Combat Training Yak-130 of Myanmar Made its First Flight

The first Yak-130 advanced jet trainers for Myanmar Air Force first flew in Irkutsk.
Combat training aircraft Yak-130, built by an aircraft factory "Irkut" Corporation, it was designed as an advanced trainer aircraft and has light strike capability.
Took to the skies over Irkutsk, Yak-130 has an "export" serial number and is intended for delivery to Myanmar under the contract in 2015. Myanmar should get about ten of these aircraft, the first three aircrafts under the contract will be delivered up to the end of 2016.
Myanmar will become the fourth foreign buyer of Russian combat training aircraft Yak-130, also bought Algeria, Bangladesh and Belarus.
defense-studies

Russia Signed First Export Contract of Ka-52 Alligator Attack Helicopters

Russia has signed its first contracts on the export of Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopters, the head of Rosoboronexport’s delegation in Paris Air Show 2015 said Thursday.
Rosoboronexport did not specify the volume of contracts or with whom they were signed.
sputniknews

Sukhoi to sign another contract with India on FGFA

Sukhoi plans to sign another contract with India in the framework of the joint project for the construction of a fifth generation multipurpose combat jet.
The intergovernmental agreement on this project was signed back in 2007. Three years after, the sides inked a general contract on joint design and production and then the first engineering development contract. Works under this agreement were completed in 2013.
In December 2010, Rosoboronexport and India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Russian aircraft maker Sukhoi Company signed a preliminary design development contract worth $295 million for the new aircraft.
The IAF had initially planned to order 166 single-seat and 48 twin-seat fighters, but India’s chief of air staff said in October 2012 that New Delhi would now go for only 144 single-seat jets, with domestic production slated to begin in 2020.
rbth.com

Russia Deliveres Last Batch of Mi-171E Helicopters to China

Russia delivered the last batch of Mi-171E transport helicopters built at the Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant to Chinese company Poly Technologies.
It's the last batch under a contract for 48 helicopters signed in 2012 by the Chinese company and Russia's arms exporter Rosoboronexport. In total, with additional contracts, 52 helicopters were delivered.
China currently operates more than 160 Mi-171 helicopters.
ria.ru

Russia to advance Yak-130 aircraft to Mongolia, Vietnam, Latin America

Russia is seeking to advance its Yak-130 aircraft to Mongolia, Vietnam and Latin America. The arms exporting company Rosoboronexport and the aircraft corporation Irkut are doing the same in Latin America. Although foreign partners have reiterated their interest in purchasing this plane, no concrete contracts have been made so far.
Bangladesh will receive 16 Yak-130 planes before 2016 under a loan provided by Russia.
Russia would bid in tenders for the supply of multirole fighter jets, air defense systems, helicopters and submarines to Asia Pacific countries.
itar-tass

Faulty Avionics Gear Grounds Some Indian Su-30s

Avionics failures have led to the grounding of more than 20 of India’s Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets, with Indian and Russian officials each suggesting the problem subsystems could have been supplied by the other side.
The avionics faults have included the head-up display and the mission computer.
India has contracted to acquire 272 Russian-designed Su-30 aircraft, with 140 being license-produced by HAL.
The remainder is being provided by Russia in three phases; the first began in 1996. The grounded twin-engine planes were built in India.
No HAL official would publicly comment on the faulty avionics systems but a source in HAL said the firm has sent letters to Russian arms exporter Rosoboronexport complaining about faulty subsystems supplied by Irkut, the original equipment manufacturer.
A Russian diplomat said it is not clear whether the problems have been caused by subsystems supplied by Irkut or subsystems procured from Indian vendors by HAL. Aircraft built in India use subsystems from both countries.
India began licensed Su-30 production in various phases in 2004, and it expects to produce the last of the 140 aircraft by 2016.
In addition to technical problems with the subsystems, the cost of the India-built aircraft is as much as 30 percent higher than the aircraft provided by Russia.
The Indian Air Force has often complained about the shortage of spares and high-tech subsystems from Russia, hampering aircraft maintenance.
The Russian diplomat said a steady supply of spare parts cannot be ensured because of erratic orders from India, slowing deliveries. Moreover, HAL and the Indian Air Force do not make long-term inventory and requirements plans.
defensenews

U.S.-Russian Helicopter Deal In Spotlight After Crimean Annexation

Pressure is mounting in Washington to axe a $550 million contract with a Russian state arms dealer for military helicopters after Moscow’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea territory.
But more than half of that money has already been spent, while Russia has only delivered a fifth of the promised aircraft.
As of March 20, the Department of Defense had disbursed $290 million to Rosoboronexport under the current $553.8 million contract for 30 Mi-17 helicopters to be used by Afghan security forces.
As of the same date, six of the 30 helicopters had been delivered.
Amid pressure from U.S. lawmakers who said contracts with Rosoboronexport were helping Russia prop up Syrian President government, the Pentagon announced last year that after consultations with Congress, it had opted not to purchase any more helicopters from the firm. The current contract, however, would continue.
But members of Congress have renewed efforts to have the contract scrapped entirely in light of Russia’s takeover of Crimea.
U.S. military officials and defense experts have said the Russian-made aircraft are well-suited for deployment in Afghanistan. U.S. commanders in Afghanistan prefer the Mi-17 because of its durability and the fact that Afghan forces already have experience operating the aircraft.
Should the current contract ultimately be canceled or otherwise interrupted due to possible sanctions, it was not immediately clear whether the United States could recoup any of the $290 million it has already paid to Rosoboronexport for helicopters that have not been delivered.
rferl.org

Angola getting 12, not 18 Su-30 fighters

The Angolan Air Force will receive 12 ex-Indian Su-30 fighter jets from Rosoboronexport and not 18 as was previously reported, with deliveries scheduled to take place from next year.
In October last year it was reported that Angola had purchased 18 former Indian Air Force Su-30Ks. The Su-30s Angola will reportedly receive were offered to a number of other countries, including Belarus, Ethiopia, Vietnam and Sudan. Early last year, Russia was in discussions with Ethiopia to procure the aircraft, as Ethiopia already operates the Su-27, but this seems to have fallen through.
The Indian Air Force has ordered more than 200 Su-30MKIs in a number of batches. The early models delivered were basic aircraft without features like canards and thrust vector controls, and it is these 18 early model aircraft (ten Su-30MK and eight Su-30K fighters delivered between May 1997 and December 1999) that were returned to Russia and replaced with more advanced Su-30MKIs.
India had intended to upgrade these early aircraft but instead used them as part-exchange for new aircraft. They were retired in 2006 and sent to Repair Plant in Belarus in 2011. They remain still there.
The remaining six of the 18 ex-Indian Flankers will be sold to another country with a firm contract for them to be signed soon.
The Angolan Air Force currently flies around half a dozen Su-27s, out of 18 originally delivered. It also has other Sukhoi aircraft in its inventory, the Su-22 and Su-24.
defenceweb

Russia to Deliver SU-30K Fighter Jets to Angola

Russia’s state arms export monopoly said Friday that it will deliver 12 Su-30K fighter jets to a nation in southern Africa.
Earlier this year, it was widely reported in Russian media that Moscow had agreed to supply 18 of the jets to Angola.
The Su-30K fighters in question are a batch of aircraft initially supplied to India in the late 1990s, prior to Delhi receiving the more advanced multirole Su-30MKI variant. They were returned to Russia in 2007 and have since lain idle in a Belarusian repair plant.
ria.ru

Pentagon Says It Won’t Buy More Russian Copters

The Pentagon won’t buy more Mi-17 helicopters from Rosoboronexport, Russia’s state-owned export company, after completing a $572 million contract signed in June.
There are not plans to purchase additional Mi-17s from Rosoboronexport beyond the 86 already purchased for the Afghanistan military.
The decision means that the Defense Department won’t continue to seek $345 million that it had requested to buy 15 more of the helicopters.
bloomberg

Russia Delivers 12 Helos for Afghan Army

Russia’s military export organization Rosoboronexport said Nov. 1 that it had completed deliveries to the US government of 12 transport helicopters destined for the Afghan National Army.
Deliveries were completed last month. The 12 Mi-17V-5s were ordered in 2012.
That deal involved the purchase by the US of 21 Mi-17s to bolster Afghan military transport capabilities in the run-up to the withdrawal of NATO combat forces by the end of next year.
The US Congress tried to block the purchase of helicopters from Rosoboronexport due to Russia’s continuing supply of military equipment to Syria.
defensenews

US 'Seriously Concerned' About Turkey's Chinese Missile Choice

The United States is “seriously concerned” about NATO ally Turkey’s controversial decision to select a Chinese company for its long-range air and missile defense system.
Ankara’s announcement last month that it was launching discussions with the China Precision Machinery Export-Import Corporation (CPMIEC) for the deal, according to media reports — irritated Turkey’s allies in NATO, particularly the United States.
CPMIEC, which makes the HQ-9 missile system, beat out competition from a US partnership of Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, Russia’s Rosoboronexport, and Italian-French consortium Eurosam.
The Chinese company has been hit by a series of US sanctions over the past decade, accused of selling arms and missile technology to Iran and Pakistan.
NATO said missile systems within the transatlantic military alliance must be compatible with each other.
Turkey launched the tender for 12 missile batteries in 2009. It had previously defended the choice of CPMIEC saying it had offered the best price.
defensenews

Angola Inks $1Bln Arms Deals With enclosing SU-30, with Russia

Rosoboronexport has signed a $1 billion deal package with Angola to deliver military equipment, build an ammunition plant and provide maintenance services.
Rosoboronexport will supply 18 Su-30K fighter jets to the southern African nation.
The Su-30K fighters in question are a batch of aircraft that were initially supplied to India in the late 1990s, prior to Delhi receiving the more advanced multirole Su-30MKI variant. They were returned to Russia in 2007,and have since lain idle in a Belarusian repair plant.
They had previously been offered to Belarus, Sudan and Vietnam.
Also on the list are Mi-17 transport helicopters, tanks, artillery, firearms and ammunition.
ria.ru

INS Vikramaditya to sail India on Nov. 30

Russian-built aircraft carrier refitted for the Indian Navy will finally leave for India on November 30, following an overhaul that is years late, and cost over twice the original budgeted price.
The carrier Vikramaditya, which is now five years past its original 2008 delivery date, was supposed to have been handed over to India in December 2012 after the contract was renegotiated, but had to undergo additional repairs after last year’s sea trials revealed that the vessel's boilers were not fully functional due to problems with their insulation. The problems revealed during sea trials last year have been fixed.
Russian arms exports monopoly Rosoboronexport said in September that the Vikramaditya will be handed over to India on November 15 and was expected arrive at the Indian naval base at the port of Mumbai by February.
The warship, previously known as the Admiral Gorshkov, is a Project 1143.4 or modified Kiev class aircraft carrier commissioned by the Soviet Navy in 1987 and decommissioned in 1996 after cuts to the Russian Navy fleet.
The Indian Navy has already taken delivery of some of the carrier's MiG-29K naval fighter aircraft, that were completed before their parent ship was ready for sea.
en.ria.ru

Turkey Defends Choice of Chinese Missiles

Turkey on Wednesday defended its decision to enter talks with China to acquire its first long-range anti-missile system, in spite of protests from its ally Washington.
It also made clear that no deal had yet been finalised.
In an official statement last week, Turkey said it has "decided to begin talks with the CPMIEC company of the People's Republic of China for the joint production of the systems and its missiles in Turkey".
China Precision Machinery Export-Import Corp (CPMIEC) beat out competition from a US partnership of Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, Russia's Rosoboronexport, and the Italian-French consortium Eurosamrs in the tender.
The United States reacted with alarm to news that Ankara had chosen the Chinese firm, slapped with US sanctions for delivering arms to Iran and Syria, to build the air defence and anti-missile system.
Turkey wants to build its own long-range air defence and anti-missile architecture to counter both enemy aircraft and missiles.
NATO has also raised concerns over possible compatibility issues between the Chinese-made system and others used within the alliance.
defensenews

Russia, Cameroon Ink Mi-17 Helicopter Deal

Russia is to deliver Mi-17 military transport helicopters to Cameroon.
The deal was signed by Russia’s state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport, and Cameroon’s Defense ministry at the MAKS-2013 International Air Space Show.
ria.ru

S-300 Anti-Aircraft Missile System Bound for Iran Scrapped

The S-300 advanced air defense missile systems that Russia refused to deliver to Iran have now been completely dismantled and scrapped, the CEO of the company that built them said Thursday.
"The equipment that was to have been delivered to Iran is no more," Almaz-Antey Corporation's CEO Vladislav Menshchikov said. "We have dismantled it completely. Some elements, which could be used, have been used. Some have been scrapped."
Every contract is made for a particular client and cannot be adjusted to the requirements of another, he said.
Russia signed a deal in 2007 to provide Iran four S-300 batteries. Russia annulled the contract in 2010 due to concerns over its nuclear program. Iran filed a $4 billion lawsuit for compensation over the failed deal, which is pending review in an international arbitration court in Geneva.
Russian daily Vedomosti said in June, citing undisclosed Russian arms industry sources, that Russia had offered to provide Iran with Antei-2500 air defense systems, but the offer was never officially confirmed.
Anatoly Isaikin, the head of Russia's state-run arms export monopoly Rosoboronexport said in mid-August his agency had no plans to provide Iran with replacements for the S-300 missile defense systems that Russia had refused to deliver.
themoscowtimes

Russia in talks with Ethiopia on 18 ex-IAF Su-30Ks

Rosoboronexport says it is in talks with Ethiopia to sell 18 Su-30Ks that were returned by India. These aircraft are currently in Belarus.
ria.ru

Iraq to get the Russian Night Hunter Helicopters

Russia will supply over 10 Mi-28NE ‘Night Hunter’ attack helicopters to Iraq under a multi-billion dollar agreement. These helicopters are the export version of the Mi-28N, produced by the Russian Helicopter Corporation. Russian deputy general director at Russia’s state arms exporter Rosoboronexport, said the $4.3 billion arms transfer agreement signed between Moscow and Baghdad includes the transfer of attack helicopters, training of aircrews and technicians, as well as the weapons systems typically employed with these helicopters.
defense-update

Russia Offers Upgrade Package for RMAF's MiG-29N

Russias's official arms sales agency has offered an upgrade package for the Royal Malaysian Air Force's 18-year-old MiG-29N Fulcrum jet-fighters.
Rosoboronexport's upgrade package will extend the aircraft's lifespan by 40 years.
Sources said Rosoboronexport believed this to be a better option than the Malaysian government's plan to replace the Fulcrums in its multi-role combat aircraft (MRCA) replacement programme due to lower costs involved in an upgrade package compared with purchasing new aircraft.
defense-studies