At the Paris Air Show 2015 in Le Bourget, the Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG is demonstrating the newest MiG-35 multipurpose fighter - according to NATO classification Fulcrum-F, which means "fulcrum".
How the "student" surpassed the "teacher"
The new MiG-35 fighter is a modernized version of the Soviet MiG-29. The MiG-35 aircraft looks very similar to its predecessor model, but in fact it is a fundamentally new, completely different aircraft. It is capable of flying 300 km further, it has more automation, which greatly facilitated the work of the pilot, and, finally, its firepower and combat reserve are significantly increased.
The new multirole fighter will be able to cope with any combat mission better than other machines. This is exactly what the honored test pilot of the USSR, Hero of the Russian Federation Anatoly Kvochur thinks:
"The task of the MiG-35 is the destruction of point hotbeds of hostilities, air defense facilities, or" testing "in large administrative centers, defense enterprises, strategic facilities like nuclear power plants."
Autonomous combat system
The maximum take-off weight of the MiG-35 in comparison with the MiG-29 increased by 30% and reached 23.5 tons. In fact, he moved from the lightweight class to the middle one.
The MiG-35 fighter can rightfully be called an autonomous combat system. Due to the systems of radar and infrared curtains, the aircraft has a high combat "survivability" - that is, it is practically impossible to see it, and, consequently, to shoot it down. The MiG-35 rises to an altitude of 17 kilometers, which allows it to easily destroy a target that is almost 10 kilometers above it.
The MiG-35 is equipped with a modern defense complex, which will minimize a surprise attack from the enemy. It recognizes both aircraft and missiles. "Thirty-fifth" is unpretentious to the quality and length of the runway. In order to rise into the air, it only needs 260 meters of solid and level surface. The fighter is capable of landing at unequipped airfields at night and in adverse weather conditions.
It couldn't be safer
All machine control systems are duplicated. So, for example, instead of the two generators that were installed on the MiG-29, the new aircraft received four at once. You can check all on-board systems before starting the engine, which means you can save fuel while on the ground. This function is performed by a special starter system. A special chic of the MiG-35 autonomous combat system is given by the on-board installation for extracting oxygen from the air.
And also the on-board radar system (BRLS) enables the pilot to find and accompany enemy aircraft at a distance of up to 120 km. The MiG-35 can simultaneously fire at four targets at once and at the same time not "lose sight of" up to ten of them. In terms of the level of integration on board technological solutions related to the fifth generation of fighters, the MiG-35 is unmatched among European aircraft.
Armed "to the teeth"
The MiG-35 can use air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles as attachments. The aircraft is armed with both guided bombs and unguided missiles. To defeat ground targets and enemy fighters, the aircraft is armed with a GSh-301 automatic cannon (150 rounds of ammunition). With a curb weight of 11 tons, the aircraft can accelerate to 2300 km / h. At the same time, he can take 4, 5 tons of weapons on board and fly with him up to 5,500.
The "highlight" of the aircraft is the newest Zhuk-AE radar radar station of the new generation, equipped with an active phased antenna array. The capabilities of the radar allow you to identify moving targets and recognize their type by secondary signs, as well as determine the number of targets in a group. Modern optronics MiG-35 provides air combat day and night within and outside of visual visibility, which corresponds to Western fifth generation fighters.
To increase the survivability of the vehicle in the air, the stake was placed on a developed defense complex, including electronic and optoelectronic systems. In combat beyond visual detection, the most effective way to disrupt an attack directed against you is to effectively interfere with enemy detection and targeting systems. But first, his attack must be detected. And in this respect, the MiG-35 has no equal. The aircraft's two optoelectronic systems - tracking launched missiles and detecting laser radiation - deprive the enemy of the surprise factor and give the fighter pilot enough time to evade an attack or use existing countermeasures.
"Heart" and "gray matter" MiG-35
The new MiG is equipped with RD-33MK engines. It is also possible to equip the fighter with a power plant with a variable thrust vector. Fuel is supplied from five tanks located in the fuselage of the aircraft, as well as in two wing compartments. Their total standard capacity is 4300 liters of fuel. The aircraft uses the SAU-451 automatic control system. This was done to reduce the burden on the pilot. The speeds of combat aircraft are such that a person's reaction is not always sufficient to adequately respond to a sudden threat. During the flight, all information necessary for the pilot is displayed directly on the glass of the cockpit cover. For this, three "displays" are used at once. This concept allows the pilot to conduct air combat without being distracted by instrument control. Three automation systems are responsible for navigation, routing, and guidance to the target at once. One of them, Shchel-3UM, is one of the best targeting systems in the world.
Aircraft structure
The machine is made according to the scheme with a low wing position and relatively far from each other with engines located. The body uses titanium, aluminum alloys, titanium and composite materials. The keel skin is made of CFRP. The plane uses the well-proven K-36DM ejection seat.
The cockpit of the MiG-35 itself is not much different from the cockpit of the ship's MiG-29K. In the MiG-35D version, four multifunctional indicators are placed in the second cockpit, and one of them duplicates the basic information from the cockpit of the first pilot. By the way, in the single-seat version of the MiG-35 aircraft, an additional fuel tank is placed in the place of the second cabin.
Ready for conscription
The general director of the MiG corporation, Sergei Korotkov, is sure that the new fighter is ready to be drafted into the Russian army:
"The purchase of the MiG-35 is provided for in the armaments program, and we have no doubt that in the near future this fighter will begin to enter service with the Russian Air Force."
The Ministry of Defense clarified that the first aircraft can enter the troops as early as 2016. “Until the completion of the development and testing of the aircraft, its purchase is not possible. Tentatively, purchases will be possible from 2016, - this statement was made by the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force, Colonel-General Viktor Bondarev.
Military acceptance of equipment by the Russian Ministry of Defense is a kind of "quality mark". NATO has already christened the new MiG-35 multipurpose fighter, Fulcrum-F, which means "fulcrum". Well, one more "fulcrum" of the Russian Air Force will not hurt. Moreover, according to manufacturers, the service life of the MiG-35 is 40 years.
