Friday, September 04, 2009

DTN News: Russian Firm Confirms Syria Deal For MiG-31 Fighter Jets

DTN News: Russian Firm Confirms Syria Deal For MiG-31 Fighter Jets *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW, Russia - September 4, 2009: A top Russian official confirmed the existence of a contract for the supply of MiG-31 fighter jets to Syria but said work on the planes had been frozen, the daily Kommersant reported Sept. 3. The most capable Russian air defense interceptor aircraft, the FOXHOUND has a multiple-target engagement capability and was the first Soviet fighter to have a true look-down, shoot-down capability. The key to the MiG-31's effectiveness is the SBI-16 Zaslon fixed phased array antenna radar, codenamed 'Flash Dance' by NATO, which is said to be the world's most powerful fighter radar. The new Soloviev D-30F6 engine was specified for the MiG-31 in order to improve range, the key performance parameter for which an improvement over the MiG-25 was demanded. By 1987 over 150 FOXHOUNDs were operationally deployed at several locations from the Arkhangelsk area in the northwestern USSR to the Soviet Far East. The FOXHOUND is dedicated to the homeland air defense mission. The FOXHOUND carries the long-range AA-9 air-to-air missiles, and can engage 4 different targets simuitaneouly with the M-9. The wings of the aircraft are high-mounted and swept-back with square tips and a negative slant. There are four underwing pylons. There are two turbofan engines in the fuselage. There are rectangular and diagonal cut air intakes on sides of the fuselage. The exhausts extend beyond the tail plane. The fuselage is rectangular from the intakes to the exhausts and has a long, pointed nose. The aircraft has a bubble canopy. The tail fins are back-tapered with angular tips and canted outward. The flats are swept-back and tapered and mid- to low-mounted on the body. In 1992 the Chinese reached agreement with the Russian Federation to buy 24 MiG-31 Foxhound long-range interceptors. The MiG-31s were expected to be assembled at a newly set-up factory in Shenyang, with production at a rate of four per month expected by 2000. The last aircraft was to be delivered by the year 2000. According to some reports the agreement included a license to build as many as 700 aircraft, and some projection envisioned that at least 200 would actually be deployed by the year 2010. The first stage of tests of the upgraded MiG-31BM high-speed multifunctional long-range jet fighter were completed in mid-1999. The main difference between the MiG-31P (Foxhound, according to the NATO classification) and the new MiG-31BM multifunctional air strike system is that the latter is capable of destroying both air and ground targets. The designers and manufacturers of the MiG-31 hope that the new modification will result in international sales. The upgraded MiG-31BM is fitted with a powerful onboard computer system and a radar with a phased array which will allow the pilot to simultaneously activate the air-to-air and air-to-surface missile fire modes. When working with air targets, the MiG-31BM is capable of intercepting up to 24 targets simultaneously. "A few years ago, two contracts were signed: one for [the supply to Syria of] MiG-29s and one for MiG-31s," the head of Russia's United Aircraft Corporation, Alexei Fedorov, told the paper. "Consultations on this contract are now ongoing, so its future is unclear." Kommersant reported in May that Russia had halted work on the modernization of the fighter jets at the Sokol aviation plant in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod. But Russia's state arms exporter has dismissed such reports as rumors. The $400 million to $500 million (280 million euro to 350 million euro) contract for the delivery of eight MiG-31s fighter jets was inked in early 2007, according to Kommersant. It cited sources close to the arms exporter in May saying the supplies of the planes had been frozen under pressure from Israel over fears the weapon sales could offset the balance of power in the region. According to a government official cited by Kommersant, the contract had been suspended after Damascus could no longer afford the planes. In 2005, Moscow forgave 70 percent of Syria's total debt of $13.4 billion. United Aircraft chief Federov nevertheless told the paper the Russian plane maker was counting on completing contracts, as production at its factories has slumped amid the global financial crisis. "Negotiations are ongoing, I hope that in the end the contracts will be realized. We put a lot of hope in it stabilizing the situation in Nizhny Novgorod," he was quoted as saying.

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