Syrian rebels have published these videos of a T-72B being hit by 2 TOW AT missiles. Both hit the front hull but there isn't an obvious effect as in earlier T-72s.
References:
Monday, 28 November 2016
Tuesday, 22 November 2016
Su-27 incident at an Ukranian base
There are not many details about what happened, but this Su-27 almost caused a tragedy. At 0:49 it starts turning towards the parking area -note guy hitting the ground at 0:55-. Maybe the Flanker got too close to the other aircraft during the take-off, causing instability in the engines.
References:
Wednesday, 16 November 2016
New data link for Su-35 and Su-27SM3
At the end of 2017 Sukhoi Su-35 and Su-27SM3 will receive a new data link known as Postscriptum. It will allow these 2 fighters to receive information from AWACS aircrafts and ground based/early warning radars. It also offers the possibility of landing without pilot input.
Also, the aircraft will supply the central command with fuel and weapons data, together with position. The aircraft will be able to fire missiles using the AWACS/radar data.
Also, the aircraft will supply the central command with fuel and weapons data, together with position. The aircraft will be able to fire missiles using the AWACS/radar data.
S-108 data link (slaviza.ru)
It will be interesting to know more about the integration of this new data link. Su-35 has a S-107-1 link, which allow tactical data to be shared between different ground, sea and air platforms. China has acquired an export variant named S-108 with the Su-35.
Back in the 1980s the Soviet Union developed TKS-1 and TKS-2 data links. The latter allowed data to be shared by 16 aircraft, and was integrated in MiG-31s and Su-27s.
References:
Sunday, 13 November 2016
Iraqi M1 Abrams under attack
On 12th November an Iraqi M1A1M
Abrams was hit by an AT missile, probablt a Metis M. The attack took place near the village of Hammam al-Alil, south of
Mosul. As it is possible to see, the missile hits the front armour, and does not seem to cause much damage.
References:
- Video found in twitter.
Friday, 11 November 2016
Zhuhai 2016 air show
Zhuhai
2016 air show was held last week end. The first edition took place in 1996 and it has been growing importance since then. The 5th generation fighter J-20 got most of the attention, as it was being shown in public for the first time. I was surprised by the amount of UAV designs and the range of applications.
Chinese aircraft performance has always been a subject of debate. This year was no exception, especially because 24 Su-35 have been acquired from Russia. I think that currently the Chinese military aerospace industry is not at the same level, but it will be a world player on the medium term. The government has been investing huge amounts of money and there is plenty of political support. Something similar happens with the civilian sector, which can rely on the huge internal market.
Chinese aircraft performance has always been a subject of debate. This year was no exception, especially because 24 Su-35 have been acquired from Russia. I think that currently the Chinese military aerospace industry is not at the same level, but it will be a world player on the medium term. The government has been investing huge amounts of money and there is plenty of political support. Something similar happens with the civilian sector, which can rely on the huge internal market.
J-20.
Z-10K.
Y-20.
Red Arrows.
CH-5 UAV.
CH-500 UAV.
CH-805 UAV.
KJ-200.
AG600 amphibious aircraft.
JF-17.
QY-1 UAV.
SW-6 UAV.
J-20 simulator (to be confirmed).
Airbus A350.
Project of wide body airliners, to be designed with UAC (Russia)
References:
Monday, 7 November 2016
India acquires 464 T-90 tanks
Livefist has
informed that the Indian MoD's Defence Acquisition Council has approved the
acquisition of 464 T-90 tanks. There had been rumours for a number of years but
it is only now that a contract has been signed.
The variant
to be acquired is probably T-90MS, the latest. The acquisition is due to delays
in local production. India has a license to produce 1000 vehicles but
production has not met the target.
Indian T-90.
The T-90 has
become one of the most successful tanks of its era, and more than 2000 have
been sold. It probably won't be the last sale, as Iraq, Syria and Lybia
-amongst other countries- are interested.
These are
the current operators:
- Algeria:
305 T-90SA and a license for 200
-
Azerbaijan: 94 T-90 (contract signed in 2013)
-
Turkmenistan: 40 T-90SA
- India: Contracts
for 310, 330, 347 and 464 in different conditions T-90. License for another
1000.
- Russia:
~500; 120 acquired in the 90s y 369 later on.
- Uganda: 44
(no proof)
Total: 2390+
1200 in licenses.
References:
- https://twitter.com/livefist (contract confirmation)
Sunday, 6 November 2016
Military parade in Turkmenistan to celebrate 25° aniversary of independence
Last 27th October Turkmenistan celebrated 25 years of independence. Maybe you find surprising that certain republics celebrate their day in August and others later on. This is explained by the August 1991 coup in Moscow. Some republics like Ukraine proclaimed independence soon after, others waited a few months.
A parade celebrating the event was organised in Ashgabat, the capital. It was possible to see much of the equipment that the Armed Forces deploy. Nowadays an interesting combination of Western, Russian Ukrainian, Turkish and Chinese systems are used. Soldiers used Berettas ARX160, which do not match very well with the classic uniforms. A video of the ceremony can be found in youtube (link).
A parade celebrating the event was organised in Ashgabat, the capital. It was possible to see much of the equipment that the Armed Forces deploy. Nowadays an interesting combination of Western, Russian Ukrainian, Turkish and Chinese systems are used. Soldiers used Berettas ARX160, which do not match very well with the classic uniforms. A video of the ceremony can be found in youtube (link).
Specially adapted Mercedes, similar to the Popemobile
Army members.
Air Force members.
Sailors.
Ajban-440A.
PMV Survivor II 4x4. 
Israelà Combat Guard vehicle, it reminds me of a Batmobile
T-72UMG.
T-90SA. 
BMP-1M, upgraded with Ukrainian module Shkval.
BTR-80A.
BTR-80M upgraded with Ukrainian module Grom.
SAM FM-90, originally based on Crotale.
Kirpi vehicle.
BM-21A "Grad-1A".
RM-70 rocket launcher (Czech Republic).
Smerch rockets mounted on a Tata chassis.
Lavochkin La-17.
UAV Orbiter-2.
S-125-2M Pechora-2M.
S-200 Vega.
WJ-600AD.
Mi-24P
References:
Saturday, 5 November 2016
Flying cost of different aircraft in Polish Air Force
A few years ago the Polish Air Force published the cost per flying hour of several aircraft models. This information is rather unique, because Poland operates Western and Soviet aircraft. The data can be seen in the table below.
The first thing that caught my eye was the cost of the Su-22, comparable to the F-16's. A number of factors could affect this, and it is difficult to draw conclusions. The F-16s are more modern aircraft and were recently delivered, thus the ground staff will need more time to familiarise themselves with the type. The Su-22 has a variable geometry wing, which is more complex to maintain. On the other hand the aircraft has served for decades. On top of this, 100 were bought, of which only 18 remain in service. It would not be surprising if existing spares are used, so no funding is needed for new ones.
The first thing that caught my eye was the cost of the Su-22, comparable to the F-16's. A number of factors could affect this, and it is difficult to draw conclusions. The F-16s are more modern aircraft and were recently delivered, thus the ground staff will need more time to familiarise themselves with the type. The Su-22 has a variable geometry wing, which is more complex to maintain. On the other hand the aircraft has served for decades. On top of this, 100 were bought, of which only 18 remain in service. It would not be surprising if existing spares are used, so no funding is needed for new ones.
As expected, the MiG-29 is more expensive to operate than the F-16. Polish Fulcrums are early versions, and the applied upgrades have been limited. It is well known that the engines need more maintenance per hour of use than F-16s. More modern series correct this, and are 40% cheaper to operate.
The C295 is surprisingly cheap to run. An An-26 is almost 4 times more expensive. The Antonovs have already been retired, so it is likely that the fleet was worn.
The Bell 412HP helicopter is more expensive than Mi-2 and even Mi-8. The Bell is used for VIP transport. One factor could be the spares, which have to be imported for a few birds.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)