Russian Aircraft Inventory - MOSCOW REGION, RUSSIA - SEPTEMBER 7, 2016: Russian Sukhoi Su-30SM and Su-35S fighter jets ... [+] Falcons aerobatic team during an air show as part of the Army-2016 international military-technical forum Patriot Convention and Exhibition in the city of Kubinka Central. Marina Lystseva/TASS (Photo: Marina Lystseva\TASS via Getty Images)
Twelve years after Moscow embarked on a major modernization campaign for its armed forces, a new report by the Naval Analysis Center demonstrates the enhanced capability of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) and naval aviation.
Russian Aircraft Inventory
According to analyst Leonid Nersisyan, author of the report, between 2009 and 2020, the Russian army received about 460 new combat aircraft, 110 Yak-130 jet trainers and 360 attack helicopters.
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Additionally, an estimated 320 ex-fighters have been heavily modernized, including about 150 MiG-31 interceptors and a significant number of Su-24 and Su-25 attack jets and Su-27 and Su-33 fighter jets.
The move for modernization began after the poor performance of Russian military aviation in the short Russo-Georgian war in 2008 due to years of neglect following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
In purchasing new aircraft, VKS retired more than a thousand ex-Soviet-era aircraft, resulting in a net decrease from 2,000 fixed-wing fighter aircraft two decades ago to about 1,200 today, and from 700 to 400 attack helicopters.
"Despite this, the overall capacity of Russian combat aviation has increased significantly in recent years," Nersisyan wrote to me in an email. "Much more flexible in terms of current tasks and goals."
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This is because today about 75% of VKS fixed-wing warplanes are new or modernized; This means it typically includes satellite navigation, digital flight computers, support for new guided weapons, and improved sensors and self-defense jammers. In addition, modern multi-role fighters can competently perform tasks previously performed by multiple single-role Cold War era aircraft.
Table of Russian aircraft deliveries for 2009-2020, derived from "Russian Combat Aviation: ... [+] Procurement, Modernization and Future Outlook" data published by the Center for Naval Analysis.
Even the older Mi-24 Hind Warships were mostly replaced by more modern designs with guided weapons, night vision and self-defense capabilities.
Table of Russian attack helicopter deliveries 2009-2020, derived from "Russian Combat ... [+] Aviation: Procurement, Modernization and Future Outlook" data published by the Center for Naval Analysis.
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Equally important, the VKS and its pilots gained extensive combat experience over Syria, which was used to develop the doctrine.
The two Mil Mi-28 is an all-weather, day-night, military tandem, two-seat anti-armor attack helicopter ... [+] Russian Air Force flying in order at the MAKS air show near Moscow, Russia. (Photo: Getty Images via aviation-images.com/Universal Images Group)
According to Nersisyan, "Russian air forces have been able to engage in local and even regional conflicts, but are still far behind the US and NATO air forces."
For example, the report states that the Russian air force will likely continue to rely mainly on unguided missiles and bombs (usually downed on Russian bombers using the Gefest SVP-24 satellite-based targeting system) due to the lack of cheap precision-guided munitions. Kits like the JDAM kit used by the US Air Force. Russia is also struggling to increase production of air-to-air missiles that exceed visual range.
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The aerospace industry suffers greatly from "a lack of optimal management at many companies and regulatory issues with the Department of Defense". For example, VKS spreads its scarce resources to only support redundant aircraft types to protect certain factory lines.
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Let's take a look at the major military aviation purchases Russia expects to make in the 2020s.
MOSCOW REGION, ZHUKOVSKY, RUSSIA - 2019/08/30: The Sukhoi Su-57 fighter jet makes its flight ... [+] on display at the MAKS-2019 Moscow International Air Show, near Zhukovsky, southeast of Moscow. (Photo: Leonid Faerberg/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
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After the first one was lost in an accident in December 2019, in December the Russian military finally received a production model Su-57 stealth fighter.
Critical to Moscow's efforts to reduce NATO's air superiority, the Su-57 (formerly PAK FA) program suffered many delays and setbacks in the 2010s, and its design still awaits the engines and radars to be written.
The twin-engine Su-57 is believed to be faster and more maneuverable in close-range engagements than the F-35 stealth fighters operated by NATO, but much more visible on radar, especially from the side or rear. Time will tell if Russia can finally increase production of the Su-57 for the 76 currently on order and the improved engines and avionics needed to enable the stealth jet to reach its full potential.
MOSCOW REGION, RUSSIA - AUGUST 25, 2020: A Sukhoi Su-35S and a Sukhoi Su-30SM fighter jet perform during an air show as part of the ... [+] Russkiye Vityazi [Russian Knights] aerobatic team Army 2020 Kubinka International Military Technical Forum at the airport. Sergei Savostyanov/TASS (Photo: Sergei Savostyanov\TASS via Getty Images)
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Due to the delays and high cost of the Su-57, Russia will continue to purchase more 4.5 generation (i.e. non-stealth) fighter jets in the 2020s – most notably the Sukhoi Su-35S Flanker-E fighter jets and the Su-30SM2 attack jets.
The Su-35S is a top 4.5 generation fighter aircraft with excellent maneuverability and payload characteristics thanks to its thrust vectoring engines. Its only major flaw is the absence of an AESA-class radar, which is more stealthy and more resistant to interference. The Su-30 Flanker is a two-seat attack aircraft similar in concept to the F-15E.
However, the prospects for the Russian MiG-29/MiG-35 aircraft line are less promising. The MiG-29 was the Soviet counterpart to the light and inexpensive US F-16 fighter – but the twin-engine design lacked the range, flexibility and longevity of the Flanker and was largely replaced by the Sukhoi aircraft family. However, the Navy's MiG-29K variant occupied a small niche in service on Russia's crashed carrier. According to Nersisyan, moderate orders for the latest MiG-35 variant mostly serve as a state intervention to keep Mikoyan i Gurevich company on life support.
MOSCOW, RUSSIA - JUNE 24: A Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bomber, a ... [+] 24 June 2020, II. in Moscow, Russia. The 75th anniversary marks the end of the Great Patriotic War, in which the Nazis surrendered to the then Soviet Union. (Photo: Vladimir Astapkovich - Host of Photo Agency via Getty Images)
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Russia is expected to modernize Cold War strategic bombers for nuclear, conventional and naval attack roles, as well as complement them with more stealthy, longer-range cruise missiles to launch attacks from a safe distance. Tu-95MSM and Tu-22M3M upgrade models feature greatly improved avionics and engines.
Also, Moscow has resumed production of a modernized version of the massive Tu-160 global attack bombers. Currently, 10 (about 50) new Tu-160Ms are on order. The Tu-160's massive NK-32 turbofans are the most powerful engines in military service anywhere, and can accelerate large bombers to Mach 2 speeds.
LATAKYA, SYRIA. FEBRUARY 18, 2016. A Sukhoi Su-34 attack aircraft takes off from Hmeimim airbase. ... [+] Valery Sharifulin/TASS (Photo: Valery Sharifulin\TASS via Getty Images)
The VKS is gradually replacing Soviet-era Su-24 'Fencer' winged supersonic bombers (similar in concept to the retired US F-111 Aardvark) in favor of new Flanker-derived Su-34 burners. These beefy two-seat fighter-bombers are faster, more capable in air-to-air combat, and can carry a heavier 13-tonne payload on extended missions.
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More importantly, with advanced self-defense systems and awesome sensor arrays, it's a standby. VKS saw its Su-34s as an effective asset over Syria due to the combination of payload, range and onboard Platan electro-optical targeting system that allowed the aircraft to deliver precise strikes without the need for further laser assistance. aeroplane.
RUSSIA - AUGUST 20, 2019: A video screen shows an Altius-U attack and reconnaissance aircraft ... [+] making its maiden flight. Russian Ministry of Defense/TASS (Photo: TASS\TASS via Getty Images)
Two next-generation aircraft programs - the PAK DA stealth bomber and the MiG-41 interceptor - will likely enter production only after 2030.
There are a number of designs on the wings: notably the short-range Orion in operation, and further, the long-range Altius UCAV and the high-end Okhotnik Stealth UCAV. Time will tell whether Moscow will invest in building a significant UAV force or continue to focus on manned warplanes.
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Russia's prominence as a military exporter may be at stake. A report by the British RUSI think tank in 2019 argued that increasingly capable Chinese military aircraft could threaten Russia's military aircraft exports in the 2020s.
Nersisyan wrote in an e-mail that he agreed: "Maybe it's a bit risky to believe in China's official performance data. But still, at least we have big operational UAVs (like the Wing Loong-2 or Rainbow series) that Russia will only have later." Replaced old planes in the Russian Air Force inventory, not 3-4 years ago (Photo: Vladimir Karnozov)
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