The commotion around the MiG-29KR fighter-bomber that fell into the Mediterranean Sea has subsided. It makes sense to ask a few questions.
Depends on a situation. The Ministry of Defense explained that the plane had interrupted the training flight due to a technical malfunction. The pilot managed to eject, was discovered by the rescue service a few kilometers from the aircraft carrier and brought aboard.
The emergency happened a few kilometers before the aircraft-carrying cruiser "Admiral Kuznetsov" during the approach of the MiG-29KR carrier-based fighter for landing. The Ministry of Defense reported that "nothing threatens the health of the pilot found in the water."
Perfectly. I have already said more than once, and I will repeat once again that we can afford to lose airplanes for now, and the pilots must be protected.
However, nothing was reported about a technical malfunction that led to the crash of the aircraft. It is quite logical, because the plane sank, and hardly anyone will be concerned about lifting it in the near future in order to determine the cause of the disaster. Or it is known (the pilot reported exactly why he pressed the red button), but they will be silent about it.
The training of the pilot is beyond doubt, otherwise we would have lost him. The low approach altitude does not leave much time for thought, so God grant the pilot health and get back into action as soon as possible.
A few words should be said about airplanes.
When a little less than a year ago we wrote that another naval aviation flight regiment was formed (100th OKIAP, Yeysk, Krasnodar Territory), we were pleased to announce that brand new aircraft would enter its armament.
And so it happened. Even the labeling confirms this. What is the difference between the MiG-29K and the MiG-29KR?
"R" is Russian. That is, the MiG-29K, which India uses on its aircraft carrier, now differs from the MiG-29KR. And LTH (increased tanks and added equipment for refueling in the air), and avionics. Today these are different aircraft, whatever some "experts" may say, claiming that they are the same aircraft that were sold to the Indians for their aircraft carrier Vikramaditya. And which the Indians are not quite happy with.
But the MiG-29KR are new aircraft, not modernized from the old Soviet stocks, namely the new ones produced by JSC RSK MiG under the 2012 contract. And there are nuances here.
Shortly before the release of Admiral Kuznetsov, information appeared about the incomplete test cycle of the MiG-29KR / KUBR aircraft and the barely begun training of pilots for them. It is worth recalling here that Kuznetsov traditionally carried Su-33 and Su-25UTG aircraft from the 279th OKIAP of the Northern Fleet's Naval Aviation.
In early July 2016, the aircraft of this regiment arrived on the aircraft carrier after undergoing training at the NITKA training complex in the Crimean town of Saki. But the MiG-29 fighter-bombers from the 100th OKIAP were supposed to take over the aircraft carrier later, since they were in Yeisk, where, during the time of Crimea's belonging to Ukraine, they began to build another NITKA complex, a more modern one.
At the beginning of this year, an interview was published on the website of the Ministry of Defense, more precisely, part of the report of the head of the naval aviation of the Navy, Major General Igor Kozhin. The report was devoted specifically to the readiness of the Krasnodar simulator NITKA.
“The construction of the springboard and the accelerating section has been completed, they are ready for commissioning. As of today, the availability of aerofinishers is 90%. Their construction will be completed in May … The entire complex will be fully commissioned by the end of this year."
And on September 6, 2016, news agencies circulated more detailed explanations of Kozhin:
“While the tests are going on, so we cannot say about the future. So far, everything is positive. We have already carried out a very large part of the tests, but in general they are designed until 2018. For the time being, the aircraft will be used to a certain extent. The tests are a long process, but the lion's share of the tests concerning the ship, we will carry out this year."
Comparing these two statements, we can draw the following conclusion: the complex in Yeisk is not ready.
At the same time, there is no special information about the state of the Crimean complex either. The complex is working, training is underway. Point.
In general, it seems that our Ministry of Defense is in an extremely unpleasant situation. We have all heard a lot about how “wonderful” everything is with the Crimean infrastructure. Perhaps this also applies to the THREAD in Saki in full measure. So, I had to patch up and repair. But something was not enough for the complex in Yeisk. Perhaps money.
It is possible that the full test cycle of the MiG-29KR / KUBR did not pass by the beginning of the campaign. It is complete, since I think it is clear that working in a ground airfield is different from working on the deck of an aircraft carrier.
Of course, the pilots of the 100th OKIAP began such training as soon as they left. However, in aviation circles they believe: if the NITKA complex in Saki, which returned to Russia along with the Crimea, had not been deprived of due attention, the training of combat pilots of the 100th OKIAP for flights on the MiG-29 from the deck of a ground "aircraft carrier" could have been started yet a year ago.
Meanwhile, according to official data, at the NITKA complex in Saki, only seven pilots from the 100th OKIAP underwent training for flights on the MiG-29KR / KUBR. There is no data at all about how many planes were "tested".
Summary: the disaster in the Mediterranean could well have been caused by insufficient work with aircraft during the preparation period.
This suggests the conclusion that if we want to have a full-fledged air group of the new MiG-29KR, then the complex in Yeisk should be given much more attention than it really is.
