History and military technology

Friday, 27 January 2017

UAC presents the fighter MiG-35

United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) has presented the latest version of the Fulcrum, the MiG-35. The event took place at Lukhovitsy, where the fighter is currently manufactured. So far there are no details on the equipment, but it is assumed that it won't have an AESA radar yet, and will be installed after first series.

A first contract for 30 aircraft will be signed by the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS). Deliveries should start in 2019. According to VKS commander, Colonel-General Viktor Bondarev, up to 170 could be acquired.

Configuration of fuel tanks.

Multimode radar "Zhuk".

New domestic helmet mounted sight.

References:

- https://ria.ru/arms/20170127/1486619497.html
- http://www.uacrussia.ru/

Monday, 23 January 2017

Knocked out T-90 in Khanazer, Syria

24-1-2017

A version on the T-90 loss was provided at @SyrianMilitary, who quotes a Republican Guard captain. The T-90 was being operated the Al Fatemeyoon shia militia. The vehicle was far inside enemy territory -controlled by ISIS-, but the Shtora was not on. The most dangerous threat was supposed to be 23 mm guns.

The crew was surprised bu an AT missile that hit the upper part of the turret, knocking out sights and the MG. Another AT missile hit the side, injuring the driver. Gunner and commander abandoned vehicle. The driver was rescued 1 hour later. After a few hours the fire reached the ammunition because the hatches were left opened.

23-1-2017

These photos have just been published in twitter, and show a T-90 knocked out T-90 in Khanazer, Syria. The most likely cause was an AT missile. Note the turret in the "6 position". The yellow flag probably belongs to Hezbollah. The fire is only visible in one of the hatches, and could be caused by the 12.7 mm ammunition (see video)

References:

- https://twitter.com/bjoernstritzel

Sunday, 22 January 2017

Tanks and BMPs delivered to Syria

22-1-2017

More photos have surfaced. The tanks are definitely T-62Ms. So far they are being used to secure T-4 airbase.

16-1-2017

The blog diana-mihailova has published these photos. Supposedly they were taken at Tartus, a naval base used by the Russian Navy. The tanks seem to be T-55 or T-62 and they have been recently refurbished because there are no traces of damage or even dirt. These vehicles would be for the Syrian Army. Russia retired the T-55 and T-62 back in 2011.

References:

- http://diana-mihailova.livejournal.com
- Blog article: T-55/62 retirement in Russia (2011)

Sunday, 15 January 2017

Boomerang launching a Kornet AT missile

The manufacturer of the Russian vehicle Boomerang hus published a video showing one of these vehicles launching a Kornet AT missile (2:12).

References:

- http://vestnik-rm.ru/news-4-18634.htm

Saturday, 14 January 2017

“Coraza Avanzada” maneouvers in Spain

A few weeks ago the Spanish Army and Navy carried out the exercise Coraza Avanzada” (Advanced Armour). It took place in Rota and the brigade Guadarrama XII practised embarking and disembarking from the ship L-61 “Juan Carlos I”. 16 vehicles from the brigade participated as part of a tactical subunit. The disembarking from LCM-1E ships was also practised.

References:

- http://www.ejercito.mde.es/

Friday, 13 January 2017

Admiral Kuznetsov and its Task Force to head home

13-1-2017

According to Fox News the number of sorties carried out from the ship was 154 in 2 months, a much lower figure than that provided by the media (420). The operability of Admiral Kuznetsov has been questioned since she left Russia.

6-1-2017

The Russian government is scaling down its presence in Syria, and the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier will be heading back to their base in Northern Russia. There hasn't been much information about the ship in recent weeks, especially the amount of sorties performed by the air wing.

The truth is that its presence was not really needed, as the Aerospace Forces (VKS) already have a base. The deployment was more for PR than practical purposes. It has not been exactly sucessful. The tempo of operations did not seem that high, and 2 fighters were lost, including an almost new MiG-29KR.

References:

- https://lenta.ru/news/2017/01/06/kuznetsov/

Wednesday, 11 January 2017

Russian aircraft at Farnborough 1992

Farnborough 1992 went into history as the one with the highest number of Russian -and other CIS countries- aircraft. The USSR had just imploded and Russian companies were eager to sign agreements to make up for the lack of orders at home. Also, the relations between Russia and the West were at an all-time high. A selection of photographs is provided below.