Nice photos of Su-57s at Novosibirsk. These are the fighters nominally supplied to the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) in 2021. In one of the photos the IRST sensor can be seen.
The Russian Defence Ministry has reported that the Russian Aerospace Force (VKS) and the Syrian Air Force (SyAF) conducted joint air patrols in Syria.
The aircraft took off from the bases of Hmeymim, Seykal and Dumar, flying over the Goland Heights and the southern frontier. VKS deployed Su-34, Su-35 and an A-50 AWACS aircraft, while SyAF fielded MiG-23 and MiG-29. Note that one of the Syrian Fulcrum could be a 9.13 version donated by Russia in May 2020.
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Su-34 with Syrian MiG-29s (1). |
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| Su-34 with MiG-29 sirios (2). |
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| Su-34 with MiG-29 sirios (3). |
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| View from the SyAF (Syrian Ministry of Defense). |
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| MiG-29SMT in T-4 base, located in Tysas | |
On top of that, MiG-29SMTs were seen in SyAF base T-4, located in Tiyas.
This could be evidence that the aircraft have been donated, as VKS
already deployed them in Syria and has no further interest in acquiring
more.
References:
- https://tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/13504197
- https://twitter.com/DimasqS
- Entrada blog: Más MiG-29 y Su-24 para Siria (19-5-2020)
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| Su-57 (KnAAPO). |
Today the first newly manufactured Tu-160M made its first flight from the airfield at Kazan Aviation Factory (KAPO). The flight took place at an altitude of 600 meters and lasted about 30 minutes.
The decision on reactivating Tu-160 production was taken back in 2015. Up to that point KAPO had only completed a few unfinished frames built in Soviet times, and the project was a huge undertaking. It was necessary to digitalize tooling/documentation, restore the vacuum welding technology for titanium and create a supply chain.
According to the managing director of Tupolev, Vadim Korolev, 40% of equipment in KAPO was upgraded.
In 2018 the Russian Defense Ministry signed a contract for 10 aircraft, with deliveries until 2027. The cost was 160,000 million rubles (2,844 million $), which is about 284 million $ for each Tu-160M. It remains to be seen if the covid crisis affects deliveries.
The total cost of the project, 50 aircraft, is 900,000 million rubles ($16,000 million $, of which 37,000 (657 million $) will be invested in KAPO.
References:
- https://www.uacrussia.ru/ru/p
These are by far the best photos I have seen of Russia's S-70 Okhotnik heavy UAV. The author is Sergey Alexandrov.
This UAV made its first flight in October 2019. The final version will have a 2D nozzle, and will operate in mixed regiments with Su-57s. The cost of one unit together with a command post is approximately 20 million $. Deliveries are expected in 2024.
This month RSK MiG celebrated it's 81th anniversary. Journalists from Zvezda TV channel visited the facilities, and published these photos. The aircraft look like MiG-29M2/35 - one of the photos shows a mechanical antenna for a Zhuk radar.
This month the Russia's 929th State Flight Test Centre, reached 100 years of life. In this centre new aircraft are tested, developing tactics for it's application. It is located in Akhtubinsk, Astrakhan region. The following photos show some of the aircraft tested, including Su-57, Su-35 and MiG-35.
