In ongoing rearmament programs, special attention is paid to the development and re-equipment of the aerospace forces. In the interests of this branch of the armed forces, orders are issued for the production of new aircraft and helicopters, as well as for the repair and modernization of existing equipment. Plans for the current year provide for the supply of dozens of units of equipment of different classes and types. Some of these plans have already been successfully implemented.
Recent successes
In recent days, the topic of supplying new and repaired equipment to the Aerospace Forces has been raised several times at the official level. So, on August 10, the Ministry of Defense held a Single Day for the Acceptance of Military Products. During this event, Deputy Defense Minister Alexei Krivoruchko disclosed the indicators of supplies of equipment and weapons in the first half of the year. Also named were some types of aircraft and helicopters that have recently replenished the combat strength of the Aerospace Forces.
It is reported that in six months, the industry handed over to the armed forces 2 aircraft and 8 new-built helicopters. Also, 3 aircraft and 14 helicopters were returned to service after repairs. We are talking about MiG-35S fighters, Ka-52 and Mi-8MTPR-1 helicopters, etc. Also received two unmanned aerial complexes with six Forpost-R aircraft. Much attention has been paid to the supply of weapons of destruction - more than 32 thousand different ammunition have entered the arsenals.
During the Single Acceptance Day, it was noted that in the first half of the year, the State Defense Order was fulfilled by 34%. Accordingly, the supply of equipment and weapons to the armed forces will continue - and the Aerospace Forces will again receive new and restored samples.
New items for the armed forces
It should be recalled that in previous months, the Ministry of Defense and Industry have regularly announced the supply of new aircraft. The Single Acceptance Day reports brought this information together.
On March 12, the Ministry of Defense reported that the Aerospace Forces received the first MiG-35S fighters (C - "serial"). The number of these vehicles was not specified. As follows from the latest news, the industry has transferred only two fighters so far. They are part of a batch of six aircraft previously ordered for military and state tests. The state tests of the MiG-35S are planned to be completed this year, after which the issue of acceptance into service will be resolved.
Helicopters are being built and repaired at a faster pace. The number of new vehicles handed over to the army this year includes 6 Ka-52 shock units. In addition, the production and repair of Mi-branded equipment continues. So, until March inclusive, the industry has handed over approx. 12 helicopters Mi-35M, Mi-28N and Mi-28UB - both newly built and after repair and modernization.
Soon
At the last event, some details of deliveries by the end of the year were revealed. So, it is expected that 4 Su-57 fighters will be put into operation at once. After the tests, the Aerospace Forces will transfer 8 new Ka-52 helicopters. Two more Forpost-R complexes with six UAVs are expected. In addition, the Minister of Defense instructed to conclude a long-term contract for such equipment.
New details of supplies for the near future became known on August 11. On the eve of the Air Force Day, Krasnaya Zvezda published an interview with the commander of the Air Force and Deputy Commander of the Aerospace Forces, Lieutenant General Sergei Dronov. During the conversation, all the main issues of the development of combat aviation were raised, incl.procurement and delivery.
The Air Force commander said that over 60 units are expected to be delivered by the end of the year. aircraft of new construction. This number includes an unnamed number of Su-30SM, Su-35S and Su-57 fighters, Su-34 bombers and Il-76MD-90A military transport aircraft. In addition, the delivery of the Mi-28NM and Ka-52 helicopters will continue, as well as new Mi-8AMTSh-VN helicopters are expected. Plans for the supply of unmanned systems were not specified.
Also, the videoconferencing will receive approx. 200 repaired and modernized aircraft units. The models of this technique and their shares in the plans are not named. Obviously, aircraft and helicopters of combat units, mostly of older modifications, are sent for repairs.
Waiting for deliveries
This year, the implementation of a number of contracts for the supply of various aviation equipment continues or begins. There is information about the total time and the number of ordered machines. At the same time, it is not always known how many planes and helicopters should be delivered to the customer this year.
For obvious reasons, the order for the supply of 76 new generation Su-57 fighters until 2028 attracts the most attention. Earlier, the media reported that this year the Aerospace Forces will transfer two such aircraft. Later, Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov spoke about plans to supply four fighters. The other day this was confirmed by the Ministry of Defense.
Last year, the military department signed a contract for the supply of 25 combat trainers Yak-130. The first vehicles should go to the troops this year, and the last will arrive in 2025. The transfer of this technique has not yet been reported. There is also a three-year contract for the production of 24 new Su-34 bombers. At least two or three of these planes can be delivered by the end of the year. The construction of Su-30SM2 fighters is also continuing, but the current contract for 21 aircraft is related to the rearmament of the Navy's aviation, not the Aerospace Forces.
In recent years, there have been significant difficulties in the serial construction of Il-76MD-90A military transport aircraft. The deliveries of such equipment are behind the previously determined schedule, which even led to a renegotiation of the contract on updated terms last year. Nevertheless, the situation is gradually improving, and new transport workers are expected to be commissioned this year. So, since 2020, three aircraft have passed flight tests at once, and their transfer to the customer was only a matter of time. The following aircraft of the series are also under construction.
Needs and supplies
This year, the Aerospace Forces should receive more than 60 aircraft of different classes of new construction, and hundreds of aircraft will go through repair and modernization. These plans are partially met and new deliveries are expected in the coming months. At the same time, the results of the first half of the year transparently hint that now the rate of delivery of finished products will seriously increase.
In terms of the total volume of orders and deliveries, the current year 2021 is not a record and noticeably loses to some periods of the recent past. However, such plans fully comply with the current requirements of the videoconferencing system. Within the framework of the previous State Armaments Program, the share of modern technology was brought to 70% over several years, and now it is necessary to maintain and / or improve this indicator.
It should be noted that even in the absence of quantitative records, the current year 2021 is of great importance for the general rearmament processes. Thus, deliveries of the latest MiG-35S and Su-57 aircraft are gaining momentum, the helicopter fleet is being updated, new UAV models are being sent to the troops, etc. In addition, a reserve is being created for future stages of re-equipment, and new projects of aviation equipment are being prepared.
Thus, the process of re-equipping the aerospace forces continues successfully and yields the required results. Coverage of all major areas has been ensured, and work continues on new ones. It should be expected that plans for the current year will be fulfilled in full on schedule or with a slight delay. And all this will lead to the required growth in the quantitative and qualitative indicators of the Russian military aviation.
