Take Off Magazine 07 July 2012

7/31/2019 Take Off Magazine 07 July 2012

1/49Russian helicopter industry: steady growth [p.8, 10, 21, 30]

Su-35Sin trials[p.16]

SSJ100one yearof operation[p.42]

Airborne radarsfrom Russia[p.18, 28]

Yak-130combat trainer

already in service

[p.12]

july 2012 Special edition for Farnborough International Airshow 2012

MiG-29M2debuts at KADEX

[p.6]


2/49

Dear reader,

You are holding another issue of the Take-off magazine, an addendum

to Russian national aerospace monthly VZLET. This issue has been

timed to Farnborough International Airshow 2012 that has always been

highly regarded by aerospace companies from Russia and the CIS asa major international aerospace event. It is Farnborough where Russia

24 years ago, in 1988, unveiled its fourth-generation combat aircraft, theMiG-29 fighters, for the very first time. Four years afterwards, in 1992, it

was Farnborough that hosted the debut of the Russian Generation 4+

fighters, the MiG-29M and Su-35. In 1996, it was Farnborough where theSu-37 super-manoeuvrable fighter won the hearts of the public with its

unrivalled flight performance.

This time, Farnborough participants and guests will see several

brand-new aircraft from all over the world. Russian aircraft-makers also

prepared for Farnboroughs debut their new products. Irkut will bring here

its Yak-130 combat trainer for the first time. Recently Yak-130 was fieldedwith the Russian Air Force while in late 2011 the first export contract was

successfully fulfilled. Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company is going to present its

SuperJet 100 regional airliner which started its operations last year with

Russias flag carrier, Aeroflot, and Armenian Armavia airline.

Sukhois SSJ100 featuring a bright example of growing international

cooperation between Russian aerospace industry and leading Westerncompanies. The next step of such cooperation could be implemented

in development of Irkut MC-21 prospective medium and short haul

airliner which could become a serious rival to Boeing 737MAX and

Airbus A320neo jets at domestic and international markets. A full-scale

mockup of the MC-21s cockpit and passenger cabin will be among thisFarnborough main attractions.

As usual, Take-off is offering a digest of other key events in the

Russian and CIS aerospace industry over the past several months. I

hope that the issue will help you to get a better grasp of the Russian

displays in Farnborough and be abreast of the latest developments in

aerospace industry of our country.On behalf of Take-offs staff, I wish Farnborough 2012s participants

and visitors interesting meetings, useful contacts and lucrative contracts

as well as enjoying unforgettable flight demonstration of planes andhelicopters from all over the world!

Sincerely,

Andrey Fomin,

Editor-in-Chief,

Take-off magazine

News items for In Brief columns are prepared by editorial

aff based on reports of our special correspondents, press

eases of production companies as well as by using information

tributed by ITAR-TASS, ARMS-TASS, Interfax-AVN, RIA Novosti,

C news agencies and published at www.aviaport.ru, www.avia.ru,

ww.gazeta.ru, www.cosmoworld.ru web sit es

The magazine is registered by the Federal Service for supervision of

servation of legislation in the sphere of mass media and protection

cultural heritage of the Russian Federation. Registration certificate

FS77-19017 dated 29 November 2004

Aeromedia, 2012

O. Box 7, Moscow, 125475, Russiael. +7 (495) 644-17-33, 798-81-19x +7 (495) 644-17-33

mail: [email protected]

July 2012

Editor-in-ChiefAndrey Fomin

Deputy Editor-in-ChiefVladimir Shcherbakov

Editor

Yevgeny Yerokhin

ColumnistsAlexander VelovichArtyom Korenyako

Special correspondentsAlexey Mikheyev, Victor Drushlyakov,Andrey Zinchuk, Valery Ageyev,Natalya Pechorina, Marina Lystseva,Dmitry Pichugin, Sergey Krivchikov,Sergey Popsuyevich, Piotr Butowski,Alexander Mladenov, Miroslav Gyurosi

Design and pre-pressGrigory ButrinMikhail Fomin

TranslationYevgeny Ozhogin

Cover pictureAlexey Mikheyev

Publisher

Director GeneralAndrey Fomin

Deputy Director GeneralNadezhda Kashirina

Marketing DirectorGeorge Smirnov

Business Development DirectorMikhail Fomin

Special Projects DirectorArtyom Korenyako

ms in the magazine placed on this colour background or supplied

h a note Commercial are published on a commercial basis.

torial staff does not bear responsibility for the contents of such items.


3/49take-off july 2012 www. take -o f f . r u22

c o n t e n t s

MILITARY AVIATION

Third PAK FA entering flight tests in Moscow Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

RusAF to receive over 120 Su-34 bombers by 2020 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

RusAF to get 30 Su-30SM fighters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

MiG-29M2 makes its debut in Kazakhstan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

New upgraded Su-25SMs from Kubinka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

First Mi-35s for Russian Air Force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Mi-28N helicopters being fielded . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

More Ka-52s for Air Force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Yak-130 debuts at Farnborough . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Su-35S in trials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Tikhomirov radars: from Yak-130 to Tu-160

Interview of Tikhomirov-NIIP Director General Yuri Bely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

INDUSTRY

Ilyushin 476 gearing up for maiden flight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

SaM146s full-rate production certificated by EASA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Russian Helicopters: continued growth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Ka-62: maiden flight in a year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Mi-38 to hit the market in 2015 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Mi-171A2 preparing to pick up the baton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Ka-226T deliveries to kick off in 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Ansat gearing up for getting back to global market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

UEC ramping up output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

PD-14: technology demonstrator kicks off tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Upgraded D-18T to power new Ruslans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

PD-30: future Russian thirty-tonner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

TV3-117VMA-SBM1V now for Mi-8T as well . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Salut continues to upgrade AL-31F . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27RD-33: output on the rise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Phazotrons radars for MiGs, helicopters and more

Interview of Phazotron-NIIR Corporation General Designer Yuri Guskov . . . 28

Mi-26T2 is ready to take over leadership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

PS-90A: 3 million hours in the sky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

CONTRACTS AND DELIVERIES

Russian Navy ordering MiG-29K . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Demand for Mi-35 remains stable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

First Ka-32s for Brazil and Kazakhstan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Helicopters of Mi-17 family still leading market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

COMMERCIAL AVIATION

Significant milestone of MC-21 programme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Volga-Dnepr commissions its fifth Il-76TD-90VD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

New L-410s for Russian airlines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Sukhoi Superjet 100: a year in service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Airliners for Russian regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

42

July 2012

12

4

18

16

46

30


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5/49take-off july 2012 www. take -o f f . r u

m i l i t a r y a v i a t i o n | n e w s

4

Mid-June saw the kickoff of the

flight trials of the third flying prototype

of the Sukhoi PAK FA Future Tactical

Aircraft at Sukhois flight test and

developmental base in Zhukovsky,

Moscow Region. Sukhois test pilot

Hero of Russia Sergei Bogdan flewthe T-50-3 (side number 053) on

its first flight in the Moscow Region

on 21 June 2012. As is known, the

maiden flight of the third PAK FA

prototype took place in Komsomolsk-

on-Amur on 22 November 2011

with Sergei Bogdan at the controls.

Following its acceptance tests and

painting, the aircraft had been airlifted

by Antonov An-124 Ruslan heavylifter

to Zhukovsky on the eve of the New

Year Day, on 28 December 2011.

The aircraft had been assembled

after the delivery and undergone

debugging and system testing

at Sukhois testing facility for five

months. In particular, the aircraft

was for the first time fitted with

a Tikhomirov-NIIP AESA radar

prototype, whose functioning as

part of the avionics suite was tested.

During mid-June, the T-50-3 was

taken to the airfield and began its first

taxi runs. Once all faults had been

ironed out, a decision was made for a

check flight, and Sergei Bogdan took

the aircraft off LII Gromovs tarmac

for the first time at about 15.20 on

21 June 2012. The check ride took

about an hour, with the plane and its

system functioning up to snuff. In the

near future, the T-50-3 will start flight

trials of the AESA radar and other

systems that has not been installed in

the earlier prototypes.

Now the second PAK FA prototype

is involved in the flight tests too. Sergei

Bogdan first flew it on 3 March 2011.

A month later, the T-50-2 was brought

to Zhukovsky and has been flying in

the Moscow Region since mid-August.

It has logged about 50 sorties. As far as

the first flying prototype is concerned,

it has been debugged since its being

unveiled at MAKS 2011 in August

last year. By then, it had had about

75 sorties under its belt, starting from

the very first one in Komsomolsk-on-

Amur on 29 January 2010 (the T-50-1

had flown in Zhukovsky since April

2010).

The 100th test flight under the PAK

FA test programme was conducted on

3 November 2011 by Sergei Bogdan

flying the T-50-2. To date, the total

number of the flights logged by the

three prototypes is around 130 and

will keep on increasing owing to the

third prototype having joined the trials.

The fourth aircraft now in assembly

by KnAAPO is expected to be flight-

tested in Komsomolsk-on-Amur in

autumn. It will then join the first three

in Zhukovsky after its ferry flight under

its own power from the Russian Far

East to the Moscow Region, if all goes

to plan.

As is known, in February, Col.-Gen.

Alexander Zelin, the then-commander

of the Russian Air Force, told the RIA

Novosti news agency in his interview

that 14 PAK FA fighters were planned

to be made and put into tests by

2015. The first four flying prototypesare to be joined by two more next

year, after which KnAAPO will launch

the manufacture of the low-rate initial

production batch. The official PAK FA

test phase is supposed to commence

at the Air Force State Flight Test

Centre in Akhtubinsk with the official

objective of handing early planes

over to the customer. According to

media reports, about 60 production-

standard PAK FA fighters are planned

to be fielded since 2016 through

2020. Obviously, the deliveries willcontinue beyond 2020.

VictorDrushlyakov

Victor

Drushlyakov

Third PAK FA entering flight tests in Moscow Region


6/495take-off july 2012www. take -o f f . r u


DmitryPichugin

Sukhoi

A most large-scale Russian Air

Force re-equipment programme

is the deliveries of advanced

Sukhoi Su-34 multirole combat

aircraft replacing the previous-

generation Su-24M tactical

bombers.By tradition, the Sukhoi

companys Novosibirsk Aircraft

Production Association (NAPO)

named after Valery Chkalov hands

its aircraft over at year-end.

During 2011, the plant made six

Su-34 bombers under the five-

year contract for 32 aircraft of

the type, signed late in 2008.

This is a 50% increase over the

previous years output. Four of

them (serials 01, 02, 03 and 04)

were ferried from Novosibirsk

to the Baltimore airfield near

Voronezh on 12 December 2011,

having become the first Su-34s

available to the air base that is

among the largest air bases of

the Russian Air Force. 10 days

later, on 22 December, they were

followed by two more bombers

(side numbers 05 and 10) that

had been given a new camouflage

pattern (dark grey top and blue

bottom). All Su-34s will be

painted like that from now on.

Three out of six aircraft, which

arrived in Voronezh, are a modified

version with the onboard auxiliary

powerplant. In December 2011, the

six new Su-34 were joined by four

more aircraft of the type (serials

05, 06, 07 and 08) the first ones

made under the 2008 contract,

which had been based at the airfield

of the Combat and Conversion

Training Centre in Lipetsk since

December 2010. Thus, the first

line squadron of Su-34 bombers

has virtually been stood-up in

Voronezh. This year, the air base

is anticipated to receive another

10 bombers of the type, while the

fulfilment of the five-year contract

is slated for late 2013.

On 1 March 2012, the Sukhoi

company announced a new long-

term contract for 92 Su-34s

more for the Russian Air Force

to be fulfilled by 2020. The deal

is unprecedented in terms of

volume and value. Construction

and delivery of the bombers

under the new deal are planned to

commence in 20142015, as soon

as Sukhoi has fulfilled the 2008

contract for 32 aircraft.

The Irkut corporation on 22 March

2012 issued an official statement

about having landed a Russian Air

Force order for a batch of Su-30SM

twin-seat supermanoeuvrable

multirole fighters. The contract to

this effect was signed by Defence

Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and Irkut

President Alexei Fyodorov. Under the

government-awarded contract, Irkutwill have supplied RusAF until 2015

with 30 Sukhoi Su-30SM aircraft,

a derivative of the Su-30MKI the

corporation makes for export.

According to Anatoly

Serdyukov, the upcoming service

entry of the advanced Su-30SM

supermanoeuvrable twinseater will

boost the combat power of the

Russian Air Force. In addition, the

aircrafts performance allows higherskills of aircrews, which is especially

important due to an increase in

new-generation combat aircraft

acquisition.

Alexei Fyodorov said Irkut

operating hand in glove with Sukhoi

would of its utmost to meet the

government-awarded fighter

contract on schedule. The large-

series production of various Su-30

versions, which has been run by theIrkutsk Aviation Plant, ensures high

quality of the aircraft the corporation

manufactures both for RusAF and

for export.

The first two Su-30SM fighters

are expected to be ready for flight

tests as soon as this year and

deliveries to the Defence Ministry

are believed to commence in

2013, when Irkut is to supply the

customer with several Su-30SMjets for the official trials.

RusAF to get 30 Su-30SM fighters

RusAF to receive over 120 Su-34 bombers by 2020




6

The Generation 4+ MiG-29M2

multirole fighter shown by the

MiG corporation proved to be the

headturner of the KADEX 2012

armament show in the Kazakh

capital city of Astana in early May

2012. The fighters appearancebecame the key event for sure. The

MiG-29M2s display in Kazakhstan

was the planes international debut,

because it entered its trials in late

last year only.

MiG Director General Sergei

Korotkov said: This is an utterly

different aircraft that has just

inherited the designation MiG-29

from the fighter that used to be

made during the Soviet times. It is

a far cry from the regular MiG-29

in terms of the capabilities and

missions the Air Forces needs to

be accomplished. The MiG-29M2

embodies all latest aerodynamic

and technological advances,

carries a radically different avionics

suit, and can use all types of

air-launched weapons existing in

Russia, with its design allowing the

introduction of weapons, whose

deliveries have not even begun

yet. This is owing to the open

architecture of its avionics suite.

The MiG-29M2 is part of the

latest commonised family of the

MiG-29 fighters derivatives, which

includes the MiG-29K/KUB multirole

carrierborne fighters as well as

MiG-35 and MiG-35D Generation 4++

fighters. Two more members of the

family the MiG-29M singleseater

and MiG-29M2 twinseater share

the MiG-29K/KUBs airframe but lack

the folding wing and arrestor hook.

Their avionics suite has been slightly

modified too, having lost foreign-

made components.

A prototype of the MiG-29M2

twinseater (side number 747 for theduration of the trials) first flew from

the MiG corporations Production

Facility No. 1 in Lukhovitsy, Moscow

Region, on 24 December 2011

and was ferried to MiGs facility

in Zhukovsky three days later for

flight tests. In February 2012, it was

followed by the single-seat MiG-29M

(side number 741) that performed

its first flight in Lukhovitsy on

3 February 2012 with MiGs test pilot

Stanislav Gorbunov at the controls.

From the outset, the MiG-29M/M2

were developed for export, but also

were offered to the Russian Defence

Ministry that procured upgraded

MiG-29SMT fighters and has

ordered a batch of carrierborne

MiG-29K/KUB aircraft earlier this

year. RusAFs acquisition of the

MiG-35 or MiG-29M/M2 fighters

in 2015 through 2020 is stipulated

by the governmental armament

programme.

In Astana, the MiG-29M2 in a

static display area was scrutinised

by Kazakh President Nursultan

Nazarbayev, who then watched the

aerobatics being performed by MiG

test pilots Mikhail Belyayev and

Stanislav Gorbunov.

Kazakhstans combat pilots

badly need advanced aircraft. The

country is mulling over updating

its aircraft fleet. According to

UAC President Mikhail Pogosyan,

Russia unveiled the MiG-29M2

at KADEX 2012 exactly in this

context. From our point of view,

the MiG-29M2 is one of the best

variants of developing the Kazakh

Air Forces aircraft fleet, the UAC

head believes. The aerobatic

demonstrated by Mikoyans chief

test pilot Mikhail Belyayev and the

planes characteristics we will show

to our colleagues in Kazakhstan

create a good prospect for further

promotion of the MiG-29M2 and

consideration of the feasibility of

cooperation in other spheres.

During the show, Kazakh pilots

had an opportunity to try the

advanced aircraft and see how

much it has changed compared

with the baseline MiG-29. Kazakh

Air Force First Deputy Commander

Ulan Karbinov flew with Stanislav

Gorbunov. He liked what he saw in

flight that was not a pattern fight,

rather a well-thought-out mission

involving the accomplishment

of a training task. Comparing

the MiG-29M2 and MiG-29, UlanKarbinov said; The difference is

quite great and it concerns not only

their flight capabilities. The MiG

has turned into a truly multirole

complex in the first place.

Kazakh Air Defence Force

commander-in-chief Lt.-Gen.

Alexander Sorokin shares his

opinion. After the sortie, he said:

The MiG-29M2 is a good plane,

a multirole one. It is an excellent

aircraft operating in all modes

against aerial and surface targets.

MiG-29M2 makes its debut in Kazakhstan

SergeyKuznetsov

SergeyKuznetsov

Marina

Lystseva




8

The 121st Aircraft Repair

Plant (121st ARP), a subsidiary

of Aviaremont JSC, continues to

upgrade Sukhoi Su-25 ground

attack aircraft in service with the

Russian Air Force. During the tra-

ditional open day at Kubinka air-base in the Moscow Region in

late March 2012, one could see

more Su-25SM aircraft upgraded

by 121st ARP and put to accep-

tance tests. Unlike the previous

Su-25SMs, these ones sport the

new grey camouflage pattern

RusAF has adopted recently.

Upgrade of the Su-25 attack aircraft

began in Kubinka 10 years ago. First,

several Su-25SMs were prepared here

for official trials, and the so-called

series upgrade followed. The first sixSu-25SMs were returned to RusAF in

a ceremony in December 2006 follow-

ing their overhaul and upgrade. In all,

more than 40 Su-25SMs have been

rejuvenated for combat units over the

past five years.

Another three-year contract for over-

haul and upgrade of in-service Su-25

aircraft to Su-25SM standard was

signed on 7 November 2011. According

to the official statement on the website

of a governmental acquisitions agency

(zakupki.gov.ru), the government-awarded contract stipulates overhaul

and upgrade of a total of 36 Su-25s

and Su-25BMs during 20112013. The

first eight Su-25SMs shall have been

returned to RusAF by late June 2012, 16

more by year-end and the remaining 12

by late 2013. The statement also reads

the contract covers the aircraft start-

ing from Su-25SM-44. Thus, RusAF

shall have as many as 80 upgraded

Su-25SM attack aircraft after the con-

tract will have been fulfilled by the end

of next year.The Su-25 upgrade programme pro-

vides for equipping the attack aircraft

with a more advanced targeting and

navigation system, the PrNK-25SM,

with a number of other avionics to be

replaced as well. A visual signature

setting the Su-25SM apart from the

older Su-25 is the lack of the outer

pair of under-wing weapon stores that

total eight now, while the types and

quantity of the weapons hauled by the

aircraft remain unchanged. The Sukhoi

Attack Aircraft Corporation is running

the next Su-25 upgrade phase that

provides, among other things, the fit-

ting of the aircraft with a sophisticated

defence aids suite. A prototype of

the Su-25SM2 attack aircraft mount-

ing such a system was demonstrat-

ed to Russian Vice-Premier Dmitry

Rogozin and the media at an airfield in

Voronezh on 31 January 2012. It was

said during the demonstration that its

official tests were to be completed by

year-end 2012.

A novelty of the Russian Air

Forces aircraft fleet has been the

Mil Mi-35M attack helicopter that

entered production with Rostvertol

JSC in 2006. Aircraft of the type have

been only exported until recently

(10 Mi-35Ms went to Venezuela in

20062008, and deliveries to Brazilcommenced in December 2009).

However, an official statement

was released in May 2010 that the

Russian Defence Ministry was about

to order more than 20 Mi-35Ms too.

As is known, the last new Mi-24P

and Mi-24VP helicopters were

received by Russias military over

two decades ago.

The manufacture of the first

batch of Mi-35Ms for RusAF

began last year, with the first four

machines shipped by the manu-facturer on 17 December 2011.

The deliveries continue this year.

Mi-35Ms have been receivedby the air base in the town of

Budyonnovsk and by the Army

Aviation Combat and ConversionTraining Centre in Torzhok.

Another Russian Army Aviation

air base is to take delivery ofMi-35Ms in the near future.

VyacheslavBabayevsky

ErikRostovSpotter

New upgraded Su-25SMs from Kubinka

First Mi-35s for Russian Air Force




10

The Mil Mi-28N attack helicopter,

which is in full-rate production by

Rostvertol JSC (a subsidiary of the

Russian Helicopters holding compa-

ny), entered service with the Russian

Army Aviation under the presiden-

tial executive order dated 15 October

2009. By early last year, the Russian

Air Force had received about 24 pro-

duction-standard machines of the type

and fielded them with the unit stationed

at the air bases in Budyonnovsk and

Korenovsk (before that, the first four

production-standard aircraft had been

received by Combat Conversion and

Training Centre in Torzhok in 2008).

Last summer, Rostvertol shipped four

more Mi-28Ns to Torzhok, followed

by six more in October. By year-end

2011, the manufacturer had completed

the assembly of and delivered another

batch of six aircraft.

The Mi-28N deliveries to RusAF

continued in 2012. Machines of thetype are expected to be fielded with

another air base. In addition, this year

is to see the beginning of the trials of

a Mi-28UB combat trainer prototype

fitted with twin controls. The proto-

type is being manufactured on the

basis of the pre-production Mi-28N

serialled 37. Work also continues on

the baseline models upgrade aimed

at developing a more sophisticated

version, the Mi-28NM, which full-scale

production is slated for the middle

of the decade. In particular, the pre-

production Mi-28N serialled 36 has

recently resumed the trials of its mast-

mounted radar.

The Russian Air Force awarded

another long-term Mi-28N contract

in 2011. The services commander

has repeatedly said RusAFs overall

Mi-28N requirement stood at 300

machines at the least.

The Arsenyev-based Progress air-

craft company a subsidiary of the

Russian Helicopters holding compa-

ny is ramping up the output of Kamov

Ka-52 multirole army combat helicop-

ters. The machines governmental tri-

als were complete last November, and

the helicopter was cleared for service

entry. The first four production-stan-

dard Ka-52s built by Progress were

shipped to the Army Aviation Combatand Conversion Training Centre in

the town of Torzhok in December

2010. Delivery of production-standard

Ka-52s to the Chernigovka air base in

the Russian Far East kicked off in May

2011, with eight machines shipped

there at first and then followed by

four more by the year end. Thus, the

Russian Air Forces first full-fledged

Ka-52 air squadron was stood up in

Chernigovka. Another five brand-new

Ka-52s made by Progress by late

2011 joined the aircraft fleet of theArmy Aviation Combat and Conversion

Training Centre in Torzhok earlier this

year (unfortunately, one of the latest

aircraft was lost in a fatal air crash on

12 March 2012, with the probe failing

to reveal any hardware fault).

The Russian Helicopters man-

agement issued an official state-

ment about having signed a long-term contract in August 2011 for

over 140 Ka-52 helicopters for

the Russian Defence Ministry. The

deal will keep Progress busy almost

throughout the decade. More impor-

tantly, the Ka-52 has been selected

as the baseline attack helicopter for

the air groups to be deployed on

the Mistral-class amphibious assaultships the Russian Navy is buying.

As far back as late November 2009,

a navalised Ka-52 prototype passed

tests designed to see if it was fit for

deployment on deck of a Mistral. The

tests took part during a Mistral-class

ships port call to Russia. Kamov has

launched development of a ship-

borne version of the helicopter, des-ignated as Ka-52K.

Mi-28N helicopters being fielded

More Ka-52s for Air Force

AlexeyMikheyev

AlexeyMikheyev


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Yak-130 entering service

A decade ago, in 2002, the Yak-130 was

selected in a tender as the baseline combat

trainer for basic and advanced training of

Russian Air Force pilots, after which the

Defence Ministry ordered the first 12-ship

batch from the Sokol Nizhny Novgorod

Aircraft Plant. However, the new aircrafthad to undergo a large-scale test programme

before line units could accept it. The first

production-configuration aircraft conduct-

ed its maiden flight in Nizhny Novgorod on

30 April 2004. It was followed by the second

one a year later, and by yet another one in

March 2006. The fourth Yak-130 flying pro-

totype flew in summer 2008. These aircraft

were used for conducting the bulk of official

tests during 2005 through 2009.Proceeding from the first phase of the

official trials, during which the Yak-130

was tested as a trainer, the prel iminary

report paving the way for manufacture of

the first planes for the Russian Air Force

was approved in November 2007. In April

2009, the Yak-130 passed the combat trainer

phase of its official trials, having flown

with its basic payload, and it flew with

its expanded weapons suite in December.In the wake of the tests, the then RusAF

Commander Col.-Gen. Alexander Zelin

www. take -o f f . r u12 take-off july 2012

m i l i t a r y a v i a t i o n | d e b u t

YAK-130DEBUTS ATFARNBOROUGH

Andrey FOMIN

The debutant of the current air show in Farnborough isadvanced Russian combat trainer Yak-130 unveiled bythe Irkut corporation producing and promoting it. Lastyear was a milestone to the Yak-130 programme. InJune 2011, deliveries of the first batch of 12 production-standard aircraft to the Russian Air Force fulfilled, with10 of the combat trainers fielded with the BorisoglebskAir Force Training Centre. Early in December 2011, thegovernment awarded a new order for 55 aircraft of thetype, which are to be delivered to the Russian DefenceMinistry by 2015. In addition, the Irkut corporation com-menced export deliveries of Yak-130s to the foreignlaunch customer in late November, and all 16 aircrafthad been delivered to Algeria by the end of December.

SergeyKrivchikov


14/49

signed the Yak-130 combat trainer accep-

tance report on 17 December 2009, clearing

the aircrafts operation by RusAF units.

The first deliveries took place two years

ago, when the first four production-stan-

dard Yak-130s built by the Sokol plant

were delivered to the RusAF Combat and

Conversion Training Centre (now Air

Force Training and Operational Evaluation

Centre) in Lipetsk during February throughApri l 2010. Soon afterwards, on 9 May

2010, they were flown as part of the Victory

Day Parade in Red Square in Moscow in

commemoration of the 65th anniversary of

the great victory in WWII.

The next five production-standard

Yak-130s were brought from the Sokol plant

to Air Force Training Centre in Borisoglebsk,

Voronezh Region, early in Apri l 2011.

The Borisoglebsk training centre provides

advanced flight training to the cadets of the

Krasnodar Air Force flying school (now

an affiliate of the Air Force Training and

Research Centre), who then are posted to

attack aircraft and tactical bomber units.

Five more aircraft (two from Lipetsk

and three brand-new ones from Nizhny

Novgorod) were given to the Borisoglebsk

training centre during June 2011. This com-

pleted the activation of the Yak-130 squad-

ron in the centre. Instructor pilots have

studied their planes through and through,

with the first cadets to start flying training

sorties on them this year.

With the governmental contract for

the 12 production-standard Sokol-built

Yak-130s for the Defence Ministry fulfilled,

a decision was taken to award subsequent

orders for aircraft of the type to the Irkut

corporation that had begun to run full-scale

Yak-130 production for export.

On 7 December 2011, Russias Defence

Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and Irkut

President Alexei Fyodorov signed a contract

for a new major batch of Yak-130 combat

trainers for the Air Force. Under the con-

tract, Irkut will have delivered 55 Yak-130s

to the Air Force until 2015. According to

Irkuts news release, a total of 65 Yak-130s

are to be bought under the 20112020

Governmental Armament Acquisition

Programme.

The finer points of the contract were

agreed on during Col.-Gen. Alexander

Zelins visit to the Irkutsk Aviation Plant

(a subsidiary of Irkut corp.) on 8 November

2011. Accompanied by Irkut President

Alexei Fyodorov and Irkutsk Aviation

Plant Director General Alexander Veprev,

Gen. Zelin toured the unit assembly and

final assembly halls of the plant and flight-

test facility. On completion of his visit,

Alexander Zelin said: There is no problem

with the fulf ilment of the governmental

armamnet procurement programme here.

We realise that in this country, there is sim-

ply no other company capable of making

the Yak-130 as well as Irkut does. I am glad

that the corporation has started exporting

the product. I guess Irkut has opened up

new vistas. Documents are being mulled

over, under which Irkut will become the sole

manufacturer of Yak-130 for the Russian

Defence Ministry.

The signature of the contract with the

Russian Air Force is a hallmark event to

us. We have not delivered planes to our

military for about 20 years, though the

Irkutsk Aviation Plant has made hundreds

of warplanes for foreign customers. Now,

the historical record has been put straight,

with the Russian Air Force ordering aircraft

from us. I quite agree with the Gen. Zelin

that the Irkut corporation is quite prepared

to fulfil the governmental order placed said

Irkut President Alexei Fyodorov.

The first Yak-130s intended for the

Russian Air Force are in final assembly at

the Irkutsk Aircraft Plant. They are expect-

ed to be shipped as soon as this year.

Not long before landing the new lucra-

tive order from the Russian Defence

Ministry, Irkut had launched export deliv-

eries of Yak-130s. The first three-ship batch

was brought from Irkutsk to Algeria on

29 November 2011.

The Rosoboronexport company signed

the contract for 16 Irkut-made Yak-130s for

13www. take -o f f . r u take-off july 2012


The first Yak-130 of Irkut production, assembled in 2009,is now being used for flight tests under aircraft upgrade programme

Five Yak-130 combat trainers delivered to RuisAFsBorisoglebsk Training Centre in April 2011

AlexeyMikheyev

Yev

genyYerokhin


15/49

the Algerian Air Force in spring 2006. The

first aircraft under the contract was made

and submitted for testing in August 2009.

After the customer had provided its final

vision of the configuration it wanted and

the relevant modifications had been intro-

duced to the aircraft made, a large-scale

Yak-130 ground school and flight training

programme for Algerian flying and ground

crews kicked off in Irkutsk last summer. The16 Yak-130s had been delivered to Algeria

and started flying by late last year.

Algeria became the launch customer

for the Yak-130, Irkut President Alexei

Fyodorov said in connection with the begin-

ning of the export of advanced Yakovlev air-

craft. The Russian Air Force has already

been operating aircraft of the type. There

is keen interest in the plane, and I guess a

great future is in store for it. Irkut is in talks

with a number of new foreign customers on

Yak-130 deliveries. According to Irkut, the

Yak-130 market capacity in the period prior

to 2015 is estimated at 250 aircraft.

Main features and advantages

The Yak-130 combat trainer is designed

for basic and advanced training of air force

cadets for fourth- and fifth-generation war-

planes, for combat unit pilots to hone their

skills and for combat missions in local

conflicts.The aircraft allows practicing 95% of the

pilot training programme. The Yak-130 can

simulate the control algorithms of up-to-

date fighters. Owing to its reprogrammable

fly-by-wire flight control system, it can eas-

ily be adapted to the requirements of the air

forces in various countries in terms of both

technical and operating characteristics.

The Yak-130s simple design, high reli-

ability of its airframe, powerplant and air-

borne systems, long service life, complete

self-contained capability and high operabil-

ity, coupled with its low life-cycle cost and

high flight performance, allow quality train-

ing of flying crews quickly and accomplish

missions effectively.

The Yak-130 can serve the basis for a

panoply of derivatives featuring the 80%

or more commonality, e.g. a light strike

aircraft, a carrierborne trainer, an attack

aircraft, an electronic countermeasures

aircraft, a reconnaissance aircraft and anunmanned strike/recce aircraft. A single-

seat light strike aircraft may become one

of the most promising derivatives of the

Yak-130. Like the combat trainer, it is

designed for operations in low-intensity

conflicts in the first place.

The Yak-130 is a classic mid-wing mono-

plane with the swept wing and all-moving

horizontal stabilisers. Its aerodynamic con-

figuration as well as characteristics of the

flight control system and powerplant enable

the aircraft to fly in virtually all modes




16/49

inherent in up-to-date and future combat

aircraft. The large leading-edge root exten-

sions (LERX) allow stable controlled flight

at an angle of attack up to 35 deg.

The Yak-130 is powered by a pair

of AI-225-25 turbofans with a thrust of

2,500 kgf produced by the Salut Gas Turbine

Scientific and Production Centre in Moscow

in cooperation with the Motor Sich joint

stock company in Zaporozhye. The airintake grills, which are deployed when the

aircraft runs or rolls, prevent foreign object

damage to the engine on takeoff and land-

ing. The TA-14-130 auxiliary power unit

with the AC generator ensures self-contained

operation from austere airfields and can be

used in flight in an emergency. The aircraft

is equipped with retractable tricycle landing

gear with low-pressure tyres, ensuring opera-

tion from unpaved airfields.

Each combat station in the cockpit is fur-

nished with 00 ejection seats ensuring ejec-

tion through the cockpit canopy and, thus, a

safe bailout in an emergency throughout the

whole altitude and speed bracket.

The cockpit management system includes

three 6x8-inch multifunction liquid crystal

displays at each combat station and the

head-up display at the front seat to display

all relevant data. The avionics features a

sophisticated flight data recorder system

recording the operation of onboard systemsand actions taken by the pilots.

The Yak-130 carries up to 3,000 kg of

combat load on nine external hardpoints.

The open-architecture avionics suite allows

using various types of weapons.

Operation of Yak-130 combat trainers by

air force flying schools, combat units and

combat training centres to train cadets and

hone combat skills of pilots allows a four-

to-fivefold drop in the operating costs and

save the service life of the combat twinseat-

ers used for these purposes at present.

The Yak-130s key competitive advan-

tages include its cutting-edge avionics suite,

manoeuvrability, reliability and a long ser-

vice life. The Yak-130 as a combat trainer

combines a wide spectrum of training capa-

bili ties and fourth- and fifth-generation

aircraft simulation, on the one hand, and

the feasibility of tactical use while carrying

a 3-tonne payload.

According to Irkut, the Rosoboronexportcompany has received requests from foreign

countries for a total of over 150 Yak-130s,

on which preliminary talks are in progress,

with the total volume of potential Yak-130

export orders estimated at 300.

Further improvement in the aircrafts

export appeal would be facilitated by refin-

ing its training and tactical capabilities

through upgrade of its avionics and by

deriving various spinoffs from the Yak-130,

particularly, a light combat aircraft, a deck-

based trainer, etc.



AlexeyMikheyev

New Yak-130s in the final assembly hall of Irkutsk Avation Plant, July 2011


17/49

The contract for 48 Su-35S fighters to bedelivered to RusAF until 2015 was signed at the

MAKS 2009 air show in August 2009.

The first aircraft under the contract, the

Su-35S-1, was flight-tested by Sukhoi

design bureau test pilot Sergei Bogdan in

Komsomolsk-on-Amur on 3 May 2011 and

flew three weeks later to the Russian Defence

Ministrys State Flight Test Centre (GLITs) in

Akhtubinsk for the official trials. According to

Sukhois official news release, flights under the

official test programme in Akhtubinsk com-

menced on 15 August 2011, in fact, using the

Su-35-1 and Su-35-2 prototypes (built in anexport version in 2008) that were joined by the

first Russianised version, the Su-35S-1.

The second aircraft ordered by the DefenceMinistry, the Su-35S-2, took off on its maiden

flight on 2 December 2011 with Sergei Bogdan

at the controls and flew to Akhtubinsk this year,

with the ferry flight from Komsomolsk-on-

Amur taking place on 2021 January. There

are as many as four Su-35S fighters based in

Akhtubinsk now (all of them are painted in a

blue camouflage pattern and bear new RusAF

insignia and side numbers 01, 02, 03 an 04).

The first Su-35S assembled this year,

the Su-35S-3, conducted its first flight in

Komsomolsk-on-Amur on 17 January 2012,

flown by Sukhoi design bureau test pilot TarasArtsebarsky. In mid-February, following the

factory and acceptance test flights and applica-

tion of the blue camouflage pattern, side num-

ber 03 and GLITs emblem, it was redeployed to

Akhtubinsk (its ferry flight from Komsomolsk-

on-Amur to Akhtubinsk included two stopovers

at the Belaya airfield near Irkutsk and Shagol

airfield vic. Chelyabinsk and was performed by

GLITs test pilot Col. Mansur Nizamov.

The fourth Su-35S, now used under theofficial test programme, performed its maiden

flight at KnAAPO on 19 February 2012 with

Taras Artsebarsky at the controls. On the next

day, Komsomolsk-on-Amur hosted a confer-

ence on Russian defence industry develop-

ment, attended by Vladimir Putin and Dmitry

Rogozin, vice-premier supervising defence

industry matters. While giving Vladimir Putin

a tour of KnAAPO shops, UACs boss Mikhail

Pogosyan told him that eight Su-35S were

slated for production this year, according to

the Interfax-AVN news agency. 2013 and 2014

each are supposed to see 12 aircraft of the typemade, with the final 14 under the contract to be

constructed in 2015. The deliveries of Su-35S

Su-35Sin trialsIn the coming several years, the Russian Air Force shall field almost 50 cutting-edge Sukhoi Su-35S supermanoeuvrable multirole fighters in production by theKomsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Production Association (KnAAPO), a subsidiaryof the Sukhoi company. Last year, the early production fighters of the type werehanded over to the Russian Defence Ministry for their official tests. A preliminaryreport is due before year end on the first stage of the trials. It is to clear the fightersfull-scale production and their operation by line units.

Andrey FOMIN

Photos by Vadim Beloslyudtsev


m i l i t a r y a v i a t i o n | p r o g r a m m e


18/49

fighters are likely to continue after 2015 as

well. A new long-term contract is expected to

be made, with its volume hardly to be less than

that of the current contract.

However, Su-35s deliveries to RusAF line

units should be preceded by the completion of

the official test programme, under which hun-

dreds of test sorties are due to test the sophisti-cated avionics and weapons suites.

According to Sukhois official statements,

the Su-35 fighters features setting it radically

apart from other aircraft of the Su-27 fam-

ily are its drastically novel avionics suite based

on a digital information management system

and the cutting-edge Tikhomirov-NIIP Irbis

phased array radar boasting the unique tar-

get acquisition range (400 km) and enhanced

multiple-target tracking and engagement capa-

bilities (tracking 30 aerial targets and engaging

eight of them or tracking four ground targets

and attacking two of them).Tikhomirov-NIIP Director General Yuri

Bely told the Take-off that three Irbis pro-

totypes have been undergoing flight tests for

several years on board the first two Su-35

prototypes and Su-30MK2 flying testbed. The

Su-35S fighters being built under the 2009

contract awarded by the Russian Defence

Ministry are fitted with the full Irbis radar

set series-produced by the Ryazan State

Instrument-making Enterprise. Flight testshave proven all basic characteristics of the

advanced phased array radar, and most of its

operating modes have been tested in flight

too. In particular, test sorties have proven the

unique capabilities of the Irbis in terms of its

ability to acquire aerial threats at a range of

about 400 km.

The avionics suite also includes an advanced

infrared search-and-track (IRST) system

from the Precision Instrument Systems sci-

entific and production company, up-to-date

navigation and communications systems, a

sophisticated defence aids suite includingincoming missile and laser illumination warn-

ing equipment in addition to the traditional

radar warning receiver (RWR) and electronic

countermeasures (ECM) systems. The cock-

pit management system comprises two wide-

angle 15-inch multifunction colour liquid

crystal displays and a wide-angle collimated

head-up display.

The fighter is powered by advanced

NPO Saturn 117S engines featuring a thrustenhanced to 14,500 kgf in special mode

and an extended service life. The 117S was

developed by the NPO Saturn scientific and

production association and produced in

cooperation with UMPO JSC. The engine

is equipped with a thrust vector control

jet nozzle. Compared to other Su-27 ver-

sions, the Su-35s internal fuel capacity has

increased by over 20%, the fighter has the

mid-air refuelling capability and can haul

large drop tanks.

The Su-35s weapons suite is planned to com-

prise both in-service smart and dumb weaponsand upgraded and in-development missiles in all

classes, and smart bombs as well.


m i l i t a r y a v i a t i o n | p r o g r a m m e


19/49

Mr. Bely, how is the work on the AESA

radar for the fifth-generation fighter going?

Earlier this year, following tests and

adjustment on Tikhomirov-NIIPs test

benches, the third prototype AESA radar

set was shipped to the Sukhoi company and

installed on the third flying PAK FA proto-

type brought for trials from Komsomolsk-

on-Amur to Zhukovsky in late 2011. It

has completed the cycle of ground tests

onboard the aircraft and has been turned

on several times. The aircraft entered flight

tests in Zhukovsky in June, and we will be

facing the key phase flight tests of the

AESA radar.

At the same time, we have manufactured

another the fourth AESA radar set.

To date, we have almost completed its test-

ing and alignment and soon will be ready

to hand it over to the customer. It will be

shipped to Komsomolsk-on-Amur where

it will be mounted on the fourth flying

PAK FA prototype. We hope that as soon as

the aircraft is ready, the full AESA radar set

will have been able to kick off i ts flight trials

prior to year-end. Now, manufacture of two

more sets, designed for subsequent PAK FA

prototypes, is under way.

Timely delivery of more AESA radar

sets to the customer is ensured through the

institute having as many as two test rigs.

One of them, the chief designers rig is

being used for test ing the AESA radar pro-

totype to enhance its operating envelope

as well as introduce advanced operating

modes and improved software packages.

The other one is being used for tuning

more radar sets before mounting them on

follow-on aircraft. Overall, we are satisfied

with the results produced but realise full

well that a lo t remains to be done attain-

ing the required reliability and reducing

the prime cost of Istok company-supplied

transmit-receive (T-R) modules in the firstplace.

I would also like to note that Tikhomirov-

NIIP has been appointed prime contractor

for the development of an AESA radar for

the FGFA fifth-generation Fighter Aircraft

(PMI in Russian) being co-developed by

Russia and India. The preliminary design of

the aircraft is to be submitted for approval

this summer. We have prepared the basic

materials required for this purpose.

How is your development of passive

phased-array radars?

We are running several programmesat once in this field. Firstly, it is the

Bars phased-array radar for the Sukhoi

AndreyFomin

TIKHOMIROV RADARS:from Yak-130 to Tu-160Interview of Tikhomirov-NIIP Director General Yuri Bely

The V. Tikhomirov Scientific-Research Institute of Instrument Design (Tikhomirov-NIIP) is launching flight tests of an active electronically scanned array (AESA)radar onboard the Sukhoi PAK FA Future Tactical Aircraft. An AESA radarprototype has been installed this year in the third PAK FA prototype and hascleared a series of ground tests. At the same time, the institute is taking part inthe government trials of Su-35S multirole fighters fitted with production-standardexamples of the Irbis phased-array radar. Recently, the decision has been takento use this radar as the basis for deriving a radar to upgrade Tupolev Tu-22M3and Tu-160 missile carriers. The company is also devising a proposal pertainingto light phased-array radars designed for Yakovlev Yak-130 light combat trainerversions and unmanned aerial vehicles being developed by Russian companies.The institutes Director General Yuri Bely is speaking about these and otherprogrammes in his interview with the Take-off magazine below.

AESA radar for PAK FA fighter


m i l i t a r y a v i a t i o n | i n t e r v i e w


20/49

Su-30MKI familys fighters, which has won

recognition throughout the world. Series

deliveries of radars of the type are handled

by our long-term partner Ryazan State

Instrument-making Enterprise that also

has assisted the Indians to launch licence

production of the Bars on their premises.

Tikhomirov-NIIP is participating in the

upgrade of the Bars, including the furnish-

ing of it with an AESA. As is known, thedecision in principle on that was made a

rather long time ago. Such radars will fit

the upgraded Su-30MKIs in service with

the Indian Air Force. However, the contract

has not been signed yet, and the ball is in

the customers court.

There has been another important

event in this sphere. In May, Ryazan State

Instrument-making Enterprise supplied the

first two sets of the Russianised Bars radar

to the Irkutsk Aviation Plant, subsidiary of

the Irkut corporation. They are designed

for equipping the first two Su-30SM fight-

ers intended for the Russian Air Force. As

is known, the Russian Defence Ministry

ordered from Irkut 30 Su-30SMs a ver-

sion of the Su-30MKI for RusAF this

spring. To date, three air forces in the world

have operated more than 200 Su-30MKI-

family fighters carrying Barses. Thus, the

Bars radar is coming to our Air Force as

well. A prel iminary report on the f irst phase

of the official trials of the Bars-equipped

Su-30SM aircraft is due before year-end,

after which production-standard aircraft of

the type may commence.

More on the subject: a report on the offi-

cial tests of the upgraded MiG-31BM inter-

ceptor mounting the upgraded Tikhomirov-

NIIP Zaslon phased-array radar is to be

signed by the end of the year. As is known,

the Zaslon developed by Tikhomirov-NIIP

as far back as the 1970s was the first

fighter-carried phased-array radar in the

world. Our priority in this field is indisput-

able. MiG-31BM interceptors upgraded

under Phase 1 of the upgrade programme

have been returned to their units. Phase 2upgrade tests are nearing the completion.

Phase 2 will give the interceptor advanced

medium- and long-range air-to-air mis-

siles. Hence, its radar is being adapted and

new operating modes are being introduced.

Once the official trials report has been

issued, aircraft like that will start being

fielded too.

Finally, a few words are due about the

Irbis that, no doubt, is the peak of the

phased-array radar technology. Suffice it

to say that the flight tests of the radar have

proven its 400-km-plus aerial target acqui-sition range that is unique as far as airborne

radars are concerned.

The flight tests of Irbis prototypes

have been underway on board the flying

Su-30MK2 testbed and two Su-35 pro-

totypes for several years. Last year, the

Defence Ministry took delivery of the first

two KnAAPO-built production-standard

Su-35S fighters for the official state tr ials.

Two more have joined them this year. All

of them are fitted with production-stan-

dard Irbises, which production has beenlaunched by Ryazan State Instrument-

making Enterprise with support by

Tikhomirov-NIIP. The radars basic char-

acteristics have been proven by the flight

tests, but there remain tactical application

test flights with the use of various weapons.

A preliminary report on the first stage of the

state trials of the Irbis phased-array radar-

equipped Su-35S is due by the end of the

year. This will allow the Su-35Ss operation-

al evaluation by the Air Force. As is known,

the government-awarded contract provides

for manufacture of 48 Su-35S fighters for

RusAF throughout 2015, with their deliver-

ies to continue thereafter.

That we have been recently tasked with

using the Irbis to derive a phased-array

radar for the Tupolev Tu-22M3 and Tu-160

long-range bombers is a recognition of its

top-notch performance. This is going to be

a new line of work to us, since we have not

developed radars for long-range missile-

carrying bombers yet. However, the experi-

ence we have gained in Irbis development

makes us optimistic about our ability to ful-

fil the task. The firs t upgraded Tu-22M3 and

Tu-160 bombers fitted with our radars are

slated for tests within two years at the most.

What other new lines of work has

Tikhomirov-NIIP been pursuing of late?

The Irkut corporation has asked us

recently for proposals for a light radar

that could be used on board new versions

of the Yak-130 combat trainer, which are

being mulled over by the Yakovlev design

bureau. As is known, production-standard

Yak-130s have been delivered to RusAF

since 2010, and their export began last year.At the same time with ramping up the pro-

duction of the Yak-130 that is not equipped

with radars, Irkut is pondering other roles

for the aircraft, e.g. a light strike aircraft,

a light attack aircraft, a light fighter, etc.

It is these versions that are in need of a

radar that must be light and small, but

also handle numerous tasks, such as aerial

and ground target seeking and acquisition,

ground mapping, etc.

Tikhomirov-NIIP is experienced in small

phased-array radar development, e.g. early

in the last decade, we developed the Osacompact passive phased-array radar for fit-

ting the upgraded MiG-29UBT twin-seat

fighter as well as Yak-130, MiG-AT and

other light combat trainers and warplanes.

Unfortunately, this line of work stalled at

the time, but the experience gained, cou-

pled with introduction of advanced tech-

nologies and sophisticated software proven

as part of our more advanced radars (e.g.

the Irbis) will, undoubtedly, enable us fulfil

the task quickly and effectively. The ball is

in the customers court. If the customer is

interested in our offers and the development

of new Yak-130 versions continues, we are

ready to provide them with up-to-date top-

notch inexpensive phased-array radar.

Another new sphere for our institute

to explore may be development of light

radars for unmanned aerial vehicles. As is

known, the St. Petersburg-based Transas

company and the Sokol design bureau in

Kazan were selected as prime contractors

for the light and medium UAVs last autumn

based on the outcome of the tender held

by the Defence Ministry. It looks like UAC

will handle the development of the futureheavy UAV. All of them have invited us to

cooperate. We will be ready to submit our

proposals as soon as the requirements to the

radars for such UAVs have been determined

and provided to us.

Thus, the scope of the work being done

by Tikhomirov-NIIP is increasing. While

we used to make radars for fighters only

(MiG-31, Su-27, Su-30 and its derivatives,

Su-35, PAK FA) as far as airborne radars

are concerned, now the number of carriers

is growing. I believe that the application of

Tikhomirov-NIIP radars will range all theway from the lightweight Yak-130 to the

heavy Tu-160 in the near future.

AndreyFomin

Irbis phased array radar for Su-35 fighters

m i l i t a r y a v i a t i o n | i n t e r v i e w




i n d u s t r y | n e w s

20

The Ulyanovsk-based Aviastar-SP

close corporation earmarked as UACs

principal production centre specialising

in transport aircraft production is groom-

ing the first Ilyushin Il-76MD-90A (476)

aircraft for the kickoff of its flight trials.

Under the 20 December 2006 Russiangovernments resolution, authorising

the development and production of the

upgraded Il-76 in Ulyanovsk, Ilyushin

476 was to get a redesigned wing, more

powerful and more efficient PS-90A-76

turbofan engines and a modern flight

navigation suite.

The construction of the two first

Il-76MD-90A prototypes by Aviastar

began in 2009, with c/n 01-01 designed

for static tests and c/n 01-02 for flight

ones. A set of the static test proto-

types structural assemblies the F2fuselage section, centre wing section

and wing panels had been manu-

factured by autumn 2011 and brought

to Zhukovsky in the Moscow Region

on 1 October for static tests in Central

Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI).

15 December 2011 witnessed a

ceremony of completion of the 476s

first flying prototype in Ulyanovsk. It

had been used for mounting onboard

systems and avionics during the

subsequent months. The first flying

Il-76MD-90A is to be rolled out to

Aviastars flight testing facility in July.

The aircraft is expected to conduct itsmaiden flight in August 2012.

At the same time, three more

aircraft of a low-rate initial produc-

tion batch entered construction by

Aviastar under a contract with UAC

Transport Aircraft in 2010. According

to the plants Director General Sergei

Dementyev, two of them are to be

completed in 2013.

The Russian Defence Ministry

shall be the launch customer for the

production-standard Il-76MD-90A

freighters. Early in June 2012,

Russian Air Force Military Transport

Aviation commander Lt.-Gen.Victor Kachalkin said 40 brand-new

Il-76MD-90As were planned to be

received by 2020. Potential buyers

include the air branch of the Russian

Emergencies Ministry, and further

down the line, a number of com-

mercial carriers operating Il-76TDs

and interested in updating and beef-

ing up their aircraft fleets might

acquire the Il-76TD-90A commercial

version. The baseline model is also

supposed to be used for deriving the

Il-78MD-90 tanker plane and some

special-purpose aircraft.

At the same time, RusAF is intent onordering an upgrade of the in-service

Il-76MD freighters and Il-78M tank-

ers. According to Lt.-Gen. Kachalkin,

the transport aviation command is to

take delivery of about 40 re-engined

Il-76MDMs (an upgraded version of

the earlier Il-76MD, which is powered

by PS-90A-76 engines and equipped

with a more advanced avionics suite).

The Il-78M tanker planes version

upgraded in the same manner may be

designated as Il-78M2.

The European Aviation Safety

Agency (EASA) certificated the

SaM146 series production by the

NPO Saturn joint stock company on

2 April 2012.

The programme of development

of the SaM146 engine to power

Sukhoi Superjet 100 airliners is

being run by the PowerJet joint

venture set up on a parity basis in

July 2004 by Russias NPO Saturn

association and French company

Snecma, a Safran subsidiary. The

French company is responsible for

the core, control system, power-

plant integration and flight tests,

while Saturn for the cold segment

of the engine, final assembly and

ground trials. In June 2010, theengines baseline model was certifi-

cated by EASA and then by the IAC

Aircraft Registry, which not only

guarantees high quality of the prod-

uct, but also opens up new export

vistas for it.

EASA certificated a new SaM146

version, the 1S18 that features a 5%

thrust increase, on 17 January 2012.

The modified engine is designed

to power advanced variants of the

Sukhoi Superjet 100 regional airlin-

er, particularly the extended-rangeSSJ100/95LR (RRJ-95LR) version.

Saturn specialists and their

French colleagues are working on

further improvement of the engine.

However, todays priority is to

make as many production-standard

engines as required by the current

SSJ100 orderbook.

This year is to become the water-

shed for the SaM146 full-scale pro-duction programme. While Saturn

made and delivered 15 engines to

the Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company

in 2011, this years anticipated

standard production is thrice as

many 48 units, with a subsequent

increase to 96 engines in 2013. As

of June 2012, there were 18 pro-

duction-standard SaM146s in com-

mercial service on eight SSJ100s

operated by the Aeroflot (routine

flights began in June 2011) and one

SSJ100 used by Armavia (deliveredin April 2011).

Ilyushin 476 gearing up for maiden flight

SaM146s full-rate production certificated by EASA

UAC

NPOS

aturn


22/49




22

No doubt, the star of the fifth

HeliRussia 2012 international heli-

copter show held at the Crocus Expo

centre in Moscow on 1719 May

2012 was Kamov Ka-62 advanced

medium helicopter full-size mock-up

set up in the middle of the expo-sition of the Russian Helicopters

holding company. The mock-ups

manufacture had been time to the

date of the show. It offers the full

grasp of the appearance of the future

Russian helicopter with a takeoff

weight of 6.5 t, designed for carriage

of 15 passengers of 2,000 t of cargo

(2,500 kg on the external sling).

While looking the same as known

military Ka-60, the commercial

Ka-62, which being developed with

an eye on the upcoming certificationboth in Russia and in the EU, has a

number of significant differences. Let

us dwell on just a few of them. Firstly,

the powerplant, rotor system and

powertrain have been modified. The

main rotor has gotten the fifth blade.

Introduction of Turbomeca Ardiden

3G engines with the 1,780-hp takeoff

power (1,940 hp in the emergency

power mode) has resulted in a cer-

tain modification to engine nacelles

outline. The developer and supplier

of the powertrain, including the main

and tail rotor gearboxes, is Austrian

company Zoerkler.

Secondly, the cabins glazing has

increased by far, with each of the

side windows being emergency exit

for safe egress of the aircraft in

case of an emergency and overturn-

ing. For thus purpose, the comfort-

able passenger seats are set three

abreast. Thirdly, the landing gear

has become semi-retractable into

fairings on the fuselage sides and

under the tailboom.

Russian company Transas handles

the development and delivery of the

avionics suite for the Ka-62. The heli-

copter has the glass cockpit, in which

the pilot is seated on the right.

The Progress plant in the town

of Arsenyev is now manufacturing

parts and units to fit the early Ka-62

prototypes. The example intended for

ground tests of the powerplant, pow-

ertrain and rotor system is expected

to kick off its tests by year-end.

The first flying prototype is slated

for manufacture in spring 2013 and

may fly for the first time as soon as

May 2013. In all, the certification test

programme provides for using four

prototypes. The Ka-62s certification

and productionising in Arsenyev are

slated for 2015.

The intent of the Russian

Helicopters holding company to carry

on with the development of the Mil

Mi-38 future multirole medium-lift

helicopter to unveil it on the market

in 2015 was reaffirmed during the

HeliRussia 2012 show in May. During

the programme presentation, it was

said that the Mi-38s only competitor

was the Agusta Westland AW101 that

has enjoyed good demand.

The second Mi-38 (OP-2) prototype

powered by Pratt & Whitney CanadaPW127TS engines is in trials now.

Last year, the first prototype (OP-1)

was converted to the Mi-382 version

equipped with Russian-made TV7-117V

turboshafts. The beginning of the flight

tests has been put off till summer due

to the need of debugging the main gear-

box. Meanwhile, Kazan Helicopters is

completing the third prototype (OP-3),

with the TV7-117V engines having been

delivered to the manufacturer to fit it. In

addition, the OP-4s construction has

begun, with the prototype to serve as

the baseline model for subsequent full-scale production.

A Russian Helicopters spokes-

man said at HeliRussia 2012 that

the company is mulling over devel-

opment of the search-and-rescueand convertible passenger/cargo

variants of the Mi-38 for Russian

governmental agencies. In addition,

the Mi-38 is competing in several

international competitions for SARhelicopters.

Ka-62: maiden flight in a year

Mi-38 to hit the market in 2015

AndreyFomin

AndreyFomin

AndreyFomin


24/49take-off july 2012www. take -o f f . r u 23


Based on the current orderbook, it

is a safe bet to say that the Mil Mi-8

(Mi-17, Mi-171) helicopters output by

the Russian Helicopters holding com-

panys plants in Kazan and Ulan-Ude

will have remained high in the near

future. To maintain the machinescompetitive edge further down the

line, the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant

and Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant (UUAP)

are performing a heavy upgrade of

the model. The upgraded version,

designed for commercial operators

and designated as Mi-171A2, will get

an advanced powerplant made up

of VK-2500PS-03 engines, the Safir

auxiliary power unit, advanced com-

posite main rotor blades, X-shaped

tail rotor and up-to-date KBO-17 avi-

onics suite including the glass cockpitwith five multifunction displays. The

under-slung cargo lifting capacity of

the advanced helicopter will grow

from 4 t to 5 t, and its cruising

speed will increase by 13%. There

will be a considerable improvement

in its operating characteristics, e.g.

the main rotor blade service life isto surge by 4.5 times, that of the

engine will double, and the number

of rotor system lubricating points will

be halved. The helicopter will carry

24 passengers (18 if advanced crash-

absorbing seats are used).

Now, the Mil Moscow Helicopter

Plant is assembling the first

Mi-171A2 prototype (OP-1)

equipped with the baseline avion-

ics fit. The prototype is based on

the airframe the Ulan-Ude Aviation

Plant manufactured in January 2012.Assembly of the second prototype

(OP-2) fitted with the complete

avionics suite for operations in all

weather is to commence late this

year. Completion of the Mi-171A2

certification trials, issuance of an IAC

Aircraft Registry type certificate (and

then that of the European AviationSafety Agency) and launch of pro-

duction by UUAP are slated for 2014.

Deliveries to launch customer may

begin the same year.

Similar measures to upgrade the

avionics suite, powerplant and rotor

system are planned for gradual appli-

cation to the Kazan Helicopters-madeMi-17V-5 as well.

The Russian Helicopters holding

company is completing the certifica-

tion tests of the upgraded Kamov

Ka-226T light multipurpose coaxial

helicopter. Production of the Allison

250-C20B-powered baseline Ka-226

is under way at Kumertau Aircraft

Production Enterprise, Russian

Helicopters holding company sub-

sidiary, and Strela Production

Association in Orenburg. The

machine was productionised in 2000.

The plant in Kumertau has specialised

mostly in fulfilling orders awarded

by Russian uniformed agencies, e.g.

the Ministry of Interior and Federal

Security Service Aviation Department

that have taken about 15 aircraft of

the type to date. The company in

Orenburg has had orders awardedby the Gazpromavia company and

Russian Emergencies Ministry. In

addition, PA Strela delivered two

Ka-226s in 2008, which are operated

in the flying ambulance role in the

Orenburg Region.

In March 2012 the Russian Air

Force took delivery of KumAPE-built

Ka-226s, with five aircraft brought

to Syzran Air Force flying school

(affiliate of the Air Force Military

Training and Scientific Centre). In

all, the Defence Ministry is intent onreceiving about 16 aircraft of the type

by year-end 2013 and using them

for training pilots for Ka-52 combat

helicopters. Longer-term plans pro-

vide for delivery of 40 Ka-226s prior

to 2020.

The future of the Ka-226 hinges on

the completion of the trials and launch

of the production of the Ka-226T ver-

sion powered by Turbomeca Arrius

2G1 engines that features a better

power-to-weight capability and can

operate at a higher altitude. Two

Ka-226T prototypes have been in

flight trials since 2009. Their cer-

tification programme is planned to

be complete before year-end, with a

supplemental type certificate in the

first quarter of 2013. The Ka-226T is

supposed to enter full-rate production

with KumAPE in 2013 and, possibly,

with PA Strela further down the road.

Russia furnished the Ka-226T for

the Indian Ministrys of Defence ten-

der for acquisition and licence pro-

duction of 197 light multirole helicop-

ters for the Indian Army Aviation and

Air Force. The Russian Emergencies

Ministry has indicated its willing-

ness to buy 16 Ka-226T medevacs

in the near future, and about a dozen

Ka-226TMs in the shipborne variant

will be able to enter service with the

Russian Border Guard Service later in

the decade. Russian Helicopters mar-

keting personnel estimated the overall

Ka-226 and Ka-226T market capacity

at about 180 machines throughout

2020 (apparently, exclusive of the

Indian tender).

Mi-171A2 preparing to pick up the baton

Ka-226T deliveries to kick off in 2013

AndreyFomin

Alexey

Mikheyev




24

The Russias United Engine

Corporation (UEC) is increasing

its aircraft engine output. In 2011,

UECs subsidiaries manufactured

about 650 engines for planes and

helicopters. UEC General Designer

Alexander Ivakh mentioned this atthe 12th Engines international salon

in Moscow in April 2012. Overall,

230 helicopter engines and about 420

plane engines were manufactured

and sold last year, he said.

Speaking of deliveries of the

engines designed to fit fixed-wing air-

craft, he noted AL-31F, AL-31FP and

AL-31N turbofans powering the fight-

ers of the Sukhoi Su-27/Su-30 family,

Su-34 tactical bombers and foreign-

made fighters as well as RD-33 and

RD-33MK engines designed for thefighters of the MiG-29 family. Sales

of AI-222-25 and PS-90A turbofans

go on. 26 PS-90A family engines

were sold last year, Alexander Ivakh

said.

According to Mr. Ivakh, plans for

2012 stipulated production of around

500 engines to power fixed-wingaircraft. The UEC General Designer

commented that the output increase

was owing to both the increasing

export sales and the deliveries under

the governmental defence acquisition

programme. He highlighted, among

other things, a new lucrative order for

D-30KP-2 turbofan engines. There

also will be an increase in the vol-

ume of aircraft engine repairs, includ-

ing the ones for Russian operators,

Alexander Ivakh concluded.

UEC, a subsidiary of theOboronprom corporation, manages

85% of the assets of Russias aircraft

engine industry. The consolidation of

companies under the auspices of UEC

was mostly wrapped up in 2010. At

present, UEC manages eight Russian

aircraft engine-making majors

Aviadvigatel and the Perm Engine

Company in Perm, NPO Saturn inRybinsk, the Ufa Engine Industrial

Association (UMPO) in Ufa, Klimov

in St. Petersburg, Chernyshev MME

in Moscow, Kuznetsov in Samara and

NPP Motor in Ufa. Mention should

be made that most of these compa-

nies also develop and manufacture

ground-based powerplants derived

from aircraft engine technologies andrepair aircraft engines.

The Ansat light multipurpose

helicopter powered by Canadian-

made PW207K engines has beenin full-rate production by Kazan

Helicopters since 2004. The first six

production-standard machines have

been exported to South Korea, two

have been delivered to the Russian

Federal Security Service Aviation

Department, a medevac version to

the Kazan Air Detachment, a flying

testbed to Radar MMS company and

a patrol aircraft to Tatarstans police.

The Ansat-U trainer version with

twin controls and wheeled landing

gear entered full-sale production,

having passed its governmental tri-

als in November 2008. Its devel-

opment had been ordered by the

Russian Air Force. In spring 2010,the first three of them were shipped

to the RusAF Army Aviation Combat

and Conversion Training Centre

in Torzhok, and five more went in

autumn 2010 to the Syzran affiliate

of the Air Force Military Training

and Scientific Centre specialising in

training helicopter pilots for RusAF.

Last year, Kazan Helicopters deliv-

ered five more production-standard

Ansat-Us delivered to the flying

school in Syzran in January of this

year. The instructor-pilots have

learnt flying them, and cadets are

soon to start learning the ropes on

them too. Six more aircraft of the

type are due to Syzran this year.In its day, the Ansat was the

worlds first light commercial heli-

copter featuring an advanced fly-

by-wire flight control system that

turned out a certain hurdle in its

promotion on the global market

despite the machines advantag-

es and type certificate issued by

the Interstate Aviation Committee

Aircraft Registry in 2004. The

cause was the lack of certifica-

tion standards for fly-by-wire light

helicopters, and the lack persists.

After the commercial operation of

the Ansat in South Korea had been

suspended, Kazan Helicopters did a

lot in 20072010 to conduct addi-

tional certification tests, and its

efforts resulted in the IAC Aircraft

Registry certificating the Ansat-K

with the FBW control system inMarch 2010. However, due to the

lack of international standards for

light helicopters equipped with a

control system like that, the certifi-

cate was limited and did not cover

passenger operations.

At the same time, Kazan

Helicopters launched development

of a variant fitted with the traditional

hydromechanical control system to

remove the Ansat commercial sales

limitations. To date, two prototypes

have been made, with the modelearlier known as the Ansat-1M (now

simply the Ansat). One of them is

undergoing ground tests and the

other commenced its flight trials in

May 2012. The certification tests

of the latest Ansat version are due

to wrap up before year-end, after

which new type certificate is to be

issued and Ansat will be offered to

potential buyers. Kazan Helicopters

believes that the output and sales

volume of the Ansats commercial

versions can account for 20 aircraft

a year in the future.

UEC ramping up output

Ansat gearing up for getting back to global market

AndreyFomin

AlexeyMikheyev


26/49take-off july 2012www. take -o f f . r u 25


The United Engine Corporation

(UEC) pins its hopes for the prog-

ress of Russian airliner and freight-

er engine-making on the new-gen-

eration 12,50015,600-kgf PD-14

turbofan engine development pro-

gramme. The PD-14 is the first onein the family of advanced 918-tf

engines under development by a

large pool of UECs subsidiaries

with Aviadvigatel JSC in Perm as

prime contractor.

30 May 2012 saw the completion

of the assembly of the first PD-14

demonstrator prototype in Perm,

and the engine entered its bench

tests in June. A full-scale PD-14

mockup will be unveiled by UEC at

this airshow in Farnborough.

The PD-14 is a two-shaft split-exhaust direct-drive turbofan

engine. All engines in the family

have a common core with the eight-

stage high-pressure compressor,

annular low-emission combustor

and two-stage high-pressure tur-

bine. The PD-14 baseline model

will be fitted with the 1,900-mm

single-stage fan (the same diameter

as that of the PS-90A), three-stage

low-pressure compressor and six-

stage low-pressure turbine.

The baseline model of the

PD-14 with the 14,000-kgf take-

off thrust is designed for power-

ing the MC-21-300 airliner. The

shorter version, the MC-21-200,

is supposed to be equipped with

12,500-kgf PD-14A engines, and

the PD-14M enhanced-thrust

(15,600 kgf) variant is designed to

fit the MC-21-400 stretch.

According to calculations, the

PD-14 is on a par with its for-

eign rivals PW1400G and LEAP-X

in terms of fuel efficiency, while

having a slightly lower bypass ratio.

The engine development and

production efforts have involved

most of UECs subsidiaries, with

the leading part being played byPerm-based Aviadvigatel as prime

contractor responsible for the

development of the core, fan, low-

pressure compressor, low-pressure

turbine, engine nacelle, reverser,

accessory drive assembly and

noise-eliminating structures and

by the Perm Engine Company as

prime manufacturer responsible

for the manufacture of the core,

engine nacelle and reverser and for

final assembly. NPO Saturn is tak-

ing part in the development of thefan and low-pressure compressor,

UMPO in the manufacture of the

fan, low-pressure compressor and

low-pressure turbine, NPP Motor

in the development of the low-

pressure turbine, Salut (soon to join

UEC in coming years) in the devel-

opment and manufacture of the

compressor interstage casing and

accessory drive assembly, STAR in

the development and manufacture

of the FADEC system, etc.

Research into advanced commer-

cial aircraft engines was launched

in Perm with support of CIAM as

far back a

Take Off Magazine 07 July 2012

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