International Military News and Discussion

[Arun_S]

Military and Geoplotical forces that affect India are global in nature. Thus Indian defense also requires keeping a vigil that is beyond Indian-Subcontinent (I.e. beyond Near-Indic region, a.k.a Central Asia, China, Afganistan, Iran).



This thread is to monitor developments whose flames can reach Indian-sub continent.



=========================================================



This news of French testfiring their latest long range M15 missile from submarine is a milestone, in modern warfare.



[url="http://www.spacewar.com/reports/France_test-fires_submarine-launched_missile_999.html"]

France test-fires submarine-launched missile[/url]

Paris (AFP) Jan 27, 2010

France successfully test-fired on Wednesday its new M51 strategic missile from a nuclear submarine, the first test at sea after three land-based firings, the defence ministry said. France's newest strategic nuclear submarine "Le Terrible" launched the test at 9:25 am (0825 GMT) from the Audierne Bay in the Atlantic and "everything went as planned" said a statement from the defence ministry.



The M51 has a range of 8,000 kilometres (5,000 miles) and enjoys better accuracy than the current M45 ballistic missile carried by France's four nuclear-armed submarines.



The M51 Missile

[Arun_S]

[url="http://en.rian.ru/russia/20100128/157702850.html"]Russia expects to sell no less than $7.4 bln of arms in 2010[/url]

28/01/2010





Russia exported $7.4 billion worth of military products last year, and expects to sell at least a similar amount in 2010, the head of the country's state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport said on Thursday.



Russia exported a record $8.35 billion worth of weapons in 2008.



"We do not expect arms deliveries abroad in 2010 to be lower than in 2009," Anatoly Isaikin said.



He said arms and hardware supplies for the Air Force accounted for half of all exports in 2009.



According to Isaikin, arms exports saw a steady growth in the past nine years, and increased more than 140% in the period from 2001 to 2009.



Russia's main customers for arms were India, Algeria, China, Venezuela, Malaysia and Syria, Isaikin said.



He hinted that Russia could also sell its arms to Iraq and Afghanistan if the United States gives its approval.



"It's too early to say if any [arms] supplies will be made to Afghanistan and what arms could be supplied there... Military officials from Iraq and Afghanistan do approach us for various arms supplies. We are ready to deliver, provided there is a corresponding decision [on the part of the U.S. administration] and if funds are allocated," Isaikin said.



He said Rosoboronexport's contract portfolio for the next few years currently exceeded $34 billion.



MOSCOW, January 28 (RIA Novosti)

[url="url:%20http://english.pravda.ru/world/asia/111368-mig29-0"]Russian MiG-29 Jets 'Attack' China in Myanmar[/url]

24.12.2009Russia will deliver 20 MiG-29 fighter jets to the Air Force of Myanmar (Burma). The deal is evaluated at nearly $600 million. Burma preferred Russia’s renowned jets to China, although its J-10 and FC-1 fighters are cheaper.



The deal became the largest contract to sell MiG-29 jets after Algeria terminated a similar contract with Russia in 2007. Russia has sold only six MiGs to Sri Lanka and gave away ten others to Lebanon since then.



As for Burma, China has been this nation’s major partner in commerce, including the defense industry, during the recent 20 years. The European Union and the United States have been practicing sanctions against Burma for decades. Burma is governed by a military junta, and nearly all opposition activists in the country are jailed.



It is China that eases the consequences of the political and economic blockade of Burma. It is worthy of note that the EU and the US are interested in Burma’s natural resources – its [url="http://english.pravda.ru/topic/oil_price-522/"]oil[/url], [url="http://english.pravda.ru/topic/natural_gas-533"]natural gas[/url] and non-ferrous metals.



Why did Burma offend its long-term and close partner, China? How will the West react to Burma’s choice of Russian arms?



“In spite of the scandal, which occurred in 2007 during the shipment of MiG jets to Algeria, the MiG-29 jet is much more reliable and efficient than what China offered to Burma. It’s not Russia’s first deal with Burma – we delivered 12 MiG-29 fighters to this country in 2001,” Alexander Khramchikhin, deputy director of the Institute for Political and Military Analysis told Pravda.Ru.



“It goes without saying that China is not going to be happy with such a turn of events. China gradually ousts Russia from the countries with which Russia traditionally has relations in the field of defense cooperation. However, I do not think that Russia has a good reason to celebrate. The situation in the Russian defense industry becomes worse, which affects the export of arms.



“The deal with Burma will definitely trigger a harsh reaction from the West, which does not recognize the Burmese regime,” the expert added.

[Arun_S]

Indian FGFA





[url="http://english.pravda.ru/russia/economics/28-01-2010/111914-fifth_generation-0"]Russia To Test Stealthy Fifth Generation Sukhoi T-50 Fighter Jet[/url]

28.01.2010 Russian fifth generation aircraft prepares for its maiden flight. The test flight will reportedly take place on January 28 or January 29 at the air base in the city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Interfax news agency reports.





“A very important event in the history of the Russian aircraft-making is about to take place. First runs showed very good results. We decided to conduct the first flight here, not in Moscow,” Vyacheslav Shport, the governor of Russia’s Khabarovsk region said.



Only a few people – designers, engineers and test pilots - have seen the new Russian fighter so far. It was said, however, that the plane would develop the speed of 2,100 km/h and fly at the distance of up to 5,500 kilometers.



The first runs of the new fifth generation fighter jet took place in December of 2009 in Komsomolsk-on-Amur.



The new plane, known as T-50 or PAK FA, was developed by Sukhoi design bureau. The date of the maiden flight has been changed several times. Vice Premier Sergey Ivanov said in December 2009 that the new jet would take off before the end of the year. Afterwards, it was said that the tests had been pushed back to early 2010, but the date had not been exposed, Itar-Tass said.



The current prototype is Sukhoi's T-50 is intended to replace the MiG-29 Fulcrum and Su-27 Flanker in the Russian inventory. A fifth generation jet fighter, it is designed to directly compete with the American F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II.



The new jet will be able to take off and land on short runways, 300-400 meters long. The fifth generation aircraft will fly at large distances with multiple refueling in the air.



The PAK FA will use on its first flights 2 Saturn 117S engines (about 14.5 tons of thrust each). The 117S is an advanced version of the AL-31F, but built with the experience gained in the AL-41F program. The Saturn AL-41F powered the Mikoyan MFI fighter (Project/Article 1.44). Later versions of the PAK FA will use a completely new engine (17.5 tons of thrust each), developed by NPO Saturn or FGUP MMPP Salyut.



Russia ’s Air Force will have the new fighter jet in 2015. [color="#0000ff"]India’s Defense Ministry already plans to purchase 250 such planes from Sukhoi[/color].

[Guest]

PAK-FA FGFA First Flight



[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mp0yd6no7B4&feature=player_embedded[/media]





Sukhoi Press Release



Sukhoi LAUNCHES Flight tests Prospective COMPLEX Frontal Aviation (PAK FA)



Moscow, January 29. Today in Komsomolsk - on - Amur hosted the first flight of an experienced aviation complex of the fifth generation. The plane was piloted honored test pilot Sergei Bogdan Russia. Prototype PAK FA spent 47 minutes in the air and landed on the runway of the factory airfield.



The flight was successful, in full accordance with the flight plan. "During the flight we had a primary assessment of controllability of the aircraft, engine and major systems, the aircraft made a full-time cleaning and landing gear. The aircraft proved itself well in all phases of our intended flight program. They easily and comfortably manage ", - said Sergey Bogdan.



Compared with previous generations of fighters, PAK FA has several unique features, combining the functions of attack aircraft and fighter.



Fifth generation fighter aircraft equipped with a fundamentally new avionics, the integrating function of e-pilot, and promising radar with a phased antenna array. This significantly reduces the load on the pilot and allows you to concentrate on the implementation of tactical tasks. On-board equipment of a new aircraft enables the exchange of data in real time as a land-management systems, and within the aviation group.



The use of composite materials and innovative technology, aerodynamic design aircraft, measures to reduce the visibility of the engine provides unprecedented low level of radar, optical and infrared visibility.This allows you to significantly improve the combat effectiveness in the work, both by air and ground targets, at any time of day, in simple and adverse weather conditions.



"Today we started a program of flight tests of fifth generation fighter aircraft. This is a great success of Russia's science and engineering thought. For this achievement is worth more than a hundred co-operatives allied enterprises, our strategic partners. PAK FA program displays Russia's aircraft manufacturing and related industries on a qualitatively new technological level. These planes, along with modernized aviation system of the fourth generation will determine the potential of Russian military aircraft in the coming decades. The plans of the Company "Sukhoi" is included and further development of the Program PAK FA, on which we will work with Indian partners. I am confident that our joint project will surpass the Western counterparts by the criterion of cost-effectiveness and will not only strengthen the defensive power of the Air Force of Russia and India, but will take its place in the world market ", - said General Director of JSC" Sukhoi "Mikhail Pogosyan, Commenting on the start of flight testing.



Summary of fifth generation fighter aircraft.



Compared with previous generations of fighters, the fifth generation has several unique features, combining the functions of attack aircraft and fighter.



Fifth generation fighter aircraft equipped with a fundamentally new avionics, the integrating function of the e-pilot, and promising radar with a phased antenna array. This significantly reduces the load on the pilot and allows you to concentrate on the implementation of tactical tasks. On-board equipment of a new aircraft enables the exchange of data in real time as a land-management systems, and within the aviation group.



The use of composite materials and innovative technology, aerodynamic design aircraft, measures to reduce the visibility of the engine provides unprecedented low level of radar, optical and infrared visibility. This allows you to significantly improve the combat effectiveness in the work, both by air and ground targets, at any time of day, in simple and adverse weather conditions. Low visibility, aircraft performance and maneuverability allow to minimize the threat to the pilot, at the expense of the fifth generation fighter aircraft have increased survivability in difficult combat conditions, with the active counter air defense systems. Increased radius of combat use leads to greater autonomy of the fifth generation fighter aircraft in the implementation of the planned combat missions.



Fifth generation fighter aircraft will complement the fleet of modernized aircraft complexes of the fourth generation, as well as to replace the aging fleet of combat aircraft. In the long term availability of the fifth generation aircraft in service will allow customers to optimize and structure of the park, due to repeated increase combat effectiveness and capacity to address a broader range of tasks with a single plane.



Program to create long-term aviation system of the fifth generation is a technological breakthrough in the domestic aircraft industry, which allows to maintain a stable leading position of Russia on the international market of combat aircraft. In the world aviation there is a unique analogue of fifth generation fighter aircraft - is the F-35, a product of Lockheed Martin.



The plans of the Company "Sukhoi" is the further development of the Program to create a fifth generation fighter aircraft and the creation of modification of aircraft with Indian partners. The joint project will surpass the Western equivalent to the criterion of cost-effectiveness and will not only strengthen the defensive power of the Air Force of Russia and India, but will take a worthy place in the world market

[Guest]

From Sukhoi ( via Yuri )

[Guest]

[Guest]

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XqwDEU0fus&feature=player_embedded#[/media]

[Guest]

[Guest]

http://video.yandex.ru/users/russianarms/view/3

[Guest]

I found this analysis by ubiquitous08 from secretproject link



First impressions....A Ray tracing approach to stealth not having a supercomputer and RCS prediction programmes at hand...



Clearly a VLO design. Shaping appears robust in X band, L band and probably S band in front and side quaters. Facets are large in the order of over 1 meter which satisfy these frequencies.



In the VHF band side on its flat profile should give it very good RCS versus F 22 / F 35 dominated by large if canted tails. Rear quadrant RCs appears disappointing with a clear emphasis on maneouvrability over YF 23 style aft sector facets to which the design clearly has been influenced. Cockpit canopy bow a disappointment but canted. Planform has more lobes than classic 4 lobe YF 23 layout but Lerxes will generate greater maneouvrability at high AOA and ability to dynamically control direction of lerx airflow clearly an innovation intended to work with 3d nozzles and total vehicle management / control surface scheduling system (a technology pioneered in the preceding rival MFI project).



Planform:



Clearly a hybrid between the Yf 22 and the Yf 23 this design appears to combine the best features of both, much as the Su 27 Flanker incorporated the best lessons of the teen generation that preceded it. Wing planform appears F 22 optimised for supercruise but with all moving butterfly tails an attempt to wring out maximum control authority from tails deliberately sized to reduce supercruise drag and side RCS spikes much as the Northrop Grumman McDonnell Douglas JSF contender utilised butterfly tails to reduce weight and reduce tail size increasing range. Overall crossection appears to be YF 23 influenced to presumably take a advantage of volume and RCS advantages inherent to a flatted diamond (in crossection) design. Forward fuselage appears to blend F35 cockpit canopy integration with the Yf 23 moldline presumably to maximise visibility from the upper half of the diamond crossection unlike the F 22 and Yf 23 that seated canopy moldlines far further up.



Operational Factors:



Clearly the Russians sought the range and volumetric advantages inherent of the Northrop design but without the limitations of this design in maneouvrability. Given the size and reputed loadout of 10 missiles, a Yf 23 design would be a logical choice. Likewise in regards to the nose and tail, the T 50 can be seen as an "2010 update" on the YF 23 concept integrating 3D nozzles for maneouvrability at the expense of aft sector RCS, a similar approach to that taken by the F 35 with its circular nozzles (driven by Stovl and weight saving factors). As such like the F 35 a small narrow lobe in the aft RCS sector may exist. Note in the much lauded VHF band this may even be true of the F 22. Other examples of this "update" include some very F 35 reminiscent shaping solutions in the front assembly and a willingness to try the umproven small tail concept proposed by McDonnell Douglas Grumman Northrop in their JSF contender and later X 36 demonstrator. Unwilling to leave the concept of supermaneuvrability we see some curious nods to Russian obsession with post stall combat; namely a moveable lerx lip above the intakes and integration of 3 d nozzles on a 5th generation design, a first.



Conclusion: A very Russian response to the requirements of range, large loadouts and low RCS performance leveraging the many RCS solutions proposed and / or utilised by the U.S.

[Guest]

More Photo here , quite good ones



http://pilot.strizhi.info/2010/01/29/7498



http://pilot.strizhi.info/2010/01/28/7484

[Guest]

[size="5"]Full Flight Video of PAK-FA[/size]



[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S67zfmEqGxQ[/media]

[Arun_S]

Thanks Austin.



I have lots of technical analysis that I will shortly share with graphics.



It is an important day for India too because of Indian Air Force "Joint Venture" in this aircraft project, and thus it will start to be in Indian Inventory while local SK-30MKI production ramps up.



This plane is smaller than SU-30 MKI, but mid-air refueling will rake care of its long range, while internal weapons payload and still considerable internal fuel in its thick wing roots make it a very versatile role aircraft.



Looking at the design its RCS will be very small, very comparable to US JSF/Raptor.





Some good analysis is out there, one in particular that I value is:



[url="http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/community/persona/index.jsp?newspaperUserId=152392&plckUserId=152392"]

[/url] [url="http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/defense/index.jsp?plckController=Blog&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&newspaperUserId=27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7&plckPostId=Blog%3a27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post%3a021e786e-04be-426b-ad32-dcbb54b90d00&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest"] link[/url] :



[url="http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/defense/index.jsp?plckController=Blog&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&newspaperUserId=27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7&plckPostId=Blog%3a27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post%3a021e786e-04be-426b-ad32-dcbb54b90d00&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest"]T-50: A Preliminary Analysis[/url] by [url="http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/community/persona/index.jsp?newspaperUserId=152392&plckUserId=152392"]Bill Sweetman[/url] at 1/29/2010 10:07 AM CST

Posted by [url="http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/community/persona/index.jsp?newspaperUserId=152392&plckUserId=152392"]Bill Sweetman[/url] at 1/29/2010 10:07 AM CST [size="2"]



Well, this brings back the old days when Flug Revue would pop out some over-the-fence shots obtained from the Military Missions in East Germany, and the assembled reptiles at Flight would adjourn to our [url="http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/s/36/3605/Rose_and_Crown/Southwark"]secret analysis facility[/url] to figure out what it all meant.



[url="http://sitelife.aviationweek.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/15/11/bfd0a03b-0a94-49c8-9b83-524d951c7eab.Full.jpg"][/url]

First of all, for anyone contemplating the use of the word "Raptorski": don't. While this is an airplane that could have been the answer to the Advanced Tactical Fighter requirement, way back when, it's not an F-22 in many important ways.



In a lot of ways, the T-50 reflects the heritage of the T-10 Flanker series - it's much more like them than Sukhoi's last fighter prototype, the forward-swept-wing [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhoi_Su-47"]Su-47 Berkut,[/url] ever was. From the Flanker family, the T-50 gets the massive "centroplane" - a wide central body that blends the fuselage and inner wing - three-surface aerodynamic control and true three-dimensional thrust vectoring. The main weapons bay has been seen on a Flanker model, too.



Look at some of these in detail. The centroplane is huge, extending well outside the engines and terminating at the rear in a broad beaver-tail between the exhaust nozzles.

[/size]



[url="http://sitelife.aviationweek.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/6/12/a6b98c2c-1753-4836-9cda-490a9a0e2939.Full.jpg"][/url]



[size="2"]It accommodates a boatload of fuel on the Flanker and will do the same here. After the canard hokey-pokey in the T-10 family (in on the Su-30MK, out on the Su-35) the T-50 has something different: the forward part of the leading edge extension is movable. According to the usually well informed Flateric over at [url="http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,9186.0.html"]Secret Projects[/url], it is called the Povorotnaya Chast Naplyva (PChN) or movable LEX section.



3-D thrust vectoring is also used on the Su-35. The T-50 and the T-10 family are distinguished by widely separated engines, which is important because that's the only way to use vectored thrust in roll. What's new on the T-50 is that the designers have cashed in on TVC by shrinking the tail surfaces, saving on drag, weight and signature.



With separated engines and a wide body, the T-50 designers have been able to install dual front and rear weapon bays. Added to this are side bays outboard of the engines. Flateric reports that each bay is designed to hold "at least two" missiles and that the outer bays are designed for short-range AAMs. The centerline bays could each hold two large weapons (like R-33s) or three-to-four of the newly announced [url="http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=defense&id=news/R77081309.xml"]RVV-MD[/url]. The latter has folding wings, as does the RVV-SD development of the R-73 (AA-11 Archer) family - the latter explaining why the underwing bays are small.



The big new feature of the T-50 is stealth. The aircraft that flew today is a prototype - and it does not show visible features like a frameless canopy and panel alignment that you'd expect on a production aircraft. Other not-very-stealthy-looking features include the gaps around the inlet (compare the YF-23) and a spherical infrared search and track housing in front of the windshield. And, of course, the nozzles are round. But it has a chined forebody, edge alignment and (probably) inlet line-of-sight blockage and internal weapons.



Apparently the designers and systems analysts have looked at the thorny question of "how much stealth do we want to pay for?" and have come up with a different answer than the F-22 designers. The fact that the armed forces of potential adversaries don't have S-300 and S-400 missiles may have something to do with that answer.



Supercruise? Definitely. The aircraft has a lot of power, and you would not go with that sharply swept delta wing if that wasn't the goal. [/size]



[url="http://sitelife.aviationweek.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/0/8/50b76d27-57ec-45fd-88e5-bf5dfe38ff61.Full.jpg"][/url]vidcap by Matej from Secret Projects



[size="2"]The big question is how long the aircraft will take to enter service, which is a product of three factors - how much money is available, how many resources industry can muster to get the job done, and where the design, technically, stands at this point.



The first question depends largely on the Russian economy, and on the priority which the military gives to the fighter. At the moment, the strategic rocket forces are the priority and are elbowing all others away from the trough; also, the military could decide that the Su-35 is a good upgrade route for now. The X-factor: whether and when India will join the program, and how much cash it will involve.



The second - industry's ability to execute the program - is hard to estimate. On the downside, Russia has not inducted a brand-new aircraft into service since the 1980s. However, there are signs of a new development strategy at work here: the T-50's engines are outgrowths of the Su-35's and are being test-flown on a T-10 airframe, and the flight control system and (very likely) cockpit and avionics may be similar.



How far along is the program? Russian practice historically has been to start development with a series of prototypes that successively conform more to the production design. That's followed by an early series of aircraft that are "pre-operational" - flown by service units. Today's T-50 is, in US terms, something between a technology demonstrator and a systems development and demonstration aircraft.



Upshot - I would expect to see quite a few Su-35S regiments operational before we see a combat-ready T-50 - but with the caveat [color="#ff0000"]that a lot of Indian money could change things.[/color][/size]

[Guest]

[Arun_S]

Thanks Austin,

I was planning to use this image for extensive dissection to show the meaning of various features. IMHO this is amongst the most useful image in analyzing PAKFA. If readers pay attention there is a treasure trove of analytical intelligence here .





In particular the very large body space around the engine and extending out from engine, before the thinner wing emanates from it.



The large body space is where the weapons will be stowed, and also one that plays significant a role in body lift. the leading edge wing roots is boxy thick, just like Su-30MKI that gives it fuel storage space for long endurance and also preserves cross sectional shape necessary to minimize supersonic compression drag.





IMHO data link will be using AESA on its fuselage below cockpit or tail fin. Most likely it will be fused into the side looking AESA radar itself (as many suspect JSF has in its side looking AESA).



===============

Edited to add additional observations.

[Arun_S]

As for frontal radar signature due to engine, I am not worried about engine inlet shielding. There are way to reduce that signature without taking recourse of S shape bent air pipe.

[Arun_S]

The leading edge slats was essential for short landing performance. Even LCA has that design for the same purpose.



Small tail fin size due to thrust vectoring engine is really cute. I think they would have had lot of heart ache in decisions to go for separate elevator and tail plane, instead of a canted elevon.





Thrust vectoring is all the more necessary because of the very long compound delta wing and lifting body design.

[Arun_S]

BTW looking at relative size of chase plane and depeth of view, this plane is smaller than SK30 MKI, my guess is ~15% smaller in linear size. (I.e. ~35% Smaller in volume).

[Arun_S]

This is one of the most informative/informed assessment of PAKFA capability by Iggor (Igor Djadan)





[url="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mDvQ8xYRdSI/S2QDM-CrWRI/AAAAAAAAA4A/pCbKacQ3d1s/s1600-h/pak-fa+28.08.2009.jpg"]Click to Zoom in PAKFA diagrams[/url]



The few observations on this Igorr diagram :

1. Two L-band AESA radar on the wing slats is less-use / useless because it will have no beam firming capability in elevation (vertical) plane. Such limited capabelity is of little use in a flighter while at the same time transmitting a Rf beams with no elevation control is inviting trouble in LO radar.
2. OTOH speculating Ka band and X-band AESA sensor below cockpit and wing tips is most like be a reality.
3. L-band (or even X-band) AESA sensor on tail fin is a more promising configuration for PAKFA.
4. 350 Km range BVR missile with multi-spectral sensor is quite feasible and will be a killer bee on PAKFA. Question is how will the pilot know what is out there at 350 km range that need to be taken down?
5. He is dead on supersonic speed cruise and afterburner.
6. The heavy missiles in front section of the internal bomb-bay seem unrealistic, because of flight and CG (Center of Gravity) considerations, unless there is plentiful CG management fuel tanks on the rear end of the wings to deal with CG issues. Better to place hem in the mid/rear section of bomb-bay.

Overall a very good paper, given that this drawing is dated August 2009, its a master piece ( not to mention exact airframe shape of teh real aircraft), not to mention it comes from a person who has built credibelity and respect from his previous work and postings.

[Arun_S]

Another informative article by Igorr





[url="http://igorrgroup.blogspot.com/2009/10/outlines-of-pak-fa.html"]Outlines of PAK FA

[/url]

[size="2"]Thursday, October 22, 2009[/size]

[url="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mDvQ8xYRdSI/SuCtobZR6tI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/miMq1Iv63cI/s1600-h/8f9327e3af86.jpg"][/url]

Since the article of Alexander Pachkov ('Paralay') in Nov, 2009 issue of Russan-language 'Popular Mechanic' journal has produced a great interest, I translated the short essential of this text. Paralay is the editor of the popular site 'Stealth Machines'. The article is about PAK FA/FGFA program. Since I cannot check the Paralay's sources out, the question of information reliability is up to a reader. The outlines of his article:



1) Can hope for 10-15% PAKFA advantage over F-22 due to two decades of tech. development.

2) F-22 detects Su35 from the distance of 150-180 km but can open fire from 110 km, while becomes visible for Su-35's radar by itself and on R-77 range of attack.





3) OLS-35 probably detects Raptor on 100 km distance.

4) PAKFA's AESA radar has probably 1526 modules with overall power 18 KWt. Range for a big air target – 400. TWS/A = 60/16.

5) Active antennas in the wings and tail are probable.

6) OLS with 360 deg.

7) Backward attacking missiles.

8) Has up to 12 Air-to-air missiles (if compact) in internal placement.

9) Two internal bays for WLRAAMs and LRAAMs up to 700 kg each. + 2 bays for short range missiles.

10) While Raptor can have up to 8 missiles in the internal bays.

11) WLRAAM 'Izdelie 810' is MiG-31 R-33 derivative. 400 km.

12) LRAAM 'Izdelie-180PD' is air-breath R-77 derivative. 250 km.

13) 'Izdelie-180' – solid-fuel R-77 derivative 110-140 km. With active and passive radar, homing on jammer.

14) Short range AAM – 'Izdelie-300' or K-MD IR matrix, double range of homing.

15) Kh-58UShKE

16) Kh-35

17) 500 kg guided and unguided bombs and cassette munition.

18) Intrafuselage cathapults UVKU-50L – up to 300 kg, UVKU-50U – up to 700 kg.

19) Internal bays total weight 2.000 kg

20) With + external hardpoints – 6.000 kg.

21) GSh-30 30 mm autocannon.

22) According to the plans – 430 planes must be built for RuAF.

23) Probably price $80 mil.

24) Will replace 339 Su-27 and 300 MiG-31



[url="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mDvQ8xYRdSI/SuCt8to4jAI/AAAAAAAAAjg/vmDlYS7xCxU/s1600-h/52559c38653a.jpg"][/url][url="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mDvQ8xYRdSI/SuCuGyfj2_I/AAAAAAAAAjo/KZ50rVYP2ug/s1600-h/5463359077e4.jpg"][/url][url="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_mDvQ8xYRdSI/SuCuOQVkpSI/AAAAAAAAAjw/9Zd-94PNEFw/s1600-h/e1b0454b6bcb.jpg"][/url][url="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mDvQ8xYRdSI/SuCtxyTpXiI/AAAAAAAAAjY/tITnWrMfS6c/s1600-h/324badce217b.jpg"][/url]