NEWS 2022 March, 22

USAF deploys F-16s from Aviano AB to Croatia

Two F-16s deployed from Aviano Air Base, Italy, to Croatia on March 16, taking part in  combat employment exercises and bolstering NATO’s southeastern flank, the Air Force announced.

The F-16 fighters’ arrival comes just a few days after a military drone crashed in the Croatian capital of Zagreb amid nearby war between Russia and Ukraine. Croatian officials say the drone had a bomb, but they have not determined whether it was Russian or Ukrainian. The incident has led Croatian leaders to criticize NATO for a perceived slow response.

On March 15, Newsweek reported that Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said in a press conference that the U.S. would send the F-16s to “give support of Croatia’s security.”

A subsequent press release from U.S. Air Forces in Europe stated that the fighters would deploy to Croatia’s 91st Air Base at Pleso, just outside the capital.

This marks just the latest deployment of USAF fighters to Eastern Europe. In the lead-up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, F-16s deployed to Romania, F-15s went to Poland, and F-35s landed in Germany. As the invasion first unfolded, F-35s from Germany were deployed to NATO’s eastern flank, including Romania. A B-52 also deployed to the region around the same time, as part of what USAFE called a “long-planned Bomber Task Force Europe mission over the Arctic and Baltic Sea regions.”

airforcemag 

NATO deploys Patriot missiles to Slovakia

The Patriot air defence system has started arriving in Slovakia from NATO countries.

The system will be operated by German and Dutch troops and will initially be deployed at the Sliac airport to help reinforce the defence of NATO's eastern flank.

The Patriot system will be part of a new NATO battlegroup in Slovakia, which neighbours Ukraine.

Russia has warned against any shipments of advanced air defences to Ukraine and has warned it may target Western arms supplies.

reuters

Production of first New Zealand P-8 has started

Boeing has “laid the keel” of the first P-8A destined for the New Zealand Defence Force, . New Zealand holds orders for four of the jets.

Aircraft keels run the length of fuselage bellies, though P-8 keels have “unique aspects of the P-8 configuration, such as the integration of an internal weapons bay”, Boeing says.

The New Zealand Defence Force will use the Boeing-built maritime patrol aircraft, powered by CFM International CFM56 turbofans, to replace six ageing Lockheed P-3K2 Orion turboprops.

Current operators include the armed forces of Australia, India, Norway, the United Kingdom and the USA. Customers yet to begin flying the jets include Germany, New Zealand and South Korea.

flightglobal

MiG-31 Still Strong launching Kinzhal Hypersonyc Missiles in Ukraine war

Russia announced the use of the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal (Dagger) air-launched high-speed ballistic missile for the first time against a target in Ukraine on 19 March.

A video released by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of the Russian Federation purportedly showed the missile being used against a Ukrainian ammunition depot in the west of the country.

janes

Russian Air Force suspends Flights of MiG-31 fighters due to air crash in Siberia

Flights of the MiG-31 fighters have been suspended until the causes of the Monday crash of this aircraft are found out, a source in the Chief Command of the Russian Aerospace Forces told TASS. "The decision to suspend the flights of this type of aircraft has been made until the causes and circumstances of this air accident are established," the source said. According to him, the emergency plane pilots were promptly found and evacuated by the search group. "Their lives and health are not in danger, they will soon return to their duties," the source said. According to him, "the preliminary cause of the MiG-31 fighter crash is a technical failure." Gallery 23 photo © Sergei Savostyanov/TASS Russian Air Force: best warplanes, helicopters and airlifters The Russian Defense Ministry reported earlier on Monday that the MiG-31 crashed fighter was performing a planned training flight. The fighter of the Central Military District’s Air Force and Air Defense grouping went out of control during a combat mission drill and crashed in a wooded area 40 kilometres northwest of the town of Kansk," the ministry added.
tass.ru

Syria reportedly receives MiG-31 interceptors from Russia

The Syrian government has received six MiG-31 'Foxhound' interceptor aircraft from Russia under a deal that was said to have been signed in 2007.
The aircraft recently arrived at Mezze Airbase on the outskirts of Damascus.
Syria was reported to have ordered eight MiG-31 combat aircraft as part of a wider defence deal with Russia in 2007. Neither the Russian nor the Syrian authorities have so far commented publicly on the reported deliveries.
Until the arrival of the MiG-31s in Damascus is confirmed, it should be treated with an element of scepticism. With the regime of Bashar al-Assad finding itself increasingly hard-pressed on the ground, it has to be noted that a state-of-the-art high-altitude interceptor is probably of limited use right now.
The delivery has been linked to Western proposals for a no-fly buffer zone to be established over Syria, but while the MiG-31s would certainly give NATO planners pause for thought, their small number and single basing location would mean that they would likely be destroyed in the early hours of any alliance effort to establish air dominance over the country ahead of implementing such a no-fly zone.
janes

Russia to launch MiG-31 replacement programme before end of decade

Russia is to begin developing a replacement for the MiG-31 'Foxhound' interceptor before the end of the decade, state media reported on 12 August.
Development of the next-generation PAK-DP (Predpolagayemyy vozdukha Kompleks dlya Dal'ney Perekhvat - Prospective Air Complex for Long-Range Interception) aircraft is to start in 2019.
The Russian Air Force (VVS) is currently upgrading 130 of its approximately 200 'Foxhound' aircraft to the latest MiG-31BM standard. This upgrade encompasses the aircraft's avionics, cockpit displays, datalinks, radar, and fire control systems, and will see the fuselage and landing gear refurbished also.
By the time this process is complete by the end of 2019, the MiG-31BM will be fit to serve through to the 2030s. Even so, the VVS has said that it is looking to field a replacement in about the 2028 timeframe. Specific details, such as performance specifications, pertaining to this PAK-DP replacement have not yet been released.
janes

Experts skeptical about Russia's Tu-160 bomber production plans

Recent declarations by Russian officials regarding plans to re-start production of the Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bomber, combined with various other announced procurements, are being met with scepticism by a number of experts. The two reasons most commonly cited for this are that Russian industry lacks the numbers of qualified personnel necessary to support so many procurements taking place simultaneously and that the funding available is nowhere close to what would be required.
The Russian deputy defence minister for procurement, Yury Borisov, told news outlets on 4 June that the envisioned new-build Tu-160 would essentially be a new aircraft due to its onboard systems being several generations beyond the 1980s-era avionics suite of the original Tu-160. "This aircraft would be designated the Tu-160M2," he said, adding that, "according to our plans, this will most likely happen sometime after 2023".
In addition to the plan for a modernised Tu-160, another initiative calls for 130 Mikoyan MiG-31 interceptors to be brought up to the MiG-31BM configuration. Central to that upgrade is the installation of a new avionics suite, modernised crew stations fitted with state-of-the-art displays and a new variant of the onboard radar set.
In addition, the chief of staff of the Russian Air Force (VVS), Colonel General Viktor Bondarev, is also calling for large numbers of Sukhoi Su-30MK, Su-35 and T-50/PFI fifth-generation fighters, Su-34 fighter-bombers, and a new domestic version of the MiG-35 that was formerly proposed for export to India.
A commonly cited weakness of today's Russian defence sector is that the workforce is only a small fraction of its former, Soviet-era size, with a commensurate drop in its capacity.
janes

Russian MiG-31 Successfully Downs Cruise Missile in Military Drills

A Russian MiG-31 (Foxhound) interceptor successfully downed a cruise missile that was fired by a Tu-95MS (Bear) strategic bomber over the Pemboi Range in Russia’s northwestern region, the Russian Defense Ministry’s Central Military District’s press service said Thursday.
sputniknews

Russia receives two MiG-31BM squadrons

Russian Air Force has taken delivery of 24 modernised MiG-31BM 'Foxhound' interceptors.
12-13 MiG-31 airframes will be upgraded each year and more than 130 aircraft are expected in the inventory.
United Aircraft Corporation is modernising 110 interceptors by 2019.
The service life of the modernised aircraft will be 40-45 years, and could be extended to 50. Russia's MiG-31 aircraft have been operational for 20-30 years.
janes

Russia's MiG-31 to Stay in Service Until 2026

The MiG-31 interceptor aircraft will stay in service with the Russian Air Force until 2026, the head of the MiG corporation said Wednesday.
The Russian Air Force has over 120 MiG-31 interceptors in service and more aircraft in reserve.
The MiG-31, the fastest fighter-interceptor in service anywhere in the world, has been the subject of a comprehensive upgrade to MiG-31BM standard.
The upgraded MiG-31 aircraft is able to perform all tasks within a radius of 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles).
The MiG-31 is a long-range supersonic interceptor jet. The two-seater aircraft can intercept targets up to 200 kilometers (124 miles) away thanks to its advanced radar and long-range missiles. It can operate efficiently in all weather conditions and is equipped with state-of-the-art digital avionics.
The MiG-31 was first used in the Soviet Air Force in 1981. Production of the aircraft ended in 1994 but it remains in service in the Russian and Kazakh air forces.
sputniknews

Kazakhstan to acquire Su-30SM fighters

Kazakhstan is to acquire the Sukhoi Su-30SM 'Flanker' as it looks to recapitalise its Soviet-era fighter force.
The disclosure was made by the Commander in Chief of the Kazakhstan Air Defence Forces , during a visit to the Irkutsk Aviation Plant where the Su-30SM is built.
The government announcement did not disclose aircraft numbers or delivery timelines.
The Su-30SM has been developed from the Indian Su-30MKI and is intended by the Russian Air Force as a stop-gap until the Su-35 and Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA enter service later in the decade. The two-seat Su-30SM features an improved radar, communications, and ejector-seat system. In addition, the aircraft's weaponry configuration has been adjusted to Russian specifications.
Kazakhstan currently fields MiG-27, Su-25, MiG-31, Su-27, and MiG-29, all inherited from the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.
Kazakhstan has recently been procuring Western aircraft for the first time in the guise of the Airbus C295 transport aircraft, as well as EC145 and Bell UH-1 Huey II helicopters (and has been touted as a potential customer of the Airbus A400M transport aircraft).
janes

Finnish Air Force reports intense Russian activity in Baltic

The Finnish Air Force revealed on Tuesday that unusually intense Russian activity has been detected over the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea in general during a major military exercise by the Russian Armed Forces.
The activity was first detected on 6 December and has continued between Sunday and Tuesday. It remains unknown when the exercise is scheduled to end.
Finnish Minister of Defence, estimated on Tuesday that the activity is clearly a show of force by Russia.
The activity has prompted the Finnish Air Force to step up its air-policing operations by, for example, adjusting the number of Hornet jets on stand-by at several airbases. Nato has similarly bolstered its efforts to monitor the airspace of Sweden and the Baltic countries.
The activity is unusual also in light of the number and types of aircraft detected in the region.
The detected detachments have included bombers, stealth and interceptor jets as well as transport aircraft.
Perhaps the most unusual aircraft is Tupolev Tu-95.
None of the aircraft have violated Finnish airspace.
The aircrafts have been moving between mainland Russia and Kaliningrad, back and forth.
In addition to the Tupolev Tu-95, Finnish jets have identified Tupolev Tu-22M bombers as well as Suhoi Su-27 and MiG-31 jets. Suhoi Su-24 and Suhoi Su-34 jets as well as Ilyushin Il-76 and Antonov An-26 multi-purpose aircraft have also been detected over the Baltic Sea.
helsinkitimes

Norway F-16 intercepts a Russian MiG-31 off the coast of Norway

Video footage released by the Norwegian ministry of defence shows a Norwegian F16's close encounter with a Russian MiG in international air space. The military would not confirm when or where the incident occurred but said such incidents were rare.
theguardian

Russia Sends Mig-31 Foxhound Fighter Jets To Ukraine Border, In Escalation Of Tension Over Separatist Region

In a move that could tip the balance of the Ukrainian conflict in favor of the Russian-backed separatists, Russia is sending a unit of advanced interceptor fighters to an airbase close to the Ukrainian border. Operating from there, the Mig-31 fighter jets would be able to survey airspace well inside Ukraine without actually flying over the country.
ibtimes

Russia to Develop MiG-31 Replacement Starting In 2017

Russia is hoping to start developing a replacement for the Mikoyan MiG-31 Foxhound interceptor starting in 2017 according to state media.
“From 2017 we will start working on a new long-range interceptor to replace MiG-31,” Col. Gen. Viktor Bondarev, commander of the Russian Air Force, told RIA Novosti.
Russia hopes that the new interceptor will enter service in 2025. Bondarev had said in 2013 that the Russian air force was hoping to induct a MiG-31 replacement by 2020. Russia still has at least 122 MiG-31s, which it is expecting to retire by 2028.
usni

Russian Air Force will use modernised MiG-31 for another 15 years

MiG-31 interceptor will be modernised to remain at Russia’s Air Force for another 15 years, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said after visiting several defense enterprises in Nizhny Novgorod.
“The aircraft is being modernised, and it is made here, in Nizhny Novgorod, at the Sokol aircraft plant.”
itar-tass

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Suggests Resuming MiG-31 Interceptor Aircraft Production

The production of MiG-31 interceptor aircraft should resume, as they could prove effective for another 15 years, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said Friday.
“The aircraft had no rivals. That was the opinion of the Military-Industrial Commission, the Defense Ministry, the industry on the whole and even the State Duma, which used to hold special hearings on the subject of the interceptor. The production should be revived, as the jet is being upgraded. This fighter will certainly be effective for another 15 years, with its various modifications that are up to today’s military requirements,” Rogozin said.
The deputy prime minister went on to say that he believed the aircraft had big export potential and expected high demand for the MiG-31.
The MiG-31 is a long-range supersonic interceptor aircraft based on the MiG-25. The MiG-31 went into production in 1979, with some 500 delivered. In 1994, production of the jets was curtailed.
ria.ru

Several Russian Tu-95MS bombers fly over Arctic

Several Russian Tu-95MS strategic bombers escorted by MiG-31 flew over the Arctic on Wednesday.
The flights were scheduled in advance and were made in compliance with the international rules of using airspace without trespassing the borders of other countries.
itar-tass

RAC MiG continues on “radical modernization” of the MiG-31

Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG and Aviadvigatel have confirmed that work continues on “radical modernization” of the MiG-31 Foxhound, with the focus on extending the performance of the aging, out-of-production Mach 3 interceptor so that it can carry out not only air-defense duties but also serve the recently established VKO, the Russian acronym for the country’s Air and Space Defense (Command). Under a directive from the Russian defense ministry, RAC MiG is working on new versions of the aircraft more capable than the current MiG-31BM.
The Russian government has decided to support MiG-31 development and modernization following heated discussions in parliament. Aviadvigatel has submitted reports about the current status of the D30-F6 fleet, the equipment used to manufacture it and the supply of parts. There were 1,500 engines and 500 airframes built. The existing MiG-31 fleet has amassed a moderate number of flying hours and their engines have a long lifetime remaining. There is a stock of engines and spares.
Russia currently has 180 MiG-31s. The aircraft first flew in 1976, and the follow-on MiG-31M first took to the sky in 1985. The MiG-31D appeared in 1987 and demonstrated its ability to fly at Mach 2.83 with six long-range air-to-air missiles on a typical 3.5-hour intercept mission. During a trial in 1994 a developmental MiG-31 destroyed a low-flying target from a distance of 162 nm (300 km).
The most recent variant, the MiG-31BM, is a multirole aircraft with the redeveloped Zaslon-M passive phased-array radar, capable of detecting up to 10 targets simultaneously at a range of up to 175 nm (324 km). It can employ the RVV-BD active radar-guided weapon, with a firing range of 108 nm (200 km). The MiG-31BM can also carry R-77 infrared-guided air-to-air missiles, Kh-31 air-to-surface missiles and KAB-500 EO/IR-guided bombs. The Sokol plant in Nizhny Novgorod continues to upgrade in-service aircraft to the MiG-31BM configuration at a rate of 15 aircraft per year. The facility has a Russian MoD contract for about 60 MiG-31BMs for delivery between 2011 and 2018.
ainonline

Russian Air Force Lets MiG-31 Fly Again After Crash

The Russian Air Force will restart flight operations on Monday by its fleet of Mikoyan MiG-31 interceptor aircraft that were grounded earlier this month following a crash.
Two aircrew ejected safely from their MiG-31 in the far east of the country on December 14, after an apparent engine failure. The MiG-31 fleet was grounded two days later as a precautionary measure.
ria.ru

MiG-31 Flights Suspended in Russia After Crash

Russia’s Air Force has grounded all MiG-31 Foxhound interceptor jets while investigators establish the cause of a crash of one of the planes.
The temporary suspension was imposed after a MiG-31 crashed near the Tsentralnaya Uglovaya airbase outside Vladivostok in Russia’s Far East on Saturday.
Investigators are examining the maintenance record of the plane, which they said crashed while on its first qualifying flight after a major overhaul. The Defense Ministry announced that one of the MiG-31’s two engines failed just before the accident.
A MiG-31 crashed in Kazakhstan in April, killing its pilot and injuring its navigator, four months after it had been overhauled. Kazakhstan, the only other country to use the MiG-31, temporarily suspended flights following the crash.
The Russian Air Force has 122 MiG-31 in service.
A modernization program was launched in 2011 to give the 30-year-old jet new radar, avionics, cockpit displays and a firing control system that can track ten targets simultaneously. Sixty of the upgraded models, designated the MiG-31BM, are to be delivered by 2020.
Russia announced in September 2012 that a MiG-31 squadron would be stationed on the Arctic island of Novaya Zemlya as part of a nationwide air defense system. The Air Force said in August that it plans to keep MiG-31s in service until at least 2028.
ria.ru

Russia Deploys New Interceptors to Novosibirsk

A new group of Mikoyan MiG-31BM Foxhound interceptor aircraft has been deployed in Siberia’s Novosibirsk region to protect industrial installations there, the Defense Ministry said on Thursday.
The deployment is part of a program to reinforce the air unit responsible for the safety of Siberian airspace, the ministry said in a statement.
Previously, the airspace over Novosibirsk was guarded by a unit of fighters based in the city of Omsk, but that was disbanded in 1998.
The MiG-31BM interceptor is a recently introduced upgraded version of the MiG-31, equipped with a new fire-control system, extending the aircraft's target detection range up to 320 kilometers and engagement range up to 280 kilometers.

ria