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13.01.2002 03:39:20
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Современность; ВВС;
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статья
Мое почтение!
>Это правда ??? Хотелось бы верить....
Может кому будет интересно: статья Бутовского из Air International за 2000 год. К сожалению только английском. Довольно интересно...
С уважением, Venik
Russian combat aircraft upgrade programmes
[1 Mar 2000] Russia has adopted an ambitious task to upgrade all its military aircraft before 2005. This should allow the country to maintain a modernized air force for a fraction of its replacement cost. Piotr Butowski reviews the current modernization programmes for aircraft in service with the Russian Air Force, Army and Navy.
"Russian military aviation upgrade programmes have largely been driven by Russkaya Avionika (Russian Avionics). This is a small private company founded by a group of progressive designers, most of whom used to work in the Mikoyan design office. They were the first to come up with the idea of modernizing the MiG-29 Fulcrum's avionics suite, using comparatively modest resources. The upgrade proposed by Russkaya Avionika is quite limited in scope: embodying MFI-55 and MFI-68 multifunction liquid crystal displays, MFPU control console, an MVK on-board computer and appropriate interfaces. Initial development was directed towards the MiG-29SMT and after establishing a baseline standard the company installed the same nominal equipment in the MiG-31 Foxhound and Su-30 Flanker fighters, as well as on the Mi-24 and Mi-8 helicopters.
Humpbacked Fulcrum
Modernization of the Fulcrum has priority status in the Russian Air Force, since the service strongly feels the lack of lightweight strike aircraft following the withdrawal of MiG-27 Flogger and Su- 17 Fitter fighter bombers in the early 1990s. The upgraded MiG-29, armed with air-to-surface missiles, will be able to fill that gap.
Upgrading of the MiG-29 has been progressive since its service introduction the 1980s. The first of the upgrades was the MiG-29S. It was equipped with improved N019M radar, R-77 (AA- 12 Adder) air-to-air missiles, three drop tanks (the basic MiG-29 has only one centerline tank) and new bomb racks enabling an increase in weapons load from 4,408lb (2,000kg) to 8,816lb (4,000kg). The intermediate MiG-29SM, tested in 1995-1996, had TV-guided air-to-surface armament, including Kh-29T missiles (AS-14 Kedge) and KAB-50OKr bombs. Finally, in 1997, a deep modernization programme designated the MiG-29SMT, or Izdyelie 9-17 crystallized.
An incomplete mock-up of the MiG-29SMT was shown during the MAKS Air Show in August 1997 at Zhukovsky. Individual elements of the 9-17 programme, such as increased capacity fuel system, new 'stealth' paint finish, and new avionics, were tested on several experimental aircraft. The full set of changes was introduced to the prototype, Bort number '917' (serial number 47-10), and flight-tested on July 14, 1998, with Vladimir Gorbunov at the controls. Within a month the aircraft had passed its initial acceptance trials, carried out by operational military pilots, so that in September it could be shown at the Farnborough Air Show.
The letter 'T' added to the 'SMT' designation stands for 'toplivo', i.e. fuel. Short range and limited endurance has always been the Achilles heel of the MiG-29, which is why the humpbacked conformal fuel tank (placed behind the cockpit of the MiG-29SMT) was added to extend its range performance. Altogether, the MiG-29SMT has 10,524lb (4,775kg) of internal fuel, that is 2,854lb (1,295kg) more than the standard MiG-29 (9-13). Thus, the range at low altitude, with internal fuel only, was increased from 383nm (710km) to 534nm (990km), while the ferry range with additional fuel tanks was increased from 1,132nm (2,100km) to 1,886nm (3,500kni). In 1998 the MiG-29SMT, (like the MiG-29UBT accompanying it) flew non-stop from Moscow to London. Range can be further extended by adding a detachable in-flight re-fuelling probe. This modification can also be applied to any of the existing MiG-29 family.
Mikoyan designers, in contrast to their colleagues from the Sukhoi design bureau, who enthuse about the super-maneuverability of their Su-37 Flanker and S-37 Berkut, have scant regard for airframe and engine upgrades alone. In their view, combat capability is primarily determined by the aircraft's avionics, with aerodynamic performance playing a ,secondary' part. In this respect the MiG-29SMT sets new standards for Russian fighters. It is equipped with integrated digital avionics having a data bus that is compatible with MIL STD 1553B and STANAG 3910, linked to the on-board computer. The new cockpit layout has two 6in x 8in (15.2cm x 20.3cin) MF168 (Mnogo-Funktsionainy Indikator), color multi-function displays, as well as one small MFPU (Mnogo-Funktsionainy Pult Upravlyeniya) multi-function control panel having a monochromatic display. A limited suite of conventional instruments has been left in the center of the main panel.
The MiG-29SMT also has an improved headup display (HUD), HOTAS (hands on throttle and stick) and an upgraded Fazotron NO 19MP radar (with a synthetic aperture mode, enabling terrain mapping to be employed). Navigation has been improved thanks to the addition of a global positioning system (GPS) and an inertial system with laser gyroscopes.
The MiG-29SMT is armed with modern Russian air-to-air missiles including medium-range active-radar R-77 (AA- 12 Adder) and extended range R-27E (AA-10c/d Alamo). The most radical changes, however, have been introduced into the air-to-surface armament. The original 'simple' MiG-29 had no armament in this category at all, whilst the MiG-29SMT is capable of carrying two antiradar/antiship Kh-31 P/A (AS-17a/b Krypton) missiles and two TV-guided Kh-29T (AS-14 Kedge) missiles, as well as up to four TV-guided KAB-50OKr bombs.
As a result of the rise in airframe weight a more powerful engine, the Klimov RD-43 (or VKS10) is under development and is expected to be ready for service later this year. It will develop 22,040lb (98. 1 kN) thrust with afterburner, compared with 18,293lb (81.4kN) of the present RD-33 engine. The RD-43 will also be suitable for retrofitting to all the earlier variants of the MiG-29.
Mikoyan representatives are on record as stating that the RD-133 powered MiG-29 would be flight tested with thrust vectoring nozzles by 1998. Indeed, the movable nozzle for the MiG-29 installation was displayed in June 1998, in Moscow. Now, however, the Mikoyan design team is more skeptical about the need for thrust vectoring. A vectoring nozzle is most useful at low speed, below Mach 0.5, but this only amounts to some 5% of a typical sortie. That said, vectoring nozzles will be incorporated into modernized MG-29s, but not necessarily as a first order priority.
Although the MiG-29 upgrade is the most advanced of all the current programmes, there are stiff substantial delays due to lack of money. Previous announcements have suggested that 24 aircraft from regular military units would have been upgraded to the MiG-29SMT standard by 1999. At the present time, however, only one aircraft, 917-2, with Bort No 01, has been completed. This aircraft is sharing the test programme with 917-1 (Bort No 917). Upgrading the MiG-29 to 'SMT' standard is carried out by Air Force Repair Plant No 121 at Kubinka near Moscow. The overall plan provides for modernization of 150 recently manufactured MiG-29s, with the remainder of the older aircraft being withdrawn from service (presently there are 330 MiG-29 aircraft in Russian combat units and 130 in training units).
All of the above is described by Mikoyan as the 'the first stage' of MiG-29 modernization. Plans for the future, after 20 10, provide for the successive, 'second stage' of MiG-29 modernization. The core of this stage is a modern Zhemchug (Pearl) radar and future long-range K-37M, medium-range K-77M and short-range K-30 air-to-air missiles. Air-to-surface armament will include new generation Kh-36 and Kh-38 tactical missiles, offered as the replacement for the present family of Kh-25M (AS-10 Karen and AS-12 Kegler) missiles with TV, imaging infra-red and antiradar seekers.
Directly following the MiG-29SMT upgrade is modernization of the two-seat MiG-29UB trainer into the MiG-29UBT (Izdyelie 9-52). A prototype numbered '52' was flight tested in August 1998. Changes to the MiG-29UBT are very similar to those introduced in the 'SMT', namely, an increased internal fuel capacity and new 'glass' cockpits. The 'UBT' has also acquired a small Osa (Wasp) phased-array fire control radar (the 'UB' has no radar) for its change in role. No longer just a training aircraft, it is now a multi-role combat aircraft, specifically for those tasks requiring a second crew member. These could include deep insurgency and reconnaissance missions.
Several years ago it appeared that the MiG-31 Foxhound interceptor had lost its raison d'etre. The USA had ceased to be the 'principal enemy', and the MiG-31 was built to perform only one task: to repulse a mass attack from the north by cruise missile-carrying US bombers. However, a potential future for the MiG-31 became apparent following recent USAF cruise missile attacks against Iraq and Yugoslavia. Russia is of the opinion that if Iraq had had MiG-31 interceptors, then the outcome of Operation Desert Storm would have been considerably different.
The prototype of the modernized MiG-31BM, shown for the first time during the MAKS '99 Air Show at Zhukovsky, had still not made its maiden flight at the time this article was written (December 1999). This aircraft has new, upgraded cockpit displays and equipment, similar to those of MiG-29SMT (the lead organization for the upgrade is Russkaya Avionika, also responsible for the MiG-29SMT). The MFI-68 multi-function display fitted in the pilot's cockpit is a remedy for the main drawback of the previous layout, where the pilot had no tactical situation information. More fundamental changes have been introduced into the rear (navigator's) cockpit. In particular, the earlier single-function cathode ray tube (CRT) displays have been replaced by three MFI-68 screens capable of displaying fire control, navigation or tactical information. According to Russkaya Avionika, the search range of the RP-31 Zaslon (Shield) radar has been almost doubled, enabling use of 162nm (300km) range R-37 AAMs. Currently, the MiG-31 is armed with 65nm (120km) range R-33s (AA-9 Amos).
The MiG-31BM for the Russian Air Force will be a pure interceptor, whilst the MiG-31FE export version will have the radar upgraded to track ground targets; the MiG-31 BM's weapon system can be modified to include an air-to-surface missile capability. The MiG-31 shown during MAKS '99, representing the MiG-31FE standard, carried Kh-58 (AS-11 Kilter) and Kh-31 P (AS17a Krypton) anti-radar missiles under the wings. At present there are about 380 MiG-31 s in service with the Russian Air Force.
Another improved fighter, the Su-30 Flanker, Bort No 302, developed in partnership with Russkaya Avionika. and IAPO, the Irkutsk factory which manufactures the Su-27UB and Su-30, made its maiden flight in March 1999 with Anatoly Kvotchur at the controls. The Su30 upgrade is not as comprehensive as that of the MiG-29SMT; the aircraft structure, and a major part of the avionics has remained unchanged. Among the avionics upgrades is a new air-surface radar mode: this comprises a new computer in the NOW radar for surface mapping and moving target image selection and a new computer in the fire-control system for air-to-surface missile guidance. An A737 GPS has also been added to the navigation system. The existing cockpit CRT displays have been replaced by MFI-55s (one 5in x 5in [ 12.7cm x 12.7cm] screen for the front and rear cockpits). According to the Irkutsk factory, the upgraded Su-30 is capable of carrying up to six TV-guided Kh-29T (AS- 14 Kedge) missiles or KAB-500Kr bombs and two long-range TV-guided Kh-59M (AS- 18 Kazoo) missiles, as well as six air-to-air R-77 (AAM-AE or AA-12 Adder) missiles. For air defense suppression the upgraded Su-30 can be armed with six Kh-31P (AS- 17a Krypton) anti-radar missiles.
As previously mentioned, the Russkaya Avionika. company was established by a number of former Mikoyan design bureau engineers. This explains the company's involvement in current MiG upgrade work. The story is somewhat different where the Su-27 and Su-30 fighters are concerned. For these aircraft Russkaya Avionika has a competitor - the Ramenskoye PKB (Priborostroitelnoye Konstruktorskoye Biuro or Instrument-building Design Bureau), which has a long historical connection with the Sukhoi OKB. This team prepared an upgraded Su-30 aircraft for evaluation at the beginning of 1999.
It is quite astonishing that Russkaya Avionika and RPKB should have initially embarked upon the modernization of the two-seat Su-30 (when there are only five such aircraft in Russia), and not the Su-27 single-seater, of which there are around 380. This implies that the main focus of the modernization programme is the foreign market. This was confirmed by the Su-30 upgrade undertaken by Sukhoi and the Ramenskoye PKB, and offered to China as the Su-30MKK (Modernizirovanny Kommercheski dla Kitaya, Modernized Commercial for China). The Su-30MKK is very similar to Su-30 Bort No 302 except that the changes to the pilots' cockpits are more significant. There are two large MFI-9 (7in x 5in) displays in the front cockpit, whereas the rear panel is fitted with single MFI-9 and MFI- 10 (8in x 6in [20.3cm x 15.2cm]) displays. The first Su-30MKK (Bort No 50 1) produced by the Komsomol'sk-on-Amur factory (KnaAAPO) made its maiden flight on May 19,1999 and deliveries to China will begin at the end of 2000.
The companies have stated that the changes tested on Su-30 Bort No 302 and the Su30MKK could be transferred to the single-seat Su-27s. According to the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force, Anatoly Kornukov, most of the Su-27 fleet is going to be upgraded, but the modernization process will not be uniform. Units will have their aircraft upgraded to schedules depending on the tasks assigned to them. In particular, aircraft which prior to the recent merger of Air Force and Air Defence Troops used to belong to the air defense system, will not be adapted to perform air-to-surface tasks. It can be expected that they will only receive new R-77 (R-77M/AA-12 Adder) air-to-air missiles, a GPS receiver, and possibly an air-to-air refuelling capability.
It is not yet known which of the upgrade proposals for the Su-27 and Su-30 aircraft will be selected by the Russian Air Force. The functional differences between diem, as has been shown, are trivial, but personal differences play a large part in the selection process. Until recently the intention to modernize the Su-27 Flanker by the Russkaya Avionika company was more or less openly obstructed by Sukhoi, because of its long involvement with RPKB. However, in the summer of 1999 an important change of personnel took place: one of the founders of Russkaya Avionika, Mikhail Korzhuyev became Sukhoi's deputy general designer for avionics. This may decisively change the Flanker modernization plans. Moreover, Russkaya Avionika's proposal has the advantage of embodying solutions that have already been implemented by the company in the process of modernizing the MiG-29SMT. This aircraft has already been accepted by the Russian Air Force.
'Shturmoviks' get new teeth
It could be expected that because of the Caucasus war the modernization of the Su-25 Frogfoot subsonic attack aircraft should be considered as a priority. In fact, this programme is moving at a snail's pace, due to poor financial support. According to information from the Sukhoi Shturmoviks company, the qualification tests of the modernized Su-25SM single seater and Su-25UBM two-seater will be completed in 2001. Within three successive years, two regiments (about 60 aircraft), that is 25% of the 240 aircraft fleet of Su-25 Frogfoot in the Russian Air Force, will be upgraded.
The upgraded Su-25SM will be fitted with a Pantera (Panther) fire-control system with digital computer and a Fazotron RLPK-25SM Kop'yo (Spear) radar (the standard Su-25 has neither radar nor an on-board computer). The radar and other elements of the upgrade have already been tested on Su-25TM (Su-39) prototypes. However, unlike the Su-25TM which has the radar suspended in an undeduselage pod, that in the Su-25SM will be housed in the nose of the fuselage. The cockpit will be entirely new, with two color LCD screens and a new HUD. Thanks to its multifunction radar, the Su-25SM will be capable of carrying medium range R-27R (AA- 10 Alamo) and R77 (AA-12 Adder) AAMs. Currently, the Su-25 carries only the small R-60s (AA-8 Aphid) for self-defense. The air-to-surface armament will include Kh-29T (AS- 14 Kedge) TV-guided missiles and KAB-50OKr bombs, Kh-25MPU (AS- 12 Kegler) and Kh-31 P (AS17a Krypton) anti-radar missiles, as well as with Kh-31 A (AS-1 7b Krypton) and Kh-35 (AS-20 Kayak) anti-ship missiles.
The Su-25UBM upgraded trainer will also be transformed into a multi-role aircraft with Kop'yo radar, AAMs and ASMs. Modernization of the Su-25UBM is considered to be a greater priority than the 'SM' because the two-seat aircraft will also be used for accelerated pilot training for the Su-25SM. The first Su-25UBM is reportedly under construction in the Sukhoi workshops in Moscow.
In contrast to the above, plans for the modernization of the Su-24 Fencer tactical bomber have been undertaken with considerably less enthusiasm. It is one of the older types of Russian military aircraft in current service. Series production of the Su-24 lasted from 1972 until 1983, whilst the Su-24M was produced between 1979 and 1992. The Sukhoi team has proposed six options to the Russian Air Force for the modernization of the Su-24. The simplest consists of adding GPS to the navigation system, and a helmet mounted sight coupled with R-73 (AA-11 Archer) missiles for self-defense. This would suffice until a complete replacement suite of avionics and weapon systems were developed for the Su-24. The Russian Air Force has, however, only accepted a limited modernization programme for the Su-24. Broader upgrade plans for the Su-24 do not make sense, since manufacture of its successor, the Su-34 (Su-27lb), has already commenced. Russia has, at present, more than 400 Su-24 tactical bombers, mainly the Su-24M version, as well as approximately 150 Su-24MR reconnaissance aircraft. There is a separate programme for modernization of the reconnaissance variants, which will be fitted with new sensors and a data link system.
Anther proposal, albeit modest, was submitted recently by a company called Gefest & T. This is allegedly a creation of the Russian Ministry of Defence, but it 'shares' an address with the Myasishchev Design Bureau. Its proposal suggests replacement of the Su-24's 1970's vintage Orbita- 10 on-board computer with a new SV-24 computer, installation of GPS and an RS-31 (Indikator na Lobovom Steklye) HUD. This would improve both the navigation and free-fall bombing accuracy. The latter would be 'almost as good as that of precision guided bombs', according to the designers. An Su-24 modified in accordance with Gefest & T's proposal is apparently currently undergoing tests at the Lipetsk fighter combat evaluation center.
Long arm flexes its muscle
The primary task of Russian strategic aviation is nuclear deterrence. Presently, however, without weakening its nuclear component, the emphasis is being shifted towards conventional tasks. In the near future, the Russian Long-range Air Force will be transformed into a 'dual-role' force. In 1999, the Air Forces Repair Plant No 360 at Ryam began adapting Tu-95MS Bear H strategic bombers to carry conve6tional Kh- 101 cruise missiles. This missile, which has been undergoing tests for several years, can hit a target at a distance of 3, 100 miles (5,000km) with a CEP (circular error probability) of 65ft (20m). The upgraded Tu-95MS is designed to carry eight Kh-101 missiles suspended on underwing multiple launch racks.
Twelve Kh-101 missiles will also form the armament of upgraded Tu-160 Blackjacks. Until recently the programme had been delayed due to limited aircraft availability, but this situation has been alleviated with the purchase by Russia of eight Blackjacks from Ukraine and a newly assembled aircraft dig will be completed at the Kazan factory.
At present the primary weapon of the Bear-H and Blackjack is the Kh-55 (AS- 15 Kent) air-launched cruise missile. Refurbishment is planned to increase the missile's service life, and to upgrade it to the new Kh-555 standard. No details of the upgrade are available, but it will probably consist of improvements to the navigation system and the engine.
A modernization programme for the theater-level Tu-22M3 Backfire-C bomber started in 1992, designated Tu-22M5. The upgraded aircraft will be fitted with a new radar incorporating terrain avoidance capability. There is no information about the progress of this work, but it is probably fairly well advanced. The upgraded Backfire will carry four Kh101 subsonic cruise missiles, but its basic armament is, and will remain, heavy supersonic ASMs. At present, the Tu-22M3 typically carries one or a maximum of three Kh-22 missiles (AS-4 Kitchen). In the near future this will be replaced by the new Kh-32, with unproved propulsion, navigation and seeker head.
The upgrade programme for Russian maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft is based on a radar, electro-optical sensors, sonobuoys and magnetometer, processing suite and displays developed by Leninets of St Petersburg and named Sea Dragon for export (its original Russian name is not yet known). When compared with the current Berkut (Il-38) and Korshun (Tu- 142) systems, Sea Dragon is capable of performing a wider range of tasks. Apart from ASW search and surface surveillance, the system may be also used for monitoring coastal zones, electronic reconnaissance, search and rescue operations and engaging surface targets, or even air targets in self-defense.
The long-range Tu- 142 Bear-Fs (approximately 55 in service) are relatively new, with production ceasing only in 1994. There are plans for extending their service life in order to keep them operational for at least the next 20 years. The medium-range Il-38 May was manufactured between 1967 and 1972. Currently, some 35 aircraft are still in active service and they will remain on strength until at least 2007-2012.
The first modernization programme for the ASW Kamov Ka-27 Helir began as early as the early 1980s, initially as the Ka-28 export version and then for the Soviet Union as the more capable Ka-27M. The original Osminog (Octopus) ASW system remained generally unchanged, but includes a new Izumrud (Emerald) sonobuoy system. New types of torpedoes and ASW missiles were also integrated. The prototype Ka-27M has been tested but series production was not initiated. Present plans call for upgraded Ka-27 helicopters to be fitted with a limited variant of the Sea Dragon system. Almost 200 Ka-27s are in service with the Russian Navy, but only small number of them will be covered by the modernization programme.
Rotary-wing night-time hunters
Modernization of the Mi-24 Hind, the Russian Army's principal combat helicopter, with around 900 examples in service, enjoys a high priority status and covers the airframe, rotors, avionics and weaponry. Upgrade plans have been on the drawing board for a number of years; models were built and a full-size mock-up Mi-24VM (Mi-35M for export) has frequently been presented at air shows since 1994. It was, however, only in February 1999 that flight tests of the Mi-24VM prototype began at the Mil Design Bureau airfield at Panki on the outskirts of Moscow.
During nearly thirty years of incremental development of the Mi-24 it has grown heavier and heavier and its flying qualities and performance have worsened progressively. The modernized Mi-24VM is nearly 1,300lb (600kg) lighter than Mi-24V with an empty weight of 17,720lb [8,040kg], compared with the latter's 18,998lb [8,620kg]). It has shortened stub wings, a fixed undercarriage and the main and tail rotors have been replaced with lighter units 'borrowed' from the Mi-28N helicopter. The new main rotor increases the thrust by some 660lb (3kN).
New weaponry has also been taken from the M-28: Ataka-V (Attack) anti-tank missiles and Igla-V (Needle) anti-aircraft missiles. The Ataka missiles are suspended in APU-8/4U eight-round clusters, which permits 16 missiles to be carried, compared with the eight prior to modernization, in spite of the use of the shorter span wings. Self-defense equipment has also been comprehensively updated. The Berioza (Birch) radar-warning receiver has given way to the more modern software controlled Pastel system, while the ASO-2V flare dispensers have been replaced by UV-26 dispensers. Completely new are the infrared Mak-UFM (Poppy) and laser Otklik (Response) warning systems - at present there are no such devices on the Mi-24 helicopters.
However, giving the Mi-24 an all-weather day/night capability proved to be rather difficult and its achievement is still some way off. There have been many proposals for a night capable Hind, provisionally designated Mi-24VN, The first option and probably the most obvious, consisted of transferring some of the systems used on the new Mi-28N to the Mi-24VN. Among these are the PNK-24 flight-navigation system and the Tor-24 (Path) observation and targeting device. This proposal is still on offer and exists in a mockup version, although it has not yet been presented in public.
A subsequent proposal, prepared in cooperation with France and targeted for export, consisted of installing a separate night operation capable avionics system manufactured by Sextant Avionique and Thomson-TTD Optronic, leaving the current Raduga (Rainbow) sighting system unchanged. This upgrade was presented for the fast time at the Paris Air Show in June 1995 (under the export name Mi35M). However, co-operation with the French partners was terminated in 1997.
The next two iterations of the Mi-24VN concept were shown in August 1999 at MAKS '99. Shown under its export designation Mi-350 (Obozrenie, or Survey), the helicopter was fitted with avionics developed by Ramenskoye PKB. The MFI- 10 display was installed in the pilot's cockpit, whilst the remaining analogue instrumentation and displays remained unchanged. The Mi-350's crew will be equipped with ONV-1 (Ochki Nochnovo Vidyeniya) night vision goggles. The Mi-350 was displayed with a representative GOES-320 giro-stabilized optical sighting turret, manufactured by UOMZ (Uralskiy Optiko-Mekhanicheski Zavod, Ural Optical-Mechanical Plant) of Ekaterinburg, mounted under the starboard side of the fuselage nose. In its present configuration the turret contains a Sony EV1331 color TV camera and Agema THV 1000 forward-looking infra-red (FLIR), used only for observation and not for aiming. In the near future the helicopter will be equipped with the definitive standard GOES342 Samshit (Boxwood) combined observation and aiming turret, containing a TV camera, FLIR, laser range-finder and thermal direction finder (infra-red goniometer). The latter device is used to track a target and pass its coordinates to the anti-tank missile homing system. Thus, Samshit will take over the entire task of target detection and fire control, whilst the daytime-only capable Raduga will be removed.
Another Russian Ministry of Defence Mi-35M project, flown at Zhukovsky, was addressed at unknown foreign clients. There is no external difference between it and the standard Mi-35 (Mi-24V), but the upgraded helicopter has new cockpits adapted for night vision goggles and is fitted with LCD screens.
In the pilot's cockpit there are two MFI-68 color displays, whilst the MFPU control console is installed on the left-hand side in the gunner's cockpit. As can be seen from the equipment selected, the upgrade has been devised by Russkaya Avionika. The helicopter also has an A737 GPS receiver.
In summer 1999, the Russian Ministry of Defence ordered the upgrade of six Mi-24s for night-time operations, destined for use by an experimental combat group operating in the Caucasus. The order also included four upgraded Mi-8MTO transport helicopters, equipped with an UOMZ electro-optic turret (hence the 0 for Obozrenie/Survey in the designation). This order was reportedly doubled at the end of 1999, but in fact only two Mi-8s were converted before the end of 1999 and no Mi-24s had been modified.
The prototype of the Mi-8MTO Hip (its export name is Mi- 17N) has been undergoing tests since April 1999. Its crew will be equipped with ONV-1 night vision goggles and the helicopter has been fitted with a GOES331 giro-stabilized turret containing a low-fight level TV camera, FLIR and a laser range-finder, for night observation. New avionics include an A737-00 GPS and two NM-68 displays in the pilots' cockpit.
The Kazan factory and main manufacturer of Mi-8 and Mi- 17 helicopters, also offers a structural upgrade, including installation of new composite blades offering 6,000 hours of service life, more powerful engines (including foreign units), new transmission and a new scissors-type tail rotor. The Mi-8 (Mi- 17) is the most widely used transport helicopter in Russian military service and is also operated by several dozen other countries in considerable numbers. The helicopter has been in continuous production since 1965 in several variants.
Russian sources have also mentioned upgrading other important military aircraft, but details on these programmes are very scarce. These include the Ilyushin/Beriev A50 Mainstay Airborne Warning and Control System, the Mi-8SMV Hip-J electronic warfare helicopter and the Il-22 Coot-B strategic airborne command post."
/source: Air International, March 2000, pp. 146-151/