Drone Footage Gives A Rare Bird's-Eye-View Of One Of Russia's Plane Museums Near Moscow

WNU Editor: Quoting from Sputnik .... Located near Moscow, the Central Air Force Museum near Moscow is one of the world's largest aviation museums, and certainly the largest one for Russian aircraft. This footage offers you a rare opportunity to take a free tour of it and see some of the most iconic planes of the Soviet air force.

Did The Chinese Steal The Blueprints For Russia's First Stealth Fighter?

Russia's Mysterious First Stealth Fighter Found On Bing Maps -- Killer Apps/Foreign Policy

This might be the easiest ever find of an MIA airplane. You're looking at a Bing Maps image of the Mikoyan (MiG) Project 1.44, Russia's first attempt at building a flyable stealth fighter and the jet that some said was sent to China to help kick-start Beijing's stealth development program. The jet is the larger of the two shown above sitting just outside of Moscow at Zhukovsky airfield (we have no idea what the smaller, darker plane alongside the 1.44 is).

Project 1.44 was meant to be the Soviet Union (and later Russia's) super-fast, super-maneuverable answer to the United States' premier fighter, the F-22 Raptor. However, the jet was underfunded in the days following the collapse of the Soviet Union. When the plane finally took its maiden flight in 2000, its designers found multiple flaws with the aircraft and the project was abandoned.

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My Comment: It looks like the Chinese were successful in hacking and/or stealing the plans for this Russian fighter.

Russia's Flying Fortresses Revealed

Huge Russian Flying Fortress -- Stormbringer

In the 1930s the leaders and the scientists of the Soviet armed forces were fascinated with the concept of creating huge planes. They were proposing to have as many propellers as possible to help carry these huge flying fortresses into the air; as at that time jet propulsion had not yet been implemented.

Not many photos were saved since that time, due to the high secrecy levels of such projects and because of the purges of Stalin and the subsequent difficulties of the war years. Still, in theses photos you can see one of these planes planes - a heavy bomber K-7.

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My Comment: I give them credit .... they were dreamers.

Interview With Mikhail Simonov - The Inventor Of The Sukhoi Jet Fighters

The sky's no limit: a Sukhoi jet fighter

From The Telegraph:

This online supplement is produced and published by Rossiyskaya Gazeta (Russia), which takes sole responsibility for the content.

Mikhail Simonov, designer of the iconic fighter jets Su-27 and Su-30, has been at the forefront of aircraft design for more than 50 years. To celebrate his 80th birthday this month, we hear from the man who gave Russia the edge in aerial combat.

Many would need two lifetimes to accomplish the things that Mikhail Simonov has packed into his 80 years. His Su-27 jet fighter – which has become as well known as Kalashnikov's AK-47 assault rifle – is recognised as the best jet fighter of the 20th century and brings billions of dollars into the Russian economy.

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My Comment: In the past few years U.S. jet designers and inventors have received the lion share of publicity and attention for the jets that they developed and tested. Neglected but just as important, Soviet designers and inventors also created some awesome aircraft .... here is one of them.

International Demand For Russian Combat Aircraft Growing

SU-35

From Defpro:

The Rosoboronexport State Corporation demonstrates the latest Russian combat aircraft, military air transports, air defence systems, and space exploration developments to its foreign partners in the course of the 48th International Paris Air Show – Le Bourget to be held from 15 until 21 June, 2009.

“Paris Air Show Le Bourget 2009 celebrates its 100th anniversary, thus, our programme is going to be even more intensive than before,” Rosoboronexport Deputy Director General and head of the delegation Alexander Mikheev said. “We will hold negotiations with our partners from Western and Eastern Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa to discuss crucial issues of bilateral and multilateral defence cooperation”.

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My Comment: The Russians love to promote and sell their SU-35, the U.S. will not permit the selling of their F-22. The end result will be a busy SU-35 production line for the Russians, and a closed F-22 line for the Americans.

Russian Fighter Jets Worse Than Those Of USA And Europe?

Indian Il-78MKI gassing two Su-30MKIs (IAF)

From Pravda:

The failure of the deal to sell Russian IL-78 fuel tankers to India once again raised the issue of the competitive ability decrease of Russian arms and military technique on the world market. Russia’s "Оboronka" (the defense industry) is facing yet harder problems in handling export contracts and servicing clients of earlier transactions. “It is impossible to improve the situation”, our expert concludes.

According to Russian and foreign media sources, India refused to buy Russian Il-78 fuel tanker aircraft. Indian officials motivated this decision with the non-conformity of planes to the customer’s requisitions. The spare parts supply and the after-sales service were also mentioned.

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My Comment: The Russian arms industry is selling weapons and fighters worldwide at a brisk rate.... but it appears that with India cost over-runs and delays is hurting Russia's international image.

When America’s Stealth Monopoly Ends, What's Next?

Russian PAK-FA stealth aircraft design, currently under development.

From Defense Professionals:

11:22 GMT, March 4, 2009 For three decades the United States has held the undisputed monopoly on the most important military technology of the Cold War era - stealth. That monopoly is set to end in the coming decade as the Russians, Indians and, likely, Chinese deploy a new generation of military aircraft designs. Available to any client with the cash, these high technology products will make obsolete the large fleets of legacy Cold War equipment that the West has relied upon since the end of the Cold War to maintain global stability, as well as rendering the planned F-35 Joint Strike Fighter impotent.

A world in which any nation with the cash can procure stealthy manned or robotic aircraft, or cruise missiles, will be very different from the world we see now. Many of the fundamental assumptions made about America’s hitherto undisputed strategic primacy will collapse unless Americans take stock now and start seriously planning for this future.

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My Comment: One must give credit where credit is due. The Russian aeronautical engineers take the best from the West, refine it, and end up producing an airplane that is cheaper and just as effective as the original.

This is a formula that is very hard to beat.