VVS Russian Airforce Force: News #2

Viktor wrote:Contract signed for ...  

- 24 x Mi-28UB
- 2 Mi-26

Ministry of Defense and "Helicopters of Russia" signed contracts on the Mi-28UB and Mi-26

George1 wrote:

Viktor wrote:Contract signed for ...  

- 24 x Mi-28UB
- 2 Mi-26

Ministry of Defense and "Helicopters of Russia" signed contracts on the Mi-28UB and Mi-26

so Mi-28UBs will be for training?

GarryB wrote:i just bought a modelling magazine that had an awesome kit of a MiG-31BM in 1/48 scale... it looked amazing...

The cooperation of enterprises "Rostec" and "Roscosmos" has created a new system for precision bombing

General Command of Russian Aerospace Forces plans before the end of this year to test false sighting containers (PEP), allowing Su-30SM, the Su-35 and Mig-29 hit the enemy buildings, fortifications, tanks, armored personnel carriers and other military equipment bombs and missiles with precision measuring a few centimeters. The need for such products has proven operation in Syria, but while the AUC in the Russian aircraft armament there.

- We have held joint meetings with the developers and manufacturers of containers, agreed deadlines. In accordance with the approved plans, the first product we have test before the end of this year - said "News" the representative of the Russian Defense Ministry, familiar with the situation.

On board the false sighting containers are installed on hardpoints warplanes, television-mounted thermal imaging systems and laser systems that detect even tiny moving or stationary targets from an altitude of several kilometers in any weather, day and night.

- It's like a sniper scope. The pilot sees the picture on the monitor, which is installed in the cockpit and suggests a target guided bombs or missiles. PPK allow both destroy targets using aircraft weapons with television homing head, and send to the enemy laser beam that creates a spot, a prominent head munitions with laser guidance systems, - told "Izvestiya" of representatives participating in the works of Russian VKS.

At the moment of impact the development of suspended container are several companies of the holding "Schwabe" (part of the state corporation "Rostec") and the state corporation "Roscosmos". But, according to "Izvestia", a high degree of readiness is still only one product made corporation, "Precision Instrumentation Systems" (SPP).

The new container work on which CPR is already a few years old, is primarily designed for installation on the latest Su-30SM and Su-35 most recent additions to the fleet Russian aerospace forces, and upgraded MiG-29, whose trial is still going on.

- Suspended sighting containers converted into universal fighters fighting vehicles, capable not only to shoot down enemy aircraft, but also to destroy high-precision ground targets. Currently, the world's PPK became mandatory attribute of the Air Force of all developed countries. They are placed not only on the machines, like the F-15, F-16, "Rafale" and "Mirage", but even on the screw-training aircraft - said "Izvestia" independent military expert, one of the authors of the book Brothers Armed Anton Lavrov.

The first sighting suspended containers used US Air Force during the war in Vietnam. But in Russia, work on the AUC began in the 1990s, and the first products were ready only at the end of the 2000s.

- The speed of the aircraft is measured in hundreds or even thousands of kilometers per hour, and to optical and laser systems installed on board a container could hold the target, they have to move with a precision measured with a micrometer. Therefore the heart of the impact of the container - a special platform, providing ultra-precise optical deviation. They are made of thin-film piezoelectric ceramics, which upon application of an electrical potential displacement performs up to 100 microns, - he told "Izvestiya" one of the high-precision optical systems developers.

Until 2014 pezoplatformy for Russian AUC were bought in Germany, but when the European Union imposed sanctions against Russia, supply of such products in Russia ceased.

Currently, according to the representative of the Russian military-industrial complex, familiar with the situation, Zelenograd SRI ELPA was able to start production of domestic pezoplatform. However, while the news is not always stable.

According to the interlocutor of "Izvestia", the first experimental platform were obtained Corporation "Precision Instrumentation Systems" at the end of last year, and the supply of production parts already begin early this summer.

Russian Air Force Closes the Gap With the US in One More Key Area

The Kremlin’s air war over Syria demonstrated that Russia’s once dilapidated military has recovered from its low-point in 1990s in the aftermath of the Soviet collapse. But while the Russian Air Force showed off new precision-guided weapons and new high-performance aircraft like the Sukhoi Su-30SM Flanker-H, Su-34 Fullback and the Su-35S Flanker-E, it was evident that Moscow still lacked certain capabilities.

One such gap was the lack of a targeting pod like Northrop Grumman’s LITENING G4 or the Lockheed Martin Sniper. However, Russia seems to be rapidly closing that gap with the development of its own indigenous targeting pod under the auspices of state-owned Rostec and Precision Instrumentation Systems.

The Russian Air Force will start operational testing of a new indigenous targeting pod before the end of the year. “We have held joint meetings with the developers and manufacturers of the pod and have agreed on deadlines,” a Russian defense official told the Russian-language daily Izvestia. “In accordance with the approved plans, we will test the first product before the end of this year.”

The new targeting pod—which will be fitted onto advanced Russian warplanes such as the Su-30SM, Su-35S, Su-34 and MiG-35—incorporated the typical features found on equivalent Western designs. It includes GLONASS satellite positioning, electro-optical/infrared imaging and laser designation capabilities. It also seems to have video downlink capabilities just like U.S. targeting pods. However, it remains to be seen if the new Russian pods offer the performance of their Western counterparts.

Russia seems to have accelerated the development of the new pod after combat experience in Syria demonstrated that such capabilities are mandatory over the modern battlefield. Indeed, Russian forces have been accused of being less than precise with their airstrikes in Syria—which could in part be ascribed to Moscow’s lack of targeting pods.

Until recently, Russia was not able to produce an indigenous targeting pod. Moscow had attempted to procure the Thales Damocles pod—and even hoped to license-build the French-developed sensor for a time—during the early 2000, but the effort fell flat. Meanwhile, Russia’s domestic industry—despite its best efforts—failed to develop an indigenous equivalent until now.

According to Izvestia, Russian industry made a breakthrough in manufacturing piezoelectric ceramic film strips less than 100 micron in width. That in turn led to a breakthrough in building targeting pods. While initially manufacturers like Zelenograd SRI ELPA had trouble producing the filmstrips consistently, eventually they resolved those problems.

That led to Precision Instrumentation Systems completing the first prototype targeting pods by the end of 2015. Production of the new pods is set to start later this summer, according to Izvestia. With the addition of the targeting pods, the Russian Air Force will more or less have matched all of the capabilities resident onboard U.S. fourth-generation fighter like the F-15, F-16 or F/A-18.

http://russia-insider.com/en/russian-air-force/ri14302

The technology worked at the Russian Institute of Aviation Materials

All-Russian Institute of Aviation Materials (VIAM) and the Foundation for Advanced Studies (FPI) began research and development to create the country's first unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a miniature gas turbine engine, fully printed the 3D-printer. How do I find "News", in 2018 the Ministry of Defense plans to equip them immediately two aircraft: unmanned aircraft target "Dan-M" and unmanned reconnaissance "Zenica".


- The engine is made entirely on the basis of additive manufacturing VIAM the new technology of laser fusion layered with metal-powder composition and heat-resistant aluminum alloy, which also created the Institute experts, - told "Izvestiya" CEO VIAM academician Yevgeny Kablov. - Through the use of additive technologies managed print engine parts with unique parameters, is not possible with conventional casting. For example, the thickness of the wall of the combustion chamber is 0.3 mm. Such parameters can be achieved only by using 3D-press.


Kablov notes that the first successful experience of introduction of additive technologies (layered synthesis technology) in VIAM was implemented in 2015. For the first time in the country of experts from the institute have made a promising swirl of the front of the engine combustion chamber device PD-14, designed for medium-haul passenger airliner - "Russian aircraft of the XXI century," the MC-21. Presentation of the car took place on June 8 this year. The aircraft is intended to be replaced by Russian, European Airways A320 and the B737 US, which account for 40% of air transportations. Currently, more than 200 printed swirlers.


- Work to establish, together with DRF small-sized gas turbine engine - is primarily a demonstration of our technological capabilities, - said Eugene Kablov. - The technology allows you to receive the item in 30 times faster than traditional methods. For their production have been used fully domestic materials by the institute: powder superalloys based on nickel and aluminum. Based on them were printed structural elements: a turbine, a compressor, a diffuser, a shaft, a combustion chamber and the enclosure. It is clear that without the manual assembly of these elements can not do, but it is important that the "print" allowed us to make these parts with inaccessible to conventional casting accuracy, eliminating further manual processing engine components. We were able to create their powder compositions 28 brands.


The Institute pointed out that the entire process of creating a computer model, its seals and the start of production took four months. The uniqueness of the engine and that, as in "large" counterparts, it is set to automatic digital control system. She goes alone to automatic control mode, adjusting the supply of fuel to maintain a working RPM. At the moment the prototype weighing 900 g produces thrust of 75 kg, in the long term without a significant increase in weight should provide not less than 150 kg, it can be used in the construction of tactical and operational-tactical UAVs.


- Additive technology - is the foundation of a new industrial revolution, - told "Izvestiya" zamgeneralnogo DRF director Alexander Panfilov. - At the end of the experiment, we will start working together to develop in our country additive technology in the direction of expanding the range of collateral materials, as well as create your own, do not have analogues in the world 3D-printing systems. They allow you to increase productivity, to increase the coefficient of material usage to unity, at times to reduce energy consumption.


Made by 3D-printing technology of jet engines with low weight will be in demand in the production of missiles "Air-air", which will increase their opportunities.


According to Alexei Leonkova, a former employee of the 30th Central Research Institute of the Ministry of Defence, the possibility of the use of drones and space-based systems, this technology is applicable in the manufacture of engines for missiles of air defense, anti-tank and MLRS.


- It is possible appearance in the rocket and space technology components and assemblies of fuel systems, shunting engines produced by the novel process, - says Alexey Leonkov. - In aviation, it can serve as a basis to create hypersonic vehicles that can withstand high velocity and surface heating. With mass production of military and civilian equipment with extensive use of robotics it will give a tangible reduction in the economic cost and the lack of rejection of finished products. Powder metallurgy and laser provide highly accurate manufacturing of all components and assemblies, airframe and engine. For this technology unquestionable future, it already raised the Russian metal processing and materials science to a new level of technological development.

Russian drones printed equip engines

Weight radiator with a thermo-coated, which provide a stable temperature regime of spacecraft equipment, reduced by 25% through the use of aluminum alloys instead superthermal CFRP.

Development CVTs "Technology" will reduce the weight and increase the resource spacecraft

Adaptive technology makes it easy to scale the product is actually limiting their size only by the capabilities used by 3D printers.

UAVs will print the 3D-printer to the battlefield

kvs wrote:All that research into the crystal structure of metals and heterogeneous materials dynamics has paid off.  The 3D printer process itself is what
gives these metal parts their remarkable properties.   You can't get this crystallization behaviour by pouring molten alloys into molds.

Nobody stops to ask how Russia has developed such 3D printing if it is supposedly so backward and can't keep up with the west.  
From everything that I have seen, Russian metal 3D printing is world leading and not just some variant of what is available in the
west.  If someone can find articles that give details such as the above for western 3D printers, please do so.  Maybe I am missing
something.