Russian Air Force (VVS)
- Thread starter Deino
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #49
I would turn it the other way around! You made that post and you claimed it, as such it's up to you to prove and explain why according to you this video or the way Russia's Su-57 building & assembling process should be both "Terrifying & amazed the world"? Not the other way around!
In fact neither in a technical sense nor in terms of the number built there is anything special the way Russia builds the Su-57 and even lesser it is "Terrifying & amazed the world". As such typical to most of your poss in the Ukrainian war thread with bombastic titles its cheap propaganda, nothing more!
Last edited:
mulj
Trusted Member
They should first achieve capability to produce 20 su35,34 per month, that would rise slightly eyebrows in west and ukraina particulary.
- Thread starter
- #51
First, to start a thread is easily explained by pure interest in Russian aviation, but not by overhyped propaganda.
And second, if you make a bombastic claim - like there is intelligent life on Mars - then it is your duty to prove why you think there is intelligent life on Mars and not my duty to prove the contrary. Therefore what’s in your opinion so special, so astonishing that the world is shocked by an outdated manufacturing process and limited numbers? Just to tell, you found it in the internet is a lame argument…
The SC
INT'L MOD
First of all that is a youtube video..second you should update your knowledge about the new plants and processes in the Russian aviation.. if you are that much interested in it..
To tell you the truth.. I just don't believe you!
Waz
Administrator
Fatman17
Moderator
MIL MI-26 A RUSSIAN GIANT
- Aviation Features
- MIL Mi-26 A RUSSIAN GIANT
By Alexander Mladenov 15th December 2016
FEATURE
The Mil Mi-26 is the world’s largest helicopter. It can work in the icy wastes of Siberia, the heat of Africa, and is on duty around the world. It can even pick up a Chinook. Alexander Mladenov reports.
Developing the heavy-lift Mi-26 is among Russia’s greatest aviation industry achievements.
It is in a class of its own: a unique, rotary-wing flying machine and the largest ever produced in significant numbers. A dozen military and parapublic operators in Russia, and others across the globe, turn to the Mi-26 when big loads need lifting.
Its primary domestic commercial service is to serve remote oil and gas fields in otherwise inaccessible far northern territories
Civilian-operated Russian examples have supported UN-sponsored peace-making and humanitarian operations.
The mammoth rotorcraft, known in the West by its NATO reporting name Halo, is set to continue its military and civilian utility heavy-lift job for at least two more decades. More than 340 examples were produced at Rostvertol in Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia between 1980 and 2014. At least 30 more are expected to roll off the production line before the end of this decade. More than two-thirds of these rotary-wing giants were taken on strength by military and parapublic operators. The type is only used commercially in Russia. Data from the Russian Helicopter Industry Association shows 28 Mi-26s in civil operation in 2015, from a total of 68 on the register. The rest were stored or in overhaul. Total flight time last year was 7,281 hours, an average of 260 hours per aircraft.
FIRST FLIGHT
The Mi-26’s first prototype made its maiden flight in December 1977 in the hands of the legendary Mil Design Bureau test pilot Gurgen Karapetyan. First production examples rolled off the line at Rostvertol in 1980, where full-rate production in the mid and late 1980s accounted for 30 units a year.
Although very large, the Mi-26 has a surprisingly high maximum speed, up to 159kts (295km/h), while cruise speed is 138kts (255 km/h). Hitting this high speed is possible thanks to its powerful engines. The two Progress D-136 turboshafts are rated at 11,400shp (8,501kW) each at take-off. The VR-26 main gearbox is a giant assembly weighing 8,025lb (3,640kg) and rated at 22,000shp (16,405kW).
The Russian Air and Space Force is the main military operator of the Mi-26, with 30 examples in active service. From 2018 the air arm will begin taking on strength the new-generation Mi-26T2V.
Andrey Zinchuk via Alexander Mladenov
At the Farnborough International Airshow in 1984 the then new Mi-26 was displayed in Aeroflot livery. The type entered service with the company in 1986.
Key Collection
The main rotor has eight blades attached to a titanium rotor head, while the tail rotor has five blades. Its diameter is comparable to a Ka-26 or Ka-226.
The maximum gross weight is 123,459lb (56,000kg) and it is designed to be capable of lifting loads up to 44,029lb (20,000kg), either stored in the cargo hold or hauled on an external sling. The standard internal fuel capacity is 12,000 lits. A cavernous cargo hold has a length of 39ft 8in (12.1m) excluding the ramp, width of 10ft 8in (3.25m) and height of 10ft 5in (3.15m), while total volume is 4,273cu ft (121m3).
The unpressurised cabin accommodates up to 68 fully equipped paratroops or 82 troops on lightweight folding seats arranged in four rows. When equipped for medevac, the cabin takes up to 60 stretchers. In a cargo role, a standard ISO container will fit. Separately, two infantry-fighting vehicles, or other light armoured wheeled/tracked military and civil equipment, can be fitted in.
Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations has a fleet of five Mi-26Ts. Used mainly for firefighting, they have the option of using the 15,000 lit capacity VSU-15 water bucket.
Alexander Mladenov
The Mi-26T2 prototype, which made is maiden flight on February 22, 2011.
Alexander Mladenov
Cargo handling is made possible thanks to the availability of two LG-1500 electrical winches on overhead rails, each rated at 5,551lb (2,500kg) allowing loads to be transported along the cabin. There is another winch for hauling loads with 1,110lb (500kg) capacity.
This giant of the skies made its public debut at the Paris Air Show of 1981. In October 1982, the Halo set four payload-toheight world records. These included: lifting a payload of 10 tonnes in the cargo cabin to 20,660ft (6,300m); 15 tonnes to 18,000ft (5,550m), 20 tonnes to 15,080ft (4,600m) and 25 tonnes to 13,316ft (4,060m).
Soviet Army aviation regiments received the Mi-26 in 1983 and soon afterwards the Halo found its place with the rotary-wing fleet of the KGB-controlled Border Troops Service. In the early 1990s, the Mi-26 also entered service with the independent aviation regiments of the Internal Troops (a Ministry of Interior subsidiary) and with the parapublic Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM).
In 1988, the standard military-configured Mi-26 received a tanker capability. It can deliver up to 14,040 lit of fuel and 1,040 lit of lubricants to four aircraft on the ground or ten armoured vehicles simultaneously in otherwise inaccessible locations or directly on the front line. The modular tanking package comprised two roll-on/roll-of tanks packs, pump packs and hose reels. Conversion to/ from the tanker role of a standard cargo helicopter takes 1 hour 25 minutes for each operation. In the field, the refuelling equipment is deployed in 15 minutes.
In a firefighting role, where the type excels due to its payload, it can use two purposely designed 8-tonne buckets for dropping 16 tonnes of water or be equipped with a single VSU-15 bucket capable of discharging 15 tonnes. The fully-laden VSU-15 provides coverage of a swathe between 412 and 1,089ft (125 and 330m) long and 40ft (12m) wide. For firefighting abroad, the Mi-26 can also utilise a twin Bambi Bucket system, designed for the giant helicopter with a total capacity of 19.6 tonnes of water. There is also a firefighting version with internal tanks for 15 tonnes of water or fire retardant released through two vents.
CIVIL VERSION
The civilian derivative entered production at Rostvertol, under the designation Mi-26T, in 1985 and in 1995 was certified in Russia by the Aviaregister of the Interstate Aviation Committee, receiving the new designation Mi-26TC (C denoting certified).
There were two flying crane derivatives developed for use by civilian operators. The first is designated Mi-26TM and appeared in 1992 featuring a gondola for the cargo hook operator/observer under the fuselage, aft of the nose wheels, or under the rearloading ramp. The second flying crane derivative, the Mi-26PK, appeared in 1997 and introduced the cargo hook operator’s gondola on the side of the fuselage, next to the cabin door.
There is also a standard Mi-26T helicopter operated by PANH of Krasnodar as an air crane, fitted with a purpose-built azimuthal orientation gear for the underslung load, incorporating a bilateral suspender utilising two hooking points for the cargo. In-flight stabilisation is achieved by means of a SLG- 300 hoist, allowing the load to be steered left or right.
When used in the flying crane role, the Mi-26TC can be fitted with a pipe grip to transport large-diameter gas-pipes. Logging work is performed with a purpose-built cargo grip. A precise hovering system is available, as is a set of three closed-circuit colour TV cameras for cargo observation when hauling via an external hook.
The launch civilian customer for the Mi- 26T was the Tyumen-based Aerofiot division (known before as Tyumenaviatrans and since 2002 renamed as UTair). First deliveries took place in 1986. UTair, which presently boasts the world’s largest commercially operated helicopter fleet, originally used its heavy-lift machines to support oil and gas exploration activities in the western part of Siberia, mostly for ferrying heavy equipment of up to 20 tonnes on an external sling. The company has participated in UN-sponsored humanitarian and peacekeeping missions since 1991. It still provides air transport to Russia’s burgeoning oil and gas industry in the Siberian wastelands.
An original relatively short service life of 2,100 hours or 20 years, whichever is first reached, betrays the military roots of the Mi-26TC’s airframe. The time between overhauls (TBO) is 1,000 hours or ten years. A fatigue-testing campaign for civilian-operated Mi-26TCs was carried out in 2006 on a dedicated ground rig at the Aviatest research centre in Riga, Latvia. Results showed airframe operations could be increased at a first stage by up to 4,200 hours and 25 years. Modifications include strengthening the area where the fuselage joins the tail boom. Further extensions would be possible at a later stage, subject to results from additional trials.
Civilian-registered Mi-26s are valuable for cargo hauling to support UN operations, but the type has proved expensive. Prominent Russian helicopter industry expert Evgeniy Matveev noted Mi-26s operating in Sudan in the mid-2000s were leased at a rate of $US15,000 per flying hour. Ever increasing operating and maintenance costs, combined with the technical complexity, short service life and TBO intervals, meant its continued use for humanitarian relief and cargo transport missions worldwide would not be an easy business, with a considerable increase in lease rates likely in the near- to mediumterm.
COMBAT PROVEN
Several versions were developed for military use, although the current status is unknown. The Mi-26PP electronic countermeasures helicopter was first produced in 1986, tasked with suppressing early warning radars. The Mi-27, first produced in 1988 as two prototypes, is a command support derivative boasting an extensive long-range communication outfit. The Mi-26NEF-M was a prototype anti-submarine warfare (ASW) version equipped with a dipping sonar from 1990. In addition, there were other derivatives of military-operated Mi-26s in the past – among these was the Mi-26S, a version hastily developed after the Chernobyl nuclear powerplant disaster in 1986 for spraying de-contamination liquid, while the Mi-26P of 1992 was a border guard version featuring the 1A813 radar and extended communication for operations in Russia’s far northern regions.
Russian helicopter company UTair is the largest civilian operator of the Mi-26 with 25 examples in its fleet, which are mostly used in support of the oil and gas industry in Siberia. This photo places the size of the Mi-26 in perspective when compared with the Bell 206 JetRanger parked next to it.
UTair
Military supplies are loaded into a Mi-26T of PANH Helicopters operating in Afghanistan.
Fatman17
Moderator
PANH via Alexander Mladenov
Venezuela is among the military export customers for the Mi-26TC, ordering three aircraft that were delivered for its Army in 2007 and 2008.
AirTeamImages.com/Ivan P Nesbit THUD
A Rostvertol-operated Mi-26T demonstrates its capability to lift another example of the type on which the rotors, engines and main gearbox have been removed.
The Halo may be a giant in terms of size and weight but it has better agility and maintainability than the Mi-24 Hind attack helicopter and is significantly faster than the Mi-8MTV/Mi-17 Hip assault transport machine. It seems rather astonishing that in the 1970s the Mil Design Bureau proved able to design, test and launch into largescale production such a high-performance heavyweight helicopter, considering the prevailing low-technology level available to the then Soviet, now Russian, helicopter industry.
The Mi-26 boasts cargo-hold dimensions and a maximum payload to rival the Lockheed L-100 (C-130 – Hercules) fourengine freighter aeroplane. It offers the capability to lift the weight of one fully laden Mi-17V-5 helicopter plus an additional cargo of five tonnes, or another Mi-26 on external sling, with its rotors, engines and main gearbox removed. In real-world operations, in June 2002, a Mi-26 lifted for the first time a heavily damaged US Army MH-47E Chinook helicopter in Afghanistan. This rescue has been extensively exploited by Rostvertol’s marketing, showing how easily the Mi-26 lifts one of its main competitors in the military heavy-lift business.
The Mi-26 has many nicknames in Russia, the most prominent of which is ‘The Cow’, reflecting the nature of its work – to provide continuous airlift of troops and supplies direct to the front line.
There are now about 50 Mi-26s serving with the Russian Air Force’s independent helicopter regiments tasked with the army support mission. Three are assisting the RusAF’s Long-Range Aviation arm. About 11 more are believed to be serving with the Internal Troops service within the Russian Military of Interior and ten are equipping the aviation service of the all-powerful Federal Security Service (tasked for border protection work). EMERCOM’s Mi-26 fleet numbers six helicopters, mainly employed for firefighting and transporting heavy rescue equipment during disaster relief operations.
Other ex-Soviet republics which inherited military Mi-26s upon the Soviet Union breakup in 1991-1992 are Ukraine with a fleet of 20 (all grounded due to the lack of spare parts and funding for overhaul), Belarus with about ten (a few examples are maintained in airworthy condition, assigned to the country’s Ministry of Emergency Situations) and Kazakhstan (operated by the air force).
The Halo has amassed impressive export successes, with military customers found in India (four) aircraft sold as far back as 1986), Peru (three), Mexico (two), North Korea (two), Laos, DRC Congo, Venezuela and Algeria. Up to three civil-registered Mi-26TCs are operated in firefighting and disaster relief roles in China.
GLASS COCKPIT
The Mi-26T2 is the latest derivative of the Halo, featuring what could be called a Russian-style glass cockpit concept. The maiden flight was on February 22, 2011.
The new BREO-26 avionics package, comprising largely Russian-produced components, is built around the KRET NPK90-2 flight-navigation avionics suite (with a LINS-100RS laser inertial navigation system and an A737-1 satellite navigation receiver) and a PKV-26D digital autopilot.
An integrated navigation flight planning and communication system is also included in the package as well as a precise autohover system, digital map display, five MFI-10-7V multifunctional displays replacing conventional ‘stem-gauge’ instruments, including all flight/navigation and engine/ system devices. The other new avionics components are represented by the KS- 26T2 communications suite, a 7A-813C weather radar and a GOES-series day/ night observation turret (with gyro-stabilised infrared and TV-cameras). Night-vision goggle-compatible interior and exterior lighting, a TSL-1600 searchlight, a L370E26L Vitebsk self-protection suite and a SKY899 traffic collision avoidance system are offered as customer-selected options for the militarycon figured sub-version.
A Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations Mi-26T cockpit accommodates four crew – pilot, co-pilot, navigator and flight engineer.
AirTeamImages.com/Alexander Mishin
Up to 68 fully equipped paratroopers or 82 troops on lightweight folding seats arranged in four rows can be accommodated in the cabin of the militaryoperated Mi-26.
Alexander Mladenov
The new D-136-2 turboshaft with a full-authority digital control (FADEC)is also on offer to improve the hot-and-high performance.
The new avionics systems enables the Mi-26T2’s crew to be reduced to three (pilot, co-pilot and flight mechanic), down from the original figure of six (pilot, co-pilot, navigator, radio operator, flight engineer and flight mechanic).
The Mi-26T2 heavylift workhorse was launched into production at Rostvertol in early 2014, with civil certification in Russia expected at the end of this year or early next.
Two customers have already voted for the Mi-26T2V, a military sub-version featuring night-vision goggles compatibility and selfprotection aids. The Russian MoD ordered the new Halo derivative for Army Aviation service while Algeria became the launch customer, taking delivery of its first two examples in June 2015.
The initial Mi-26T2V for Algeria was spotted taking to the air, in a two-tone desert camouflage, for the first time on December 26, 2014. The Algerian military order for six Mi-26T2s had been signed on June 26, 2013 Deliveries were set for completion in 2016. A follow-on order for eight more was signed in 2015 with completion due two years later. Rostvertol planned to roll out up to eight Mi-26 heavyweight helicopters in 2015, but just five emerged. This figure included four Mi-26T2Vs for the Algerian military. One Mi- 26TCS was for a disaster relief role in China.
Deliveries to the Russian MOD are set to begin in 2018, as announced last September by Vladislav Savelev, director at Russian Helicopters, which is responsible for government deliveries and military-technical cooperation.
He confirmed development works on militarising the civil Mi-26T2 facelift were in full swing. The military derivative is slated to receive a new flight/navigation system and a new self-protection system.
The Mi-26T2V, capable of hauling payloads of up to 20 tonnes, is required to be capable of operating from unprepared landing sites and in all weathers, including in extreme Arctic conditions, supporting the Russian military expansion in deep-frozen regions well above the Polar circle.
Venezuela is among the military export customers for the Mi-26TC, ordering three aircraft that were delivered for its Army in 2007 and 2008.
AirTeamImages.com/Ivan P Nesbit THUD
A Rostvertol-operated Mi-26T demonstrates its capability to lift another example of the type on which the rotors, engines and main gearbox have been removed.
The Halo may be a giant in terms of size and weight but it has better agility and maintainability than the Mi-24 Hind attack helicopter and is significantly faster than the Mi-8MTV/Mi-17 Hip assault transport machine. It seems rather astonishing that in the 1970s the Mil Design Bureau proved able to design, test and launch into largescale production such a high-performance heavyweight helicopter, considering the prevailing low-technology level available to the then Soviet, now Russian, helicopter industry.
The Mi-26 boasts cargo-hold dimensions and a maximum payload to rival the Lockheed L-100 (C-130 – Hercules) fourengine freighter aeroplane. It offers the capability to lift the weight of one fully laden Mi-17V-5 helicopter plus an additional cargo of five tonnes, or another Mi-26 on external sling, with its rotors, engines and main gearbox removed. In real-world operations, in June 2002, a Mi-26 lifted for the first time a heavily damaged US Army MH-47E Chinook helicopter in Afghanistan. This rescue has been extensively exploited by Rostvertol’s marketing, showing how easily the Mi-26 lifts one of its main competitors in the military heavy-lift business.
The Mi-26 has many nicknames in Russia, the most prominent of which is ‘The Cow’, reflecting the nature of its work – to provide continuous airlift of troops and supplies direct to the front line.
There are now about 50 Mi-26s serving with the Russian Air Force’s independent helicopter regiments tasked with the army support mission. Three are assisting the RusAF’s Long-Range Aviation arm. About 11 more are believed to be serving with the Internal Troops service within the Russian Military of Interior and ten are equipping the aviation service of the all-powerful Federal Security Service (tasked for border protection work). EMERCOM’s Mi-26 fleet numbers six helicopters, mainly employed for firefighting and transporting heavy rescue equipment during disaster relief operations.
Other ex-Soviet republics which inherited military Mi-26s upon the Soviet Union breakup in 1991-1992 are Ukraine with a fleet of 20 (all grounded due to the lack of spare parts and funding for overhaul), Belarus with about ten (a few examples are maintained in airworthy condition, assigned to the country’s Ministry of Emergency Situations) and Kazakhstan (operated by the air force).
The Halo has amassed impressive export successes, with military customers found in India (four) aircraft sold as far back as 1986), Peru (three), Mexico (two), North Korea (two), Laos, DRC Congo, Venezuela and Algeria. Up to three civil-registered Mi-26TCs are operated in firefighting and disaster relief roles in China.
GLASS COCKPIT
The Mi-26T2 is the latest derivative of the Halo, featuring what could be called a Russian-style glass cockpit concept. The maiden flight was on February 22, 2011.
The new BREO-26 avionics package, comprising largely Russian-produced components, is built around the KRET NPK90-2 flight-navigation avionics suite (with a LINS-100RS laser inertial navigation system and an A737-1 satellite navigation receiver) and a PKV-26D digital autopilot.
An integrated navigation flight planning and communication system is also included in the package as well as a precise autohover system, digital map display, five MFI-10-7V multifunctional displays replacing conventional ‘stem-gauge’ instruments, including all flight/navigation and engine/ system devices. The other new avionics components are represented by the KS- 26T2 communications suite, a 7A-813C weather radar and a GOES-series day/ night observation turret (with gyro-stabilised infrared and TV-cameras). Night-vision goggle-compatible interior and exterior lighting, a TSL-1600 searchlight, a L370E26L Vitebsk self-protection suite and a SKY899 traffic collision avoidance system are offered as customer-selected options for the militarycon figured sub-version.
A Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations Mi-26T cockpit accommodates four crew – pilot, co-pilot, navigator and flight engineer.
AirTeamImages.com/Alexander Mishin
Up to 68 fully equipped paratroopers or 82 troops on lightweight folding seats arranged in four rows can be accommodated in the cabin of the militaryoperated Mi-26.
Alexander Mladenov
The new D-136-2 turboshaft with a full-authority digital control (FADEC)is also on offer to improve the hot-and-high performance.
The new avionics systems enables the Mi-26T2’s crew to be reduced to three (pilot, co-pilot and flight mechanic), down from the original figure of six (pilot, co-pilot, navigator, radio operator, flight engineer and flight mechanic).
The Mi-26T2 heavylift workhorse was launched into production at Rostvertol in early 2014, with civil certification in Russia expected at the end of this year or early next.
Two customers have already voted for the Mi-26T2V, a military sub-version featuring night-vision goggles compatibility and selfprotection aids. The Russian MoD ordered the new Halo derivative for Army Aviation service while Algeria became the launch customer, taking delivery of its first two examples in June 2015.
The initial Mi-26T2V for Algeria was spotted taking to the air, in a two-tone desert camouflage, for the first time on December 26, 2014. The Algerian military order for six Mi-26T2s had been signed on June 26, 2013 Deliveries were set for completion in 2016. A follow-on order for eight more was signed in 2015 with completion due two years later. Rostvertol planned to roll out up to eight Mi-26 heavyweight helicopters in 2015, but just five emerged. This figure included four Mi-26T2Vs for the Algerian military. One Mi- 26TCS was for a disaster relief role in China.
Deliveries to the Russian MOD are set to begin in 2018, as announced last September by Vladislav Savelev, director at Russian Helicopters, which is responsible for government deliveries and military-technical cooperation.
He confirmed development works on militarising the civil Mi-26T2 facelift were in full swing. The military derivative is slated to receive a new flight/navigation system and a new self-protection system.
The Mi-26T2V, capable of hauling payloads of up to 20 tonnes, is required to be capable of operating from unprepared landing sites and in all weathers, including in extreme Arctic conditions, supporting the Russian military expansion in deep-frozen regions well above the Polar circle.
Originally published in Aviation News Magazine
- Thread starter
- #56
So a YouTube Videos allows to spread lies?
Again, I’m pretty well informed on what’s going on in Russia and contrary to your video headlines, there:
- is no Su-75 in production,
- UAC is not integrating US AAMs into the Su-75
- Sukhoi’s production of the Su-57 is in no way terrifying nor special, it’s just ineffective and so there are also against claimed in that video
- not dozens of Su-57s available.
Nothing of this is true and therefore I can only recommend everyone to check the facts. These video claims are all false.
Fatman17
Moderator
KNIGHTS OF CHKALOVSK
- Aviation Features
- KNIGHTS OF CHKALOVSK
By Vladimir Trendafilovski 15th June 2017
FEATURE
The exclave of Kaliningrad is of immense strategic importance to the Russian armed forces and host to a number of its air assets, as Vladimir Trendafilovski explains.
FORCE REPORT Russian Air Power in Kaliningrad
Mi-24VP ‘36 Red’ on combat air patrol over the landing area at the Khmelyovka training range on May 21, 2016 during a demonstration of BF capabilities. Note the weapons load-out – a pair of 20-shot B-8V-20 pods for 80mm S-8 rockets and four twin pylons for 9M114 Kokon anti-tank guided missiles.
All photos Alexander Rybalchenko unless otherwise stated.
ORIGINALLY A German territory, Kaliningrad was part of East Prussia, but annexed by the Soviets immediately after World War Two. With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the region (which had the formal status of an Oblast – a region of the Russian Soviet Federal Republic) became a federal subject of the newly constituted Russian Federation – a coastal exclave on the Baltic Sea, surrounded by Poland and Lithuania.
Kaliningrad gained strategic importance during the Cold War, when the headquarters of the Baltiyskiy Flot (BF, Baltic Fleet) moved here and its largest port was built in the adjacent city of Baltiysk.
In contrast to the Black Sea Fleet, most of the BF’s assets remained under Russian control in 1991 and were assigned to the Voyenno-Morskoy Flot Rossiyskoy Federatsii (VMF, Russian Navy).
After 1991 a large number of units of the various branches of the Vooruzhyonniye Sily Rossiyskoy Federatsii (VS RF, Armed Forces of the Russian Federation) in the region were disbanded or downsized and ultimately placed under the control of the VMF or, more precisely, the BF.
This applied to the various aviation assets in the Kaliningrad region. After years of reform, the single aviation unit remaining in the area is the 72 Aviatsionnaya Baza (AvB, Aviation Base) of the Morskaya Aviatsiya Baltiyskogo Flota (MA BF, Naval Aviation of the BF), headquartered at Chkalovsk air base, which currently operates Mi-24 attack helicopters, Su-24 bombers and Su-27 interceptors plus various shipborne and land-based naval aircraft.
The two latest Su-30SM fighters delivered to the 72 AvB are ‘71 Blue’ and ‘72 Blue’, seen here while landing at Tolmachyovo International Airport (Novosibirsk) on May 27, after covering the first leg (932 miles/1,500km) of the ferry flight from the factory at Irkutsk to its new base at Chernyakhovsk (over 3,728 miles/6,000km in total). Additional Su-30SM aircraft are expected to arrive later in 2017.
Alexey Poshin
A new Cold War?
The Kaliningrad region, including the BF and its 72 AvB, is part of the Western Military District of the VS RF. As the westernmost territory of the Russian Federation, wedged between two NATO countries and separated from the rest of Russia, it plays a key role in all military operations in the Baltic Sea area.
Despite this, the 72 AvB was never prioritised to receive new or modernised aircraft. It had to continue using Soviet-era aircraft, some of them still in original Soviet paint, their scheduled overhauls long overdue.
All this would change. In spring 2013 the then Voyenno- Vozdushniye Sily Rossiyskoy Federatsii (VVS, Russian Air Force) began conducting missions in the Baltic Sea area. They soon became a serious concern for the West and appeared to be aimed not only against local NATO members but also against the neutral states in the region – Finland and Sweden.
The missions ranged from single-aircraft electronic intelligence (ELINT) missions – performed by the Il-20 – to complex multi-aircraft mock night-attack missions by Tu-22M3 bombers escorted by Su-27s.
Russian aircraft would often fly too close to the airspace of other countries during these missions, briefly violating it on several occasions and forcing NATO’s Baltic Air Policing (BAP) mission to scramble its quick reaction alert (QRA) aircraft to intercept the intruders.
Tensions between the Russian Federation and the West in the Baltic region began to rise sharply. The US and NATO soon began applying constant pressure on local VS RF assets, sparking a chain of events that closely resembles the old Cold War. Understandably, the isolated Kaliningrad region would become their main focus.
The pressure mounted in autumn 2013 and culminated after the annexation of Crimea the following spring. As well as regular patrols by German Navy P-3C CUP+ aircraft based at Nordholz, P-3Cs from other European NATO nations and the US Navy began making regular patrols in the area. Royal Danish Air Force CL-604 patrol aircraft also make an occasional appearance and, most recently, the US Navy began deploying the P-8A.
Furthermore, various Western ELINT aircraft began flying close to Russian airspace on a regular basis, testing the reactions of the local air defence network and trying to spot any new deployments in the area. They include US and British RC-135s (see Watching Russia watching us, June 2017, p37-42) and Swedish S 102B Korpen aircraft.
Meanwhile NATO E-3A AWACS surveillance aircraft also make regular appearances in the area and, as a result, the Kaliningrad area air defence network was now under great strain – especially aircraft on QRA duty, which had to scramble regularly.
To keep Russian aircraft in check, the BAP aviation component was ultimately bolstered in May 2014 by establishing a second base at Estonia’s Ämari air base, 17 miles (27km) southwest of Tallinn. And more recently there’s been a significant influx of US ground troops in the region (including Poland and the Baltic states) as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve.
Rebuilding
In autumn 2013, the 72 AvB represented just a shadow of the units it had taken over in 2010. Seriously downsized, it lacked operational aircraft, many of its veteran pilots had retired and its squadrons were left with rookie crews requiring extensive training to perform their regular duties.
At this point Western ELINT aircraft began to pay regular visits to the area. Suddenly 72 AvB found itself – largely unprepared – at the forefront of what appeared to be a new Cold War, a rude awakening that finally forced the VMF to put more effort into restoring the combat capabilities of the 72 AvB.
The most problematic of the units was the fighter squadron, equipped with Su-27Ps, which lacked air-to-ground capability. In March 2014, the unit had five rookie pilots just back from theoretical training and yet to begin basic training on the Flanker.
Ka-27PS ‘29 Yellow’ and Ka-27PL ‘37 Yellow’ during regular training at Donskoye. ‘29 Yellow’ is presumed to be under overhaul at the 150th ARZ and will soon return to its parent unit, probably with a new code in the 4x range.
Ka-27PS ‘28 Yellow’ was last overhauled at the 150th ARZ in June 2010 and is seen here while displaying its SAR capabilities. Note the SLG-300 rescue winch with 300kg capacity (one of the distinctive features of the Ka-27PS). The emblem of the MA BF (Naval Aviation of the Baltic Fleet). Author
72nd Aviation Base
The 72 AvB of the MA BF is the only aviation unit based in the Kaliningrad region. Originally formed as the 7054 AvB of the MA BF at Chkalovsk on March 1, 2010, the unit took over all aviation assets in the region.
They included the 689th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (with Su-27s) and 125th Independent Helicopter Squadron (with Mi-8s and Mi-24s) at Chkalovsk; the 4th Guards Independent Naval Ground-Attack Regiment (with Su-24Ms, being reformed into the 7052 AvB in late 2009) at Chernyakhovsk; the 398th Independent Transport Aviation Squadron (with An-26s and a Tu- 134, being reformed into the 7053 AvB in late 2009) at Khrabrovo; and the 396th Independent Shipborne ASW Helicopter Squadron (with Ka-27s) at Donskoye.
The 7054 AvB retained the awards and honorary titles of the former 7052 AvB only, while all the other units were stripped of their awards and honorary titles and became subordinated adrons, remaining at their original bases.
The only exception was the transport squadron, which became an independent transport detachment and relocated to Chkalovsk, but was later incorporated into the shipborne ASW helicopter squadron (since renamed as a mixed aviation squadron) from Donskoye as a SAR and command aviation detachment, remaining at Chkalovsk. The 7054 AvB released non-naval assets to the 7000 AvB (HQ at Baltimor-Voronezh air base) of the VVS on June 1, 2011, its fighter and helicopter squadrons at Chkalovsk becoming part of the 7 Aviatsionnaya Grupa (AvGr, Aviation Group), while the ground-attack squadron at Chernyakhovsk became the 8 AvGr of the 7000 AvB.
Owing to planned reconstruction of Chkalovsk air base, in mid-October 2012 all the aircraft and helicopters based there (both from the 7054 AvB and the 7 AvGr of the 7000 AvB) were flown to Chernyakhovsk air base, remaining here until reconstruction was complete.
The 7054 AvB was renamed the 72 AvB on December 15, 2012, and within a year – on December 1, 2013 – the 7 and 8 AvGr of the 7000 AvB were returned to the MA BF, again becoming three separate squadrons of the 72 AvB.
Originally a third-grade aviation base, the 72 AvB then became a second-grade base, its full title being the 72 gvardeyskaya aviatsionnaya Novgorodsko-Klaypedskaya Krasnoznamyonnaya imeni marshala aviatsii I I Borzova baza (2-go razryada) or ‘72nd Guards Novgorod-Klaipėda [awarded with an Order of the] Red Banner aviation base named after Marshal of Aviation I I Borzov (2nd grade)’. In addition to the existing squadrons, in 2014 it received an UAV squadron at Chernyakhovsk.
Only four of its Su-27Ps (one of which, ‘32 Red’, was long overdue an overhaul) and a single two-seat Su-27UP (‘100 Red’) were airworthy. With their home base of Chkalovsk, 4 miles (7km) northwest of the centre of Kaliningrad, under reconstruction since 2013, the fighters have been temporarily detached to Chernyakhovsk air base, 50 miles (80km) east of Kaliningrad, which is not only unsuitable for QRA duty but also severely congested as it’s temporarily housing all the units from Chkalovsk.
Despite this, the squadron’s veteran pilots managed to cope with their QRA assignments and even successfully trained their young colleagues. Although the unit had a shortage of airworthy aircraft, its pilots were not lacking initiative, as the opposing ELINT crews would soon learn.
The Russians’ trademark aggressive close-quarters manoeuvres can be perceived as very dangerous – especially for those on the receiving end – but usually force an intruder to break off and abort the mission.
Owing to the relatively high number of ELINT sorties, these close encounters occurred quite often and the US regularly issued protests against the actions of the Su-27 pilots, usually terming them ‘reckless’, ‘unsafe’ and ‘unprofessional’.
The airworthiness situation finally normalised in 2015, six aircraft arriving fresh from overhaul, bringing the total to ten. Five were the unit’s own Su-27Ps, plus one two-seat Su-27UB transferred from the 790 Istrebitelnyy Aviatsionnyy Polk (IAP, fighter aviation regiment) at Khotilovo air base. Finally, in May 2017 a pair of its own Su-27Ps returned from overhaul, bringing the unit’s strength to 12 aircraft.
Fencer force
Attention was also given to the ground-attack squadron at Chernyakhovsk. Most of its aircraft have returned from overhaul and there are now at least ten airworthy Su-24Ms, which have also played a role in the ‘new Cold War’ in the Baltic.
Their most notable involvement was on April 11/12 last year when the guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) was buzzed by pair of Chernyakhovskbased Su-24Ms on multiple occasions in international waters off the coast of Kaliningrad.
Mi-24VP ‘35 Red’ moments after taking off from its temporary home base at Donskoye. Together with ‘34 Red’, it was one of only two Mi-24VPs that were overhauled at the 150th ARZ in 2011-13, receiving this overall grey paint scheme with RF registration number and ‘VVS ROSSII’ titles – the latter changed to ‘VMF ROSSII’ (as seen here) when the parent unit transferred back to the 72 AvB in late 2013.
Fatman17
Moderator
72nd AvB structure
The 72 AvB helicopter squadron operates two flights of Mi-24VPs (total of eight helicopters) and a flight of four various Mi-8s. All its Mi-24VPs were recently overhauled at the 150th ARZ. Those arriving after 2014 received a ‘typical’ camouflage scheme, seen here on ‘31 Red’ at Chernyakhovsk on July 16, 2016.
Baltic Air Policing (BAP) mission
Established on March 29, 2004, the BAP had the sole task of round-the-clock policing of the airspace of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania when these officially joined NATO. Originally it was conducted by fighter detachments from other NATO countries on a three-month rotation at Šiauliai in Lithuania, a former Soviet air base 110 miles (178km) northwest of the country’s capital Vilnius. Nowadays, rotation is conducted every four months and, with rising tensions with the Russian Federation in this area, in May 2014 a second (so-called ‘augmenting’) detachment was established at Ämari air base – another ex-Soviet facility – in Estonia. Since May this year the lead detachment at Šiauliai has consisted of four F-16Cs of the Polish Air Force from the 31. Baza Lotnictwa Taktycznego (23rd Tactical Aviation Base) at Poznań- Krzesiny air base. The augmenting detachment at Ämari comprises five EF-18M fighters of the Spanish Air Force from Ala 15 at Zaragoza. To stress the importance of BAP, two US Air Force F-35As of the 34th Fighter Squadron at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, arrived at Ämari on April 25 this year for a brief visit, supported by a KC-135 from RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk. The new stealth fighters were temporarily based at RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk, for several weeks to participate in joint training flights with aircraft of the USAF and other allied air forces in Europe. It was not the first visit to the region by USAF stealth fighters. On April 27, 2016 a pair of F-22As arrived at Šiauliai for a brief visit. In both cases, UK-based RC-135 ELINT aircraft were operating on routine missions in the area.
A still from footage taken by a Portuguese Air Force P-3C CUP+, showing Su-27P ‘90 Red’ of the 72 AvB intercepting it over the Baltic in November 2014. The Su-27P carries pairs of infrared-guided R-73s (outer wing pylons), IR-guided R-27Ts (inner wing pylons) and radar-guided R-27Rs (between the engine nacelles).
FAP via author
Su-24M ‘04 White’ on final approach at Chernyakhovsk on June 22, 2016. Note the Guards badge on the nose and an unusual weapons load-out, consisting of a single B-8M rocket pod under its port wing. On May 16 this aircraft, together with ‘02 White’, buzzed the Dutch frigate HNLMS ‘Evertsen’ in the Baltic.
This led to more protests from the US, along the same lines as those issued for the actions of their Su-27 colleagues. On December 13 last year the unit received the first brand-new aircraft delivered to MA BF – an Su-30SM multirole fighter (‘70 Blue’). Two additional Su-30SMs followed on May 28.
The rotary-wing squadron originally based at Chkalovsk with Mi-8 transports and Mi-24VP attack helicopters is now dispersed at Chernyakhovsk and Donskoye air bases. Most of its aircraft are usually found at the latter, 25 miles (40km) northwest of Kaliningrad.
This squadron too was in fairly poor shape, with only a single Mi-8PS-9 and a pair of Mi-24VPs in use. However, almost its entire Mi-24VP fleet and at least three Mi-8s have been overhauled and returned to service, largely thanks to the 150 Aviatsionnyy Remontnyy Zavod (ARZ, Aircraft Repair Plant), whose main facility is just 7 miles (11km) west of Kaliningrad at Lyublino (an additional facility is located at Chkalovsk air base).
The squadron now has eight Mi-24VPs and four Mi-8s airworthy. Of these, one Mi-24VP is kept on constant QRA duty at Chernyakhovsk, ready to counter low-flying, low-speed targets, for which the Su-27s are unsuitable.
72nd AvB aircraft, April 2017
The mixed aviation squadron within the 72 AvB has not been neglected. The anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and search-andrescue (SAR) detachments with Ka-27 shipborne helicopters, operating from Donskoye, have begun to receive equipment fresh from overhaul.
Most, if not all, of the helicopters have come from the 150th ARZ, bringing the squadron’s total to ten. Among them is the unit’s single Ka-27Ye – a rare Ka-27PL variant designed to detect nuclear weapons aboard ships.
The mixed squadron’s transport detachment (officially known as a ‘SAR and command aviation detachment’) is temporarily based at Chernyakhovsk and also operates from Khrabrovo International Airport, 10 miles (16km) north of Kaliningrad.
It has four An-26 transports (one of which is a calibrator for the approach systems on military air bases) and a single Tu-134, the personal aircraft of the BF commander, which, along with two of the An-26s, has recently been overhauled. Another An-26 should return from overhaul in the near future.
The detachment’s pilots are continuously engaged on transport tasks for the BF due to the current situation. As the short route over Lithuania has not been available since 2003, the transports are forced to fly over the Baltic Sea via the Leningrad region. This adds flight hours to their trips to and from Russia proper.
The BF was, meanwhile, the last of the four VMF fleets to receive a squadron of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), in 2014, which is now under the 72 AvB and located at Chernyakhovsk. It operates two Forpost UAV complexes – licence-built Searcher IIs.
The 72 AvB helicopter squadron operates two flights of Mi-24VPs (total of eight helicopters) and a flight of four various Mi-8s. All its Mi-24VPs were recently overhauled at the 150th ARZ. Those arriving after 2014 received a ‘typical’ camouflage scheme, seen here on ‘31 Red’ at Chernyakhovsk on July 16, 2016.
Baltic Air Policing (BAP) mission
Established on March 29, 2004, the BAP had the sole task of round-the-clock policing of the airspace of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania when these officially joined NATO. Originally it was conducted by fighter detachments from other NATO countries on a three-month rotation at Šiauliai in Lithuania, a former Soviet air base 110 miles (178km) northwest of the country’s capital Vilnius. Nowadays, rotation is conducted every four months and, with rising tensions with the Russian Federation in this area, in May 2014 a second (so-called ‘augmenting’) detachment was established at Ämari air base – another ex-Soviet facility – in Estonia. Since May this year the lead detachment at Šiauliai has consisted of four F-16Cs of the Polish Air Force from the 31. Baza Lotnictwa Taktycznego (23rd Tactical Aviation Base) at Poznań- Krzesiny air base. The augmenting detachment at Ämari comprises five EF-18M fighters of the Spanish Air Force from Ala 15 at Zaragoza. To stress the importance of BAP, two US Air Force F-35As of the 34th Fighter Squadron at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, arrived at Ämari on April 25 this year for a brief visit, supported by a KC-135 from RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk. The new stealth fighters were temporarily based at RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk, for several weeks to participate in joint training flights with aircraft of the USAF and other allied air forces in Europe. It was not the first visit to the region by USAF stealth fighters. On April 27, 2016 a pair of F-22As arrived at Šiauliai for a brief visit. In both cases, UK-based RC-135 ELINT aircraft were operating on routine missions in the area.
A still from footage taken by a Portuguese Air Force P-3C CUP+, showing Su-27P ‘90 Red’ of the 72 AvB intercepting it over the Baltic in November 2014. The Su-27P carries pairs of infrared-guided R-73s (outer wing pylons), IR-guided R-27Ts (inner wing pylons) and radar-guided R-27Rs (between the engine nacelles).
FAP via author
Su-24M ‘04 White’ on final approach at Chernyakhovsk on June 22, 2016. Note the Guards badge on the nose and an unusual weapons load-out, consisting of a single B-8M rocket pod under its port wing. On May 16 this aircraft, together with ‘02 White’, buzzed the Dutch frigate HNLMS ‘Evertsen’ in the Baltic.
This led to more protests from the US, along the same lines as those issued for the actions of their Su-27 colleagues. On December 13 last year the unit received the first brand-new aircraft delivered to MA BF – an Su-30SM multirole fighter (‘70 Blue’). Two additional Su-30SMs followed on May 28.
The rotary-wing squadron originally based at Chkalovsk with Mi-8 transports and Mi-24VP attack helicopters is now dispersed at Chernyakhovsk and Donskoye air bases. Most of its aircraft are usually found at the latter, 25 miles (40km) northwest of Kaliningrad.
This squadron too was in fairly poor shape, with only a single Mi-8PS-9 and a pair of Mi-24VPs in use. However, almost its entire Mi-24VP fleet and at least three Mi-8s have been overhauled and returned to service, largely thanks to the 150 Aviatsionnyy Remontnyy Zavod (ARZ, Aircraft Repair Plant), whose main facility is just 7 miles (11km) west of Kaliningrad at Lyublino (an additional facility is located at Chkalovsk air base).
The squadron now has eight Mi-24VPs and four Mi-8s airworthy. Of these, one Mi-24VP is kept on constant QRA duty at Chernyakhovsk, ready to counter low-flying, low-speed targets, for which the Su-27s are unsuitable.
72nd AvB aircraft, April 2017
The mixed aviation squadron within the 72 AvB has not been neglected. The anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and search-andrescue (SAR) detachments with Ka-27 shipborne helicopters, operating from Donskoye, have begun to receive equipment fresh from overhaul.
Most, if not all, of the helicopters have come from the 150th ARZ, bringing the squadron’s total to ten. Among them is the unit’s single Ka-27Ye – a rare Ka-27PL variant designed to detect nuclear weapons aboard ships.
The mixed squadron’s transport detachment (officially known as a ‘SAR and command aviation detachment’) is temporarily based at Chernyakhovsk and also operates from Khrabrovo International Airport, 10 miles (16km) north of Kaliningrad.
It has four An-26 transports (one of which is a calibrator for the approach systems on military air bases) and a single Tu-134, the personal aircraft of the BF commander, which, along with two of the An-26s, has recently been overhauled. Another An-26 should return from overhaul in the near future.
The detachment’s pilots are continuously engaged on transport tasks for the BF due to the current situation. As the short route over Lithuania has not been available since 2003, the transports are forced to fly over the Baltic Sea via the Leningrad region. This adds flight hours to their trips to and from Russia proper.
The BF was, meanwhile, the last of the four VMF fleets to receive a squadron of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), in 2014, which is now under the 72 AvB and located at Chernyakhovsk. It operates two Forpost UAV complexes – licence-built Searcher IIs.
Fatman17
Moderator
In March 2014 the 72 AvB had four Su-27Ps (‘01’, ‘10’, ‘24’ and ‘32 Red’) and a single Su-27UP (‘100 Red’) airworthy. Of these, ‘32 Red’ was the last of the unit’s non-overhauled aircraft in active service, still showing remnants of its original Soviet paint scheme. By late 2014 it had been sent to Pushkin for overhaul, returning as ‘97 Red’ in May 2017.
Their main role is tactical reconnaissance, and they are used to relay real-time target data to the fleet’s artillery and aviation units, correcting artillery fire or assessing the results of artillery/aerial strikes.
In peacetime their other missions include surveillance of border areas and the movements or actions of friendly troops – which helps the BF Command assess the preparedness and effectiveness of subordinated units during manoeuvres.
As well as increasing levels of airworthiness, training has also been stepped up in all the 72 AvB aviation units. Depending on the type of aircraft, each one now regularly trains for its main and secondary roles in close co-operation with all other BF assets such as ships and naval infantry units.
Training takes place both on training ranges on the coast and inland as well as at sea, and has led to a notable increase in combat readiness, a good example being the Ka-27 pilots: after a long period of insufficient training, they are now all proficient in close formation flying (in pairs) and operations aboard ships. Many are also cleared for ASW or SAR sorties at night or in bad weather.
Exercises using live weapons have increased both in quantity and quality. They include the use of guided air-to-ground missiles.
Aircraft from the 72 AvB frequently take part in exercises beyond the Kaliningrad area, while some local events are attended by aircraft of the Vozdushno-Kosmicheskiye Sily Rossiyskoy Federatsii (VKS, Russian Aerospace Forces – the new service formed on August 1, 2015 as successor to the VVS) from other parts of the Western Military District.
Tu-134A-3 ‘101 Blue’ lands at Khrabrovo International Airport on October 29, 2016. This is the personal aircraft of the BF Commander and is fitted with a Balkany special communications suite. This aircraft was recently overhauled at the 407th ARZ in Minsk (Belarus), returning with a few new details, including a VMF flag on both sides of the fuselage and the registration RF-66003.
Il-20M ELINT aircraft frequently visit the Baltic area, often operating from Khrabrovo International Airport. Deployed from Kubinka, Il-20M (c/n 173011502, ex ‘20 Red’) lands at Khrabrovo on June 13, 2015. Having been based in the former East Germany until 1994, this Il-20M is still in its original Soviet-era configuration.
These include Su-34s of the 47 Otdelnyy Smeshannyy Aviatsionnyy Polk (OSAP, independent mixed aviation regiment) from Baltimor-Voronezh air base, which prepares aviation units to deploy to begin operating from other bases at short notice.
Future plans
The arrival of the first Su-30SM with the 72 AvB at the end of last year launched what is set to be a wave of transfers of new or modernised aircraft and helicopters to counter the ongoing deployment of additional US and NATO assets in the Kaliningrad area.
Well informed sources suggest that, in addition to the new Su-30SMs, the 72 AvB will soon have modernised Ka-27M ASW helicopters plus additional transport and combat helicopters, including Ka-52s and Mi-28s.
It’s highly likely that, in the near future, the 72 AvB will be reorganised in a similar manner to the 7057 AvB – which, formerly the single naval aviation unit of the Black Sea Fleet, based in Crimea, became two independent naval aviation regiments in 2014.
But it’s not clear what will become of its UAV squadron if this happens. The MA BF has no other reconnaissance assets in the Kaliningrad area, the Su-24MRs having previously transferred to the 7057 AvB. With the exception of this squadron, the units of the other three VMF fleets are now scheduled to become independent UAV regiments by the end of the year.
All this suggests that when the 72 AvB is ultimately transformed into separate regiments, its UAV squadron will remain under one of them.
In the meantime, Chkalovsk air base, undergoing reconstruction since 2013, is expected to return to service by 2018. It will undoubtedly become the main MA BF air base as it can accommodate all the aircraft currently based at Chernyakhovsk.
An-26KPA ‘22 Blue’ lands at Chkalovsk. This aircraft was fitted with Standart calibration equipment, used for optimising approach and navigation aids on military air bases. However, this equipment was recently removed and it is now used as a normal An-26 transport.
Originally published in AirForces Monthly Magazine
Soldier35
Registered Member
Russia is resuming the production of A-50 long-range radar warning aircraft, this is an analogue of American AWACS aircraft, Rostec reported. The A-50 aircraft is now in great demand, since there are few of them in the Russian Air Force, only 12 of them, 7 of them are flying. In light of recent events, with the expected loss of two A-50 aircraft, which are not officially confirmed, the release of aircraft is becoming especially important for the Air Force . Now Russia can produce up to 3 A-50 aircraft per year. To date, no new aircraft are being produced; only the A-50s already in service are being modernized to the A-50U level; work is being carried out in Taganrog. A-50U aircraft have recently been used to guide missiles from Russian S-400 air defense systems. Most likely, the A-50U aircraft will go into production. It is worth noting that Russia is also developing new A-100 aircraft, created on the basis of the Il-76MD-90A aircraft. For comparison, the A-100 will be able to detect up to 350 air, sea and ground targets at a distance of up to 650 km; its analogue, the American Boeing 737AEW&C AWACS system, can track up to 180 targets at a distance of up to 500 km. When asked about the A-50 aircraft, the head of Rostec said: “Of course, this aircraft is needed. Of course, we will make it. Not only does our army need it, it is also exported very well.” In recent years, Russia has put into operation improved A-50U aircraft, they are capable of detecting low-flying targets at a distance of up to 400 kilometers, targets at medium and high altitudes are detected at a distance of up to 650 kilometers, and ballistic missiles are detected at a range of up to 800 kilometers. The number of simultaneously tracked targets is up to 150. You can see the full technical characteristics of the A-50 aircraft on the screen. The aircraft can coordinate the work of 12 fighters and guide 30 aircraft. The A-50 aircraft is capable of conducting patrols for 4 hours at a distance of 1000 km without refueling, with one refueling up to 7 hours. The practical flight range of the aircraft is up to 7500 kilometers, the aircraft crew is 5 people and 10 operators. The cost of the A-50 aircraft is about 330 million dollars.
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