Russian Naval Aviation: News

The Mig-29K shares an airframe with the Mig-35 so it would not be that hard to add Mig-35 features during its lifespan as upgrades.

The Mig-29K is in production for India so the Russian Navy has ordered some to fly from the Kuznetsov.

There is a lot of talk and most likely a plan to adapt the PAK FA to carrier operations too so likely after 2018 they will start work on that, and perhaps also a light 5th gen fighter that also could be adapted for carrier use.

What is probably not likely is a new VSTOL jet for the foreseeable future.

Nice

Will Russian navy buy only 24 Mig-29K/KUB for Kuznetsov or they will buy more of them for other fleets to replace aging Su-24 squadrons? From ground airfields they could do maritime patrols as well as protection of naval bases.

I suspect the Su-34 will replace the Su-24 on naval strike missions... if they are working on the NK-32 engine to make it a more powerful 5th gen type then the Tu-22M3 has a future if it can be modified to take the new more powerful engines with increases in performance.

I suspect they might develop the Mig-29K as a fighter bomber and upgrade it with features of the Mig-35 while at the same time introducing the PAK FA as a naval fighter.

The MiG will be cheaper and make sense where stealth is not critical, while 4-6 PAK FAs operating with 12-16 Mig-35s would be a very potent force... especially with AWACS support.

The next generation carriers will likely have unmanned AWACS aircraft support and possibly a SKATE based strike component, but the focus for the Russian Navy will be for the carrier to provide an extra ring of protection that an air force provides... almost every ship and sub in the fleet will have plenty of cruise missiles available to overwhelm most targets.

I suspect when 2020 comes around and PAK FA is in service both the Air Force and the Navy will be looking for a light stealthy aircraft to replace its non stealthy aircraft with and the light 5th gen MIG design will likely be their first choice.

Ministry of Defence in 2014 for the first time is going to order a 32 carrier-based helicopter aircraft factory at the seaside "Progress"
http://www.itar-tass.com/c134/905977.html

VLADIVOSTOK, October 9. / ITAR-TASS /. The Ministry of Defence in 2014 for the first time is going to order the aircraft plant "Progress" 32 carrier-based helicopter. This was announced today, Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov, during his visit to the plant in Primorye.

"These helicopters in 2014 must pass the final tests. If all goes well, we are ready to order," - said Borisov. According to him, the Ministry of Defense estimates that in 2013, the plant "Progress" will perform a scheduled part of the state order, and in 2020 he will be able to build 143 helicopters. "The work will be hard, because the order is really great. But we calculate that everything will be done to the highest standards and on time" - said the deputy minister.

During the inspection of the plant Borisov said that he liked the look of the enterprise, as well as the rate of output. "Plant" Progress "- one of the fastest growing military enterprises", - said the deputy minister of defense.

He arrived in Primorye today to check the progress of the plants contracts on state defense orders in 2013, a readiness for contracting in 2014, as well as the evaluation of the ability of enterprises affected by the floods.

So by 2020 they are talking about 143 Helicopters of Ka-27M class or multiple types ? Which type does Progress plant build ?

Thanks

Austin wrote:So by 2020 they are talking about 143 Helicopters of Ka-27M class or multiple types ? Which type does Progress plant build ?

Thanks

I looked it up - seems like it is the KumAPP plant in Bashkiriya that's involved in the production of the Ka-27/29/31 series.

Progress on the other hand handles the





**drums rolling**
**drums rolling**






Ka-52 and Ka-62

Austin wrote:So by 2020 they are talking about 143 Helicopters of Ka-27M class or multiple types ? Which type does Progress plant build ?

Thanks

No, they are not talking about the Ka-27 series.
This is about the naval version of the Ka-52 that will go on Mistrals.
So, there will be 32 Naval Ka-52 helicopters to be built at the Progress factory in Arseneev (Far East).
The number 143 applies to the total of Ka-52 helicopters (Air force and Navy) to be assembled in that same factory.

I suspect the 32 helos they are talking about ordering in 2014 will likely include a mix of Ka-52, Ka-226T and Ka-29 because the Mistral class vessels will be entering service from 2014 and they can carry 16 helos each so 32 sounds like they want to order two ship loads of helos next year, but the other orders will no doubt include Ka-226T and Ka-62 helos for destroyers and other vessels as well as extra helos for the Mistrals... plus of course new helos for the Kuznetsov for when she is out of refit... which will likely be in 2020 or so.

Each Kirov class vessel can carry 3 x 12 ton helos so smaller lighter models could be carried in larger numbers if required. Certainly a significant upgrade of the Ka-27 would be in order with all new electronics and sensors and equipment.

Russia's Baltic Fleet to Receive New Transport Plane

MOSCOW, November 20 (RIA Novosti) – A new military transport plane will be put in service with Russia’s Baltic Fleet by the end of this year, a spokesman for the Western Military District said Wednesday.

The An-140-100 plane is a lightweight turboprop cargo aircraft designed by Ukraine’s Antonov bureau and manufactured under license in Russia by the Aviacor aviation plant in the Volga region.

“A group of naval aviation officers from the Baltic Fleet has departed to the Aviacor plant in Samara to inspect and accept the new An-140 military transport plane,” Capt. 2nd Rank Vladimir Matveyev said.

The Russian Defense Ministry has said a total of eight An-140 planes will be put in service with all four Russian fleets. The navy received the first An-140 plane in April.

The plane, developed as a replacement for the outdated An-24 and An-26 cargo aircraft, can carry up to 6 metric tons of cargo for a range of over 2,000 kilometers, and can be used for patrol, military transport and spec-ops missions.

The Russian military has outlined plans to continue buying the An-140s to meet the pressing need for lightweight tactical cargo planes.

mack8 wrote:VMF receives one Il-38N:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OzD9EwoLWw#t=10

A sidenote: didn't really knew where to put this, i thought initially to put it in the VVS section but of course it's naval themed. However most of the discussions here center around ships so it's easy imo to "loose" aviation developments. If i may propose something, how about having  a topic in the VVS section called "Russian Naval Aviation news" or something like that, just like there is a topic for civil aviation? This way everything that flies is nicely covered in one dedicated section, and it would be easier to keep up to date with the developments. Thank you.

Russian Naval Aviation is part of the Fleet, so better to create such a topic here.
Along with maybe 'Naval Infantry/Marines news'.
Another topic for the coastal defense forces, auxillary units, radio bases and so on of the Fleet would be welcome too.
And keep this topic for ships and subs.

I'm all for it  

flamming_python wrote:

mack8 wrote:VMF receives one Il-38N:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OzD9EwoLWw#t=10

A sidenote: didn't really knew where to put this, i thought initially to put it in the VVS section but of course it's naval themed. However most of the discussions here center around ships so it's easy imo to "loose" aviation developments. If i may propose something, how about having  a topic in the VVS section called "Russian Naval Aviation news" or something like that, just like there is a topic for civil aviation? This way everything that flies is nicely covered in one dedicated section, and it would be easier to keep up to date with the developments. Thank you.

Russian Naval Aviation is part of the Fleet, so better to create such a topic here.
Along with maybe 'Naval Infantry/Marines news'.
Another topic for the coastal defense forces, auxillary units, radio bases and so on of the Fleet would be welcome too.
And keep this topic for ships and subs.

I'm all for it  

i made it

As of 2012, the only fixed wing strike and fighter aircraft of Russian Naval Aviation are the Su-33 fighters and Su-25UTG attack aircraft of the 279th Regiment (forming the Admiral Kuznetsov's carrier air wing), plus the Su-24 bombers based in the Crimea. This sole bomber unit remained part of Naval Aviation as an exception to satisfy treaty requirements governing Russian forces deployments on Ukrainian territory (these must be part of the Black Sea Fleet).
Buying brand new multirole Sukhoi Su-30SM for the Black Sea Fleet to replace Su-24 is in the planning stages.[8] Naval aviation also retains the anti-submarine aircraft of the forces (the Tu-142 and the Il-38) and the helicopter arm.

MiG29k and Ka52 on Kutznetsov and Sevastopol will be added to the inventory. Iam surprised the SU34 is not intended to replacing SU24´s.

i wonder why russia hasnt started any program for the replacement of old Tu-142 and Il-38

Su-25UTG attack aircraft

The carrier based Su-25UTG is not an attack aircraft... it is a training aircraft used to train pilots to land fixed wing aircraft on carriers.

The strike capability of the Kuznetsov consists of 12 Granit missiles in vertical silos in the deck.

The future strike capability of the Kuznetsov will include the Mig-29K2 and perhaps eventually the PAK FA-K naval variant unless they use the new light 5th gen fighter as a basis for a naval fighter instead.

i wonder why russia hasnt started any program for the replacement of old Tu-142 and Il-38

The Tu-142 will likely be replaced with a mix of HALE and PAK DA, while Il-38 will either be replaced by the A-42 or modification of the Tu-214 or similar aircraft... the former offers the ability to land on water, while the latter would be cheaper to buy and operate.

runaway wrote:

GarryB wrote:

i wonder why russia hasnt started any program for the replacement of old Tu-142 and Il-38

The Tu-142 will likely be replaced with a mix of HALE and PAK DA, while Il-38 will either be replaced by the A-42 or modification of the Tu-214 or similar aircraft... the former offers the ability to land on water, while the latter would be cheaper to buy and operate.

Tu-142 its a good aircraft, just upgrading the electronics and it will service for another 20 years. By the way i also think a stealth recon plane based on future PAK DA is a good and probably choice.

Russian Pilots to Train in Enhanced Il-38N Aircraft in 2014
Link

Well i guess that's that.

AlfaT8 wrote:
Well i guess that's that.

Why? The Tu-142 is long range, Il-38 is short to medium.

runaway wrote:

Tu-142 its a good aircraft, just upgrading the electronics and it will service for another 20 years.

It might, but you don't see anyone ordering production of 50 year old aircraft.  We need new designs for new lines.  We can't let America dominate the market.  That is why we lose so many Indian contracts.

If PAK DA is a subsonic flying wing then a non stealthy version could be very useful for an MPA role with long range... a cheap non stealthy model or semi stealthy model would be useful for a range of roles including with in the wing radar antenna arrays it would be useful for AWACS roles, with weapon payloads replaced with extra fuel as a tanker aircraft... with an enormous radar and dozens or hundreds of high speed long range anti aircraft missiles it could be used as a Mig-31 replacement... loitering around likely flight paths of incoming threats, or cooperating with ground based SAM units to deal with cruise missile and bomber threats...

Of course the Tu-142 is still an excellent aircraft and despite its propellers it is a very capable machine... at low and medium level it is actually a faster aircraft than a B-52.

IMO it would be an extremely good idea to start developing a Ka-62 ASW variant also capable of carrying the X-35 and maybe even the Kalibr to replace the aging Ka-27 airframes, and also to have a variant similar in concept to the exceptional for its time UH-60 DAP but carrying much more advanced weapons like door mounted Yak-B guns and 2A42s as well, ataka and hermes missiles and rocket pods. It wont be as armored as the Ka-29 but would be a more powerful faster gunship.

Why aren't there already such design proposals for this type of helo?

Because the Ka-62 is not at all in the same weight class as the Ka-27.

The attack Blackhawk has had really mixed reviews in service btw. From what I read in latin American service, it is not a particularly successful conversion.

Yes and meanwhile the Ka-29 fulfills the job of an transport/attack helo better than the Mi-24.

Any replacement should be done by the same design philosophy. These aircraft will not only be coming in hard and fast, but they will be LANDING straight afterwards, and will have a squad of troops on-board so any vulnerability could be catastrophic.

The Ka-62 has a disadvantage in its tail rotor; take it out and you've taken out the aircraft + crew + squad.
The Ka-29 has no such vulnerability and also has better armour in order to withstand enemy fire at close ranges and protect the men onboard.

And that's not going into what TR1 mentioned - they aren't in the same weight class.

The Ka-29 can take 16 men or 10 stretchers.
It has a maximum load of 4 tons on its external sling (enabling some light vehicles to be carried).
Overall it has up-to 6 tons of carrying capacity including almost 2 tons of weaponry alone over 4 pylons (not counting the 12.7mm Yak-B gatling gun mounted in the fuselage)

The Ka-62 can take 14 men or 6 stretchers.
It's external sling is only rated for 2.75 tons (limiting it to only the very lightest vehicles or cargos).
And as its maximum carrying capacity is only 3 tons - if it uses its sling at max. capacity it's not going to have much power left for anything else. Even just carrying it's full compliment of 14 men & their gear; it's going to have substantially less spare capacity left for its weapons load-out than the Ka-29 would; and at 2 pylons compared to 4 - less space too.

I have heard there is an upgraded Ka-27M they are working on with an AESA radar fitted as standard.

New lighter composite armour, new electronics and of course new engines.

Earlier there was a report of a Ka-45 with a new shaped and new systems but have heard little about it since.

Concrat for new Su-30SM and YAK-130 for the Russian Navy was signed at the end of 2013.

MO at the end of 2013, signed a contract for the supply of aircraft for the Navy

[quote]The question whether it was true that in December 2013 a contract was signed for the supply of Russian naval aviation first batches of Su-30cm and trainer aircraft Yak-130 Borisov said: "The truth."

Who dares to speculate about numbers?  

Viktor wrote:Concrat for new Su-30SM and YAK-130 for the Russian Navy was signed at the end of 2013.

MO at the end of 2013, signed a contract for the supply of aircraft for the Navy

The question whether it was true that in December 2013 a contract was signed for the supply of Russian naval aviation first batches of Su-30cm and trainer aircraft Yak-130 Borisov said: "The truth."

Who dares to speculate about numbers?  

Excellent news. Russian navy will need at least 80 Su-30SM, 6 for training and 1 squadron (12 planes) for every European fleet, 2 squadrons for Pacific fleet (1 for Vladivostok, 1 for Kamchatka). I hope air force will also buy additional Su-30SM to those 60 they have already ordered.