Big planes, Transport, Stealth-Bombers, AWACS etc.

[TsarSamuil]

Russia’s advanced jamming plane to get new body as part of overhaul – report.

RT.com
9 Jul, 2018 12:30

The Russian military’s cutting-edge jamming equipment, currently used on the Il-22PP electronic warfare aircraft, may soon get an upgrade and a brand new air-frame instead of the decades-old design used now.

“Porubshchik” (a slang term for “tree cutter” in Russian) is the nickname of a specialized aircraft currently used by the Russian armed forces to disrupt enemy communications and radar systems. Also known as “Izdelie L-415” and Il-22PP, the electronic warfare plane was put in service in 2016.

Its drawback is that the aircraft is based on an outdated Il-18 civilian design, which made its maiden flight in the late 1950s. It may still be remarkable in terms of endurance, which explains why some variants are still in use by the Russian military as flying labs or airborne command points, but there is a limit on how long you can push an aircraft design through upgrades.

The original Il-22PP remains a formidable asset, capable of totally disrupting enemy communications while not affecting those of friendly troops. But the work on its replacement, a “Porubshchik-2”, is under way, and the new version will be based on a more modern air-frame, an industry source told RIA Novosti.

“It will definitely have a new air-frame. The Tu-214 and the Il-76 are being considered,” the source said.

Tupolev’s Tu-214 is a variant of the Tu-204 design, which has been used since the late 1990s. This model is used, for example, for Russian air patrols over NATO nations under the Open Skies agreement. Several are used as airborne command points for the Russian president or communication relays.

Ilyushin’s Il-76 is a somewhat older design and is best known as a strategic airlifter. One of its variants, the Beriev A-50, is Russia’s counterpart to AWACS, an airborne radar station.

The source said Il-22PP’s electronic equipment will also be upgraded as part of the transition.

“The onboard equipment will be new and capable of jamming all sorts of targets: on the ground, airborne, naval. It will disable enemy satellites, which provide navigation and communication on the ground,” the source said.

[TsarSamuil]

Russia’s strategic subsonic PAK DA will use stealth tech, defense ministry confirms.

RT.com
13 Jul, 2018 17:54

PAK DA, Russia’s future subsonic nuclear-capable bomber, will have stealth technology incorporated in its planer, a defense official confirmed after touring a plant, where the advanced project is being implemented.

The Russian long-range aircraft is expected to undergo a major overhaul over the next two decades. The time-tested Tu-95 bombers would be phased out in favor or a yet-to-be named subsonic bomber dubbed PAK DA. Russia will also resume the production of supersonic Tu-160Ms while working on the advanced “M2” version of the aircraft. In the meantime its existing fleet of Tu-22M3s and Tu-160 would be upgraded to the latest variants of the aircraft.

After touring this week the Kazan aviation plant, Tupolev’s main production facility and the linchpin of the modernization drive, Deputy Defense Minister Aleksey Krivoruchko said the work went as scheduled.

“We have checked the work on the priority project of the plant, the production of new Tu-160Ms. Overall, it goes according to schedule. There are some delays on several tasks, but others go ahead of the schedule,” said the minister, who was appointed to the position last month.

He added that the first Tu-160M built after relaunch of production is to enter service in 2021. The bomber, Pyotr Deinekin, was built partially from stored parts as part of restoring the underling technologies and made its maiden flight in January.

Deputy Minister also mentioned that the work was progressing on PAK DA, Russia’s future strategic bomber. The abbreviation stands for “Prospective Aviation Complex for Long-range Aviation” and most details about the project are classified.

PAK DA will be a subsonic long-range aircraft with a flying wing body. It will use stealth technology and be armed with hypersonic air-to-surface missiles, one of which is expected to have a range of 7,000 km. The aircraft itself may have a range of 12,500 km and carry a payload of up to 30 tons. It is expected to use engines derived from the NK-32, which was developed for the Tu-160.

While several models of PAK DA have reportedly been built on the Kazan plant, no photos were published. The closest hint at how it may look came from TsAGI, a leading Russian aerodynamics lab, which showed a flying wing model tested in one of its wind tunnels for the PAK DA project. The actual image may be unveiled later this year.

[TsarSamuil]

Fast, modern & ‘hyper-armed’: Russia rolls out upgraded supersonic strike bomber.

RT.com
16 Aug, 2018 14:25

The Tu-22M3M, a modification of the Russian supersonic strike bomber, is a new modern plane inside a classic shell, the manufacturer says. Having greater speed and range, it will reportedly be armed with hypersonic missiles.

“It’s a principally new plane inside – with completely new systems, completely new capabilities, might and threat to potential adversaries,” Yuri Slyusar, the head of the United Aircraft Corporation, told reporters on Thursday, as the new version of the bomber was rolled out from the plant in the southwestern city of Kazan.

The Tu-22M3M jet is designed to strike sea and ground targets at a distance of up to 2,200km (1,367 miles) using bombs and guided missiles. The modified plane has a more comfortable cockpit, can travel longer distances, and fly faster due to its more powerful engine. About 80 percent of its electronics was updated, the plane’s manufacturers say.

It will also be equipped with formidable new weaponry to match its capabilities. The plane will be fitted with the newest long-range anti-ship cruise missiles, Kh-32s, which will allow it to attack large naval groups, according to Senator Viktor Bondarev.

Bondarev, who led the Russian Aerospace Forces in the past, also said that the bomber will be armed with hypersonic missiles in the future. The Russian media, citing military sources, had earlier reported that the Tu-22M3M will be used to test the hypersonic ‘Kinzhal’ (‘Dagger’) missiles, and will later be able to carry four such missiles.

The plane will undergo extensive testing, while its first flight is scheduled for September. Russia is planning to modernize up to 30 such bombers by 2020.

The original Tu-22M3 was created in 1970s. The jet was used in bombing raids during the Soviet war in Afghanistan, and saw limited action in counter-terrorism operations in the North Caucasus. It was most recently deployed in Syria during strikes against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) targets.

[TsarSamuil]

The Refueller: Docking Masters. Threading a needle in the sky.

RT Documentary
Oct 25, 2018



Mid-air refuelling sounds an extraordinary feat, but topping up fuel tanks while on the move is now commonplace. Pilots and engineers reveal to Combat Approved how they operate a boom, how many fuel tanks the Il-78 has and how to convert a fighter jet into a tanker.

[TsarSamuil]

Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers land in Venezuela after 10,000km transatlantic flight (VIDEO)

RT.com
11 Dec, 2018 02:15


Official welcome: Venezuelan Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino, centre, is pictured after the arrival of the two Russian bombers

Venezuela has welcomed the arrival of Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers as an opportunity to demonstrate its resolve to defend the nation against possible foreign military intervention, with the help of “friends” if need be.

Two Tu-160 strategic bombers made a gracious landing at Simón Bolívar International Airport on Monday where they were greeted by the honor guard of the Venezuelan air force. Wearing orange pilot suits and combat helmets, Russian servicemen descended onto the runway where they were eager to present their colleagues with a scaled model of the 'White Swan' bomber, which they had just flown over 10,000 kilometers to reach the Caribbean shores in order to take part in “combined operational flights” with the Venezuelan Air Force.

"We are getting prepared to defend Venezuela when it is needed.”

And Venezuela "will do it with our friends who advocate respect-based relations between states,” Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said after the two bombers, together with An-124 transport and an Il-62 plane, landed in Venezuela.

While the Russian delegation painted their arrival to be a rare friendly visit, the Venezuelan Defence Ministry noted that 'Russia-Venezuela 2018' operational flights will represent a “demonstration of strength.” The training, Caracas maintains, will foster military-technical cooperation and facilitate the exchange of practical experience between the two militaries.

The Tu-160, nicknamed the ‘White Swan’ in Russia and designated as ‘Blackjack’ by NATO, is the largest supersonic combat aircraft in the world. The long-range aircraft, capable of carrying nuclear and conventional missiles, can cover a distance of more than 12,000 kilometers without refueling. The Russian Air Force conducted similar non-stop flights to Venezuela in 2008 and 2013.

The flight to Venezuela over the Atlantic Ocean, the Barents, Norwegian and Caribbean Seas did not go unnoticed, as Norwegian F-16 fighter jets shadowed the Russian planes during part of their flight, even though according to the Russian Defense Ministry the flight was conducted “in strict accordance with the international regulations on the use of airspace.” The bombers’ deployment to the Latin American nation follows Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s visit to Moscow last week.

[TsarSamuil]

Return of carrier-killer bomber: Upgraded Tu-22 makes maiden flight in Russia.

RT.com
28 Dec, 2018 14:11

Half a year after a spectacular roll-out in Kazan, the Tu-22M3M, a state-of-the-art modernized strike bomber wrapped up in a time-proven shell, performed a maiden flight, according to Russian media.

A launch version of the Tu-22M3M (referred to as Backfire by NATO) took off at an airfield in Kazan starting a series of in-flight trials, Tupolev Design Bureau told TASS news agency. The supersonic bomber didn’t carry a weapons load during its 37-minute test flight.

Prior to the maiden flight, the advanced jet went through an array of ground tests in which the plane’s avionics, engines, and AI features were pushed to their limits, a military industry source said.

The Tu-22M3M long-range bomber is designed to engage sea and ground targets at ranges of up to 2,200km (1,367 miles). Detailed features of the new aircraft are classified but it is known that upgraded bomb sights, better radar, and a modern digital glass cockpit will be installed on it.

A first variant of the Tu-22 family was created in the late-1960s to be deployed during a large-scale conventional conflict, but the newest M3M version is expected to get the ability to use precision bombs and missiles.

The older versions of the bomber still remain viable as a long-range cruise missile carrier. It is capable of delivering deadly weapons against ships and ground targets without entering the range of enemy air defenses.

Russian media reported the Backfire may also carry up to four hypersonic Kh-47 Kinzhal (Dagger) hypersonic missiles. The little-known projectiles have a maximum reported speed of ten times the speed of sound and can perform evasive maneuvers.

The jet saw action in bombing raids during the Afghan War in the 1980s and the Chechen conflicts of the 1990s. It was most recently deployed in Syria during strikes against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) targets.

The first M3M aircraft rolled out at the Kazan Aviation Plant in August this year. The Russian military plans to upgrade half of its 60-strong Tu-22 fleet and extend its service life to at least several decades.

[TsarSamuil]

Vid,
www.rt.com/russia/450264-russia-tu160-modernized-bomber/

Longer range & powerful munitions: First Tu-160 bomber to join force in 2021 after makeover (VIDEO)

RT.com
31 Jan, 2019 16:40

Russian military is set to receive a new, improved version of the iconic Tu-160M long-range bomber. The jet will get modern avionics, weaponry, radar and other upgrades which would make it better in virtually every aspect.

The Russian military is expected to receive the highly modernized variant of the iconic Tu-160M long-range bomber in 2021, Russia's Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said. On Wednesday, he and other top military officials visited a plant in the city of Kazan, where the modernized planes are being produced.

“The new variant of Tu-160M “will be packed with a cutting-edge defensive complex, modern reliable communication system with improved interference resistance, unique weaponry, which would significantly boost its combat capabilities while utilizing conventional and nuclear munitions.”

“The plane is fitted with new-gen NK-32 engines that greatly expand their operational range and flight time,” Shoigu said.

While the existing planes are set to receive serious modernization – with basically only hulls remaining in place – the Russian Defense Ministry has also voiced plans to produce additional bombers.

The Tu-160 long-range bombers were introduced in late 1980s, shortly before the collapse of the Soviet Union. The plane was created as a carrier of long-range cruise missiles, fitted with nuclear warheads, yet it's capable of carrying other –conventional – and less destructive munitions.

The Tu-160 saw action for the very first time during the Russian anti-terrorism campaign in Syria, where they were used to strike militants’ munitions depots, HQs and other important targets.

[TsarSamuil]

Russia’s brand new military transport plane Il-112V makes maiden flight (VIDEOS)

RT.com
30 Mar, 2019 12:00

The long-awaited maiden flight of the Ilyushin Il-112V, the light transport plane slated to replace the ageing Antonov An-26 and An-24 airlifters in the Russian military, was successfully conducted on Saturday.

The modern aircraft took off from a runway at a test range in Voronezh, shadowed by an Il-114LL flying lab, the producer, Ilyushin, said in a statement. The 24-meter-long plane spent some 45 minutes in the air, flying at a speed of around 250 km/h and circling over the area several times before landing. The maiden flight was filmed by numerous plane spotters on the ground.

Russian defense officials hailed the maiden flight as a major milestone for the nation’s aviation industry. The Il-112V is the first military transport designed in Russia from scratch after the fall of the USSR disrupted cooperation of various defense labs and plants scattered across its former members. The model uses only domestically-produced parts, can carry up to 5 tons of cargo and is said to be much more efficient than the Soviet-designed Antonov transport plane it is meant to retire.

The project began in the mid-1990s, but saw a long pause before the model was chosen as the next light transport by the defense ministry in 2003. Another bump on the road came in 2010, when the ministry suspended its funding and opted for another variant, the An-140. The competitor however failed to meet expectations, so the Il-112V received a second life in 2013.

The model is powered by a pair of improved TV7-117ST 3,100 hp turboprop engines from Klimov, can fly up to 1,200km with a full load, or 3,500km with 3.5 tons of cargo on board, requires a crew of two, and can land on runways at as short as 1,200 meters.

Russian defense officials estimate that up to a hundred Il-112Vs may be produced over the years to meet the military’s demand. Ilyusin says it has the capacity to build as many as 12 annually.

[TsarSamuil]

WATCH Russia’s secretive ‘Okhotnik’ stealth drone during maiden flight.

RT.com
7 Aug, 2019 11:10

The Russian military has released spectacular footage of its stealthy drone performing her maiden flight. Designed by Sukhoi, the secretive aircraft is said to be able to collect intelligence and to strike enemy targets.

Released on Tuesday, the video opens with ‘Okhotnik’ (Hunter in English) taxiing towards a runway at an undisclosed military airfield. Painted light-gray, the one-engine, 20-ton aircraft then takes off for the skies to perform a series of in-flight tests.

Okhotnik’s maiden flight lasted 20 minutes, with the drone cruising at just 600 meters, the military said.

Its design is based on the flying-wing aerodynamic model and incorporates the widespread use of composite materials and stealth technology.



WATCH Latest military video of Russia’s new heavy combat drone on its maiden flight.

RT.com
16 Aug, 2019 12:12

The Russian military has released new footage of a little-known stealth drone dubbed ‘Hunter,’ showing the secretive aircraft making sharp turns and stunning maneuvers in the sky.

The new video, released Friday, offers an additional glimpse of the Sukhoi-built ‘Okhotnik’ (Hunter) aircraft which completed a maiden flight last week. The secretive drone is seen performing a take-off roll, followed by a fast climb-out. It also performs some basic turns before gently touching down at a military airfield.

While the drone’s properties are still classified, it is believed that it will have a takeoff weight of some 20-25 tons and operate at a supersonic speed of 1,400 km/h (870mph). It is also likely to carry surveillance gear as well as weapons in its internal bays.

[TsarSamuil]

Second in a month: Watch new Russian heavy drone take to the sky in MAIDEN FLIGHT.

RT.com
20 Aug, 2019 12:03

Another week, another Russian drone makes its first successful take-off. The defense ministry published footage of the maiden flight of a high-endurance reconnaissance UAV called Altius-U.

The footage shows a twin-engine large drone with a V-shaped tail performing its maiden flight. According to the ministry statement, the aircraft spent just over 30 minutes in the air and performed both the take off and landing in automatic mode.

Dubbed ‘Altius-U’ by the ministry, the 6-ton drone is meant as a high-endurance reconnaissance platform. It can stay in flight for more than 24 hours and has a satellite uplink for control, allowing it to be piloted from a great distance.

The drone is alternatively called Altair and has been in the works for quite some time. The project was launched in 2011 and had a bumpy road to finally taking off. Last year the contract was stripped from its original builder in Kazan over delays and was awarded instead to a Yekaterinburg-based subsidiary of the defense giant Rostec to complete.

Earlier this month another Russian heavy drone called Okhotnik (‘Hunter’ in Russian) made its maiden flight. That aircraft is meant to be a ground attack platform and has a flying wing body type.

Altius-U is said to be the final design that came out of the project so far. Earlier reports said it may be lightly armed when finally entering service. It was not immediately clear if a strike modification is still on the table.

[TsarSamuil]

Deadly duo: Russian stealth drone ‘Hunter’ shows off its moves in tandem with Su-57 (VIDEO)

RT.com
27 Sep, 2019 15:28

Video has emerged of Russia’s new heavy drone Okhotnik (‘Hunter’) flying alongside a fifth-generation Su-57 fighter jet. The first test flight of the kind, it showcased the formidable team formed by the two futuristic aircraft.

Spectacular moments from the 30-minute test mission were captured in a video released by the Defense Ministry. It showed the aircraft taking off and traversing the skies just meters away from each other.

The collaboration was not just for show – being paired with the drone actually allows the Su-57 to expand its radar coverage and attack its targets without entering the enemy’s air-defense area.

Okhotnik has a flying-wing body type, which makes it looks like something from a sci-fi movie. The military said that the “special material and coating” used in its design allows it to almost completely avoid detection by modern radar systems.

The UAV first took to the skies in August and so far there’s little known about it. Media reports claim that the machine has a takeoff weight of over 20 tons and can operate at supersonic speeds. Besides performing surveillance missions, the drone is also said to be capable of carrying weapons in its internal bays.

The Su-57 is Russia’s first 5th-generation fighter jet, designed for air superiority and attack operations. It maiden flight took place in 2010, and the aircraft has already been tested in combat conditions in Syria. The first Su-57s are expected to enter service with the Russian Air Force by the end of the year.

[TsarSamuil]

From dreams to the skies: Looks of Russian super heavy cargo plane to replace legendary Soviet flying giant Ruslan revealed.

RT.com
6 Nov, 2019 20:36

It’s called Slon (elephant) for a reason – the heavy cargo plane, which is being developed in Russia, will be able to carry a payload of up to 180 tons, outmatching the currently used Ruslan aircraft by whopping 60 tons.

The massive plane is designed to transport heavy and outsized cargo to the distances of up to 7,000 kilometers, while traveling at the speed of 850 km/h. It would require a three-kilometer-long strip in order to take off or land.

It’s still a long way before Slon takes to the skies, as scientists at the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute have just finished building the aircraft’s aerodynamic model.

With the wingspan of 1.75 meters and weight of 120 kilograms, the model is, of course, much smaller than the future transport plane or even an actual elephant. But the replica, which was made of aluminum alloys and structural steel, will provide vital information to the constructors during the tests in the wind-tunnels scheduled for next year.

Slon is slated to become a replacement for the iconic An-124 Ruslan heavy cargo planes, which came out of Antonov designed bureau in Soviet Ukraine in the 1980s.

The production of those aircraft seized in 2004, but Russia still operates several dozen of them for both military and civilian purposes.

Ruslan has the lifting-weight of 120 tons, which was outmatched by a number of other aircraft from different countries. But it’s still Antonov, who holds the record from for the biggest aircraft and the largest total payload ever carried by air.

The unique An-225 Mriya plane was designed for a truly unique task – transporting a spaceship. The images of Mriya traversing the skies with Buran – the Soviet counterpart of NASA’s Space Shuttle – fixed atop of it still boggle the imagination 20 years later.

The plane, which weighs 640 tons and has a wingspan of 88.4 meters, is still operated by a Ukrainian carrier. The maximum payload carried by Mriya exceeded 250 tons.

[TsarSamuil]

Russia to design 6th-gen long-range UNMANNED strategic bomber – top general.

RT.com
23 Dec, 2019 04:19

Russia’s Aerospace Forces are undergoing a major overhaul, looking forward to welcome a 5th generation subsonic bomber into its fleet as well as a long-range bomber drone, to be developed in the next 20 years, the military said.

Russia’s Aerospace Forces (VKS), which marked their 105th birthday on Monday, have been making rapid strides in an effort to upgrade the fleet of long-range bombers and to develop new advanced aircraft, Lieutenant-General Sergey Kobylash, chief of Russia's Long-Range Aviation told Russian Moskovsky Komsomolets daily on Sunday.

“Our aircraft and their weapons are subject to constant improvement. Further development of the long-range aviation is being carried out not only by upgrading Tu-160, Tu-95MS and Tu-22M3 bombers to extend their service life, but also by developing the Prospective Aviation Complex for Long-range Aviation – a 5th-gen strategic bomber,” Kobylash said.

The new bomber will be subsonic, the general said, noting that the aircraft will be capable of “performing all tasks the long-range aviation is facing.” The brainchild of the aircraft manufacturer Tupolev, the project, dubbed PAK-DA, has been in the works since 2009. The bomber will use stealth technology and can be armed with hypersonic air-to-surface missiles. The aircraft is expected to have a range of 12.500km and be capable of carrying a payload of up to 30 tons. The plane is set to make its first flight in 2025 and enter service in the late 2020s.

The Russian military, however, does not plan to stop at that and is seeking to develop an unmanned 6th generation bomber by 2040, Kobylash said, without providing any further details.

In recent years, the Russian military has been working to replace the current fleet of Tu-160, Tu-95MS, and Tu-22M3, which are a legacy of the Soviet era, with cutting-edge aircraft, so Russia can thwart any enemy attack amid the ongoing military build-up of the US-led NATO at its doorstep.

[TsarSamuil]

Here’s When Russia’s Military Will Get Giant New ‘Flying Radar’ AEW Aircraft.

MILITARY & INTELLIGENCE 14:52 GMT 09.04.2020

Russia began development of the Beriev A-100 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft in late 2014, with flight testing kicking off in late 2017. The aircraft is based on a heavily modified Ilyushin Il-76 strategic airlifter.

Russia’s Aerospace Forces will begin taking delivery of the new Beriev A-100 AEW&C planes in 2024, a source in Russia’s military industry has told Sputnik. “Testing is proceeding as scheduled,” the source said.

The A-100, christened by aircraft enthusiasts as the ‘Flying Radar’, is Russia’s next-generation airborne early warning aircraft, and is expected to complement and eventually replace the existing 20 or so Beriev A-50 and A-50U Shmel (‘Bumblebee’) AEW planes in the Aerospace Forces’ inventory today.
Built on the basis of an Il-76MD-90A strategic airlifter with improved turbofan engines, the planes will be equipped with a cutting-edge Vega ‘Premier’ active phased array radar, with the rotating dome design mounted on struts over the plane’s fuselage.

The aircraft are expected to be able to detect and track as many as 300 air, sea and ground-based targets simultaneously at distances up to 650 km away. They are also expected to be able to assist in the operation of drones, and serve as a mobile airborne command and communications post. In addition to its primary radar, the plane will be able to interact with and receive information from space-based satellites.

[TsarSamuil]

Stealth flying wing: Russia’s next-gen STRATEGIC BOMBER already in the works.

RT.com
28 May, 2020 19:40

Russian aircraft makers have reportedly started the assembly of a new, next-generation bomber aircraft, known under the designation PAK DA. RT has learned more about the highly-secretive machine.

The launch of the PAK DA’s assembly was reported earlier this week by TASS news agency. The cockpit of the plane has already been partially built and the whole machine is expected to be ready next year, sources within the country’s aircraft industry told the agency.

The PAK DA designation stands for ‘perspective aircraft complex (PAK) for long-range aviation (DA)’. The PAK programs were launched by Russia in the early 2010s in an effort to provide the military with modern hardware. So far, only the development of a new multirole fighter jet has been completed – the 5th generation fighter jet Su-57 has already entered the mass-production stage, while the pre-production batch of the planes is already in service.

Flying wing

While no mock-up of the plane or even concept art has been officially released, multiple media reports suggest that the PAK DA, developed by Tupolev aircraft maker, is expected to be a flying wing. Basically, it will look somewhat like the iconic US-made Northrop B-2 Spirit stealth bomber.

This airframe is unusual for Russian aircraft designers – the country has never mass-produced military aircraft of this type, which likely adds complexity to the project.

“We don’t have experience in building this type of plane with this airframe design. There’s nothing too complex about it, yet we’ve never done that before,” Vadim Lukashevich, who worked as an engineer for Sukhoi aircraft maker between 1985 and 1992 and is now an independent aviation expert, told RT.

At the same time, Russian aircraft makers have produced a handful of flying wing UAVs, including the Okhotnik (Hunter), designed to operate alongside Su-57s, thus some experience on this type of airframe has been gained.

The flying wing airframe is a good choice for a long-range plane since it’s particularly stable during horizontal flight.

“The flying wing is the most aerodynamically-sound and effective scheme, which minimizes air resistance and allows the maximum amount of fuel to be taken on board. It does not have anything else, only the wing,” Lukashevich explained.

At the same time, this airframe is unsuitable for supersonic flight, so the PAK DA is expected to be subsonic. Unlike supersonic aircraft, slower machines are simpler to balance and do not need elaborate fuel plumbing with tanks placed all over the aircraft, allowing room for greater payload. Still, given the size of the country, being subsonic-only might have a serious downside, Aleksey Leonkov, editor-in-chief of the Russian weapons and military magazine Arsenal Otechestva, said.

“Modern warfare has become very fast paced. Usually, such aviation is hidden deep within one’s territory to protect it from being hit by a ballistic missile strike,” Leonkov explained. “A subsonic plane that takes off from Engels [airbase in southern Russia] will reach Vladivostok in seven hours, while a supersonic plane will cover the same distance in 2-3 hours, and a hypersonic plane, in one hour. That’s a very big difference.”

Focus on stealth & electronic warfare

Being subsonic-only comes with other downsides, like the inability to escape from faster machines. Apart from that, the flying wing airframe makes the plane significantly less maneuverable than its conventional counterparts – so dodging an incoming missile is not really an option. That, however, might not even be necessary, Lukashevich believes.

“Modern anti-aircraft systems can intercept incoming missile warheads that travel at 2-3 kilometers per second. It’s pointless to make a supersonic bomber – it will be intercepted anyway.”

The machine will therefore have to rely heavily on ‘low observable’ technology (i.e. stealth) to be able to strike undetected. Flying wing aircraft usually have very sleek forms and don’t feature protruding parts, making it a good pick for the stealth approach.

“It’s easier to have the bomber be undetected altogether or have it sneakily launch its missiles before [an enemy] can reach it,” Lukashevich said.

On the other hand, using low observable technology does not make an aircraft invisible to enemy radars, but merely gives it more time before being detected, Leonkov explained. That’s why the new aircraft will likely be fitted with sophisticated electronic warfare equipment that confuses radar and weapon systems.

“Low radar-location visibility is gradually no longer the main factor protecting a plane in the air. Nowadays, the planes are fitted with electronic warfare systems that distort the data received by radars trying to track it,” Leonkov said. “However, the composite materials used in the construction of certain planes are still viable.”

Successor of Tu-95

These characteristics – the reliance on stealth and only being capable of subsonic flight – likely makes the PAK DA the successor to the iconic Tu-95 bomber. The nuclear-capable aircraft, originating from the 1950s, still remains in service, filling the role of a long-range cruise missile carrier capable of striking both ground and naval targets.

“Given its characteristics, the plane is quite close to the Tu-95,” Lukashevich said, adding that it is likely to fill the same role while operating more effectively – and more sneakily.

Despite multiple upgrades, the veteran aircraft is still limited to its old-fashioned airframe. The bulky turboprop plane is not only very visible to various radars, but it also makes a lot of noise.

“The Tu-95 is the ‘brightest’, it’s the noisiest among our planes. It’s so noisy with all its propellers and four engines that even an underwater hydroacoustic system, resting on the ocean bed and used to track submarines, hears the noise of a Tu-95 flying at a 10km altitude,” according to Lukashevich.

Will it actually fly next year?

Given that the creation of an aircraft from scratch is a very complex process – particularly when it has an airframe never used before in the country – the machine under construction is unlikely to fly next year.

“In aircraft making, a static prototype is built first. This unit goes through stress tests – when the plane is loaded, the airframe is being bent. When the designers are sure that the structure meets the required sturdiness, the first flying prototype is cleared for take-off,” Lukashevich said.

The static full-scale test unit is merely an empty hull of a plane that never actually flies, Lukashevich explained, and the first flying prototype is at least the second plane of a type that is built. The static unit rarely receives all the appropriate systems later and is upgraded into an actually working aircraft.