Airforces - Typhoon school

26 // APRIL 2018 #361 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com

NEWSNEWS

26 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com

NEWS

// APRIL 2018 #361

Russia & CIS

First in-fl ight refuelling

for Russian Navy

Su-30SM

Above: Russian Navy Su-30SM ‘43 Blue’ prepares to refuel for the fi rst time from an Il-78

tanker. Russian MoD

RUSSIA’S DEFENCE

ministry announced on

February 19 that pilots

of the Voyenno-Morskoy

Flot Rossiyskoy Federatsii

(VMF, Russian Navy) have

practised in-flight refuelling

with the Su-30SM for the

first time. The aircraft

took off from the Naval

Aviation Combat Training

Centre in Yeysk together

with VMF Su-24Ms.

The aircraft, flown by

flight crews from the Baltic

and Black Sea Fleets,

made more than 100

contacts with Vozdushno-

Kosmicheskiye Sily

Rossiyskoy Federatsii (VKS

RF, Russian Federation

Air and Space Force)

Il-78 tankers. They also

completed more than 40

take-offs and landings

during these training

sorties. Dave Allport

Russia

deploys

Su-57s in

Syria

RUSSIA DEPLOYED two

examples of its Su-57

fifth-generation fighter

prototype to Hmeymim

air base in Syria’s Latakia

province in February.

The two jets arrived on

the 21st, escorted by

a Su-30SM or Su-35,

and departed three

days later. It is unclear

whether the deployment

was related to on-going

test and evaluation of

the aircraft, but since

it coincided with the

Defender of the Fatherland

Day – during which a

military parade was

expected at Hmeymim

• it may have been for
  ceremonial purposes.
  Earlier in the month,
  Deputy Defence Minister
  Yuri Borisov announced
  that the Su-57 had
  completed its first stage
  of flight acceptance tests
  flown by contractor test
  pilots and that the defence
  ministry was close to
  signing a contract for a
  pre-production batch of
  12 Su-57s. Nine flying
  prototypes are currently
  undergoing tests (T-50-1 to
  T-50-6, and T-50-8, -9 and
  -11); the latest, T-50-11, first
  flew last August 6. The first
  two pre-production could
  enter VKS service next
  year, according to Borisov.

First fl ight of Il-78M-90A tanker

THE FIRST new Il-78M-90A

aerial refuelling tanker

for the VKS, c/n 02-01,

completed its maiden

flight on January 25.

The 35-minute flight

took place from the

Aviastar-SP production

facility in Ulyanovsk.

The Il-78M-90A (izdeliye

478) has been developed

from the Il-76MD-90A

(izdeliye 476) transport

under a contract signed

by the defence ministry

in December 2012; the

prototype was originally

planned to fly in 2014. The

programme was approved

by the VKS in July 2013

and production of the

first Il-78M-90A began at

Ulyanovsk in January 2015.

The VKS is expected to

order around 30 of the

new tankers to replace

its current Il-78s based

at Ryazan-Dyagilevo.

Transports train in Tver

Above: An An-22 transport spools up on the temporary airstrip as another example, RF-09309,

makes a pass over the main runway. Dmitriy Pichugin

CREWS OF the Voyenno-

Transportnaya Aviatsiya

(VTA, Military Transport

Aviation) practised take-offs

and landings at Migalovo

air base in the Tver

region in the first half of

February. The manoeuvres

were intended to provide

aircrew and groundcrew

with experience of some

of the most challenging

conditions, operating from

a semi-prepared runway in

difficult weather conditions.

For the training flights,

an airstrip was prepared

running parallel to the

main runway. The snow

was compacted with

special equipment before

it began to receive VTA

An-12, An-22, An-124

and Il-76MD transports.

The training took place

under the leadership of VTA

commander Lieutenant-

General Vladimir Benediktov,

who took part himself at

the controls of an Il-76MD.

Russian Navy

to upgrade

Be-12s

RUSSIAN DAILY Izvestia

reported on January 21

that the VMF has decided

to upgrade its veteran

Be-12 amphibians. The

modernisation will include

provision of a completely

new targeting system and

more modern armament.

Technical requirements

for the upgrade are now

being drawn up. The work

will include modernisation

of all the aircraft’s anti-

submarine warfare (ASW)

equipment, together with

provision to launch the

latest ASW torpedoes

and depth bombs.

Although 143 Be-12s were

produced between 1960

and 1973, almost all were

decommissioned between

1993 and 1998. Just seven

now remain in service with

the 318th Smeshannoy

Aviatsionniy Polk (SAP,

Composite Aviation

Regiment) at Kacha.

Almost a dozen more are

stored at the factory in

Taganrog and at Ostrov

Airfield. Dave Allport

UAC

Above: The 318th SAP fl eet currently includes seven ‘Mails’ kept in serviceable condition – four of

these are in the Be-12PS search and rescue version, in addition to two Be-12Ns and one Be-12

outfi tted for ASW but also retaining SAR and maritime patrol capabilities. Andrey Zinchuk

Additional

Ka-52 purchase

planned

THE RUSSIAN defence

ministry plans to place

orders for an additional

114 Ka-52 attack

helicopters under the

State Armaments

Programme for 2018-

2027. The announcement
      was made by Deputy
      Defence Minister Yuri
      Borisov, during a visit to
      the Progress Arsenyev
      Aviation Company in
      Arsenyev, Primorye
      Territory. According to
      Borisov, the helicopters
      will receive new long-range
      missiles and an improved
      optical-sighting system.
      The first six new Ka-52s
      should be delivered before
      the end of the year.