NEWS
26 // SEPTEMBER 2017 #354 http://www.airforcesmonthly.comRussia & CIS
Two more PAK FA prototypes due this year
SUKHOI IS to produce
another two T-50
prototypes this year,
according to Russia’s TASS
news agency. Russian
Deputy Defence Minister
Yuri Borisov said that
work on the PAK FA
project was “at the final
stage”. The next two
prototypes produced bythe Gagarin Aircraft Plant
in Komsomolsk-on-Amur
will be the tenth and
eleventh to join the test
programme. The most
recent prototype to fly,
T-50-9, made a maiden
flight at Komsomolsk-
on-Amur on April 24
(see Latest T-50 prototype
takes to the air, July, p6).Russia plans to purchase
a first batch of production
T-50s – which will be
designated Su-57 in VKS
service – as part of the
future 2018-25 state
armament programme.
An initial T-50 fitted with
the ‘second-phase engine’
(izdeliye 30) is due to
make a first flight in 2018.Mi-171Sh-VN gunship revealed
Above: The package of features incorporated in the Mi-171Sh-VN will apparently be off ered to international customers as an
option for the basic Mi-171Sh assault transport model. Stanislav Bazhenov
RUSSIAN HELICOPTERS,
a subsidiary of the
Rostec state corporation,
unveiled a new, heavily
armed, variant of
the Mi-171Sh military
transport helicopter at
the MAKS 2017 airshow
at Zhukovsky, outsideMoscow, which took
place from July 18 to 23.
The Mi-171Sh-VN is
configured as a gunship
for special operations
and, according to officials,
has been developed in
light of experience from
Russia’s campaign in Syria.As well as additional
weapons, the Mi-171Sh-
VN includes other features
to improve survivability.
The helicopter can
accommodate up to 37
troops and three crew.
The basic Mi-171Sh is
an export version ofthe Russian military
Mi-8AMTSh, which has
been used in Syria.
This latter variant
is basically similar to
the Mi-8MTV-5 but is
produced by the Ulan-
Ude plant, rather than
Kazan Helicopters.Helix meets Osprey
at Sea Breeze
Ka-27PS ‘29 Yellow’ (c/n
5235012382608) of
the Ukrainian Navy’s
only aviation unit – the
10 mors’ka aviatsiyna
brihada (mabr, naval
aviation brigade) –
takes off from its home
base at Kul’bakino near
Mykolayiv on July 14,
during the US-Ukrainian
Sea Breeze 2017 navalexercise. Visible in the
background is one of
two US Air Force CV-22Bs
of the 7th Special
Operations Squadron
from RAF Mildenhall,
Suffolk that also
attended the exercise.
A full Exercise Report
on Sea Breeze 2017
will appear in the
October issue.Sergey SmolentsevAzerbaijan
orders Super
Mushshak
THE PAKISTAN
Aeronautical Complex
(PAC) has secured an
order for ten Super
Mushshaks from
Azerbaijan. The contract
was signed on July- According to the
Pakistan Air Force, PAC
will provide training
and technical assistance
to the Azerbaijan Air
Force. Waseem Abbas
Russia orders more Ansat-Us
Above: Russian Air Force Ansat-U ‘51 Yellow’ at Kubinka in May 2015 during preparations for
that year’s Victory Parade in Moscow. Although precise fi gures are unconfi rmed, it is believed
around 40 Ansat-Us are now in service. Ralf Jahnke
THE RUSSIAN Ministry
of Defence has ordered
a further ten Ansat-U
training helicopters. The
contract, placed with
Kazan Helicopters on
June 5, is valued at $33mand the completion
date is expected to be
December 31 this year.
The Ansat-U was selected
as the future cadet pilot
training helicopter for the
Russian Armed Forcesin 2001. The first three
entered service following
delivery on October 11,
2010, to the Syzran Higher
Military Aviation School
at Syzran-Troekurovka.
Dave AllportRussian MoD
orders Mi-38s
RUSSIA’S MINISTRY of
Defence has signed a
contract for two Mi-38
helicopters for delivery
by the end of 2019.
The order with JSC
Russian Helicopters was
announced on July 19.
They will be built
by Kazan Helicopters
before undergoing
experimental testing to
assess their suitability
for operation by the
Russian Aerospace Forces
(VKS). Dave Allport