DTN News - RUSSIA DEFENSE NEWS: Russian Air Force To Receive New Attack Aircraft By 2020

DTN News - RUSSIA DEFENSE NEWS: Russian Air Force To Receive New Attack Aircraft By 2020
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources RIA Novosti
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 21, 2012: The deliveries of new close air support aircraft to the Russian Air Force will start by 2020, Air Force spokesman Col. Vladimir Drik said.

“The Air Force units will start receiving this aircraft by 2020,” Drik said on Monday. “It will gradually replace highly-reliable Su-25SM Frogfoot attack planes.”

According to Drik, the new aircraft will meet the demands of modern warfare and feature elements of “stealth” technology, the whole range of tactical weaponry, modern radar and navigation equipment.

Meanwhile, Russia will continue to upgrade its outdated Su-25 attack aircraft to Su-25SM version, which has a significantly better survivability and combat effectiveness.

The Russian Air Force currently has over 30 Su-25SM planes in service and plans to modernize about 80 Su-25s by 2020, Drik said.

The Su-25SM is the designation used for upgraded standard production Su-25 single-seat aircraft, and Su-25UBM the designation for a similar upgrade for the Su-25UB. The upgrade is carried out by the 121 ARZ plant at Kubinka Air Base. In 2001, the first Su-25SM was completed followed by a second aircraft in 2003. The test programme was completed in 2005, and the 121 ARZ started series upgrade of the Russian Air Force Su-25 fleet. The first six aircraft were completed in 2006 and handed over to the Russian Air Force on December 28, 2006. They received new serials; side number 01 thru 06. Six more Su-25SMs are scheduled for delivery in 2007, and eight for 2008. Two attack regiments will convert to the Su-25SM, starting with the 368th Attack Aircraft Regiment at Budyonnovsk.

Main element of the Su-25SM upgrade is the new PrNK-25SM nav/attack system with satnav receiver, colour multi-purpose LCD, and SUO-39 fire control system. The upgrade is claimed to offer two to three times greater accuracy in weapons delivery and up to ten times in navigation accuracy. The upgrade also replaced the obsolete RWR with the L-150 electronic intelligence station and enables the use of R-73 advanced IR guided air-to-air missiles and KAB-500Kr TV-guided bombs.

Work on the upgrade of the first Su-25UB two-seat combat trainer to Su-25UBM standard in a similar upgrade started in May 2005 according to AFM, but recently it is reported it is planned for 2007.

The Su-25KM 'Skorpion' is a Su-25K upgrade offered by the collaboration between Elbit Systems and Georgia's TAM (Tbilisi Aerospace Manufacturing). Improvements include Multi Function Color Displays, new HUD, Elbit Mission Computer, and an optional Helmet Mounted Display. On 27 October 2004, the first Su-25KM Skorpion was delivered to the Turkmenistan Air Force. This makes the Turkmenistan Air Force the first customer for the new variant. Georgia had already overhauled 43 standard Su-25s for Turkmenistan as a part payment for Georgian debts for the supply of gas, which is also believed to be the payment for the Su-25KM delivery.

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DTN News: SIPRI Cautions On Arms Exports To Chad

DTN News: SIPRI Cautions On Arms Exports To Chad *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON, USA - August 25, 2009: The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) is warning defence equipment manufacturers to be careful when exporting to Chad as the country does not always honour end user certificates (EUC). SIPRI, in a new research paper, “Arms flows to the conflict in Chad”, finds that the disorderly north-central African state armed a Pilatus PC9 light aircraft, and last year employed it in combat against insurgents despite “written assurances that it would be used only for training purposes...” The detailed SIPRI report also notes that weapons delivered to the Government of Chad have found their way into the hands of rebels in neighbouring Darfur. “The UN panel of experts investigating the implementation of the UN arms embargo on Darfur was told by a number of governments that some of the weapons found in Darfur had been supplied from their countries to the Government of Chad.” This included examples of Israeli Galil and Tavor assault rifles supplied in July and September 2006. “Although the UN panel could not determine how these weapons had made their way from the arsenals of the Chadian Government to Darfur, it was established that close relations exist between the Government of Chad and the main rebel group in Darfur, the Justice and Equality Movement. “The panel concluded that (Chadian President Idriss) Déby’s half-brother, Daoussa Déby, played a central role in providing support to rebel groups in Darfur, including by facilitating the provision of or directly providing weapons and military vehicles and it recommended that Daoussa Déby should be subject to UN sanctions for violating the arms embargo on Darfur,” SIPRI said. Despite this and several insurgencies in the country, SIPRI notes there is no UN arms embargo “on any entity or region in Chad.” On the contrary, “in reaction to a February 2008 rebel attack on N’Djamena, the capital of Chad, the Security Council ‘called upon Member States to provide support, in conformity with the United Nations Charter, as requested by the Government of Chad’. Even though this statement did not explicitly mention military aid, it could be interpreted as legitimising arms transfers,” SIPRI avers. “…violence in Chad is characterized by intermittent short periods of intense fighting and is closely linked to the conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan. “A relatively small number of heavy weapons are used in the conflict in Chad and the weapons that are used are not technologically sophisticated. Both government and rebel forces in Chad are comprised mainly of infantry who are armed with SALW (small arms and light weapons) and use general-purpose four-by-four vehicles, such as Toyota Land Cruisers, for troop transport. “Heavy machine guns and light multiple rocket launchers are often mounted on these vehicles. The government forces also use light armoured vehicles, old tanks, small numbers of armed helicopters and combat aircraft. SIPRI adds that tanks and combat aircraft, including three Ukranian-supplied Sukhoi Su 25 Frogfoot ground attack jet fighters played a significant role in government attacks on rebel forces and bases in both Chad and Sudan this year and last. “Thus, small supplies of major arms or of small arms and light weapons (SALW), such as a few second-hand armed helicopters or a thousand rifles, can have a significant impact on the course and intensity of the conflict. Such weapons may provide sufficient incentive for the recipients of them to try to reach their goals via violence instead of dialogue,” SIPRI explains. The well-respected Swedish-based think-tank adds that it estimates arms imports by Chad was five times higher in the period 2004–2008 than in the preceding five years (1999–2003). “Weapons were delivered to Chad from countries including Ukraine, France, Libya, Belgium, China, the USA, Israel, Switzerland, Serbia and Portugal.” The report details some of these imports, including the three Su 25 in 2008, for which cites as source the Ukrainian Government’s detailed public submission to the UN Register of Conventional Arms. The Ukraine has also supplied Chad four Mil Mi 24 Hind attack helicopters and 80 BMP-1 armoured personnel carriers in addition to eight BTR-3E armoured personnel carriers and 12 000 rifles. “Additionally unofficial sources reported that Chad received unspecified ammunition from Ukraine to Chad in 2008 and would receive three more Su-25s in 2009. The Su-25 aircraft, in particular, were a significant addition to Chad’s military capabilities because they are more capable than the combat aircraft that Chad previously possessed. In May 2009 these aircraft were used to attack rebel forces inside Sudanese territory.” French arms exports to Chad amounted to €100 000 in 2006 and orders for military goods to €3.2 million. In 2007 Chadian orders from France were valued at €11.2 million and deliveries at €5.4 million. “The delivery value for 2007 may include 40 [ex-South African AML90 armoured cars] and 45 machine guns…” Elsewhere the report puts the figure at an “estimated 82” Eland Mk7, upgraded in Belgium and exported to Chad via France. Arms deliveries from France in 2008 also included 25 VAB wheeled armoured personnel carriers. “Unofficial sources have reported that Chad ordered 100 Milan anti-tank missiles from France in late 2007.” SIPRI adds that unofficial sources also report that Libya actively supports Chad, including by supplying military aid. “In 2006 two Chadian (Aermacchi) SF-260 light aircraft that Chad has used for ground attacks were overhauled in Libya. “During the fighting in N’Djamena in February 2008 Libya also sent emergency supplies, including ammunition for T-55 tanks and rockets for use on Mi-24 combat helicopters.” In addition to small arms, Israel has delivered RAM-2000 light armoured vehicles in 2006 as well as late last year. Bulgaria delivered SALW or SALW components worth €208 125 and ammunition, possibly for SALW, worth €588 959 in 2006. In 2004 Serbia exported $379 148 worth of small arms ammunition. The Balkan state’s annual arms export report for 2006 listed the delivery of military goods, including small arms and ammunition, via Israel to a number of countries including Chad. This included ammunition worth $873 168. “In 2008, in response to an inquiry by the UN panel investigating the UN embargo on Darfur about Serbian ammunition found in Darfur, Serbia provided information that it had supplied four million rounds of 5.56-mm ammunition for Galil rifles to Chad. Even China, a major supplier to Sudan, has delivered arms to Chad. In 2007 it reported the supply of 10 unspecified light armoured vehicles to Chad. “Unconfirmed reports claim that Chinese military advisors were present in N’Djamena in early 2008 and that in late 2008 a Chinese shipment of armoured vehicles together with 50 containers of arms and ammunition arrived in Cameroon for further delivery to Chad."

DTN News: Friendly Fire Downed Russia Jets In Georgia ~ Report

DTN News: Friendly Fire Downed Russia Jets In Georgia ~ Report

* Russia lost six planes in war, not four, report says

* "Friendly fire" accounts for three of downed planes

* Russia was unsure of its air superiority until war ended

*Source: DTN News / Reuters By Dmitry Solovyov (NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW, Russia - July 9, 2009: Russia lost six planes in its war with Georgia last August, not four as was officially announced, and at least three were downed by "friendly fire", a Russian military journal reported.

In August 2008, an unknown number of Su-25s of the Georgian Air Force participated in bombing raids on targets in South Ossetia during the War in South Ossetia, and Russian military Su-25 undertook air raids on targets in Georgia. The Russian military officially confirmed the loss of three Su-25 aircraft to the Georgian air defense, while it estimates that it destroyed 3 Georgian Su-25 in the war. In early August 2008, Russian Su-25s attacked the Tbilisi aircraft plant, where Su-25 is produced, dropping bombs on the factory's airfield.

Russia defeated neighbouring Georgia and briefly seized large chunks of its land in a five-day war after the U.S. ally tried to retake the pro-Moscow rebel region of South Ossetia.

But the war uncovered serious deficiencies in the Russian armed forces, prompting doubts among some analysts as to whether Moscow would be able to defeat a bigger enemy and spurring the Kremlin to accelerate long-delayed military reforms.

The authoritative Moscow Defense Brief said Russia lost six planes, not four as the government announced at the time, in a report citing military sources and media reports that is to be published on Thursday in its quarterly edition.

"The absence of cooperation between the Russian Army and Air Force led them to conduct completely separate campaigns," said the journal, published by the independent Moscow-based think tank, the Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies.

"Pilots were not fully apprised of the situation on the ground, received inexact and late intelligence, and at the start of hostilities ... they did not even have exact information on the structure and strength of the Georgian Air Defense Forces." Official data provided by deputy chief of the General Staff Colonel-General Anatoly Nogovitsyn showed Russia lost three Su-25 ground attack aircraft and one Tu-22M3 long-range bomber.

But providing crew names, exact times, locations and types of aircraft, the Moscow Defense Brief argued that Russia in fact had lost six aircraft in combat during the five-day war.

The two aircraft that were lost but not mentioned in official reports were Su-24M front-line bombers, the report said.

FRIENDLY FIRE

"Of these (six), two aircraft were certainly downed by enemy fire, three were probably hit by 'friendly fire' and it remains difficult to determine who shot down the last one," it said. Five aircraft fell in South Ossetia and one in Georgia, it said. Contacted by Reuters, Russia's Defence Ministry declined immediate comment. A Georgian Defence Ministry official told Reuters that Georgia had shot down 15 Russian aircraft.

Aside from the downed aircraft, several other Su-25 ground attack aircraft were seriously damaged, though they managed to return to base, the journal said. All of these jets had been hit by shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles, it said. The worst day of the campaign for Russian aviation was the war's second day, Aug. 9, with a total loss of four planes. A transport helicopter was destroyed in South Ossetia a few days after the end of combat when it collided with and badly damaged a helicopter gunship on landing.

"Russian Ground Forces ... were not sure until the end of combat whether Russia's aviation had achieved air superiority," the Moscow Defense Brief said.

"Russian aircraft were frequently taken by Russian and Ossetian forces for Georgian aircraft, and they were fired upon without identification and in the absence of any aggressive action on their part."

(Additional reporting by Margarita Antidze in Tbilisi)

(Reporting by Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Elizabeth Fullerton)

Russian Attack Aircraft To Join Military Drills In Kyrgyzstan

Russian Attack Aircraft To Join Military Drills In Kyrgyzstan

(NSI News Source Info) BISHKEK - April 25, 2009: Russian Su-25 Frogfoot close air support aircraft will take part on Saturday in the active phase of the military exercises conducted by Kyrgyzstan's Armed Forces, the Kyrgyz Defense Ministry said. The Sukhoi Su-25 is a single-seat, twin-engine jet aircraft developed in the Soviet Union by the Sukhoi Design Bureau. It was designed to provide close air support for the Soviet Ground Forces. The first prototype made its maiden flight on 22 February 1975. After testing, the aircraft went into series production in 1978 at Tbilisi in the Soviet Republic of Georgia. NATO assigned the new aircraft the reporting name "Frogfoot". Russian pilots nicknamed it "Grach" ("Rook"). Kyrgyzstan is holding Security-2009 tactical exercises in the south of the country, which involve over 500 servicemen, armored vehicles self-propelled artillery and aircraft. The exercises with live-firing drills are aimed at practicing counterterrorism operations. "A flight of Su-25 attack aircraft from the Kant airbase and Kyrgyz Air Force Mi-24 helicopters will provide aerial fire support during the drills, the ministry said in a statement. The Russian base in Kant, about 20 miles west of the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, was established in October 2003, and currently deploys about 400 troops, including 250 officers and NCOs and 150 conscripts, as well as several Su-25 Frogfoot attack aircraft and Su-27 Flanker fighters, two Mi-8 combat transport helicopters, and four L-39 combat trainers. The 2003 bilateral agreement between Russia and Kyrgyzstan stipulates the presence of the Kant air base in the Central Asian republic for 15 years with an automatic extension every five years after the expiration of the original term. The Kant base is intended to provide air cover for possible operations by the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) joint forces in Central Asia. The CSTO comprises Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Earlier this year, Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev issued a decree to close the only U.S. base in Central Asia, located at Manas international airport near the capital, Bishkek, following talks in Moscow when he reportedly secured more than $2 billion in aid and loans. Both Russia and Kyrgyzstan have denied any link between the aid deal and the closure of the U.S. base.