Russian co-operation on the planned Ilyushin Il-214 multi-role transport aircraft, a twinjet type that would replace India's large fleet of Antonov An-32s, shows that the two nations retain closer than normal links in the technological and defence collaboration field.
If the MiG-35 does not land the Indian MMRCA contract, however, then the end of the road for the aircraft could be in sight.
© Sukhoi
The Sukhoi Su-30 family, meanwhile, has a more assured future, with India planning to double the size of its fleet to 230 aircraft by 2015, while Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport plans to offer additional Su-30s to meet a new Royal Malaysian Air Force fighter requirement. The service already has 18 of the type.
Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported in April that Rosoboronexport had concluded deals for 16 Su-30MKI(A)s with Algeria and for six Su-30MK2s with Uganda.
In the advanced trainer sector, Irkut president Oleg Demchenko holds out great hopes for the Yakovlev Yak-130 advanced jet trainer. In notable contrast to his cautious predictions on the civil side with the planned MS-21 airliner, he says he is genuinely optimistic the Yakovlev aircraft can take 50% of a market estimated at 2,500 aircraft.
The aircraft was designed as a successor to the Aero Vodochody L-29 and L-39, both of which remain in extensive service in Russia and overseas.
Reports of the numbers of Yak-130s sold have varied over the past couple of years, but according to Demchenko, the Russian air force has signed up for 72 out of a requirement for 250. The first four have been delivered and took part in this year's 9 May Victory Day flypast over Red Square and another eight are due to be delivered this year.
Algeria has ordered 16 (12 to be delivered this year) and Libya six (three due for delivery this year). Demchenko says that a major export order, for around 30, is expected before the end of the year.
Unsurprisingly, given the initial extensive design co-operation between Yakovlev and Aermacchi on the aircraft, he rates the Italian company's M-346 Master as a competitor, but believes several other types, both established and new, are less of a threat.
The BAE Systems Hawk is reaching the end of its production life, he argues, while Korea Aerospace Industries' supersonic T-50 Golden Eagle will appeal to a limited number of nations.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/HI29Ag01.html
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"Joint war games are a logical outcome of the Sino-Russian Friendship and Cooperation Treaty signed in 2001, and reflect the shared worldview and growing economic ties between the two Eastern Hemisphere giants."
http://www.heritage.org/Press/Commentary/ed092605a.cfm
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From the Russian News and Information Agency:
July 27, 2006
"'I am determined to expand relations with Russia,' Chavez, known as an outspoken critic of what he calls the United States' unilateralism, told the Russian leader, adding that his determination stemmed from their shared vision of the global order.":
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060727/51913498.html
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“We are creating a new world, a balanced world. A new world order, a multipolar world,” Chavez told reporters during a visit to Communist China, one of many. His “new world order” includes [RUSSIA], China, Iran,... and a significantly weakened United States, he explained.
Resurgent Communism in Latin America
by Alex Newman, March 16, 2010:
The two sides [Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Russia] agreed to "promote and enhance friendly relations" in line with the joint declaration of July 19, 2000 and the Russia-DPRK friendship and good neighborly cooperation treaty of February 9, 2000.
Putin and Kim agreed during their talks to promote a Russian- DPRK political dialogue on the Korean issue and international affairs, and discussed many topical international problems, deputy head of the Russian presidential administration Sergei Prikhodko told reporters following the talks.
The two leaders spoke for an independent and peaceful solution to the issue of reunification of the Korean Peninsula, and against "any outside obstacles to this process" as "unacceptable."
Venezuela's Chavez welcomes Russian warships
Nov 25, 2008
LA GUAIRA, Venezuela – Russian warships arrived off Venezuela's coast Tuesday in a show of strength aimed at the United States as Moscow seeks to expand its influence in Latin America. The deployment is the first of its kind in the Caribbean since the Cold War and was timed to coincide with President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to Caracas — the first ever by a Russian president.
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=%22Venezuela%27s+Chavez+welcomes+Russian+warships%22&ei=UTF-8&fr=moz2
More Yahoo search results for Russia and Venezuela connections:
http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A0geu_X30pZJCJEAfCtXNyoA?p=Russia+Venezuela+bombers+tanks+arms&y=Search&fr=404_news
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From National Public Radio (NPR):
August 29, 2006
"Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been visiting countries such as China, Iran and Russia as part of an effort to build a 'strategic alliance' of interests not beholden to the United States. He considers the United States his arch enemy.":
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5729764
The media has been abuzz today at the prospect of Russian nuclear bombers being stationed in Cuba if the US goes ahead with plans for missile defense bases in Eastern Europe.
The story has riled the US enough that a US general has been wheeled out to tell the world’s press that any Russian attempt to build another nuclear base in Cuba would cross US “red line”.
The story broke earlier this week, when Russian newspaper Izvestia quoted an un-named source from within the Russian military. He told the Russian daily:
“While they are deploying the missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic, our strategic bombers will already be landing in Cuba.”
The quote hasn’t been independently confirmed, but the Russian Defense Ministry added fuel to the fire when they refused to comment on the story.
The prospect of Russian nuclear forces being stationed in Cuba - which is, after all, only 90 miles from the US coast - would bring back some rather unpleasant memories for the US of the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, where the Soviet Union under Nikita Kruschev launched an audacious and foolhardy bid to station nuclear missiles on the Caribbean island.
http://www.siberianlight.net/2008/07/23/russian-nuclear-bombers-cuba/
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Russia to help Cuba modernize weaponry, train military
September 18, 2009
HAVANA, September 18 (RIA Novosti) - Modernization of the Soviet-made military equipment and training of Cuban military personnel will be the focus of Russian-Cuban military cooperation in the near future, the chief of the Russian General Staff said on Friday. Gen. Nikolai Makarov arrived on a working visit to Cuba on Monday, met with Cuban President Raul Castro and the country's military leadership, and visited a number of military installations.
"During the Soviet era we delivered a large number of military equipment to Cuba, and after all these years most of this weaponry has become obsolete and needs repairs," Makarov said.
"We inspected the condition of this equipment, and outlined the measures to be taken to maintain the defense capability of this country...I think a lot of work needs to be done in this respect, and I hope we will be able to accomplish this task," the general said.
Makarov said the Cuban request for assistance with training of military personnel will also be fully satisfied.
Although the Cuban leadership has repeatedly said it has no intention of resuming military cooperation with Russia after the surprise closure of the Russian electronic listening post in Lourdes in 2001, bilateral military ties seem to have been improving following the visit of Russian Security Council chief Nikolai Patrushev and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin to Cuba in July last year.
A group of Russian warships, led by the Admiral Chabanenko destroyer visited Cuba in December last year during a Caribbean tour.
Did Communism Fake Its Own Death in 1991?
American Thinker ^ | January 16, 2010 | Jason McNew
In a bizarre 1984 book [New Lies for Old], ex-KGB Major Anatoliy Golitsyn predicted the liberalization of the Soviet Bloc and claimed that it would be a strategic deception. ..."
"Golitsyn's argument was that beginning in about 1960, the Soviet Union embarked on a strategy of massive long-range strategic deception which would span several decades and result in the destruction of Western capitalism and the erection of a communist world government."
"Golitsyn published his second book, The Perestroika Deception, after the Soviet Union was dissolved in 1991. This book contained further analysis of the liberalization, in addition to previously classified memoranda submitted by Golitsyn to the CIA. The two books must be read together to get a complete picture of Golitsyn's thesis."
http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/01/did_communism_fake_its_own_dea.html
Reference P I N G g g ...
reliving the Carter Administration in every conceivable way...
Still waiting on the stimulus check from Obama?
The more things change the more they stay the same. One good thing though - after Carter and his attack rabbits came Reagan and a resurgence of the West and democracy. Thus, hopefully dawn is around the corner.
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