MiG-29/ΜiG-35 Fulcrum: News

I would not be surprised in the least if MiG "mislabeled" things as new when they were older make (even if fully functional, which is the case I believe). MiG had a lot of issues with mismanagment, lots of replacements, and ofc the typical post USSR situation.

Low level corruption is so common through ought Russia (well, and high level) that someone cutting corners this way is almost to be assumed.
I mean, they bought a used anchor for Kuznetsov....and pocketed the rest....:/

TR1 wrote:Low level corruption is so common through ought Russia (well, and high level) that someone cutting corners this way is almost to be assumed.
I mean, they bought a used anchor for Kuznetsov....and pocketed the rest....:/

Yes, and it never seems to end..

MOSCOW, January 14 (RIA Novosti) – A district court in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod Region has ordered the seizure of real estate from a former official found guilty of fraud involving fighter jets for Syria, according to the court’s website.

Andrei Silyakov’s land plot and house qualified for confiscation because he had other places to live, the Vachsky court said on Friday without specifying the property’s value.

But Silyakov, a former regional official at the Federal Reserves Agency, was not using the house anyway because he has been on the run since 2011.

In 2006-2007 Silyakov illegally sold four airframes for MiG-31 fighter jets from the state reserves, investigators said earlier.

The buyer was Nizhny Novgorod’s Sokol aircraft maker that was contracted to supply the jets to the Syrian Air Force, media reported in 2010.

Silyakov managed to sell the airframes – which cost 115 million rubles each ($3.8 million) – to a firm he controlled for 153 rubles ($5) apiece. He later resold them to the Sokol plant for 4 million rubles ($130,000).

He was also accused of swindling 35,000 tons of fuel oil through similar machinations.

The official pleaded not guilty but was convicted of fraud and sentenced to ten years and eight months in prison in 2011. He disappeared days before the verdict and remains on the run.

Total damages in the case were estimated at 1.3 billion rubles, but the court only sentenced Silyakov to a fine of 315 million rubles ($10 million).

The airframes were never turned into jets for Syria and remain on Sokol's premises, Kommersant said on Monday.

The SMT was marketed as a new plane, that was the issue.
They did not send their MiG-29s to be upgraded, they were buying new build birds.
As I understood, this was the center of the issue - the birds were certainly "new build"...but built in the early 90 and stored!

The SMT was marketed as a new plane, that was the issue.
They did not send their MiG-29s to be upgraded, they were buying new build birds.
As I understood, this was the center of the issue - the birds were certainly "new build"...but built in the early 90 and stored!

Well, SMT was always advertised as a modernization. Those Algerian SMT were built from stocks. In 1991 MiG got a large number of aircraft from VVS and Iraqui Air Force orders which were not delivered. All aircraft sold until Indian MiG-29K contract came from these stocks. Algerians should have been aware of this, and I am sure they were. The issue were some defective parts installed in the aircraft.

A while ago I wrote a long article on the SMT. Its in Spanish but can be easily translated to English.

alejandro-8.blogspot.com/2012/02/mig-29smt-la-version-de-los-escandalos_15.html

What was defective specifically though?

I have encountered no mention of any specifics actually failing in service, but more disagreement over the age of some of the equipment.

Did anything actually fail?

In some news you can find references to components: BOD-88, which are used to control fuel pressure. Components had been manufactured between 1984 and 1996, data sheets were falsified.

militaryparitet.com/teletype/data/ic_teletype/5055/
pravda.ru/accidents/factor/crime/26-05-2011/1078215-kontrakt-0/
tsn.ua/svit/fsb-top-menedzheri-miga-prodali-alzhiru-brakovani-vinishchuvachi.html

Ok that is the specifics I was looking for, thanks Alejandro!

Where these replaced when delivered to RuAF? AFAIK the birds have had no issues in service, and they get a decent number of flight hours (150 per pilot @ Kursk in 20120).

Where these replaced when delivered to RuAF? AFAIK the birds have had no issues in service, and they get a decent number of flight hours (150 per pilot @ Kursk in 20120).

The componets were replaced. There were going to be changes anyway (IFF). In any case I always thought those birds were a great opportunity for a country that needed to acquire a supersonic fighter, like Peru. RSK MiG would have been very flexible and careful to avoid any problems.

TBH I am rather happy the RuAF ended up with the birds.

Can anyone tell us how many MiG-29M/M2 are in russian inventory??

will the mig35 be at airshow2013 in india ??

ricky123 wrote:will the mig35 be at airshow2013 in india ??

No . Since the MMRCA competition is over this Aero India Show will be rather bland since few fighters will participate.

As of now it seems Rafale, Su-27 & F-16 Demo Teams will perform .

The spotlight this year will be on helos as companies are competing for the Indian Army / IAF reconnaissance and surveillance helicopter (RSH) competition. Kamov will display the Ka-226T Sergei and Eurocopter will display the AS 550 C3 Fennec

thanks .. that means no pakfa too

ricky123 wrote:thanks .. that means no pakfa too

No . Unless there is a change of heart at the eleventh hour . We will see PAK FA in MAKS later this year. Also , what's the point of showcasing the PAKFA right now when the Indian prototype is still being worked upon.

I want to know, why the MiG-35 does not have the Targeting pod (eg Sapsan-E) ? why they use OLS-K for A2G purposes?



IRST's F-14D



OLS-K is IRST system, it is designed for air combat, the F-14D, F-15C and F/A-18 is equipped with IRST in the lower abdomen or the nose of the aircraft, but they still have to bring parallel Targeting pod ! (eg ATFLIR)



ATFLIR's F/A-18C

Sapsan sucked, that's why.
And they had production problems @ UOMZ.

Hopefully the new pod for the Su-25 fairs better.

GarryB wrote:

I want to know, why the MiG-35 does not have the Targeting pod (eg Sapsan-E) ? why they use OLS-K for A2G purposes?

The Mig-35 has a 5th gen avionics suite that integrates all its sensors and systems. As such it makes sense to combine information from the helmet mounted sight and the radar and the IRST system together.

The Mig-35 will be able to use a pod, but to improve its capabilities against a range of targets it has two optical systems built in to give it multirole capability.

Pods are nice because you can spend a bit more money on them because you don't need one for every aircraft. They are also easier to leave behind if you don't need them, and upgrade as technology improves.

Their problem is that they take up space and often are not always located in the ideal place.

There is no reason why the Mig-35 couldn't be fitted with a pod but it already has full 360 degree horizontal coverage below and above the aircraft with the two IRST systems it carries which allows it to detect air and ground targets and also mark those targets with a laser.

Thank you

How many two seat conversion trainer migs29 are there in active russian service? 30? 50? 70?
Also, why such discrepancy between number of active service mig29 squadrons and total number of migs29 in russian service? Or do mig29 squadrons have something like 40 planes per squadron?