Military Aviation News

Read the forum code of contact

Member for

13 years 3 months

Posts: 3,337


Yes, I agree, nothing is certain. Especially since even newer batch of 16(or is it 18) 9.19s were delivered just a few years back, and there is no talk of dumping them, so selling off barely decade old ex-Algerians would not achieve any fleet streamlining.

However IIRC ever since being replaced @ Kursk, the SMTs were grounded and awaiting overhaul, so theory is they are waiting on Indians to decide.

Are the MiG-29SMTs that were replaced by Su-30s at Kursk the same as those that were taken back from Algeria and put into VKS service? So the theory on Russian forums is that the 21 MiG-29s will not be old airframes that were never fully assembled and put into storage, but rather these 16 or 18 SMTs that will be possibly purchased?

Member for

13 years 5 months

Posts: 9,579

Are the MiG-29SMTs that were replaced by Su-30s at Kursk the same as those that were taken back from Algeria and put into VKS service? So the theory on Russian forums is that the 21 MiG-29s will not be old airframes that were never fully assembled and put into storage, but rather these 16 or 18 SMTs that will be possibly purchased?

Yes, those 34 MiG-29SMT/UBT at Kursk are the ex-Algerians. Some on Russian forums have speculated that with the gradual withdrawal of Fulcrum from combat units, they might be up for sale. I am not sure but personally I don't think there are enough airframes left @ the factory in Lukhovitsy to complete the order, so they will need to find/cannibalize air-frames from somewhere else. Maybe some of the "vanilla" air-frames the VKS has retired over the past decade are in good condition.

The 16 other SMTs (and 2 UBTs) are from an unrelated order, built from unfinished airframes for the VKS just a few years ago (deliveries from 2016-2018 IIRC). They are basically brand new, so I don't think there is any possibility of them being sold. They operate in a combat training unit anyways, you can tell them apart from the ex-Algerians by their camo, the more typical Russian green as opposed to the weird grey/angles of the Algerians:

[ATTACH=JSON]{"data-align":"none","data-size":"full","data-attachmentid":3871548}[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=JSON]{"data-align":"none","data-size":"full","data-attachmentid":3871549}[/ATTACH]

Attachments

Member for

12 years 6 months

Posts: 374

Yes, those 34 MiG-29SMT/UBT at Kursk are the ex-Algerians. Some on Russian forums have speculated that with the gradual withdrawal of Fulcrum from combat units, they might be up for sale. I am not sure but personally I don't think there are enough airframes left @ the factory in Lukhovitsy to complete the order, so they will need to find/cannibalize air-frames from somewhere else. Maybe some of the "vanilla" air-frames the VKS has retired over the past decade are in good condition.

I don't have the numbers with me but stocks at Lukhovitsy should be exhausted by now. The last were the 16 acquired by VKS in 2016. All the aircraft sold between 1992 and 2014 came from the ones which were inherited from Soviet Union. At the moment of Soviet collapse there were contracts with VVS, Yugoslavia and Iraq (at least).

Member for

15 years 8 months

Posts: 2,626

About the Japanese project:


The goal is for Japan to lead the development process, which at present is estimated to cost at least ¥1.5 trillion ($14 billion). The government wants the new fighter to be ready by the mid-2030s, when phaseout of the F-2 is scheduled to begin.

Does it make sense for Japan to spend an estimated $14+ billion on developing an aircraft when it is antipated that less than 100 will be ordered? I don't see the point of embarking on such a project. So expensive (my guess is $300 million-$400 million overall cost per fighter) that it will be liable to cancellation.

Member for

12 years 7 months

Posts: 4,731

have you seen any recent Japanese aviation project that they can finish without external help?. I doubt they will even have workers and pilots to fly those planes.

Member for

15 years 8 months

Posts: 2,626

Indian Air Force Freezes Jaguar Engine Upgrade

The Indian Air Force will likely put a freeze on its plans to upgrade the engines on its four-decade-old SEPECAT Jaguar deep penetration strike fighter fleet and shift its efforts toward acquiring additional Sukhoi Su-30MKIs as a replacement.

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/205300/india-cancels-jaguar-engine-upgrade.html

PS I note that the headline says it's definite while the quoted text says it's likely the engine upgrade will be frozen.

Member for

18 years 2 months

Posts: 2,814

Indian Air Force Freezes Jaguar Engine Upgrade

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/205300/india-cancels-jaguar-engine-upgrade.html

PS I note that the headline says it's definite while the quoted text says it's likely the engine upgrade will be frozen.

Hardly a surprise. The IAF would be leaving it a bit too late by now, seeing as their Jaguars are due to be retired in less than ten years time. Very few air forces change the engines on their old airframes for a new type of engine - usually not worth it.

Member for

13 years 3 months

Posts: 3,337

Hardly a surprise. The IAF would be leaving it a bit too late by now, seeing as their Jaguars are due to be retired in less than ten years time. Very few air forces change the engines on their old airframes for a new type of engine - usually not worth it.

Well, 57 of the IAF's Jaguars are pretty young..they were progressively delivered from 2005 onwards. So they have plenty of life left in them, if they were to be re-engined and could easily go on till 2035 at least. However, the cost vs capability benefit is what is now driving the IAF to re-think the logic behind retaining the older Jaguars (those that were delivered in the late 1980s and early 1990s) much longer versus buying more Su-30s that could continue to be delivered by HAL Nasik's existing Su-30 assembly line.