Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Yuri Slyusar
about UAC tasks
and prospects
[p.8]
SSJ100
100th jet
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under construction
[p.12]
MiG-29UPG
upgrade programme T-50
[p.23] undergoing
official tests
[p.28]
Yak-152
new flying desk
for Air Force pilots
[p.30]
Angara-A5
first launch
[p.36]
[p.18]
Su-30MKM
in service with RMAF
review: New Russian transport aircraft programmes [p.14]
march 2015 • Special edition for LIMA 2015
Yuri Slyusar
about UAC tasks
and prospects
[p.8]
SSJ100
100th jet
advertisement
under construction
[p.12]
MiG-29UPG
upgrade programme T-50
[p.23] undergoing
official tests
[p.28]
Yak-152
new flying desk
for Air Force pilots
[p.30]
Angara-A5
first launch
[p.36]
[p.18]
Su-30MKM
in service with RMAF
review: New Russian transport aircraft programmes [p.14]
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Dear reader,
INDUSTRY
MILITARY AVIATION
Indian pilots learning to fly MiG-29K/KUB fighters off Vikramaditya . . . . . . 26
Yak-152
New flying school desk for Air Force cadets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
COMMERCIAL AVIATION
Red Wings gets SSJ100 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
28 Angara having as many as five An-148s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MC-21: prototype to be ready by year end . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
32
33
Vladivostok Tu-204-300s get new owners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
COSMONAUTICS
30 Angara-A5: first launch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Russian Helicopters
by Kazan Helicopters since 2004. The helicopter or in a change to its char-
first six production-standard helicop- acteristics.
ters were delivered to South Korea, Two prototypes (PT-07 and PT-08)
with five more to Russian buyers. were made. They kicked off their
All of them had the advanced KSU-A ground and flight tests in 2011. The
fly-by-wire control system. The same limited category certification of the certificates the modifications to the light helicopter with the traditional
system fits the Ansat-U twin-controls hydro-mechanical control system- standard design. In particular, the hydro-mechanical control system”,
wheeled landing gear trainer heli- equipped Ansat version was crowned passenger version of the Ansat has says Vadim Ligai, Director General,
copters that have been in production with the issuance of the supplementa- an upgraded stability improvement Kazan Helicopters / deputy Director
since 2009 for the Russian Defence ry type certificate on 22 August 2013, system, a takeoff weight increase General, Russian Helicopters. “The
Ministry. which paved the machine the way to up to 3,600 kg and newly-installed certification of the Ansat’s passenger
Unfortunately, despite the obvious customers, but was not enough for passenger carriage equipment. The version equipped with the hydro-
advantages of the KSU-A-equipped revenue passenger services. Now, the modifications improved the flight per- mechanical control system opens
Ansat, the machine has been unable limitation is no more. formance of the helicopter and made bright vistas for the machine’s pro-
to win recognition on the commercial The supplementary type certificate it attractive and competitive on the motion and commercial operation on
market, for it is ahead of its time: issued in December 2014 confirms international market. the global market”.
commercial helicopters with a FBW the compliance of the Ansat’s stan- “We decided to offer our cus- The delivery of the helicopter is to
control system have never been cer- dard design with the air rules and tomers a comfortable and reliable commence in 2015.
Mi-171A2 in trials
2014 became a milestone for Russian Helicopter holding compa- Centre in Tomilino, Moscow Region, all-composite blades, modified
the programme of the upgraded ny, on the basis of the airframe sup- took place on 25 August 2014. main rotor hub and reinforced pow-
Mi-171A2 multirole medium trans- plied by the Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant, The first level flight, controlled by ertrain on the Mi-171LL (side num-
port/passenger helicopter intended passed numerous ground tests per- a crew led by test pilot Salavat ber 987) flying testbed, which had
to replace such bestsellers as the taining to the assessment of the Sadriyev, occurred on 14 November been under way in Tomilino since
Mi-8/17 on the commercial market advanced KBO-17 avionics suite 2014. autumn 2012, proved the declared
in due time. The first Mi-171A2 from the Concern Radio-electronic The primary objective of the maximal flight speed increase from
prototype (OP-1), made by the Mil technologies. The OP-1’s first hover OP-1’s flight tests is to assess the 250 km/h to 280 km/h, the 20%
Helicopter Plant, a subsidiary of the at the National Helicopter Industry operation of the KBO-17 avionics cruising speed increase, a hike in
suite. The key feature of the KBO-17 the main rotor’s thrust and a drop
is the implementation of the ‘glass in vibration.
cockpit’ concept with five multi- The whole range of design
function liquid-crystal displays. The modifications stipulated for the
GPS/GLONASS satellite navigation Mi-171A2 is being implemented in
system is capable of alerting the the second prototype, the OP-2.
crew to an incoming obstacle ahead Particularly, it will be used for test-
of the helicopter. The Mi-171A2 ing the advanced composite-blade
can be furnished with the KOS-17 main rotor, X-tail rotor, enlarged
round-the-clock surveillance sys- vertical and horizontal tails and an
tem with all-weather digital TV and extra set of optional gear. Two more
thermal-imaging cameras allowing Mi-171A2 airframes are being sub-
Russian Helicopters
Russian Helicopters
ered by advanced Russian-developed to the domestic powerplant consist-
Klimov TV7-117V turboshafts. Unlike ing two TV7-117V turboshafts and
the previous Mi-38 prototypes, OP-4 upgraded powertrain and their debug-
features enlarged windows and an ging on board the helicopter kicked
advanced shock-protected fuel system. off in 2011. At the same time, Kazan
The machine is being considered as the Helicopters manufactured the third The TV7-117V-powered Mi-38-2 shore and VIP versions, while sur-
standard for future production Mi-38s. Mi-38 prototype, the Mi-38-2 (OP-3), and PW127TS-powered Mi-38-1 passing other machines in the class
OP-4’s first hover was performed in powered by a pair of TV7-117Vs have a maximum takeoff weight of in terms of the carrying and seating
Kazan by the crew of Honoured Test too. Its flight tests in Tomilino com- 15,600 kg (16,200 kg with under- capacities.
Pilot Vladimir Kutanin. The aircraft will menced in November 2013, and the slung cargo) and haul 6 t of cargo Mi-38-2 in a cargo version is to
undergo further tests at the flight test upgraded Mi-38-2 (OP-1) flew there in the cabin or 7 t slung under belly be certificated by the IAC’s Aviation
facility of the Mil Helicopter Plant in in April 2014. Mention should be at a cruising speed of 285 km/h. Register in December 2015. Kazan
Tomilino, Moscow Region. made that the second Mi-38 proto- The cabin can seat 30 passengers. Helicopters is assembling the air-
Earlier last year, the trials of the type, the XPW127/5-powered OP-2, The helicopter also is offered in the frame of the first production-standard
first Mi-38 prototype (OP-1) con- is airworthy now too. search-and-rescue, medevac, off- Mi-38 now.
Helicopters with its Kamov Ka-226T line Ka-226 version being produced
and Airbus Helicopters (Eurocopter) at Kumertau Aircraft Production
with AS550C3 Fennec were on the Enterprise, Russian Helicopters
Aviadvigatel JSC
less fan drive. All engines of the
family have a common core with the
eight-stage high-pressure compres-
sor, low-emission annular combus-
tor and two-stage high-pressure MC-21-300 short/medium-haul version capable of 15,600 kgf. drive by Salut. The Perm Engine
compressor. The baseline PD-14 airliner. The shortened version of According to the design data, the Company manufactured the sta-
will be equipped with a 1,900-mm the airliner, the MC-21-200, is sup- PD-14 is on a par with its for- tor segment of the high-pressure
single-stage fan retaining the diam- posed to be fitted with 12,500-kgf eign rivals (PW1400G, LEAP-X) in compressor, combustor and high-
eter of the fan used in the PS-90A PD-14A engines, while the pos- terms of specific fuel consumption, pressure turbine.
engine, a three-stage low-pressure sible stretch version (MC-21-400) while having a somewhat lower The first PD-14 assembled by
compressor and a six-stage low- as well as the prospective Russian/ bypass ratio. Perm Engine Company is designed
pressure turbine. Indian medium Multirole Transport The first four PD-14 prototype for testing under the wing of
The baseline 14,000-kgf PD-14 Aircraft (MTA) are to be powered engines were made by Aviadvigatel the Il-76LL flying testbed at the
is designed to power the Irkut with the enhanced-thrust PD-14M JSC. As is known, the first burn of Gromov Flight Research Institute
engine demonstrator (No.100-01) in Zhukovsky. Last December,
took place in June 2012. The Aviadvigatel Designer General
second PD-14 (No.100-03) com- Alexander Inozemtsev said that the
menced its bench tests in January flight trials of PD-14 No.100-07
2014 and the third one (No.100-04) on the Il-76LL flying testbed were
in October 2014. The tests of PD-14 slated for June 2015.
No.100-05 began in December The next Perm-made engine
2014. Now is the time for the core (No.100-08) is planned for hando-
engine-equipped PD-14 assembled ver to the TsIAM research institute
by the Perm Engine Company. in April 2015 for thermal vacu-
The PD-14 is being developed um chamber tests. According to
and produced in cooperation of a Alexander Inozemtsev, a total of
large group of the United Engine five PD-14 prototype engines are to
Corporation subsidiaries, such be made this year, while the whole
as the Perm Engine Company, of engine prototype batch will com-
Aviadvigatel, STAR, UMPO, NPO prise 22 units.
Saturn, Metallist-Samara, Salut Aviadvigatel expects to obtain the
just to name a few. For instance, type certificate from the Interstate
the titanium-alloy intermediate Aviation Committee Aviation
case and high-pressure compres- Register for the PD-14 as soon as
Aviadvigatel JSC
sor rotor for the core of the engine 2017. An MC-21 prototype powered
No.100-06 were delivered to by a pair of PD-14s is to start flying
Perm by UMPO, while the centre late in the same year.
YURI SLYUSAR:
to do”.
In late January, Yuri Slyusar for the
first time met journalists in his new
capacity, offering them his view of
“We are facing a lot of work to do” UAC’s near-term objectives and shed-
ding light on some of the advanced
UAC’s new president on near-term objectives and prospects aircraft development programmes
of Russian aircraft industry being pursued by the corporation.
UAC’s strategy and product portfolio Overall, the strategy has been widely dis- development of a future wide-body aircraft
Recently, UAC has adopted its development cussed and is to be adhered to. However, the together with Chinese partners, and others.
strategy, worked out a long-term Russian air- realities of today call for thorough analysis
craft industry development programme and and, possibly, certain quick decisions on Plans for the year
decided on aircraft families to be produced. adjusting the development plans. Thus, an In 2014, the United Aircraft Corporation
At the same time, the recent changes in updated optimised version of the strategy delivered 161 aircraft and increased its rev-
the politico-economic situation may call for is to be devised by the middle of the year. enues by 30%. According to its official
adjustment of the documents adopted. According to the head of UAC, the objec- information, UAC delivered 124 warplanes
“We are going to hold a conference on tives remain unchanged. On the one hand, under the governmental defence acquisition
aircraft industry, hopefully chaired by the it is unconditional compliance with the programme and for export (an increase of
Russian President. At the conference, we growing governmental defence acquisition about 40% over 2013) and 37 commercial
are going to unveil an updated strategy of programme and development of advanced aircraft (an increase of about 30%). The
the development of UAC and the whole of combat aircraft as well as new transport holding company’s earnings grew by 30%,
Russian aircraft industry. The conference is planes, and, on the other, closer attention while its operating income doubled. The
to be held in August this year during MAKS to new commercial aircraft development labour efficiency of the corporation’s plants
2015 airshow in Zhukovsky, where we are programmes, increased commercial effec- showed an improvement of 25%.
going to move our headquarters in mid- tiveness of the SSJ100 programme, devel- “2015 shall be very tough to us as far as
2015”, said Yuri Slyusar. opment and marketing of the MC-21, co- our production programme is concerned”,
said Yuri Slyusar. “We are planning to pro- Company signed a new agreement for 20
duce and deliver 193 aircraft, and the cor- more SSJ100s. “This year, we are going to Yuri Slyusar was born in Rostov-on-Don on
poration’s aim is to grow by 40%. This deliver 44 aircraft, including those being 20 July 1974. In 1996 he graduated the law
is a serious challenge change in terms of part of remarketing”, reported Yuri Slyusar. department of Moscow State University, in
business growth. The implementation of a The UAC president said the talks with 2003 – the Academy of People’s Economy of
plan like that will necessitate hiring more the Italian partners under the SSJ100 pro- the government of the Russian Federation,
workers. According to our estimates, to gramme continued to seek for measures to Ph.D. (economy). In 2003–2007 he worked as
implement our innovative development pro- enhance its commercial effectiveness. “We a commercial director, Rostvertol JSC. Since
grammes, we will have to hire about 8,000 have agreed that we will hold a series of 2005 he became a member of the Helicopter
workers in 2015. In all, we are planning to meetings in March to discuss the current Programmes Committee, Oboronprom JSC.
hire 16,000–17,000 workers in 2015–2017. status of the programme and swap ideas In 2009 Yuri Slyusar was appointed an
This is no small bear to us”. about the optimisation of the technical assistant to the Minister of Industry and
segment of the programme. I would like Trade, in 2010 – director, Aircraft Industry
Governmental support measures to stress, however, that everything remains Department, Russian Ministry of Industry and
To increase the commercial aircraft sales unchanged at this stage – all of the cor- Trade. Since 2012 Yuri Slyusar was deputy
with Sukhoi Superjet 100 being the first porate documents remain in effect, the Minister of Industry and Trade.
one among them, the Russian government cooperation goes on, the Italians work here
has approved a number of support meas- and we work in Venice. However, there are
ures that are to reduce customers’ financial things, due to which time will show the need promised. In accordance with the schedule,
risks. In particular, the government has for organisational and process optimisation the MC-21 prototype assembly is to be
plans to introduce the residual value guar- to lose less and earn more. I hope we will be complete late in 2015, and the aircraft is to
antee for new aircraft, which will allow a able to find a more successful programme be rolled out for its trials. It is to conduct
competitive leasing rate and, hence, an implementation model in terms of business its maiden flight in the first half of 2016.
increase in the global market share held by and costs optimisation, which would ensure “This is a drastically advanced plane featur-
Russian aircraft. According to Yuri Slyusar, the programme’s transition to a more prof- ing numerous cutting-edge solutions. It is
the residual value guarantee mechanism is itable phase”. facing many tests on the ground prior to its
a key measure of the government’s support maiden flight”, Yuri Slyusar explained.
of Russian commercial aircraft industry. MC-21 The UAC President emphasised that
It may start being used as applied to the Yuri Slyusar said that literally several days concurrently with the plane’s development
SSJ100 programme as soon as this year and after getting the job, he visited the Irkutsk and construction, the marketing divisions
to the MC-21 by 2018. Aviation Plant of the Irkut corporation and of Irkut and leasing companies were in
The residual value guarantee fund will be familiarised himself with the status of the talks with potential customers, including
named UAC Capital, a subsidiary of UAC, preparations for the construction of the major foreign airlines. At the same time, the
which is being registered now. The new future MC-21 short/medium-haul airliner. company is looking into aftersales support
entity will be capitalised by governmental The mating of the fuselage of the first air- solutions that, too, can be implemented
subsidies. A new governmental support liner prototype is to be completed by late in cooperation with major international
mechanism is expected to be used until summer this year, and “we shall display providers of such services.
2025. the mated MC-21 fuselage at the MAKS The certification and deliveries of the
The residual value guarantee implies pay- 2015 air show (by videoconference)”, he MC-21 are slated for 2018. “The aircraft
ing compensation, if the market price of
the aircraft turns out to be lower that the Another SSJ100 under
anticipated price (60% of the initial price) assembly at SCAC’s
by the time the lease agreement ends. It Komsomolsk-on-Amur facility
is this residual value difference that UAC
Capital will compensate upon the comple-
tion of the lease.
seems to be competitive”, says Yuri Slyusar. with General Electric and Pratt&Whitney of an advanced aircraft that would bring
“From the technological point of view, it initially, but it is planned to develop an in- the concept of the Il-114 – quite good a
will be good enough even compared to the house powerful turbofan engine as an option plane in its day – a step forward, providing
re-engined Airbus A320neo and Boeing at the next stage of the programme. large-scale commonality of its systems and
737MAX. We hope carriers will be interest- Yuri Slyusar emphasised that China was a units with those of the Ilyushin Il-112V
ed in buying it”, the UAC head concluded. strong, reliable and resources-rich partner advanced light airlifter that is being under
with its own competences, growing market development now. The regional turboprop
Russian-Chinese wide-body airliner programme and clear-cut objectives. With a partner like like that, which could be dubbed Il-212,
Yuri Slyusar spoke of the status of the that, the large-scale endeavour can succeed. is supposed to have the wing panels, avi-
programme on a wide-body airliner devel- The family of future wide-body planes is onics and powerplant similar to those of
opment planned in cooperation with supposed to have three versions. The base- the Il-112V. At the same time, using the
Chinese partners. The programme’s busi- line version is designed to carry 250–280 fuselage of the ramp-equipped Il-112V in
ness concept was approved in autumn 2014, passengers at a distance of about 12,000 km. a commercial plane seems to be non-opti-
and now the programme is in the prelimi- In addition, the development of a shrunk mal; hence, the new airliner is most likely
nary design phase that is to be completed in and a stretched versions of the airliner are to inherit the fuselage from the Il-114,
July 2015, when the programme passes the planned. According to Mr. Slyusar, the though an increase in its diameter for the
so-called ‘second gate’. Task forces have beginning of the tests is tentatively slated for sake of higher passenger comfort is being
been set up for the programme’s technical mid-2021, certification for 2023–2024 and given a thought.
segment, marketing, promotion, aftersales full-rate production and delivery for 2025. “The commonality with the Il-112V,
support, maintenance and subcontractor which we shall make, will enable our
supply. “Our colleagues in COMAC are very Regional turboprop aircraft subcontractors to increase production
keen on the programme and do their utmost At present, UAC lacks a regional turbo- numbers, which will slash the costs and
to pursue it”, reported the UAC president. prop to succeed the obsolete An-24 and development time and will speed up the
A rough budget of the programme has been put up stiff competition to the ATR and launch of production, since the planes
figured out. As of October 2014, it was Bombardier turboprops popular all over the will have 60–70% commonality”, believes
estimated at $13 billion, with the partners world. In recent years, discussions focused Yuri Slyusar. However, a final decision on
working on a parity basis. on the feasibility of Russia re-launching the the launch of the advanced Russian pas-
Dwelling on the division of labour of the production of the Ilyushin Il-114 that was senger turboprop has not been made yet.
parties under the programme, Mr. Slyusar previously made in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Necessary investments and the programme
said that the cooperation would be adjusted However, according to Yuri Slyusar, market timeframe are being estimated and poten-
as the preliminary design is being devised, players agree that the Il-114 in its current tial customers are being consulted. “If we
but key decisions have been taken. If all goes configuration is inexpedient, because it feel a signal from customers, from the mar-
to plan, Russia is to develop the compos- will hardly be able to become competi- ket, indicating the need for the plane (and
ite wing and empennage, high-lift devices, tive on the market, given its development we do have got a preliminary signal like
etc. and China is to develop the fuselage. time. For this reason, aircraft industry that), we will go over to the next phase”,
As for the powerplant, talks will be held players are considering the development the UAC President said.
Andrey Fomin
SUKHOI SUPERJET 100
OUTPUT ON THE RISE Andrey FOMIN
Last year, the Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company’s Sukhoi Superjet 100 regional Another new SSJ100 (MSN 95061), flown
airliner full-rate production programme displayed the best results and in May 2014, will have been delivered to the
highest growth rate in Russia’s commercial airplane industry. In 2014, 34 Russian Emergencies Ministry in the 19-seat
new production-standard aircraft, including 13 in the LR (long-range) version, airborne command post variant by year-end
following customisation. In all, under the
were assembled and flight-tested showing a 40% increase over 2013. That
contract placed last September, the ministry
was achieved through manufacturing process optimisation, owing to which
is to receive two Superjets before the end of
the production cycle was reduced to seven working days, which translates 2015. The other aircraft for EMERCOM
into the production of an average of three planes per month. In addition, the (MSN 95069) was assembled in 2014 too, but
SSJ100-95LR (MSN 95075) designed for endurance tests was made, airlifted has not flown yet. It is due for delivery in the
by an An-124 to Zhukovsky and submitted to TsAGI for trials. convertible version of airborne command post
with medevac capability.
Twelve SSJ100-95B aircraft were built for Nine SSJ100-95Bs were made in 2014 Late in 2014, the SSJ100-95B VIP
Aeroflot (six, including two made in 2013, by order of the SuperJet International joint plane (MSN 95009) built in 2013 for
entered operation under a contract with venture for subsequent delivery to Mexican Rosoboronexport JSC performed its first
VEB-Leasing following the return of six final airline Interjet. Eight aircraft had gone to flights with passengers. The aircraft was
light-version aircraft to the manufacturer; six Mexico during the year, including seven equipped with its VIP cabin interior and
entered operation under a new contract for 10 assembled by SCAC’s Komsomolsk-on- certificated in 2014. Its delivery is slated for
aircraft with Sberbank Leasing; commissioning Amur affiliate in 2013. February 2015.
of two more was postponed until 2015).
Six SSJ100-95LRs were made for Aeroflot got 12 new SSJ100-95B airliners in 2014
Gazpromavia airline. Four of them had entered
operation during the year as well as the two
flight-tested in 2013; two more out of the built
in 2014 will be delivered this year.
Six SSJ100-95LR in the new 103-seat lay-
out were produced for UTair, but due to
financing problems encountered by the lessor,
VEB-Leasing, in mid-2014 due to the Western
sanctions and compounded by the difficult
circumstances of the carrier itself, the planes
Alexey Mikheyev
Il-76MD-90A: kickoff of deliveries “We are fully satisfied with the perfor-
The first production-standard mance of the aircraft and the pace of the
Il-76MD-90A heavylifter with a carrying programme”, stressed RusAF command-
capacity of 60 t was handed over to the er Col.-Gen. Victor Bondarev. “The new
customer in a ceremony in Ulyanovsk on qualities produced by the heavy upgrade
21 November 2014. It is the first aircraft of the Ilyushin airlifter have expand-
built under the governmental contract for ed its field of application by far. The
39 Il-76MD-90As, awarded by the Russian plane is a platform for making multirole
Defence Ministry in October 2012. At the transport aircraft capable of airdropping
instance of the customer, the transport has paratroops and carrying combat gear,
been handed over to the Beriev company fuel and containers and for developing
in the town of Taganrog for deriving an special versions. The capabilities of the
advanced airborne early warning and con- Il-76MD-90A meet the latest RusAF
trol (AEW&C) aircraft from it for service standards, and the aircraft is very prom-
with the Russian Air Force. ising”.
Meanwhile, on 31 October 2014, the ber 78650) kicking off its tests a year later. phase of its official tests, during which its
second production-standard Il-76MD-90A It conducted its first flight in Ulyanovsk on advanced communication and EW suites
(c/n 01-04) was brought to the flight test 22 September 2012 and had been tested in and materiel/cargo airdrops will be tested.
facility of the Aviastar-SP close corpo- Zhukovsky since late January 2013, where The Russian Defence Ministry became
ration. Having completed its scheduled it passed the first phase of its official tests in launch customer for the production-standard
ground tests, it took to the skies for the July through November 2013. Il-76MD-90A, having placed an order on 4
first time on 30 December, after which it The Il-76MD-90A (c/n 01-02) logged October 2012 for 39 aircraft to be delivered
was brought to the painting shop. It will be about 60 sorties, and its Kupol-III-76M(A) between 2014 and 2020. According to the
delivered after its factory and acceptance upgraded flight navigation suite and all 2013–2025 Aircraft Industry Development
tests have been complete. basic airborne systems were tried out in Federal Programme published at the web-
At present, final assembly and systems the course of the flight tests and first stage site of the Russian government, Aviastar is
fitting of the third production-standard air- of the official tests. Strength limits were planned to make a total of 190 Il-76MD-
craft (c/n 01-05) is in full swing at Aviastar tested at maximum speed and limit loads, 90As and versions, including Il-78M-90A
to be followed by Il-76MD-90A c/n 01-08 flights were performed with the 210-tonne tanker planes and platforms for subsequent
soon. Parts and units for next 10 aircraft are maximum takeoff weight and 170-tonne conversion to dedicated applications by
being manufactured. maximum landing weight, and the go- Beriev, as well as Il-76TD-90A commercial
As is known, the Russian government around procedure with simulated shut- freighters for Russian and foreign carriers.
issued the resolution on the production downs of one and two engines was tested. The Russian Emergencies Ministry, which
of the Il-76MD-90A upgraded transport The first phase of the official trials resulted signed a preliminary order for six aircraft
aircraft in Ulyanovsk (Project 476) on in the preliminary report clearing the full- with UAC last September, may become the
20 December 2006. The key features of rate production of the Il-76MD-90A by launch customer for the Il-76TD-90A. If all
the Il-76MD-90A, setting it apart from Aviastar. goes to plan, Aviastar’s Il-76 annual output
the Il-76MD built previously in Tashkent In the near future, the Il-76MD-90A rate is to account for 18 units per annum by
are a more powerful and efficient power- (c/n 01-02) shall undergo the second the end of the decade.
plant of four PS-90A-76 engines instead of
D-30KP-2, a modified wing, an increase in
maximum takeoff weight and lifting capac-
ity, a modern flight navigation system, glass
cockpit, etc.
In 2009, Ulyanovsk-based Aviastar
launched the construction of the first two
Il-76MD-90A prototypes – c/n 01-01 for
static and endurance tests and c/n 01-02
for flight trials. The set of units of the
endurance test example was brought to
Aviastar-SP JSC
Zhukovsky, Moscow Region, in autumn
2011 for static tests at TsAGI, with the The second production Il-76MD-90A (c/n 01-04)
was rolled-out from Aviastar’s assembly hall on 31 October 2014
Il-76MD-90A’s flying prototype (side num-
The first production Il-76MD-90A (c/n 01-03) was officially handed over
to its customer on 21 November 2014 and three days later flew
to Taganrog-based Beriev company where it will be converted
to a new AEW&C aircraft for Russian Air Force
Beriev company
Aviastar-SP JSC
Maiden flight of the second production Il-76MD-90A
took place in Ulyanovsk on 30 December 2014
Aviastar-SP JSC
‘Glass’ cockpit is a distinctive repair plants will start full-scale upgrade of the
feature of the Il-76MD-90A Il-76MD aircraft fleet. In all, about 40 aircraft
have been earmarked for improvement. The
earlier-made Il-78M tanker planes are sup-
posed to be subjected to the same upgrade and
then re-designated as Il-78M-2.
with the programme being re-activated. An is planned to be launched at the facilities of Ilyushin has got a more ambitious objec-
Ilyushin news release dated 24 December the Aviastar plant in conjunction with other tive as well. Last October, Director General
2014 reported that VASO was to complete UAC subsidiaries. According to the estimate Sergei Sergeyev said: “We expect to start
two Il-112V prototypes as soon as 2016 – of the Russian Ministry of Industry and the development of a family of superheavy-
one for static and endurance tests and the Trade published as part of the 2013–2025 weight aircraft featuring a lifting capacity of
other for flight ones. The maiden flight Aircraft Industry Development Federal 80 t or more in 2016. These are widebody
of the Il-112V prototype may take place Programme, 140 aircraft of the type can be aircraft. There has been the project desig-
as soon as late 2016. Ilyushin also expects made before 2025, including 80 for Russian nation offered already – Yermak. We are
to snag a Defence Ministry order for pro- customers and 60 in the form of knockdown supposed to launch the Yermak’s full-rate
duction-standard Il-112Vs in 2015, which kits for subsequent assembly by HAL and production by 2024”.
deliveries may begin in 2018. delivery to the Indian Air Force. To implement the large-scale pro-
Ilyushin Director General Sergei Sergeyev According to information at UAC’s and grammes like that, a vertically-integrated
says: “The Il-112 is going to replace the Ilyushin’s official websites, the MTA will company capable of the complete cycle of
An-26 still widely used by Russian opera- have a maximal takeoff weight of 68 t and a transport aircraft development, produc-
tors. We are facing a tough deadline, while lifting capacity of 20 t. It will be capable of tion and delivery is to be established by
the coordination among the subcontractors carrying 70 paratroopers, 70 casualties or up year-end 2015 or by early 2016. According
has not been streamlined yet. I am optimis- to 150 infantrymen (the latter in the two- to Mr. Sergeyev, the corporation shall be
tic, however. The delivery of VASO-built deck variant). The MTA will have the same set up gradually. “The first phase is to be
Il-112s to the Russian Defence Ministry cargo hold cross-section as the Il-76 has completed by a merger of Ilyushin JSC,
must begin before the end of the decade”. (3.45x3.4 m), with a shorter length (13.85 m). UAC – Transport Aircraft JSC and the
As is known, the Russian Defence According to UAC, a pair of the advanced Myasischev design bureau. Plans provide
Ministry plans stipulate the acquisition of PD-14M 15.6-tf thrust turbofans is pondered for the second phase slated for 2016–2017
over 60 Il-112Vs. In Mr. Sergeyev’s opinion, as the future powerplant for the MTA. The to see Aviastar plant in Ulyanovsk and
the airlifter will be “needed by governmen- PD-14M is to be derived from the PD-14 Voronezh-based VASO join the newly-
tal agencies in the first place – not only the turbofan engine designed for the Irkut MC-21 established holding company. We also are
military, but the Federal Security Service, airliner and being subject to bench tests at the looking into the practicability of incor-
Emergencies Ministry, etc. Plans are being present time. According to Ilyushin, produc- porating repair and overhaul companies”,
mulled over, under which governmental tion-standard PS-90A-76 turbofans powering the Ilyushin Director General said, shar-
customers are to receive two hundred air- the Il-76MD-90A will be used initially. ing his plans.
craft of the type until 2030”.
Prospective programmes
Another one UAC’s transport aircraft
programme is the participation in the co-
development of the Medium Transport
Aircraft (MTA) with a lifting capacity of
20 t within the framework of the Russian-
Indian governmental agreement made in
2007. A Russian-Indian joint venture was
set up in Bangalore in December 2010 to
develop the MTA, and the contract for the
first phase of the design work was finalised A model of Ilyushin Il-112V light transport
in October 2012. The participants in the aircraft which development programme
Andrey Fomin
joint venture are Russia’s UAC – Transport was re-launched under the contract with Russian
Defence Ministry signed in November 2014.
Aircraft and India’s Hindustan Aeronautics The first flying prototype is to be built by late 2016
Ltd. (HAL). The MTA production in Russia Andrey Fomin
Prospective medium Multirole Transport Aircraft (MTA) co-developed by Russian UAC – Transport Aircraft
and Indian HAL. The contract for the first phase of development programme was signed in October 2012
Andrey FOMIN
Su-30MKM
the contracts fulfilled or still under way, IAF is
to take delivery of as many as 272 Su-30MKI
fighters by the end of this decade, of which
50 were built by Russia’s Irkut Corporation and
222 are to be licence-produced by Indian aircraft
manufacturer HAL under a licence programme.
IN SERVICE WITH RMAF To date, Irkut has shipped 50 fighters of the type
to India as well as more than 150 licence produc-
tion kits. The first Indian-assembled Su-30MKI
has been flown and handed over to IAF in
Last summer marked the fifth anniversary of the fulfillment of a contract for 18 Sukhoi
Su-30MKM two-seat supermanoeuvrable multirole fighters delivery to the Royal November 2004. Since then, the number of
Malaysian Air Force. The aircraft have been successfully operated by RMAF, being Indian-produced Su-30MKIs in IAF’s inven-
its most advanced and sophisticated aircraft type. The Irkut corporation delivered tory has been on the rise. As for today, more than
them to Malaysia between 2007 and 2009. Now all of 18 superagile Su-30MKMs 200 Su-30MKIs – both delivered from Russia
are in service with the 11th squadron of the Royal Malaysian Air Force stationed at and assembled by HAL – are in service with IAF.
Gong Kedak air base in the Kelantan province, on the coast of the South China Sea, One more derivative of the fighter, the
300 km north of the national capital, Kuala Lumpur. The international debut of the
Su-30MKI(A), was developed by Sukhoi and
advanced Malaysian fighters took place eight years ago at LIMA 2007 airshow at the
delivered by Irkut Corp. The customer is Algerian
island of Langkawi. This time, Su-30MKMs are also the participants of the Langkawi
International Maritime and Aerospace exhibition and, no doubt, will become the main Air Force wich ordered 28 fighters of the type in
stars of the demonstration flight programme at LIMA '15. 2006 and 16 more in 2010. Deliveries began in
late 2007 and by now a total of 44 Su-30MKI(A)
Worth about $900 million, the contract relevant to the effective operation of the fighters. fighters have been built by Irkut and delivered to
for 18 Russian-made Su-30MKM aircraft to A decision was taken to have Malaysia’s person- the customer.
be delivered to RMAF was signed on the top nel trained in their country. RMAF had taken The Su-30MKM is another step in develop-
governmental level in August 2003, with the delivery of the first two aircraft in June 2007 and ing the Su-30 platform further. The Malaysian
Rosoboronexport state corporation to fulfil it. four more by the year-end, with the next six in version is wrapped around the Su-30MKI
The aircraft were to be developed by the Sukhoi March 2008. The remaining six Su-30MKMs design, differing mostly in avionics but retaining
company and built by the Irkut Corp. Under were delivered in summer 2009. its airframe, AL-31FP thrust vector-controlled
the deal, in addition to delivering the fighters, The Su-30MKM fighter is a derivative of the (TVC) engines and fly-by-wire control system.
Russia was to train RMAF flying and ground proven Su-30MKI that has been in service with Still, there have been a number of radical modi-
crews and provide weapons and other equipment the Indian Air Force (IAF) since 2002. Under fications to the Malaysian aircraft.
18 take-off march
december 2009
2015 wwwwww.
. ttaakkee--ooffff.. r u
contracts and deliveries | programme
Marina Lystseva
Marina Lystseva
They included, first and foremost, modifica- Su-30MKI has two different digital comput- capability with the 3–5 micron wavelength
tions to the IFF transponder, self-defence suite, ers (the main one is Russian and the backup is as well as two laser channels: a 1.5 micron
display system and podded optronic systems. For Indian), while both of the Su-30MKM’s com- eye-safe ranging laser and a target illumina-
instance, the Su-30MKM mounts an advanced puters are Russian-made. tion laser. The thermal imager’s extra-wide
French-made IFF system, with its ‘plates’ situ- In addition, the Su-30MKM has more field of vision in the navigation mode meas-
ated on top the nose section fore of the cockpit. French-made systems. The Thales wide-angle ures 24x18°, wide one – 4x3° and narrow
However, the main difference featured by the HUD has ousted the Israeli ElOp HUD mount- one – 1x0.75°. The twofold electronic magni-
Malaysian variant is its laser warning systems and ed by the Su-30MKI. The Su-30MKM’s colour fication (zoom) is possible.
missile approach sensors. They were developed multifunction LCDs are French-made as well. The 3–5 micron infrared NAVFLIR naviga-
and in production by South African company Like the Indian fighter, its Malaysian counterpart tion system has the front-hemisphere lookdown/
Avitronics, a member of the SAAB group, and houses three 5x5” MFD55 displays at each com- lookup capability with the 24x18° optical field
are placed in various parts of the airframe. Two bat station in the cockpit, with the rear station of view (the electronic zoom with 12x9° angle
front-hemisphere laser-illumination sensor sets also fitted with the fourth, larger display – the of view) and shows the resultant imagery on
are under the nose section and the other two, 6x6” MFD66. the HUD and/or MFDs. The acquisition and
which keep an eye on the rear hemisphere, sit on Another novelty implemented in the Malaysian identification range for objects measuring 20x20
the sides of the air intakes. Between the former, version is the Thales podded optronic systems m is 10–12 km and those for 100x100 m objects
there is a UV three-sensor set to spot incoming (the Su-30MKI can carry the Israeli-made is 22.5–50 km. The system, except the pod and
missiles in the lookdown mode. The second such Litening electro-optical pod). There are two cooling system, weighs mere 20 kg.
set of UV sensors is on top the spine fairing aft such systems: the LDP Damocles pod ensures The rest of the Su-30MKM’s search and
of the air brake. It operates in the lookup mode. round-the-clock air-to-surface attack while day targeting systems are Russian-made and most-
In addition to the South African systems, and night flight and navigation is ensured by the ly similar to those on the Su-30MKI. They
the Su-30MKM’s self-defence suite comprises NAVFLIR system housed by the pylon being the include, first and foremost, the Tikhomirov-
an upgraded Russian radar-warning receiver, hardpoint for the Damocles. NIIP Bars phased-array radar capable of simul-
Russian electronic countermeasures (ECM) According to the official data at the Thales taneously tracking at least 15 aerial threats at a
system in two pods mounted on wingtips, and web site, the Damocles podded optronic sys- high spatial angle and engaging four of them at
Russian passive IR dispensers in the tail section tem (the pod weighs 265 kg and is 2.5 m long) a time, effectively attacking ground targets and
(98 cartridges with flares and chaff). handles the surface search, target acquisi- operating in the air-to-air and air-to-surface
Actually, the share of Russian-made compo- tion, identification and tracking, laser spot modes concurrently. The passive phased array
nents is larger than that on the Indian variant detection and target ranging and designation of the Bars radar is fitted with the addition-
due to Russian components replacing some of for laser-guided weapons, including smart al hydraulic horizontal turn mechanism and
the Indian and Israeli ones. Particularly, the bombs. To this end, it has the thermal imaging offers ±70° total scan in azimuth and ±40°
Andrey Fomin
in elevation. The assured acquisition range siles with TV command guidance), Kh-31A
for aerial threats with a radar cross-section of or Kh-31P (six ASMs with active or pas-
3 sq.m equals at least 140 km. sive radar homing heads), six TV-guided
In addition, the Su-30MKM’s surveillance Kh-29TE missiles and five Kh-29L semi-
and targeting gear includes the OLS-30I IRST active laser beam-riding ASMs. Guided bombs
from the Ural Optical & Mechanical Plant include KAB-500Kr (OD) and KAB-1500Kr
named after E.S. Yalamov (UOMZ) and the TV-guided bombs and advanced KAB-1500LG
Sura helmet-mounted target designator from laser-guided bombs. The use of Kh-59ME
the Arsenal plant in Kiev. The infrared seg- missiles is supported by means of the APK-9E
ment of the IRST tracks aerial targets out at pod carried on the hardpoint under the port
90 km in the rear hemisphere and 50 km in air intake and that of Kh-29L missiles and
the front hemisphere. The airspace scan zone KAB-1500LG bombs by the Damocles pod
measures ±60° in azimuth and -15/+60° in mounted on the hardpoint under the starboard
elevation. The OLS-30I’s wide field of view air intake.
account for 60x10° and the narrow one is The non-guided weapons carried by the
20x5°, with the field of view being 3x3° in the Su-30MKM are virtually the same as those
lock-on mode. The laser rangefinder ranges hauled by other aircraft of the Flanker family.
ground targets out at 5 km at the least and The Su-30MKM carries up to eight HE grav-
aerial ones out at 3 km at the least. ity bombs or 500 kg disposable cluster bomb
The Su-30MKI’s navigation aids include the units, up to thirty-two 250 kg or 100 kg 1,500 flight hours or 10 years of operation. The
TACAN short-range radio navigation system, blast/fragmentation bombs and 80, 122 and AL-31FP engines from UMPO in Ufa have an
LINS-GPS inertial/satnav system and VOR/ 266/340 mm (420 mm) folding-fin aerial assigned life of 2,000 flight hours and a time
ILS/MRK landing equipment. To ensure safe rockets (80 S-8, 20 S-13 or four S-25 FFARs before first overhaul of 1,000 flight hours, with
formation manoeuvring, the aircraft also is fit- in various versions) in four rocket pods or their TVC nozzles have an assigned life of 500
ted with formation flight lights on the sides launchers. The maximum payload mounted flight hours.
of the fuselage nose section and air intakes, on 12 hardpoints totals 8,000 kg. To cap it all, In 2006 the Sukhoi design bureau furnished
fins and wingtips. The avionics was integrated the fighter packs a 30 mm GSh-301 automatic two prototype aircraft to test the Su-30MKM’s
with the use of multiplex databus meeting the cannon with the 150-round ammo load. advanced electronic systems and integrate it
MIL-STD-1553B standard. In conclusion, a few words about one other with the avionics suite. Two preproduction
As far as its weapons suite is concerned, feature of the Su-30MKM. The aircraft is fit- Su-30MKIs serialled 05 and 04 were converted
the Su-30MKM is close enough to IAF’s ted with the integral oxygen generator from to this end, becoming the prototypes of the
Su-30MKI. The types of weapons used remain the Zvezda company in the town of Tomilino, Su-30MKM. One of them was first flown by
virtually unchanged and include up to ten Moscow Region. Zvezda is known as the devel- Sukhoi’s test pilots Sergey Kostin and Vyacheslav
RVV-AE medium-range active radar homing oper of the unique K-36D-3,5E ejection seat the Averyanov in Zhukovsky on 23 May 2006. The
air-to-air missiles, up to eight R-27ER1 semi- Su-30MKM is fitted with. other prototype completed its maiden flight in
active radar homing and R-27ET1 heat-seek- The Su-30MKM has a long flying life – Irkutsk on 9 June 2006 with Vyacheslav and
ing AAMs (including up to two R-27ET1 6,000 flight hours or 25 years of operation Yevgeny Averyanovs at the controls. The bulk of
AAMs), up to six R-73E dogfight missiles, as far as the airframe is concerned. Heavy the tests conducted at LII’s airfield in Zhukovsky
Kh-59ME air-to-surface missiles (two mis- maintenance is required after the aircraft logs and at the Defence Ministry’s State Flight Test
Centre (GLITs) in Akhtubinsk were complete of the event was highlighted by the presence of airshow at the island of Langkawi in
in late spring 2007, with the assembly of the first Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence December 2007. Lt. Col. Norazlan Aris
production Su-30MKMs being in full swing at Minister (now – Prime Minister of Malaysia) and Maj. Azman Jantan from RMAF’s
the Irkutsk Aviation Plant. Both Su-30MKM Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Haji Abdul Razak 11th squadron became the heroes of the show
prototypes remained in Russia for use under and Malaysian Chief of Defence Forces General due to their fantastic Su-30MKM flight dis-
various test programmes to keep on refining the (Army) Tan Sri Dato Paduka Seri Abdul Aziz play over Langkawi. By then two more RMAF
Su-30MKM and other aircraft of the family. Hj Zainal. Rosoboronexport Deputy Director pilots were flying the new type of Malaysian
The ceremony of acceptance of two first pro- General Victor Komardin, who represented fighter, Maj. Fadzli Sabirin and Maj. Choy
duction-standard Su-30MKMs took place at Russia during the ceremony, handed the doc- Swee On. All of them previously flew RMAF’s
the airfield of the Irkutsk Aviation Plant, a sub- umentation on the delivered aircraft over to MiG-29N or F/A-18D fighters or Hawk
sidiary of the Irkut Corp., on 24 May 2007. The RMAF Commander. trainers and were high-skill military pilots
Malaysian delegation attending the acceptance By then, the fighters delivered had been used with a flight backlog of 2,000–3,000 hours.
ceremony was led by the then RMAF command- by the first group of RMAF pilots for conver- Later on more and more Malaysian pilots
er, Gen. Dato’ Sri Azizan bin Ariffin. Less than sion to the aircraft of a type new to them, passed conversion for flying Su-30MKM and
a month later, on 18 June, an Antonov An-124 with Russian test pilots Yevgeny Frolov, Sergey attended the 11th squadron.
Ruslan airlifter flew both aircraft to RMAF’s Bogdan and Sergey Kostin of the Sukhoi design With introducing the Su-30MKM into ser-
Gong Kedak air base in the Kelantan province, bureau acting as instructor pilots. Already on vice, RMAF became the second air force in the
on the coast of the South China Sea, 300 km 31 August 2007, three Su-30MKMs flown by world to operate supersonic multirole super-
north of the national capital, Kuala Lumpur. Malaysian pilots participated in the air parade manoeuvrable fighters capable of thrust vector
Two more Su-30MKMs joined them in August. dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Malaysia’s control and the world’s second air force flying
The Subang air base vic. Kuala Lumpur hosted independence. Russian fighters fitted with phased-array radars.
the ceremony of the Su-30MKM’s RMAF ser- The international debut of the advanced With air crews given relevant training, they will
vice entry on 10 August 2007. The importance Malaysian fighters took place at LIMA 2007 be able to use dogfight missiles in the superma-
noeuvrability mode as well. As a result, the com-
bat capabilities of the Malaysian Su-30MKMs
could far exceed those of the fighters operated by
other air forces in the region.
At present, RMAF is searching the ways
for further development of its fighter fleet.
Rosoboronexport and Irkut are intent on offer-
ing the Malaysians a new batch of Su-30MKM
fighters that have earned the country’s recogni-
tion and can embody a number of improve-
ments, if the customer wishes so. For instance,
they can be fitted with an upgraded fire control
radar system that can be equipped with the active
electronically scanned array (AESA) and the
latest weapons, including the Russian-Indian
BrahMos-A heavy multipurpose supersonic air-
Andrey Fomin
Andrey Fomin
Andrey Fomin
helicopters worldwide. Mi-171A2 is
currently undergoing the final stages
of certification tests. Its certifica-
tion test programme completion and
Interstate Aviation Committee Aircraft of up to 1.5 tonnes, and has been ing cargo, and can also be deployed Malaysian BOMBA Fire and
Registry type certificate release are the subject of great interest from on police operations or to fly search- Rescue Air Operation Unit now oper-
slated for 2015. Even now, major heli- public- and private-sector bodies in and-rescue and medevac missions. ates four Mi-8/17 series helicopters.
copter operators – both domestic and Malaysia. It has the most spacious In late December 2014, Russian The first two Mi-17-1V helicopters
foreign – have displayed interest in the cabin in its class, and its configura- Helicopters announced the comple- produced by Kazan Helicopters (now
Mi-171A2. tion can be changed depending on tion of the certification of a pas- being a part of Russian Helicopters
The light Ansat is one of the most its designated purpose. The Ansat senger version of the Ansat light holding) were delivered to Malaysia
in-demand models in its class of can be used for passenger flights multipurpose helicopter equipped in 1998–1999 and then modified
helicopters with payload capacity (including VIP class) as well as haul- with the hydro-mechanical control by Malaysian engineers into fire-
system. It got a supplementary type fighting versions and got M994-01
certificate issued by the Interstate and M994-02 registration numbers.
Aviation Committee Aircraft Registry Being satisfied with an experience of
allowing it commercial passenger their service with BOMBA, Malaysian
operations. government made a decision in
At LIMA 2015 Russian Helicopters 2003 to order two more helicopters
plans to hold talks with Malaysian of the type. In September 2004 Ulan
state company AIROD and the coun- Ude Aviation Plant (now also being a
try's firefighting department BOMBA, part of Russian Helicopters holding)
both of which are considering the delivered two Mi-171 helicopters
acquisition of a new consignment of to Malaysia. After fitting them with
Andrey Fomin
Simon Watson
the Russia’s Irkut corporation has
supplied IAF with 50 fly-away air-
craft of the type and India’s HAL
has been licence-producing the
Su-30MKI since 2004. On 24 December 2012, during components is performed by HAL’s tirole air-to-surface missiles that
Irkut delivered the first Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plant in Koraput. The communica- is under development by BrahMos
32 Su-30MKIs under the 1996 visit to India, one more contract, tion gear and navigation systems Russian-Indian joint venture,
contract to IAF during 2002–2004. for delivery of 42 Su-30MKI mul- are made in Hyderabad, while the which has already delivered mis-
Later on, 18 more fighters of the tirole supermanoeuvrable fighter hydraulic, pneumatic and fuel units sile’s ship-based and land-based
type arrived in 2008–2009 under knockdown kits to India, was in Lucknow and cockpit MFDs and versions to the Indian Navy and
a 'trade-in' deal clinched in 2007 signed. According to the Indian satnav systems in Korwa. Army. The first BrahMos-A test
as a replacement of 18 Su-30Ks press, the deal’s worth is esti- Meanwhile, the Su-30MKI pro- launch from Indian Su-30MKI is to
delivered in late 1990s. mated at about $1.6 billion. gramme has not been sitting on take place in 2015.
The contract with India on licence HAL Chairman R.K. Tyagi said in its hands, and the fighter being In addition, the upgrade will
production of 140 Sukhoi Su-30MKIs, December 2012 that after 42 more delivered to India these days differ apply to the fighter’s avionics suite.
AL-31FP thrust vector control knockdown kits had been ordered, from those supplied earlier in the The current preliminary agreements
engines and avionics, including the HAL’s licence-produced Su-30MKI decade in greater capabilities of stipulate phased upgrade of the
Tikhomirov-NIIP Bars phased-array output would total 222 aircraft. the fire control system owing to lat- Tikhomirov-NIIP’s Bars phased-
radars, was signed on 28 December Thus, considering the ready-made est operating modes and enhanced array radar. The first phase of the
2000. It became the major deal in the Su-30MKIs delivered by Irkut, IAF characteristics of the avionics upgrade is supposed to boost the
Russian-Indian cooperation, valued at will have a fleet of 272 aircraft of suite. Since the Su-30MKI produc- radar’s performance through intro-
$3 billion-plus. The first HAL-assembled the type in the end. tion and deliveries will have con- duction of additional operating
Su-30MKI was accepted by IAF on According to an official HAL tinued for at least four to five years modes as well as more-capable
28 November 2004. news release, the Russian-Indian more while their service life will last computers and software. This is
In 2007, Rosoboronexport and Su-30MKI licence production pro- at least 25 years, further improve- to maximise the reliance on the
Irkut, on the one hand, and the gramme involves 157 Indian sub- ment of the aircraft by means of solutions of the existing phased-
Indian Ministry of Defence and contractors. HAL’s MiG Complex even more sophisticated avionics array radar already productionised
HAL, on the other, struck a deal in Nasik handles the manufacture and weapons comes to the fore. by India under the Russian licence.
for 40 Su-30MKI knockdown kits of Su-30MKI airframes and the Such priorities now include the Phase two of the upgrade is to see
more, with Irkut having completed final assembly of the planes. The arming of the Indian Su-30MKI fleet the Bars’s passive phased array
the deliveries under the contract manufacture of AL-31FP engines with the cutting-edge BrahMos-A replaced with an active electronical-
during 2008–2010. with the use of UMPO-supplied long-range precision-guided mul- ly-scanned array (AESA).
Simon Watson
Andrey Fomin
MEANS TO WIN
MIG-29K/KUB
FIGHTERS OFF VIKRAMADITYA
Indian naval aviators are learning to fly MiG-29K/KUB multirole carrierborne fight-
United Shipbuilding Corporation, said at
ers off the Vikramaditya aircraft carrier that has sailed to India’s shores from
the Defexpo 2014 arms show in New Delhi
Russia a year ago. The first landing on the deck of the new Indian carrier took
place here on 7 February 2014. The MiG-29KUB was controlled by the Indian Navy in February 2014: “Russia has delivered the
303 Sqn commanding officer, Capt. Ajay Theophilus, with Andrei Shishov, a test equipment designed for the Indian carrier-
pilot with the MiG corporation, occupying the back seat in the instructor-pilot borne aircraft simulator system and for the
capacity. On the same day, there was another MiG-29KUB landing on the ship, latest Indian Project 71 aircraft carrier”. The
with the aircraft controlled by the Indian pilot. Whose instructor pilot was MiG’s ship, which has inherited her famous name
chief test pilot Mikhail Belyayev. Vikrant from her predecessor, was launched
on 12 August 2013 at the Cochin Shipyard.
The early landings on the Vikramaditya Gibraltar and the Mediterranean, having She is slated to start her factory sea trials in
were preceded by a series of flights of IN made a brief stopover in Lisbon, and then 2016 and to be commissioned by the Indian
pilots at the land-based training facility in entered the Red Sea via the Suez. On the Navy some time in late 2018.
Goa state, with the facility fitted with a ski- first day of 2014, the latest Indian aircraft Russian-made MiG-29K/KUB fighters
jump ramp/arrestor gear simulator. Training carrier and her escort entered the Arabian will make up the mainstay of the new
flights of Indian naval MiG-29 pilots, Sea. There, the joy and pride of the Indian Vikrant’s CAG, too. During 2009–2011 the
including snagging the arrestor cables, began Navy was met by a large task force of nine MiG corporation has supplied the Indian
in January 2014. warships of the Indian Navy’s Western Fleet, Navy with the 16 MiG-29K/KUB aircraft
The first landings of the Indian led by Rear Adm. Anil Kumar Chawla on under the first contract made in 2004 and
MiG-29KUBs on the Vikramaditya took board the Viraat aircraft carrier. Finally, in late 2012 began deliveries of 29 fighters
place just a month after the arrival of the ship the Vikramaditya arrived at its station on more under the second contract signed in
to the customer’s shores. As is known, the 7 January 2014. 2010. The first four MiGs under this deal
protracted overhaul, conversion and hando- In all, the first cruise of the Vikramaditya were handed over to the customer in late
ver of the Vikramaditya carrier (previously under command of Commodore Suraj Berry 2012 with seven more followed them in
Soviet Navy’s Admiral Gorshkov carrier) by took 42 days, including 26 sea days, on which 2013. The next six MiG-29K/KUB fighters
Russian shipbuilders to the Indian Navy were the ship covered 10,212 nm. During the were delivered to India last year. Overall,
completed in late 2013. The ship was handed cruise, there were 177 Russian specialists on the air arm of the Indian Navy is to receive
over to the customer in a ceremony hosted by board in addition to the Indian crew. They 45 MiG-29K/KUB fighters under the two
Sevmash in Severodvinsk on 16 November continued to assist IN personnel in learning deals of which more than 30 have been
2013. Then, the preparations were launched the aircraft carrier for a year. already delivered. The activation of 303
for her cruise to her new station – the Indian It is worth mentioning that the work on Sqn (Black Panthers) on MiG-29K/KUB
Navy’s advanced naval base Kadamba vic. the Vikramaditya is not the only experi- aircraft by the Indian Navy took place in
Karwar in Karnataka state. ence in the cooperation between Russian a ceremony at INS Hansa, Goa state, on 1
The aircraft carrier left the roadstead industry and India in aircraft carrier con- May 2013.
of Severodvinsk and headed for India on struction. In particular, Anatoly Shlemov, The single-seat MiG-29K and twin-seat
26 November 2013. At first, she cruised chief of the Governmental Defence MiG-29KUB aircraft are the "4++" gen-
around Europe, then passed the Strait of Acquisition Programme Department, eration multirole fighters intended for air
Vladimir SHCHERBAKOV
Photos: Indian Ministry of Defence
Alexey Mikheyev
T-50 Mikhail SUNTSOV
UNDERGOES
fighter’s supermanoeuvrability is owing to
a combination of special algorithms of its
integrated flight control system, on the one
hand, and its thrust vector control engines.
The PAK FA’s avionics suite is based on
OFFICIAL TESTS
a cutting-edge information management
system with multiple-redundant computers
and data buses monitoring and controlling
the onboard systems and weapons. Sukhoi
has implemented this information man-
Sukhoi T-50 also known as PAK FA (Future Tactical Aircraft) – the Russian fifth-
generation fighter being developed by the Sukhoi company, United Aircraft Corp. agement system philosophy in the Gen.
subsidiary, – started its official trials last year. For this purpose, several T-50 4++ Su-35S fighter, which delivery to
flying prototypes were ferried from Zhukovsky, Moscow Region, to the Defence the Russian Air Force has been under way
Ministry State Flight Test Centre’s base in Akhtubinsk. Due to Col.-Gen. Victor since earlier this year.
Bondarev, Russian Air Force Commander-in-Chief, the delivery of the first T-50s The multifunction integrated active
for operational evaluation is poised to begin as soon as 2016. electronically scanned array (AESA) radar
system being developed by V. Tikhomirov
The PAK FA has all basic characteris- targets, cue a wide range of air-launched Scientific-Research Institute of Instrument
tics inherent in fifth-generation fighters, weapons, ensure flight, navigation, radio Design and the integrated optronic sys-
namely, low observability in the radio- communications, and protect from incom- tem being developed by Urals Optical
frequency band and other wavebands of ing enemy weapons. & Mechanical Plant are the PAK FA’s
the electromagnetic spectrum in the first The PAK FA’s stealth is owing to a basic target designation, weapon employ-
place; secondly, supersonic cruising capa- special shape of its airframe, the extensive ment, navigation and self-defence assets.
bility; thirdly, supermanoeuvrability; and, use of composite materials and radar- The fighter’s weapons suite will comprise
fourthly, a cutting-edge highly automated absorbent coatings, and internal weapon both upgraded production-standard weap-
avionics suite comprising innovative active bays. The aircraft owes its supersonic cruis- ons and a considerable number of advanced
and passive radar and electro-optical sys- ing capability to its engines capable of types of air-to-air and air-to-surface mis-
tems designed to spot aerial and surface high thrust in non-afterburning mode. The siles and smart bombs being developed by
static test prototype, a prototype for endur- of its characteristics. It has become known the mock-up review commission highlighted
ance tests, a procedure-oriented simulator, recently, however, that a different power- the plane’s ability to be based without a hang-
a computerised training classroom and flight plant for the Yak-152 is being mulled over – ar and at austere airfields with low ground
recorders, conduct preliminary tests of the the French-made 330–400-hp six-cylinder density (5 kg/cm2), its ability to fly in fine and
aircraft and submit it for its official trials. The SR460 being promoted by SMA, a Safran foul weather round the clock, its advanced
latter shall have lasted until late September Group subsidiary. The engine was unveiled at avgas-consuming diesel engine, etc.
2016. Then, the developer will debug the air- the Le Bourget air show in June 2013. At the same time, the commission made
craft based on the outcome of its official test The Yak-152’s cockpit is supposed to a few observations pertaining to the pro-
programme and will have productionised the be fitted with four TDS-84 multifunction gramme and mock-up. In particular, pilots
Yak-152 by 25 November 2016. displays (two in each cockpit) and other believe the ergonomics should be opti-
The Yak-152-based training system is advanced instruments. Provision has been mised to accommodate persons of differ-
planned for use by the Air Force and DOSAAF made for equipping the aircraft with the ent heights and builds. The commission
to teach flying, including formation flying, KSAP-152 ejection system comprising Zvezda also suggested that the developer look into
aerobatics, spin, spin recovery techniques, SKS-94M2 ejection seats. the feasibility of fitting the Yak-152 with
instrument flying and basic navigation. A significant event under the Yak-152 pro- an alternative engine to reduce the pro-
While initially the Yak-152 was planned to gramme was the session of the mock-up review gramme’s overall risks.
be powered by the M-14X petrol-burning air- commission, hosted by Irkut in Moscow Now, the Irkutsk Aviation Plant is gear-
cooled radial piston engine (the one powering late in September last year. According to ing up for the manufacture of Yak-152
the Chinese L-7), Irkut has offered to fit it Yakovlev’s official website, “having listened prototypes.
with an up-to-date diesel engine burning avgas. to and discussed the reports of experts, the
The thing is the Voronezh Mechanical Plant commission has praised the status of the Yak-152 main data
has discontinued the production of the M-14 programme, having stressed in its conclusions Length, m 7.27
Wing span, m 8.8
series (M-9) piston engines, and other Russian such positive features of the aircraft, as the Wing area, sq. m 12.9
engines with the similar power are nonexistent. optimal aerodynamic configuration, a sizable Empty weight, kg 1,045
To cap it all, a diesel engine allows an improve- increase in crew safety owing to a highly effec- Max takeoff weight, kg 1,400
Max limit speed, km/h 490
ment in the flight performance of the plane and tive ejection system, the tricycle undercarriage
Service ceiling, m 4,000
a hefty reduction in fuel consumption. with the nose gear, a set of advanced avion- Rate of climb above ground, m/s 9.2
In 2010, a 12-cylinder 500-hp ics and LCDs in the cockpit, based on four Maximum operating g-load 9
RED A03V12 diesel engine was mounted multifunction displays of the same type as the Range, km 1,300
Takeoff run, m 180
on a Yak-52 in Germany for the sake of ones used in the Yak-130 aircraft”. Landing roll, m 330
experiment. The flight tests of the plane Among the competitive advantages of the Landing speed, km/h 120
produced a considerable improvement in all Yak-152 and the training system based on it, Takeoff power, hp 350
Nikolai Krasnov
The aircraft with MSN 95021 was
built in 2012 and has been operated
by the Moskovia airline since August
2013 under a leasing agreement with
the Sberbank Leasing along with two their new user’s livery in Ulyanovsk lines, on which the Tu-204s, having Makhachkala and Moscow – Grozny
more airliners of the type – the for- by late last year. They retained their seating capacity twice as big as that lines on 6 February 2015 after the
mer Aeroflot-flown RA-89001 and two-class 93-seat cabin layout (eight of the Superjets, may prove not too addition of the new aircraft type
RA-89002 manufactured in 2011. seats in business class and 75 in profitable to operate. According to to the operator certificate. At the
The Federal Aviation Agency pulled economy class). Red Wings Director General Yevgeny same day Red Wings ferried its
Moskovia’s operator certificate in As is known, the aircraft fleet of Klyucharyov, the company has plans second SSJ100 (RA-89002) from
August 2014, and all of the latter’s Red Wings has comprised eight to drive the number of its SSJ100s up SCAC base to Domodedovo. The
three Superjets went to SCAC base in 210-seat Tu-204 medium-haul airlin- to 15, “and we stick to our strategy of airline’s plans provide for having its
Zhukovsky. After the agreement had ers until recently. Beefing it up with operating Russian-built aircraft”. SSJ100s flying on the lines to Ufa,
been made with Red Wings, two of 93-seat Superjets will simplify the The carrier launched sched- Sochi, Mineralnye Vody and other
the three planes had been painted in exploration of the company’s new uled services on the Moscow – Russian cities.
Late November 2014 saw the completion of the certification of a Sukhoi allows responsive implementation of ideas
Superjet 100 (RRJ-95B) VIP version by the Aircraft Registry of the Interstate and needs of any customer.
Aviation Committee (IAC). The developer received a supplementary type With the tests complete and the sup-
certificate confirming the safe flying of the SSJ100 equipped with an plementary type certificate issued, the
enhanced-comfort passenger cabin. first SSJ100-95B VIP plane registered
as RA-89053 entered service with the
The certificated VIP layout was imple- service area comprises the seats for two Center-South air carrier. Since the pre-
mented in SSJ100-95B MSN 95009 ordered flight attendants, a galley module, a crew/ vious spring, it has had two SSJ100-95Bs
by Rosoboronexport JSC from the Sukhoi entourage lavatory and a cabinet for the (RA-89004 and RA-89007) in the stand-
Civil Aircraft Company on 27 August 2013 passengers’ baggage. ard 87-seat layout (12 business-class
during the MAKS 2013 air show, when the The cabin layout was tailored to the seats and 75 seats in economy class) and
aircraft equipped with a VIP cabin mock- requirements of a particular customer, but has been using them actively on charter
up was unveiled. It conducted its maiden the SSJ100 platform with a large cabin operations.
flight on 29 June 2013. The first show of
the aircraft with the complete VIP cabin In early December 2014, the first Superjet in VIP version registered as
took place at the Jet Expo 2014 exhibition RA-89053 had its first passenger service under the flag of Center-South
in early September last year. airline carrying Russian governmental delegation to New Delhi
The cabin is designed to seat 19 pas-
sengers. The first and second subcabins,
equipped with comfortable furniture, an
advanced multimedia system, desks and
swivelling seats, are designed for busi-
ness meetings. The principal’s cabin is
furnished with the full-fledged working
Marina Lystseva
RA-89053 flew from Zhukovsky to range out to 6,000-plus km, while a vari- Sukhoi Business Jet is designed for this pur-
Sheremetyevo on 9 December 2014 and ant with a redesigned wing, winglets and pose. It is this category of customers that we
departed on its first passenger service on increased fuel cells will be developed in will supply out product to”.
the next day, carrying a governmental del- 2016. Its range is expected to be almost Speaking of the future of the Superjet
egation led by Industry and Trade Minister 8,000 km. This will be a true evolution of VIP version, he said plans provide for
Denis Manturov to New Delhi as part the SSJ100, owing to which new customers gradual introduction of individual techni-
of the Russian-Indian summit meeting. will be attracted”, says Russian Industry cal solutions in line with the requirements
The nonstop flight out to 4,735 km took and Trade Minister Denis Manturov. spelt out by specific customers (integral
6 h 5 min. The SSJ100 VIP was unveiled Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Chairman of the aircraft step unit, shower cabinets, etc.).
to Indian governmental officials and rep- Board Mikhail Pogosyan said last year: “Work is underway on refining the fuel
resentatives of civil aviation and aircraft “Business planes are a lucrative, albeit system now. The improvements are slated
industry at the airport of the Indian capital niche, product. We estimate the global busi- for certification by late 2016. The instal-
city on 12 December. SCAC estimates the ness plane fleet to be as follows: 57% are lation of extra fuel cells will extend the
volume of SSJ100 sales to India in the operated by business air carrier, 23% by range out to almost 8,000 km”, he said,
period until 2030 at about 50 aircraft. corporate and private customers and 20% by stressing: “Working out an approximate list
The Superjet’s VIP version for governmental customers. These are planes price of the product and realising that the
Rosoboronexport is the first step under for rich people appreciating time and com- cost of the interior is important to business
the programme on deriving the Sukhoi fort. They have to be able to travel to any aircraft, we expect offer a 10% advantage
Business Jet (SBJ) specialised airliner from corner of the world. No matter where they over our closest competitor, the Embraer
the SSJ100 regional passenger aircraft. go, they should have for this purpose a reli- Lineage 1000. Thus, the cost of ownership
At Stage 2, advanced technical solutions able aircraft and comfort they deserve. The of our plane will be rather attractive”.
are planned for gradual introduction in
line with the requirements of specific cus-
tomers. The solutions include an integral
aircraft step unit, a satellite communica-
tion system and other optional gear. In
addition, extra fuel tanks and winglets are
expected to be installed at this stage. The
phasing-in of technical advances will opti-
mise the Sukhoi Business Jet design further
down the line and get feedback from the
customers. The VIP, corporate and govern-
mental variants of the plane will be offered.
All of them may be outfitted with a separate
study for the principal, a conference room
and a cabin for the entourage.
“The current version will be improved
Artyom Ilyin
in the course of operation. The plane will
be fitted with extra fuel cells, extending its
Artyom Ilyin
ANGARA-A5:
The success of the trials of the first Angara-A5
was all the more obvious because the launch
went smoothly at the first push without failures.
The rocket is facing a long commission-
FIRST LAUNCH
ing phase. The flight development programme
designed for the period until 2020 provides for
10 launches of rockets in the lightweight and
heavyweight classes. The subsequent launches
will involve real spacecraft. Before year-end 2015,
2014 proved to be rich in epoch-making events in space exploration all over the Khrunichev is to deliver another Angara-A5 ear-
globe. India launched a prototype of its manned spacecraft onboard the latest marked for launch in 2016. The company has
GSLV MkIII rocket. The European Space Agency landed the Filae probe onto plans to make two rockets a year in 2018–2020
the Churimov-Gerasimenko comet. The United States started the flight tests of and as many as four per annum in 2021–22. The
the MPCV Orion multirole spacecraft. Russia kicked off flight development tests customer is to take delivery of six heavy launch
of the new-generation Angara launch vehicle. It would not be an overstatement vehicles in 2023, and the output rate is expected
to say that the event of the year to Russian spacecraft and launch vehicle
to be seven LVs a year by the mid-2020s.
developers was the maiden flight of the Angara-A5 heavy-lift LV from the Plesetsk
The Angara-A5 is to phase out the venerable
space launch centre on 23 December 2014.
Proton-M booster rocket gradually. Now, the
Actually, it is the heavy-lift Angara that the On 10 November, the heavy rocket was company’s plans provide for the construction
programme was launched for over 20 years brought to the versatile launch complex for of a launch site for the advanced rocket at the
ago. Russia needed independent access to outer the first time for electrical tests and launch Vostochny space launch facility. The site is to
space, which, simply put, means the ability to equipment checkout. These were completed comprise two launching pads. The construction
launch any spacecraft, including geostationary on 26 November, having proven the complex’s of the second launch site in Plesetsk is being
ones, from the Russian territory. preparedness for launching a heavy-lift rocket. looked into, too.
The flight development tests were aimed A week before the launch date, the fuel tanks The work on boosting the carrier rock-
mostly at testing the systems and dynam- of the Breeze-M upper stage, inherited together et’s power is in full swing. In the future, the
ics of the LV and systems of the versatile with the nose fairing from the Proton-M LV, Breeze-M will be replaced with the DM-03
launch complex in the course of launching were fuelled. upper stage featuring an improved engine that
a heavyweight rocket. To attain the targets, a The rocket was taken to the launch complex will handle the insertion of satellites weighing
demonstration flight was conducted, which on 20 December. At noon, it was placed into up to 3.8 t from Plesetsk or 3.9 t from Vostochny
inserted a 2,042-kg satellite soft mock-up into the launcher, set upright and connected to the into geostationary orbit.
geostationary orbit. electrical, pneumatic and hydraulic systems. However, the greatest increase in lifting
Two trains carrying units and compartments On the next day, there were various tests as capacity is to be given by the KVTK heavy-lift
of an Angara-A5 heavy-lift rocket came to well as a dry run of the launch readiness of oxygen-hydrogen upper stage. Equipped with
Plesetsk on 25 July 2014. It was reported as far the control system. Telemetry was processed the KVTK, an Angara-A5 will be capable of
back as 2013 that the Angara-A5’s first launch and analysed. lofting an eight-tonne satellite into transfer orbit
would take place in late 2014. For a while, the On 22 December, a session of the State from Vostochny. This will enable the rocket to
launch was planned for 25 December, but it was Commission gave a nod to the fuelling of the remain among the world’s best launch vehicles
shifted for an earlier date, 23 December. rocket. The countdown commenced 11.5 h for many years to come.
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