Russia-Ukraine Pact Set To Put The Ruslan Heavylifter Back In Production

The anticipated signing of a government-to-government deal between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart, Victor Yanukovich, is expected to kick-start a plan to resume production of Antonov’s An-124 Ruslan freighter. The text of the agreement has already been prepared, outlining the envisaged roles for aerospace interests in both countries, but government backing for the program needs to be confirmed, not least because Russia’s defense ministry would effectively be the launch customer under the provisional plan.
Russian vice-premier Dmitry Rogozin recently outlined plans for the country’s United Aircraft Corporation (Hall 1 Stand E8) to produce 60 new Ruslans by 2020 at its Aviastar-SP factory in Ulianovsk. The Russian government intends to seal its support for the revived program with a defense ministry order for 10 of the new-build aircraft and a commitment to pay for 22 in-service Ruslans to be overhauled and refitted. On top of this, commercial airlines Volga-Dnepr and Polet have indicated an intention to buy, respectively, 40 and six An-124s.
According to Volga-Dnepr vice-president Valery Gabriel, the airline is expected to award UAC a contract for 20 An-124s, provided Russia’s defense ministry places its order first. The $4 billion contract would have an option for 20 more Ruslans, with deliveries running through 2030.

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Russia Keen to Be Seen on Airshow Radar

Sukhoi Superjet 100


Russia is eager to demonstrate it still produces cutting edge aerospace technology at the Farnborough show, which runs July 9-15.
Despite a recent string of failed tenders and incidents, including the crash of Sukhoi Superjet 100 during a demonstration flight in Indonesia in May, Moscow is looking to disprove any suggestion that Russian aircraft and equipment are no longer competitive.
Fifty-five Russian companies are bringing 114 items to the show this year (compared to 250 in 2010).

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Russia will not deliver fighter jets to Syria as situation remains ‘unresolved’

Russia will not deliver Yak-130 fighter planes to Syria. Moscow reportedly signed an order to deliver 40 fighter-trainer jets to Damascus at the end of last year. (File Photo)

Russia will not deliver Yak-130 fighter planes to Syria while the situation there remains “unresolved,” the country's service for military cooperation said on Monday, according to the RIA news agency.

“In the current situation talking about deliveries of airplanes to Syria is premature,” Vyacheslav Dzirkaln, deputy director of the service, told journalists at the Farnborough Airshow, RIA said.

Russia reportedly signed an order to deliver 40 fighter-trainer jets at the end of last year, despite controversy surrounding its arms sales to violence-torn Syria.

Putin urges for peace in Syria

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Syria needed dialogue between the regime and opposition rather than foreign intervention to ensure a lasting peace.

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Russia to test Aviastar’s first Il-76MD-90A transport aircraft

Russia is preparing to test the first flying prototype of the Ilyushin Il-76MD-90A transport aircraft, Aviastar aircraft plant general director Sergei Dementyev has announced.

Dementyev told RIA Novosti: "The first one can only partly be called a plane - it is a testbed we sent to TsAGI (the central aerodynamics institute) in Moscow last year. Today, we completed the second.
"In addition we have also started building three production-standard aircraft. Assembly of the first of these three production planes will start in August."

The plant expects to build around 16 aircraft per year by 2016, with total production expected to reach to 190 aircraft, including potential exports to China, India and Israel.

The Russian Ministry of Defence has already placed orders, which is yet to be signed, with the plant to supply 90 of the modernised transport aircraft as part of its rearmament plan.

Chief designer Sergei Urasov has stated that the aircraft is completely new and different from its early version, on the basis of its systems.

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Russian Military Exports Grow As Rosoboronexport Seeks To Expand Client Base

Geopolitical shifts including regime-change in Libya, the stiffening of international sanctions against Iran and violent unrest in Syria, are among the trends compelling Russian military export agency Rosoboronexport to keep looking for new clients worldwide. This is, to a large degree, one of its primary motives for exhibiting at the Farnborough International Airshow.
But despite the aforementioned problems, Russian military equipment sold well last year with Rosoboronexport reporting deliveries valued at approximately $12 billion–representing almost a 16-percent increase on 2010. This followed a period of stagnation around 2007 to 2009, when the annual totals had dipped to between $7.5 billion and $8.5 billion.
According to Rosoboronexport CEO Anatoly Isaikin, Russian military exports have not been impacted by the continuing economic downturn because its clients are mainly in the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions, which have not been as badly impacted as Western states. “Our deliveries haven’t been affected by the crisis as we haven’t got any volume decrease,” he told AIN.

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‘Russian Knights’ stay at home

Photo: RIA Novosti

‘The Russian Knights’ aerobatics team has cancelled its planned show at Farnborough.

The cancellation is over paperwork problems related to obtaining permits for Russian warplanes to enter British airspace.

A delegation from Russia’s Rosoboronexport arms exporters has at long last received visa clearance and is flying to Farnborough

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Russia Hopes to Prolong Military Base Presence in Tajikistan

Anatoly Serdyukov

Moscow hopes to conclude an agreement with Tajikistan in October on the prolongation of the Russian military base’s presence in the Central Asian state, Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said on Friday.
The Russian military base in Tajikistan was opened in 2004 and is the largest Russia’s base for ground forces abroad with up to 7,000 military servicemen stationed there. The base’s presence in Tajikistan expires in 2014, according to existing agreements.

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China Beats Russia on Space Launches

File image.

For the first time in the history of space exploration, China beat Russia on the number of space launches in a given period of time, a rocket engine manufacturer said on Wednesday.
China conducted 10 of the world's total 35 launches in the first six months of 2012, Russia's NPO Energomash said on its website.
Russia was second with nine launches, followed by the United States with eight launches, the report said.
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Aviastar Sends First Il-76MD-90A Plane for Tests

Il-76MD


Russia's Aviastar aircraft plant has completed the first flying prototype of the Ilyushin Il-76MD-90A transport aircraft and sent it off for test-flights, the plant's general director, Sergei Dementyev, said on Thursday.
The plant has built two of the modernized aircraft, he said.
"The first one can only partly be called a plane - it is a testbed we sent to TsAGI (the central aerodynamics institute) in Moscow last year. Today, we completed the second. In addition we have also started building three production-standard aircraft. Assembly of the first of these three production planes will start in August," he said.
The factory plans to build 16 of the aircraft per year by 2016, for which the plant will take on an additional 5,000 staff he said.
The Russian Defense Ministry has a stated requirement in its rearmament plan for 90 of the modernized transport aircraft, he said, but no company contract has yet been signed. Aviastar foresees a total production run of around 190 aircraft, with likely civilian customers including Russian cargo airlines Volga-Dnepr and Polet, as well as possible exports to China, India and Israel.

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‘No to another Libya in Syria’s skies’ – Moscow

Gennady Gatilov. Photo: RIA Novosti

Russia has joined the international aid agencies working in Syria in opposing the proposal to declare a no-fly zone over the Middle Eastern country or establish ‘humanitarian corridors’ across Syrian territory.

Speaking in Moscow Friday, Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov called attention to how NATO had used the no-fly zone declared over Libya for supporting anti-Gaddafi rebels. He said an end to the violence and an internal dialogue, not a no-fly zone, is what Syria really needs.

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Russian Airborne Gets New ECM System

VDV have accepted into service the new Infauna electronic warfare vehicle

Russia’s Airborne Forces (VDV) have accepted into service the new multirole Infauna electronic warfare vehicle capable of jamming radio-controlled mines and improvised explosive devices, the Defense Ministry said on Friday.
“The multirole Infauna system has undergone tests since the start of 2012 at a VDV base. It has been accepted into the service’s electronic countermeasures units,” said the VDV’s spokeswoman Major Irina Kruglova.
Infauna is designed to interfere with radio-controlled explosive devices and electronic fusing systems as well as jamming the enemy’s tactical communications systems. The service has taken delivery of the first four systems, Kruglova said.
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Russia Inducts Four Electronic Warfare Vehicles

      Russia’s Airborne Forces (VDV) today inducted into service a new electronic warfare vehicle, Infauna, which is capable of jamming radio-controlled mines and improvised explosive devices.

      “The multirole Infauna system has undergone tests since the start of 2012 at a VDV base. It has been accepted into the service’s electronic countermeasures units,” said the Airborne Forces’ spokeswoman Major Irina Kruglova.

      The first four vehicles were delivered to the VDV today. They are designed to disrupt radio-controlled explosive devices and electronic fusing systems as well as jamming the enemy’s tactical communications systems.

      The VDV also recently took delivery of the Judoist electronic warfare system based on the MKTK-1A vehicle, which is optimized for the electronic intelligence (ELINT) role, and locating enemy air defense radars

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Iran Demands $4 Bln From Russia Over Canceled Missile Deal

S-300 air defense missile system

Iran’s Defense Ministry and The Aerospace Industries Organization have launched a $4 bln law suit against Russia’s state arms corporation Rosoboronexport in an international court in Geneva over a deal to buy missiles suspended by Russia, Rosoboronexport said in its annual report.
“The case was started on April 13, 2011. The subject of the case is “Possible damages of $3,985,159,773.32 to fulfil obligations for delivery of special property,” the report says in reference to ongoing legal cases.
The case has not yet been heard, the report says.
In June 2010, the UN Security Council passed a resolution imposing sanctions on Iran, including suspension of arms deliveries. Russia responded by saying it would cancel a contract to deliver S-300 missiles to Iran, and subsequently returned a $166.8 million deposit.
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Aeroflot acquired the Full-Flight Simulator for Airbus А330 aircraft

Aeroflot – Russian airlines announced the signing of contract with CAE Inc. (Canada) on delivery of new Full-Flight Simulator intended for pilots of Airbus A330 aircraft (FFS А330), said in the statement of the carrier’s press-service. AEX.ru

«FFS A330 by САЕ is equipped with the state-of-the-art six-degree-of freedom (6-DOF) electrical motion system and highly-realistic visual display system, which meet all the international requirements, including EASA – JAR FSTD A level «D» standard”, - Aeroflot noted.

At present Aeroflot is operating the following simulators: FFS A320 Series 5000, FFS A320 Series 7000; CPTs: FNPT DA-42, MFTD A320, and training devices for emergency-rescue training for A319/320/321, A330, B767, SSJ-100 and Il-96-300 aircraft.

The following simulators will be acquired in the near term: FFS B777, FFS B787, FFS A350, FFS MC-21. The installation of FFS SSJ-100 will be started on July 17th.

«Putting into operation the first FFS А330 in Russia will significantly improve the quality of training of Aeroflot’s flight crews and personnel of other Russian airlines operating A330 aircraft», - the airline explained.
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Eurocopter intends to deliver training helicopters to Russian air forces

Eurocopter, one of the leading companies of the global helicopter market, intends to deliver up to 200 Ecureuil Family training helicopters to Russian air forces, RIA Novosti reports. It was declared by the Center for Analysis of World Arms Trade (CAWAT) with reference to the Eurocopter’s vice-president on sales, Europe and Central Asia, Olivier Michalon.

"According to the source, the company offers light AS-350 and AS-355 helicopters. The decision regarding acquisition of these vehicles will be taken by the end of this year after a thorough analysis", - said in the CAWAT’s statement.

Eurocopter delivered five helicopters (including three single-engined AS-350B3 and two twin-engine AS-355NP helicopters) to an unknown Russian operator in the last few weeks.

The company is also carrying out assembly of two AS-532 "Super Puma" in VIP configuration for the government of Georgia. The vehicles should be delivered to the customer in 2012 or early 2013.

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Samara Plant to Build 6 An-140 Military Planes in 2012

Samara-based AVIACOR aircraft maker will build six Antonov An-140-100 light transport planes under a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry by the end of 2012, the regional government said on Wednesday.
The An-140-100 was developed by Russia's Antonov design bureau as a replacement for the An-24 and An-26 series aircraft. It can carry up to 6 metric tons of cargo to a range of over 2,000 kilometers, and can be used for patrol, military transport and spec-ops missions.
“The plant could reach stable rates of production making An-140s,” Governor of the Samara Region Nikolai Merkushkin said.
The Russian Defense Ministry ordered a total of 11 An-140s in 2011.
The Russian Air Force took delivery of the first An-140-100 plane in January.
The delivery of the remaining five aircraft is expected in the next two years.
AVIACOR also has a substantial portfolio of orders for a civilian version of the An-140.

Antonov An-140

Source :http://en.rian.ru

Yak-130 Combat Trainer to Debut at Farnborough 2012

Yak-130
Russia’s Yakovlev Yak-130 Mitten trainer/light attack aircraft will be showcased for the first time at the Farnborough International Air Show as part of a large Russian exhibit.

© RIA Novosti.

Pilot training aircraft Yak-130

About 55 Russian companies, including 19 defense industry firms, will take part in the airshow near London on July 9-15 to exhibit the latest achievements in the Russian aircraft industry.
The Yak-130 combat trainer is a subsonic two-seat jet aircraft developed by the Yakovlev design bureau. Development of the plane began in 1991, and the maiden flight was carried out in April 1996.
It is a highly maneuverable plane with an extended range of about 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles) and a maximum speed of 1,060 km/h (600 m/h) in level flight. It can carry a combat payload of up to 3,000 kilograms (6,600 pounds), consisting of a variety of Russian and Western developed weapons.
In 2005, the plane won a Russian government tender for training aircraft and in 2009, the first planes entered service with the Russian Air Force, which placed firm orders for 55 aircraft.
The first export orders were signed in 2006, when Algeria ordered 16 Yak-130s and Libya put an order in for 6 planes.
Deliveries to Libya were expected in 2011–2012, but after the downfall of the Gaddafi regime, the Libyan National Transitional Council canceled Libya's order for Yak-130s in September 2011 as part of a review of all existing arms contracts.
Syria agreed to buy 36 Yak-130s for $550 mln in 2011.
The overall foreign market capacity for the Yak-130 is estimated at 250 aircraft.

Source :http://en.rian.ru

Russia helped Syria shoot down Turkish plane, UK newspaper claims

Russian technicians played a key part in the shooting down of a Turkish jet near the Syrian coast late last month, sources told a British newspaper in a story published Sunday.

The Turkish RF-4E Phantom fighter jet was on a routine surveillance run when it was shot down by Syrian gunners near the coastal city of Latakia. The incident sparked a serious international incident, with Turkey sending tanks and anti-aircraft weapons to the Syrian border and Damascus responding with tanks of its own.

Turkey, which admits that the plane strayed into Syrian airspace, has promised to shoot down any Syrian plane that enters its territory.

According a Sunday Times of London report, the Russians and Syrians believed the plane was on a NATO mission to test Syria’s airspace and was shot down, in a split-second decision, to send a message to the organization.

Analysts had suspected Russian involvement in the incident, which drew harsh condemnations, but no military action, from NATO. Russia has protected Syrian President Bashar Assad in the UN Security Council and recently sent a number of refurbished helicopters to Damascus.

Russians supplies Syria with its anti-aircraft batteries and trained its soldiers on their use. Diplomats say the Russians are still on hand in Syria in an advisory role, the Sunday Times reported.

The story quotes an Israeli air force source as suggesting Russia had a hand in the incident: “We would not be surprised if these Russian experts, if they didn’t push the button, at least were beside the Syrian officers who did it.”

Syria’s Information Minister Omran al-Zubi said last week that Syrian soldiers who downed the plane may have thought it was an Israeli aircraft.

“Turkish planes and Israeli planes look alike,” the minister told the Turkish news station A Haber.

Al-Zubi also noted that the “Zionist country” was in the area, and that the Syrian military is on alert for Israeli aircraft.

“If an Israeli plane enters Syria, it is welcomed by fire. [The Turkish plane] might have been believed to be an Israeli plane; we did not want to take down a Turkish plane,” he said.

Syria has been embroiled in a nearly 18-month-long civil war as rebels attempt to oust Assad from power. Turkey, once a close ally of Syria, has harbored fleeing rebels and called for Assad to step down.

Source :http://www.timesofisrael.com

Russia’s Arms Exports Top $6.5 Bln in H1 2012

Russia’s Arms Exports Top $6.5 Bln in H1 2012

Russia exported over $6.5 billion worth of military equipment in the first half of 2012, President Vladimir Putin said on Monday.

“Exports of Russian weaponry exceeded $6.5 billion, registering a 14% increase year-on-year,” Putin said at a meeting of the Committee on Military-Industrial Cooperation.

Putin said Russian annual arms exports doubled over six years from $6 billion in 2005 to over $13 billion in 2011.

The current export orders portfolio of the Russian defense industry is about $43 billion and it is steadily growing, he said.

“New export contracts, worth $5.7 billion, have been concluded since the beginning of this year,” the president said.

Russia, which is the world’s second largest arms exporter and supplies weaponry to 55 countries, is planning to sell $13.5 billion worth of weaponry in 2012.

Its main arms customers are India, Algeria, China, Venezuela, Malaysia and Syria. Vietnam also emerged as a key importer after it signed a deal to buy submarines, aircraft and other military hardware from Russia in 2010.

Source :http://en.rian.ru

Missile defense dialogue with Russia better than might seem - NATO diplomat

The state of the missile defense dialogue with Russia, though far from fine, is better than many would imagine, NATO Assistant Secretary of State Dirk Brengelmann said in Moscow on Monday.

He said that NATO understood Moscow’s concerns, and that one way or another, differences over missile defense had to be resolved.

Brengelmann repeated what the alliance had been saying over and over, namely that the European missile defense shield poses no threat to Russia.

He praised successful cooperation with Russia in the war on sea piracy and in bolstering security in Afghanistan.

Touching upon the Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe, the diplomat said that informal consultations on the issue were being held.

Source :http://english.ruvr.ru