Russian Air Force to get 10 fifth-generation fighters by 2015

The Russian Defense Ministry will buy the first 10 fifth-generation fighters between 2013 and 2015 and then another 60 after 2016, a senior military official said on Monday.

Deputy Defense Minister for Arms Procurements Vladimir Popovkin said the first fighters will be purchased in 2013, while in 2015 the Air Force will start test flying them.

He did not explain what will happen between 2013 and 2015.

"We will start purchasing this fighter in series in 2016 and a total of 60 fighters will be bought under the state [arms procurement] program," Popovkin said.

Air Force chief Col. Gen. Alexander Zelin said last week the first batch of new fighters would be provided with older, "non-fifth" generation engines.

In mid-June, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin observed the 16th test flight of a prototype fighter.

The prime minister said 30 billion rubles (around $1 billion) had already been spent on the project and another 30 billion would be required to complete it, after which the engine, weaponry and other components would be upgraded.

He said the fighter would have a service life of 30-35 years if modernization and upgrades are factored in, and would be around three times cheaper than its foreign analogs.

Russia's only known fifth-generation project is Sukhoi's PAK FA and the current prototype is the T-50. It is designed to compete with the U.S. F-22 Raptor, so far the world's only fifth-generation fighter, and the F-35 Lightning II.

Russia has been developing its newest fighter since the 1990s. The country's top military officials have said the stealth fighter jet with a range of up to 5,500 km should enter service with the Air Force in 2015.

The PAK FA is to be armed with next-generation air-to-air, air-to-surface, and air-to-ship missiles, and has two 30-mm cannons.

Source-http://en.rian.ru/

Mi-28NE Havoc Helicopter to be Displayed at Moscow Expo

The Mil Mi-28NE Havoc (Night Hunter) attack helicopter and 49 other military exhibits will be displayed by 14 Russian organizations at the 5th International Helicopter Industry Exhibition (HeliRussia 2012) in Moscow, the Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation reported.
The exhibition will be held on May 17-19 at the Crocus Expo exhibition center in the Russian capital’s northwest. Russia’s Industry and Trade Ministry is its organizer.
Russia’s state arms exporter Rosoboronexport, the Rostvertol and Kamov helicopter manufacturers and the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and other organizations will display products at the exposition.
Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin will attend the exhibition’s opening.
The event will also be attended by over 100 representatives from 56 countries, including Afghanistan, Brazil, India, Saudi Arabia, the United States, Turkmenistan, France and others.
Overall, 147 Russian organizations and 53 foreign companies from 17 countries will participate in the exhibition.

Source - DefenceTalk

Russian Airforce to Get First T-50 Fighters in 2013

The Russian Air Force will receive the first batch of prototypes of its fifth-generation T-50 fighter for performance testing in 2013, Col. Gen. Alexander Zelin said on Thursday.
The T-50, developed under the PAK FA program (Future Aviation System for Tactical Air Force) at the Sukhoi experimental design bureau, is Russia’s first new major warplane designed since the fall of the Soviet Union.

“The work on the fifth-generation fighter is going according to schedule,” Zelin, a former Air Force commander, told a news conference in Voronezh (central Russia). “The third prototype has joined the testing program and the fourth is being built.”
The T-50 made its maiden flight in January 2010 and three prototypes have since been undergoing flight tests.

Zelin earlier said that the number of T-50 aircraft involved in testing would be increased to 14 by 2015.
The fighter was first shown to the public in August 2011, in Zhukovsky near Moscow, at the MAKS-2011 air show.
Source- www.defencetalk.com

B-01 aircrews make history by employing laser JDAMS

B-1 Lancer aircrews from here employed laser Joint Direct Attack Munitions against moving targets during a weapon system evaluation program exercise May 14 through 16.
Aircrews from the 37th Bomb Squadron and 34th BS employed six GBU-54 laser JDAMs against targets on the Utah Test and Training Range near Hill Air Force Base, Utah, as part of the Air Force’s air to ground WSEP, known as Combat Hammer.

“Combat Hammer provided us with the unique opportunity to employ weapons in real-world scenarios and evaluate the weapon and aircraft-to-weapon interface in great detail due to the telemetry kits on the weapons,” said Lt. Col. Stuart Newberry, the 37th BS commander. “This data, when coupled with scenarios usually unavailable to us except in combat scenarios, provides us with an opportunity to validate and refine our tactics, techniques and procedures … as well as adjust training plans and combat standards.”

The goal of the exercise was to evaluate the effectiveness, maintainability, suitability and accuracy of precision guided munitions and other advanced air to ground weapons. The entire process of weapons handling was evaluated from start to finish during Combat Hammer.
Maj. Michael Ballard, the lead bomber evaluator for Combat Hammer, said this time around, WSEP focused on the cradle-to-grave evaluation for the LJDAM.
The LJDAM is a 500-pound, dual-mode guided weapon. It’s equipped with a laser seeker, which aids in its ability to demonstrate outstanding accuracy and can be employed to engage both stationary and moving targets on the ground.

“We didn’t do anything different because of WSEP – our main focus is always on safe and reliable loading first time, every time,” said Master Sgt. Joshua Klotz, the 28th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron NCO in charge of loading. “We qualify monthly on all B-1 bomber assigned munitions and are required to complete proficiency loading every month.”

Leadership was mindful in the selection process of aircrews for Combat Hammer, ensuring that Airmen who had less experience would be teamed up with seasoned aviators.
“We try to provide a mix of experience during Combat Hammer sorties,” Newberry said. “All crewmembers were fully qualified, but it’s important to allow younger aviators — those without a lot of experience — the opportunity to build confidence in their skills and weapon system while they are supervised by more experienced aircrew.”

Newberry noted that aircrews have been limited in training opportunities with the LJDAM unless they are participating in a Combat Hammer scenario.
“It was gratifying to be part of the first operational release,” said Capt. Charles Armstrong, a 37th BS B-1 weapon systems operator and a mission leader for Combat Hammer. “We’re learning a lot from these missions, and it’s vital to uncover the peculiarities of this weapon now in a training environment so we can employ it with no issues in combat.”

Since LJDAMs had never been employed by an operational B-1 squadron before, Ellsworth AFB was the first to be evaluated on tactics and procedures while employing LJDAMs.
Newberry added that the Combat Hammer team continuously looks for different scenarios that could occur during combat situations, including GPS jamming, slowing down or speeding up moving targets, and then attempts to replicate them during sorties.

“Evaluators will be able to retrieve data from the telemetry kits on the weapons and build a picture of how the weapon was or was not affected in various scenarios,” Newberry said. “That data is invaluable in refining and adjusting our training plans.”

Ellsworth AFB is home to two of the nation’s three B-1 combat squadrons and carries the lion’s share of the deployment taskings involving the B-1. Since 2007, Ellsworth AFB B-1s have deployed 12 of every 18 months in support of missions in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. Additionally, aircrews from here conduct missions to rapidly deliver massive quantities of precision and non-precision weapons against adversaries.
Armstrong said that adding LJDAMs to the B-1′s already diverse arsenal will only increase the already remarkable mission effectiveness rate Ellsworth AFB has had in current operations around the globe.

Source - DefenceTalk