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tphuang

03-24-2006, 04:50 PM

kind of wanted post a couple of russian air force news, but there is no thread for it, so I figure I will start a new one. I suggest we should start an American one, A non-China Asian one and an European one too.

Anyhow. the news:
http://www.defencetalk.com/news/publish/article_005313.php
recent su-34 induction also means export. I guess it's not su-32FN but rather su-34 itself that the Russians are marketting now. Other than Tu-160, is there anything the Russians are not selling?

Introduction of Su-34 will create export potential - official

NOVOSIBIRSK: The introduction of Russia's latest fighter-bomber into active service with the country's air force will make the plane more attractive on global export markets, the head of the corporation producing the aircraft said Thursday.

"Widespread use of the Su-34 following its purchase by the Russian Air Force will boost sales on external arms markets," Sukhoi holding Director General Mikhail Pogosyan said.

Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov earlier said his ministry planned to purchase 18 Su-34 Fullback fighter-bombers in 2006-2008, and equip an air force regiment with 24 of the new aircraft by 2010.

Pogosyan also said the introduction of the Su-34 would play an important part in the future of the Chkalov Aircraft Production Association in Novosibirsk, West Siberia, where the new plane is being manufactured.

"Annual production of 15-20 Su-34 will see the enterprise working at optimal capacity," he said, adding that production could ensure stable sales and lower the plane's production costs.

The $36-million Su-34 fighter-bomber is a two-seat strike aircraft equipped with twin AL-31MF afterburning turbojet engines. It is designed to deliver high-precision strikes at heavily guarded targets in any weather conditions, day or night, and fields weaponry including a 30mm GSh-301 cannon, up to 12 Alamo or Archer AAMs, ASMs, and bombs.

It is designed to replace the Su-24 Fencer frontline bombers in the Air Force.

how the mighty have fallen, an order of 24 by 2010 is considered to be huge

Russian Air Force to add 24 newest warplanes by 2010 - Russia's Defense Ministry
NOVOSIBIRSK: Russia's Defense Ministry will purchase a regiment of 24 newest Su-34 planes for the Air Force by 2010, Deputy Prime Minister, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov told reporters on Thursday.

"Everything has been coordinated and decided upon in a short-term perspective. The Defense Ministry was granted the right from 2004 to conclude long-term three-year contacts with defense companies. As a result, two batch-production Su-34 planes will be purchased in 2006, six in 2007, ten in 2008, with purchases increasing in coming years. Therefore, we have to buy a whole regiment of 24 Su-34 planes in 2010," the deputy prime minister said.

Air Force chief Vladimir Mikhailov, who is accompanying Ivanov on his tour of Siberian defense firms, told reporters that two Su-34 have already been manufactured and soon will be supplied to the army.

"It is planned to purchase in the future ten such aircraft each year," he said.

According to the Defense Ministry, the Air Force currently has ten regiments of frontline Su-24 bombers, which will be gradually replaced by new Su-34 fighter-bombers.

The Air Force has 222 Su-24 planes and 100 Su-24MP reconnaissance planes.

Speaking about the modernization of defense sector companies, Ivanov said it should be implemented at the expense of the Investment Fund, not the Stabilization Fund.

"We need to re-equip companies of the defense-industrial complex, because otherwise we'll be unable to develop quality and competitive military hardware. But I doubt that we have to take money from the Stabilization Fund, because there is the Investment Fund available," said the deputy prime minister who in charge for defense sector problems in the Cabinet.

"There's another side to the issue. There are companies that invest their own funds, derived from profit, in the reequipping of production assets," Ivanov said.

For example, the Chkalov aircraft company purchased two high-tech machine tools with its own money, which are as effective as a whole shop.

"One shouldn't make the federal budget carry 100 percent of expenses," the deputy premier said.

NAPO is the largest producer of Su planes. It is part of the Sukhoi aviation holding company. It produces Su-34 fighter-bombers and An-38-120 multi-purpose planes and participates in the program of developing the RRJ regional plane. It also upgrades Su-24M bombers.

MIGleader

03-24-2006, 05:05 PM

This isnt taken directly from the russian sources. Defencetalk as translated it. in the russian army, the plane is known as the su-27IB. The su-34 is only the export designation.

The ruskies seem to have high hopes for there aircraft. This is despite the fact this plane has been out since 1991, and as been displayed to foreignners in numerous MAKs and moscow airshows, but yet has not gathered any signifigant foreign interest whatsoever.

tphuang

03-26-2006, 12:29 AM

There we go, su-34 going for 36 million each. I guess the Russian fighters are still pretty cheap, aren't they?

I'm guessing they are talking about AL-31FM as the engine of su-34 rather than AL-31MF. Meaning, uprated engine, but no TVC

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060323/44703617.html

NOVOSIBIRSK, March 23 (RIA Novosti) - The introduction of Russia's latest fighter-bomber into active service with the country's air force will make the plane more attractive on global export markets, the head of the corporation producing the aircraft said Thursday.

"Widespread use of the Su-34 following its purchase by the Russian Air Force will boost sales on external arms markets," Sukhoi holding Director General Mikhail Pogosyan said.

Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov earlier said his ministry planned to purchase 18 Su-34 Fullback fighter-bombers in 2006-2008, and equip an air force regiment with 24 of the new aircraft by 2010.

Pogosyan also said the introduction of the Su-34 would play an important part in the future of the Chkalov Aircraft Production Association in Novosibirsk, West Siberia, where the new plane is being manufactured.

"Annual production of 15-20 Su-34 will see the enterprise working at optimal capacity," he said, adding that production could ensure stable sales and lower the plane's production costs.

The $36-million Su-34 fighter-bomber is a two-seat strike aircraft equipped with twin AL-31MF afterburning turbojet engines. It is designed to deliver high-precision strikes at heavily guarded targets in any weather conditions, day or night, and fields weaponry including a 30mm GSh-301 cannon, up to 12 Alamo or Archer AAMs, ASMs, and bombs.

It is designed to replace the Su-24 Fencer frontline bombers in the Air Force.

xihaoli

03-26-2006, 12:47 AM

Does the su-34 come with retractable wings or is the picture just a su-33??

Sea Dog

03-28-2006, 08:56 PM

"Russian naval group receives warm welcome at U.S. base"

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060328/44879132.html

"The visit expands the geography of naval cooperation between the Russian and the U.S. navies," the official earlier said. "In the past, warships from the Pacific Fleet visited San Diego, Seattle, Honolulu and the Americans visited Vladivostok and Petropavlovsky-Kamchatka [in the Russian Far East]."

tphuang

03-31-2006, 11:26 AM

This is a really big day for the Russians. Make a note of this, they are receive Tu-160s (multiple!). For some reason, I have a feeling they might never have more than 20 of these things in active service. Also, mass procurement of Su-34, Yak-130 and Mi-28! Wow, the Russians are on a roll. I'm guessing purchasing 6 counts as mass procurement now?
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060330/44991744.html

Air force commander talks up future plans with foreign officers

MOSCOW, March 30 (RIA Novosti) - The commander of Russia's air force outlined the future of the country's air power Thursday during a meeting with military attaches in Moscow.

Although Russia's pilots have suffered from a lack of air time and other problems since the collapse of the Soviet Union 15 years ago, General Vladimir Mikhailov was upbeat about the air force's ambitious plans over the next few years, which should see several new aircraft commissioned and innovative technology applied.

In particular, the commander said a fifth-generation plane, whose development should be completed in 2007, would be virtually invisible to air-defense systems.

"We have been using technologies that have existed since the 1980s to develop the fifth-generation plane," Mikhailov said, adding that Russian-made air-defense systems had intercepted and shot down a U.S. Stealth bomber during the 1999 NATO air-strikes against Yugoslavia.

The general said Russia was close to completing the development of military unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), but refrained from giving a specific timeframe. All R&D work has been recently assigned to the MiG corporation, Russia's leading manufacturer of military aircraft, he said.

Mikhailov also said the air force would start the mass procurement of Su-34 Fullback fighter-bombers, Yak-130 trainers and Mi-28 Havoc attack helicopters in 2006.

He said the Su-34 development program had been corrected in 2002 and the plane had been largely improved, especially in terms of new avionics and electronic equipment. "Therefore, it [the Su-34] will not need modernization for the next 10 years," Mikhailov said, adding that the plane would be deployed not only by the air force but also by the navy.

Speaking about the Mi-28, the general said it would become the backbone of Russia's attack helicopter fleet. He added that a unified helicopter-manufacturing corporation similar to a new airplane corporation, which should consolidate manufacturers in a single holding, would be established soon.

Mikhailov said the delayed delivery of Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers to the air force had been caused by a decision to modernize the aircraft during their assembly, but was quick to add that the long-range aircraft would nevertheless enter service in the near future.

"We will start receiving new Tu-160s very soon," he said.

Head of the Strategic Air Command Igor Khvorov said last year that two new Tu-160 bombers would be deployed in 2006 taking the total of aircraft under his command to 14.

General Mikhailov also said Russia was ready to lend transport planes to NATO for carrying cargo and expressed the hope that the issue could be coordinated during the G8 summit in St. Petersburg in July.

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060330/44985727.html
S-400 looks to be in better shape now. Good news for China? Export likely to happen soon?

S-400 air defense systems to be put on duty in 2006

MOSCOW, March 30 (RIA Novosti) - New Russian air-defense systems will go on combat duty in the Russian army in 2006, a senior military official said Thursday.

"S-400 systems will be put on combat duty this year," Russian Air Force commander Vladimir Mikhailov said at a meeting with foreign military attaches.

However, he specified neither the timeframe nor the future location of these systems.

The S-400 (NATO reporting name SA-20 Triumf) is an advanced surface-to-air missile system designed to destroy aircraft, cruise missiles, and short- and medium-range ballistic missiles at ranges of up to 400 kilometers (250 miles).

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060331/45045407.html
I really wonder how long can this export trend continue with Russians exporting the latest they have in their inventory

MOSCOW, March 31 (RIA Novosti) - Russia increased its military hardware exports to more than $6 billion in 2005 and supplied 61 countries, President Vladimir Putin said Friday.

"Russia's military exports have achieved another success: the 2005 results exceed target by 20% and their volume topped $6 billion," the president said at a meeting of the committee for military-technical cooperation.

Putin said "major achievements" included sales of naval hardware and increased cooperation with the Commonwealth of Independent States, the loose alliance of countries that replaced the Soviet Union, and the Collective Security Treaty Organization, a grouping that unites six CIS members in closer security efforts.

The president highlighted contacts with Southeast Asia and in the Middle East, saying that regional powerhouses India and China remained leading importers of Russian armaments.

He was also upbeat about the recent arms export agreements with Algeria. Contracts for the delivery of 40 MiG-29SMT Fulcrum fighters, 20 Su-30 MK Flanker fighters, 16 Yak-130 Mitten combat trainers, eight battalions of S-300 PMU2 Favorite air defense systems and 40 T-90 main battle tanks were signed during Putin's recent visit to the North African country.

Russia's state-controlled arms exporter, Rosoboronexport, accounts for 85% of a total country's arms exports, with the Sukhoi aircraft holding, and aerospace corporations MiG and Salut accounting for the remaining 15%.

Sea Dog

03-31-2006, 04:06 PM

"Major Russian Naval Exercises to be held in the Pacific"

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060331/45028392.html

The seven-day exercises off the Kamchatka Peninsula will involve main naval groups of the northeast joint command, including ships, submarines, aircraft and coastal defense troops, which will practice interoperability in simulated combat operations

Thee Russians are indeed trying to demonstrate that they can put together an effective naval response.

bd popeye

03-31-2006, 04:32 PM

"Major Russian Naval Exercises to be held in the Pacific"

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060331/45028392.html

The Russians are indeed trying to demonstrate that they can put together an effective naval response.

The Russians also have sent ships to Guam to operate with the USN.

Yellow Sea (March 31, 2006) - The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Chosin (CG 65) and the Russian Navy Udaloy-class destroyer Marshal Shaposhnikov (DDGHM 543) sail in formation during a joint Russian-U.S. Navy exercise. The Russian Federation Navy made the first visit of a Russian Navy vessel to the U.S. territory of Guam in order to participate in a joint humanitarian assistance and disaster relief exercise.

http://www.navy.mil/management/photodb/photos/060331-N-7293M-549.jpg

tphuang

04-06-2006, 10:14 AM

well the Russians are certainly getting some export sales still, but how long will this continue? How many more big deals do they have left?
http://www.defencetalk.com/news/publish/article_005475.php

Russian President Vladimir Putin was proud to announce last week that, in 2005, Russia's arms exports, worth $6 billion, exceeded their targets by 25 percent. In the past year Rosoroboroneksport, the state arms exporter, has sealed weapons contracts worth $18 billion, according to Putin a 61 percent jump.

While arms sales are a clear economic indicator, they also demonstrate the extent of Russia's influence around the world. Recent arms deals seem to show that Russia is building on its former influence, both in the Middle East and in Latin America.

Speaking at the Federal Military-Technical Cooperation Service (VTS) on March 30, Putin noted that Russia's arms sales have expanded in geographical scope. In particular, Putin, who is chairman of the commission, noted that, since Russia allowed defense companies other than Rosoboronexport to export weapons, Sukhoi and MiG have made significant gains on international markets.

In 2005, Russia sold weapons to 61 countries, mainly in South-East Asia, the Far East, and the Middle East. China and India are the biggest buyers of Russian arms (about 80 percent), although other countries are now beginning to challenge these top buyers. In this context, Putin mentioned Algeria, which in March agreed to buy $7.5 billion worth of Russian arms.

Commission Head

As the head of VTS, Putin has lobbied for the sale of Russian weapons systems during his visits to Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, Turkey, and Middle Eastern countries.

The supply of Russian weapons to Syria and Iran has been of great concern for both Israel and the United States. Under international pressure, Putin eventually barred the sale to Damascus of Iskander-E tactical missiles, which could have changed the balance of power in the region. However, Russia continues to supply Syria with Strelets (SA-18) surface-to-air missiles, which in the view of Israeli specialists could be easily dismantled and handed over to terrorists.

In December 2005, Moscow also agreed to sell 30 TOR M-1 air-defense missile systems to Tehran. In addition to Syria and Iran, Moscow has negotiated sales agreements with Sudan. Also, Moscow continues to sell small arms and helicopters to the Hamas administration in the Palestinian Authority, which is boycotted both by Washington and Jerusalem. All in all, Russia should sell weapons worth $4 billion to Iran, worth $2 billion to Syria, and worth $400 million to Sudan, the Rosoboroneksport website (http://www.roe.ru) reported.

Venezuela Deal

In 2005, another Russian weapon deal irritated the United States: Moscow and Caracas signed an agreement that allowed for the sale to Venezuela of 100,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles and 15 Mi-17 and Mi-35 combat helicopters. A year later, speaking in Venezuela on April 3, President Hugo Chavez said he is ready to buy more Russian arms.

In addition to Venezuela, Russia sells weapons to (or is negotiating with) Columbia, Bolivia, Mexico, and Chile. And Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov, who is deputy chairman of VTS, plans to discuss military-technical cooperation during his visit to Brazil and Argentina on April 4-9. One of the focuses of the talks should be joint Russian-Brazilian aviation projects.

FreeAsia2000

04-06-2006, 11:20 AM

well the Russians are certainly getting some export sales still, but how long will this continue? How many more big deals do they have left?
http://www.defencetalk.com/news/publish/article_005475.php

The deals are big in themselves but what's more important is the way the Russians are moving into all sorts of markets in a BIG way ...the last time this happened was in the late 50's early 60's...

the end of the cold war appears to have given way to a similar scenario
to the end of WW2

having all these arms deals will give the Russians a lot of input into all these countries in the future

tphuang

04-22-2006, 06:15 PM

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060422/46792049.html
I wonder what's going on here. Seems like the Russians are trying to flex their muscles again.

MOSCOW, April 22 (RIA Novosti) - Russian military planes flew undetected through the U.S. zone of the Arctic Ocean to Canada during recent military exercises, a senior Air Force commander said Saturday.

The commander of the country's long-range strategic bombers, Lieutenant General Igor Khvorov, said the U.S. Air Force is now investigating why its military was unable to detect the Russian bombers.

"They were unable to detect the planes either with radars or visually," he said.

Khorov said that during the military exercises in April, Tu-160 Blackjack bombers and Tu-95 Bears had successfully carried out four missile launches. Bombing exercises were held using Tu-22 Blinders.

By the end of the year, two more Tu-160s will be commissioned for the long-range strategic bomber fleet, Khorov said.

Both new planes will incorporate numerous upgrades from the initial Soviet models, the commander said. The bombers will be able to launch both cruise missiles and aviation bombs, and communicate via satellite.

MIGleader

05-19-2006, 09:26 PM

Russian Army to get new weaponry in 2006
RIA Novosti
Fri, 19 May 2006, 00:46

Moscow: The Russian Armed Forces will get a large procurement of new weaponry by the end of this year, a deputy defense minister said Thursday.

Colonel General Alexander Belousov said the Armed Forces would receive about 30 main battle tanks, 40 infantry fighting vehicles, more than 100 armored personnel carriers, modernized surface-to-air missiles, more than 10 combat helicopters and a regiment of silo-based Topol-M ballistic missiles.

The acquisitions will be made under a major modernization program highlighted in President Vladimir Putin's state of the nation address May 10 and in statements by a number of senior military officials.

"The modernization program for 2006 envisions the procurement of about 30 new T-90 tanks and modernization of more than 180 T-72 and T-80 tanks," Belousov said, adding that this meant older tanks would stay in service longer.

He said the army would receive more than 40 new BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), 100 BTR-80 and BTR-90 armored personnel carriers (APCs), new BMD-2 and BMD-3 airborne IFVs and about 4,500 Kamaz and Ural trucks. More than 350 IFVs, 170 APCs, and 90 airborne IFVs will be modernized, he said.

Belousov also said 50 frontline aircraft would be modernized, including Su-24 Fencer tactical bombers, Su-25 Frogfoot attack aircraft, Su-27 Flanker and MiG-29 Fulcrum fighters. He added that 20 surface-to-air missile systems would be modernized and equipped with new missiles.

"We have ordered more than 100 new missiles for these systems," Belousov said. The Army will also get more than 10 new Mi-28 Havoc and Ka-50 Hokum attack helicopters, he added.

"The Strategic Missile Forces will put a regiment of silo-based Topol-M ballistic missiles on combat duty by the end of this year," Belousov said.

URL of this article:
http://www.defencetalk.com/news/publish/article_006084.php [/QUOTE]

Wow, this is some major procurement and upgrading. The russians must have been saving for years to be able to afford all these new weapons. it seems the nav has been excluded from this big spend though.

Finn McCool

05-19-2006, 09:43 PM

Excluding the Navy would make sense if Russia is on a budget. It is mroe important for it to have a powerful army, considering it would need that more in possible trouble spots(Georgia, Moldova, Baltic Sates, Central Asia) and it also needs to replace losses from Chechnya. Russia has about all the Navy that it needs to defeat most prospective rivals, and it has never been a dominant sea power anyway.

Gollevainen

06-02-2006, 04:53 AM

Back in buisness...

Russia building a permanent naval base in Syria

from mosnwes.com

Russia has begun works in the Syrian port of Tartus seeking to built a full-scale naval base for the ships of the Black Sea Fleet, currently based in Ukraine’s Sevastopol, the Kommersant newspaper reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources in the Defense Ministry and the General Staff of the Russian Navy.

The paper noted that this is the first time Russia is setting up a military base outside the CIS since the fall of the USSR and that the base will allow Moscow to pursue its own line in the Middle East.

Russia has also started work in the port of Latakia in Syria, the newspaper said. The base in Tartus and the new mooring in Latakia will be able to serve the needs of the Black Sea Fleet and possibly the North Sea Fleet as well.

The newspaper quoted its sources as saying that in the nearest future the Russian Navy will form a squadron headed by the Moskva missile cruiser which will permanently operate in the Mediterranean, taking part in joint exercises with NATO forces.

The sources said that the new base would allow Russia to strengthen its positions in the Middle East and also enhance Syrian security.

Russian Defense Ministry and the General Staff of the Russian Navy force have declined to give any official comments on the report.

isthvan

06-02-2006, 10:07 AM

Sea Dog

06-05-2006, 02:35 AM

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060521/48396761.html

Pacific Fleet submarine crew receives state awards

"In the winter of 2006, the crew of the Varshavyanka diesel submarine based in Vladivostok in Russia's Far East was sent to St. Petersburg to test the country's first fourth-generation Lada-class diesel-electric submarine.

"The crew of the Varshavyanka submarine successfully held the trials of the new submarine. During the trials, the crew demonstrated excellent skills and courage in extreme conditions," the press office of the Pacific Fleet said. "

coldfire2005

06-16-2006, 09:12 AM

Russia will launch its first fifth-generation aircraft in 2007, the commander of the country's air force said Thursday. "Several experimental models will take to the skies as early as 2007, but for now they will be equipped with intermediary engines," Vladimir Mikhailov told journalists. "In the future they will get fifth-generation engines, development of which is ongoing." He said fifth-generation engines would be created by 2010, but that: "If everything goes well, we will be able to complete work earlier." Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said June 14 that Russia's first fifth-generation plane could make its maiden flight in 2009. Mikhailov said in March that the new plane would be virtually invisible to air-defense systems. He said the air force's financing would be increased in 2007, but did not name the exact figure.

link http://www.idrw.org/index.php?categoryid=10&p2_articleid=106

Indianfighter

06-17-2006, 03:30 PM

Talks with Ivanov successful: Dutt

VINAY SHUKLA MOSCOW, JUNE 17 (PTI)

Talks on a wide range of issues, including long-term defence projects with Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov have been very successful, Defence Secretary Shekhar Dutt has said.

"He (Ivanov, also Deputy Prime Minister) was upbeat on Indo-Russian defence relationship. We had very purposeful and useful talks on a whole range of issues," Dutt told PTI yesterday.

He, however, did not divulge any details of his parleys, saying that Indo-Russian defence cooperation had many long-term programmes and their implementation was reviewed during his talks with Ivanov.

.....

"Gorshkov has undergone so many changes that its old designers will not be able to recognise it. It would be a totally new, a unique aircraft carrier," Dutt underscored.

.....

About the swapping of 18 Su-30s :

"The older fighters cannot be upgraded to the latest MKI variant as was initially planned, that's why it was decided to swap the them for new fighters, which have Russian 'heart' (thrust-vectoring engines) and Indian 'brain' (mission computer)," he explained the reason as to why the two countries had agreed to the deal.

....

Dutt did not rule out that one day Russia could buy sophisticated arms from India.{This may possibly be the "brains" that he refered to earlier i.e. missiles with Indian guidance systems like Brahmos or fifth-generation fighter with Russian airframe and Indian mission computers and ECM as in the Su-30 MKI}

"This is a normal trend, many components of US F-16 have been developed and manufactured by France.

Source:
http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?gid=73

India shall now progress from being a buyer of Russian weaponry to being a partner in developing future weapons.

swimmerXC

06-28-2006, 12:47 PM

ussia’s new fighter will use interim engine
Russia’s prospective fifth-generation fighter prototype could fly as soon as next year, but only using an upgrade to an existing engine until a new design is produced, says air force chief of staff Gen Vladimir Mikhailov.

“We need many new concepts in it,” Mikhailov says. “During modernisation of the existing systems we are going forward to new levels, but we haven’t made really quantum leaps. The engine will be based on the modifications we have made now.”

Mikhailov made his remarks following a visit to Moscow’s Salyut engine plant in mid-June, during which he discussed propulsion developments with company director Yuri Eliseyev.

Salyut is currently working on a series of modifications for engines including the Motor Sich AI-225 for the Yakovlev Yak-130, and Saturn AL-31 for the Sukhoi Su-34 and Su-27SM, with the latter including thrust-vector control and a new low-pressure fan and combustion chamber.

Eliseyev says that following the completion of state acceptance trials in June 2006, existing AL-31 turbofans in Russian air force service will begin to be fitted with the new systems during overhaul, with Salyut intending to produce around 100 sets a year.

“The engine that has passed the fourth stage of upgrade, tentatively named AL-31FM-4, will have main specifications corresponding to those of a fifth-generation engine,” Eliseyev said during a 2005 interview with a Russian news agency. However, progress on a full specification fifth-generation powerplant appears to be slow, with Mikhailov noting that such a design is unlikely to be ready before 2010, given favourable conditions. “It is a project for a team of enterprises, rather than a single company,” he says.

Mikhailov’s comments follow the unveiling last month of a proposal sent to the Russian government’s new military-industrial commission to create a holding company that would encompass most of the country’s leading fighter and helicopter engine manufacturers.

Source (http://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2006/06/27/Navigation/190/207408/Russia%e2%80%99s+new+fighter+will+use+interim+engi ne.html)

tphuang

06-28-2006, 01:13 PM

bd popeye

06-28-2006, 01:24 PM

The Russian does not have an engine for their 5th generation fighter? But yet they are expecting to fly an protype next year??:confused: Humph??:confused:

Without a new engine can this aircraft really be considered 5th generation? And when it is finally in production(5-10 years??) how far behind the US will Russia be?

Finn McCool

06-28-2006, 05:01 PM

Popeye, Russia is trying to seperate themselves from the West and reforge their great power status. One of the ways that they are doing it is to enlarge their military, as I'm sure you know. Therefore I think that the Russian defense establishment is being pushed to come out with new technologies. Political considerations are, I believe, are more important to the Russians than actual performance, as the "bigwigs" would prefer to have a new fighter in service now and fixs the bugs later rather than get a better fighter after taking more time to develop it.

Russia has always been the least stable but most resilient of the Great Powers. Russia constantly is becoming one of the "Top 3" so to speak, then falling into chaos until a powerful ruler puts things back in order. This has been going on since Ivan the Terrible. After he died and his dynasty fell apart, Russia experienced the Time of Troubles. Mikahil Romanov restored order and started its ascent to Great Power status. Gradually Russia descended into chaos again, until eventually Peter the Great came along. You get the picture. In the 20th century we had the Soviets, and now Putin is trying to wake Russia up again. Russia can never be kept down, it will always rise again and reclaim its status as a global power player.

tphuang

07-06-2006, 12:36 PM

Interesting article on the current state of Russian navy, thanks to Rickusn for finding it
http://www.kommersant.com/page.asp?id=686179

Russian President Vladimir Putin is to approve the weapons program for 2007-2015 in the coming days. Its places priority on naval strategic forces. Twice the amount of funds are being allotted to the construction of nuclear submarines as to shipbuilding. This is the continuation of a tendency in recent years that has brought the Russian shipbuilding industry to a state where it cannot even produce small military craft on schedule, never mind large-scale projects.
Missile Kings

Nuclear submarines have long been the love of the Russian military. Even with a shortage of floating forces, the Defense Ministry insistently favors submarines in budgeting. In the 2006 state defense order, about 8 billion rubles were allotted to the construction of nuclear submarines, while shipbuilding received 4 billion rubles. Minister Vladislav Putilin, deputy chairman of the Military Industrial Commission told Kommersant that the construction of five missile-bearing nuclear submarines in planned in the next nine years. They will be 995-Borei models and carry new Bulava 30 missiles.

There is some doubt about how realistic those plans are. The lead ship in the Borei project, the Yury Dolgoruky, was laid down on November 2, 1996, and was supposed to be launched in 2002. Other craft, submarines whose construction was frozen in the mid-1990s, were cannibalized to speed up the process. Nonetheless, the Yury Dolgoruky is still in the wharves at Sevmashpredpriyatie, were it is estimated to be about 60-percent complete.

Sevmashpredpriyatie general director Vladimir Pastuykhov said that be prepared to be taken out of the wharf this year. A month ago, chief commander of the Russian Navy Adm. Vladimir Masorin promised that the Yury Dolgoruky would be in the Northern Fleet and combat-ready by 2008.

Other Boreis have fared no better. A second one, called the Alexander Nevsky, was laid down at Sevmashpredpriyatie on March 19, 2004, and on the same date this year, a third Borei, the Vladimir Monomakh, was laid down there. They are to go into service in 2009 and 2011, but not even the Navy is entire certain that that is possible. Nonetheless, another Borei will be started next year. In the industry, the reason for the delay in the completion of the craft is considered a lack of state funding. Bureaucrats hotly deny that.

“Costs are rising needlessly,” Putilin said. “The price of the third ship from the 955 is several times greater than that of the first. While the ships are being built, the enterprise lives of them, a long-playing order is profitable and turning out the ship is death. So the submarines may be under construction for eternity.”

While construction of the Boreis is being drawn out, testing of the Bulava 30 missile is also proceeding at a leisurely pace. The TK208 model nuclear submarine Dmitry Donskoi was modernized at Sevmashpredpriyatie under Project 941UM so that it could be used for test launches. It now occasionally goes into the North Sea from Severodvinsk and launches Bulavas. There have been four such tests so far. Masorin says that the test program should be completed in 2007, when the first Borei is to be ready. But monetary problems may affect the testing of the Bulavas as well. “The Bulava missile is very expensive, therefore we will try to optimize testing and reduce the maximal number of launches,” Masorin has said. Putilin has stated that preparations are already being made for the mass production of the Bulava 30, and 5 billion rubles will be allotted form the state budget for that purpose.

The multipurpose Severodvinsk nuclear submarine program, being built under the 855-Yasen Program, is in no better shape. The craft was to carry eight launching devices with 24 P-100 Onyx high-precision stealth anti-ship cruise missiles. It was laid down on the Severodvinsk at Sevmashpredpriyatie on January 22, 1993, with a completion date of 2000. However, practically no funds have been allotted for it in the 2006 state defense order, so the future of the project is in question. Originally, the military planned to build another six of the craft. They were to receive a significant portion of the non-nuclear deterrence – the submarine was to be the “aircraft carrier killer.” At present, the Defense Ministry does not consider it necessary to invest in more Yasens and prefers to concentrate its finances on the Boreis.

Big Boats and Little Boats

On December 26, 1997, the lead ship of the fourth generation of the St. Petersburg series of non-nuclear submarines of the 677 Lada Project developed by the Rubin Central Design Bureau for Naval Equipment was laid down at the Admiralty Wharves in St. Petersburg. However, due to delays in supplies of new models of equipment and weapons by a number of ancillary suppliers, it did not remain in its pilings for long. Data from the Audit Chamber show that costs of components for the St. Petersburg rose by 180 percent between 1997 and 2002, and the costs of weapons for it tripled.

The lead Lada was to be set afloat in 2003 for the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg, but the launch occurred in 2004. In 2006, 450 million rubles were allotted for its completion so that it could be handed over to the fleet. A number of its operational systems have yet to be completed, such as the hydroacoustic system and, according to unofficial sources, the tactical data system. “Now we are several years short on time to bring the product to completion, so it will be delivered and then we will complete it jointly with the fleet under our management,” Rubin head Igor Spassky told Kommersant.

Similar problems have been encountered with other submarine projects. The first Guard corvette (that is the classification of a small patrol craft in older military terminology) was laid down at the Northern Wharf in St. Petersburg in 2001, followed by one in 2003 and another in 2005. A fourth is to be laid down in the fourth quarter of this year. The corvettes are being built for the Baltic Fleet. Last December, the Amur Shipbuilding Plant won a tender to build one for the Pacific Ocean Fleet and was supposed to lay it down on June 30.

Project 20380 was called “a corvette for the 21st century” in the press. The naval command called it an undetectable craft with the latest stealth-technology weaponry. But experts had questions about Project 20380 from the very beginning. In particular, it was not clear what function it was to serve. The craft have an obvious anti-ship design that the naval command intended as a full replacement for the old patrol vessels of the Northern and Pacific Fleets that cover the areas where nuclear submarines carrying ballistic missiles enter and depart. The only opponent that could realistically threaten the Russian nuclear missile carriers is the United States, whose floating and flying forces are many times greater and considered the main strike force against carrier aviation. Corvettes would be powerless against them.

The Project 20380 corvettes are planned for use in the Baltic and Black Seas as well, where their anti-ship mission is completely unrealistic. There the corvettes will face an opponent with a strike force of light, fast units of floating vessels with a threat of mines. The will operate under conditions of superior airpower on the opponent's side. The craft are intended to use their missiles in battles with groups of small combat boats and with large warships, to strike targets on land with their missiles and fend off mass attacks of anti-ship missiles and air strikes and to mine the waters. Experts doubt that Project 20380 corvettes will be capable of realizing any one of those tasks. They have weak propulsion, relatively weak missiles, no chance of hitting targets on land, little capacity for setting a serious quantity of mines and poor antiaircraft defenses. A recent publication under the editorship of Boris Kuzyk, former head of the Northern Wharf who had extensive experience with the construction of corvettes, states, “The construction of new corvettes using outdated weapons (developed 20 years ago), while the naval fleet has a large quantity of similar vessels that need only repairs and remodeling, is surprising.”

Eternal Projects

Independent experts examining military shipbuilding in recent years have concluded that the Russian shipbuilding industry is incapable of building even small craft on schedule. The patrol boat The Unapproachable was laid down for the Baltic Fleet in 1988 at the Yantar plant in Kaliningrad under Project 11540. It was the second ship in its series. The first, The Undaunted, was built between 1987 and 1993. The second ship, renamed Yaroslav the Wise in 1995, has not been completed in 18 years, although it is 80-percent ready.

In 2006, the Defense Ministry allotted Yantar 1.2 billion rubles, of which 1 billion rubles were to go to the construction of the Yaroslav the Wise. To keep its construction costs down, it was reclassified from large anti-ship vessel (a first-rank ship) to patrol vessel (second-rank ship). Trials of it are scheduled for 2007 and delivery for 2008. The Russian Navy will thus receive a ship that has long been out-of-date.

The patrol boat Novik was laid down at Yantar on July 27, 2997, under Project 12441 Grom. Chief commander of the Russian Navy at the time Adm. Felix Gromov also called the Novik “the ship of the 21st century.” However, after spending 2.5 billion rubles on the construction of the ship, it was abandoned in 2001 due to a number of insurmountable technical problems. Now that the Ministry of Defense has budget funds for it, it has been decided to complete the ship, which has been renamed Borodino, as a training vessel.

Another small patrol boat, the Project 11660 Gepard, was developed by the Zelenodolsk Project Design Bureau in the early 1980s. The lead ship was laid down at the Zelenodolsk plant in 1988 and its skeleton was disassembled in 1989 in the course of military cutbacks.

In 1992, the Russian government ordered four patrol boats of a simplified Project 11661 Gepard-1 design for export. But they found no customers for them and the Navy criticized the design for its low ratio of weapon load to water displacement. Thanks to the efforts of the government of Tatarstan, an even more simplified version was built for the Caspian Fleet and called the Tatarstan.

Adm. Masorin has promised a second ship for the Caspian Fleet in 2007, the Dagestan. In the 2006 state defense order, 500 million rubles have been allotted for its construction. Attempts were made to sell the two skeletons at the Zelenodolsk plant to the Federal Border Service, but now a buyer for them is being sought in Vietnam.

The state of affairs is similar for the construction even still lighter craft. A Project 02668 minesweeper was laid down at the Sredne-Nevsk shipbuilding plant in St. Petersburg in 2000. A Project 10750 harbor minesweeper is also being built there. The former is to be delivered in 2010, and the delivery date of the latter is unknown.

In the last state weapons program, instituted in 2000, there was no serial procurement of military technology. In the new program, the basic expenses go for the equipping of the army, including the fleet, with new-model weapons. However, it is not yet known how that will affect the floating forces. If even three or four nuclear missile carrying submarines will be completed more-or-less on schedule, it will be insufficient.

Naval Defense

There are about 50 large surface ships now in the Russian naval fleet. That is one aircraft carrier, four Project 1144 and 1164 missile cruisers (with two more Project 1144 cruisers laid up), ten Project 956 destroyers, 12 large antisubmarine ships and 25 large amphibious ships. Not all of them are combat-ready. Some of them are under repair or awaiting major overhauls.

No new vessels larger than frigates are expected to be added to the naval forces before 2010 or 2011. The lead frigate of Project 22350 was laid down at the Northern Wharf on February1, 2006. Its completion date was announced as 2009, but it already looks as though it will be finished in 2011. Only 100 million rubles was allotted in the 2006 state defense order for it.

There are 45 nuclear submarines and 20 diesel submarines in the Russian fleet. On paper, the fleet includes three Project 941 nuclear strategic missile carrying submarines. But the Dmitry Donskoi is a test pad for the Bulava missile and cannot carry out real military missions. The Severstal missile carrier is under renovation and the Arkhangelsk has no missiles. As a result, the main nuclear deterrent is six Project 667BDRM missile carrying submarines, one of which is under renovation, and six Project 667BDR vessels. The Russian Navy also has nine Project 959A submarines (two of which are under renovation) with anti-ship missiles and 21 Projects 971, 945 and 671RTMK nuclear torpedo submarines, of which at least six are under renovation.

Of the 20 Project 636, 877 and 641B diesel submarines, only 12 are actually combat-ready. In spite of Adm. Masorin's statements that “Russia will fully update its nuclear submarine fleet by 2010,” the best-case scenario is most likely that there will be five or six Project 667BDRM ballistic missile carrying nuclear submarines and one or two new Project 955 submarines equipped. Taking the retirement of vessels into account and the guaranteed delays in the launch of new ones, the total number of submarines will be reduced to 35-40.
Alexandra Gritskova, Konstantin Lantratov

It's a little sad to see how the Russian navy has fallen. But, I can't help but being amused by some of the optimistic estimation of certain Russian generals.

isthvan

07-08-2006, 01:22 PM

What surprises me even more is that they are actually in much better shape then they were in last 15 years… For a first time since CCCP collapsed they have plans for the future and they finally started development and procurement of new ships…Naturally they are still facing same old problems whit founds, corruption and incompetence but things are getting better…

Also I don’t understand why authors of this article are so critical to Project 20380 corvettes. I think that this project has potential to become one of most successful ship classes of Russian origin. If we look at there armament, size and crew compliment they are perfectly suited for there tasks (littoral warfare, fishery patrol etc.) and they are quite capable to replace bigger ships in some roles thus lowering operational costs… Great for navy which lacks found for operating larger ships… They actually look like smaller version of USN LCS…

If they manage to realize this fleet program (even whit some delays) they will end up whit smaller but more modern and much more capable fleet whit considerably lower operational costs… Quite perfect solution and pretty similar to reorganizations that western navy’s were/are conducting…

Finn McCool

07-09-2006, 10:28 PM

MOSCOW - In between answering questions Thursday about North Korea’s missiles, Iran’s nuclear program and relations with the United States, Russian President Vladimir Putin answered what was for many observers a more burning question: What compelled him to kiss the bare stomach of a young boy in a Kremlin courtyard?

Footage of the June 28 incident was broadcast on all Russian television stations. It quickly became fodder for Internet chat rooms and topped the Moscow tabloids the day after. The question was one of the most popular among the thousands e-mailed in for a live Kremlin Internet conference carried on the British Broadcasting Corp. Web site and a Russian site.

In the footage, Putin, 53, is shown walking up to a small crowd of tourists in a Kremlin courtyard and crouching down in front of the boy, who appears to be 5 or 6 years old. As the Russian president talks with Nikita for several seconds, he tugs at the boy’s shirt before finally lifting it up and kissing him on his bare stomach.

“He seemed to me very independent, very serious, but at the same time a boy is always vulnerable. He was very sweet. I’ll be honest, I felt an urge to squeeze him like a kitten and that led to the gesture that I made. There was nothing behind it really,” Putin said, smiling.

Here's a picture of the "incident."

http://feeds.russianews.net/?rid=267eafd409733eda&cat=723971d98160d438&f=1

Not really military, but it made a big deal in Russia and is quite funny, but also a bit creepy. I suppose Russia has a history of being ruled by creeps.

tphuang

07-21-2006, 11:05 PM

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13972383/

MOSCOW - Russia has struck a deal worth more than $1 billion to supply fighter jets and helicopters to Venezuela, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said on Friday.

“The contract was concluded ... for the delivery of 30 Su-30 fighter aircraft and the delivery of the same number of helicopters,” state-owned Rossiya television showed Ivanov saying.

“The contract is for a sum in excess of one billion (dollars),” Ivanov added. The two sides announced weeks ago that they were working on the contract.
Story continues below ↓ advertisement

Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez is buying the high-performance Sukhoi fighter jets to replace his government’s F-16 jets. Washington, D.C. has banned U.S. arms manufacturers from selling to Chavez, saying he is a dangerous autocrat.

The United States has asked Moscow to reconsider the aircraft contract.

Former soldier Chavez says he is preparing his armed forces for a U.S. invasion. He has already taken delivery of a big consignment of Russian Kalashnikov automatic rifles.

The Venezuelan leader is due in Moscow at the end of July on a tour that will also take in Argentina, Belarus, Iran, Mali, Qatar and Vietnam.

well, knaapo got more order of mk2. So, su-30mk2 has now being sold to China, Vietnam, Indonesia and Venezeula. Am I missing anyone?

Finn McCool

07-22-2006, 12:55 PM

Yeah, I thought Algeria was getting some but maybe it got cancelled.

tphuang

07-24-2006, 10:55 AM

i thought Algerians are getting the one made by Irkut.

Anyhow, another piece of news regarding Russian navy.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060720/51609321.html

No plans to commission Belgorod nuclear submarine - minister

15:29 | 20/ 07/ 2006

Print version

SEVERODVINSK, July 20 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's defense minister said Thursday the ministry would not allocate funds to finish building a nuclear submarine in the same class as the doomed Kursk submarine and hinted it could be sold.

"The Defense Ministry does not need the Belgorod nuclear submarine," Sergei Ivanov said. "Therefore it will not finance its further construction."

The Oscar-II class Belgorod was laid in July 1992. Its construction, frozen in 1990s, was resumed after the K-141 Kursk nuclear submarine of the same class sank about 100 miles from the Russian northern port of Murmansk.

Ivanov, currently on a tour of military and nuclear test facilities in northern Russia, said several options were being considered for the submarine to be commissioned by another country.

"We are considering options to finish the submarine's construction, but not for the Defense Ministry," he said.

The submarine is reported to be 80% complete and requires $100m to finish the construction.

Ivanov, who is a deputy prime minister, also said the ministry intended to finance overhauling of the Admiral Nakhimov heavy missile nuclear cruiser.

Commissioned in 1988, the Kirov-class Admiral Nakhimov is capable of engaging large surface ships and to defend the fleet against air and submarine attack. Four cruisers were built but only the Admiral Nakhimov and Pyotr Veliky (Peter the Great), commissioned in 1995, remain on duty.

Is Russia trying to get other countries to pay for finishing submarine construction?

tphuang

08-04-2006, 07:54 PM

alright, this piece of news is on Yak-130 trainer
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060726/51883057.html

MOSCOW, July 26 (RIA Novosti) - A Yak-130 trainer crashed in the Ryazan Region in central Russia due to a failure in the flight control system, a source in the Moscow regional government said Wednesday.

Both pilots successfully ejected and were slightly injured in the crash, he said.

Air Force spokesman Alexander Drobyshevsky said the plane did not belong to the Defense Ministry.

It's interesting that the L-15 project seems to be going much more smooth than Yak-130 project.

Indianfighter

08-21-2006, 01:19 PM

Two fighters of 5th generation being created in RF

18.08.2006, 15.14

POSELOK ZARYA (Moscow Region), August 18 (Itar-Tass) - Two fighters of the fifth generation - - medium and light are being created in Russia, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force General of the Army Vladimir Mikhailov told journalists on Friday.

“The medium fighter of the fifth generation is being created now, the project terms are kept to the schedule,” he said. “All necessary financial issues have been completely solved this year.”

“At the same time we are working on the creation of the light fighter of the fifth generation,” Mikhailov stressed. He pointed to the fact that all works are done on the production base of the firm MiG.

Source:
http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=10717498&PageNum=0

Gollevainen

08-29-2006, 01:34 AM

Russian Anti-Monopoly Authorities Approve Merger of Major Aircraft Makers

MosNews

The press service of the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service of Russia reported on Monday, Aug. 28, that the authorities have approved the plans to create United Aircraft Building Corporation, which seeks to merge all of Russia’s major aircraft makers and to revive the domestic aircraft industry.

The United Aircraft Building Corporation will include Russia’s leading aircraft makers: the Sukhoi Aviation Holding Company (Moscow), the MiG Russian Plane Building Corporation (Moscow), the Ilyushin Aviation Company, the Tupolev Company (Moscow), the Kazan Aviation Production Association, the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aviation Production Association, the Nizhny Novgorod Aircraft Building Plant Sokol, and the Novosibirsk Aviation Production Association.

In accordance with President Vladimir Putin’s decree “On Open Joint Stock Company United Aircraft Building Corporation,” the federal government will have a 75-percent stake in the new corporation.

All these companies were removed from the list of Russia’s strategic assets. The new company will be registered in September. It will be headed by Alexei Fedorov, General Director of the MiG Russian Plane Building Corporation.

The united corporation will have four business units, called Combat Aviation, Civil Aviation, Military Transport and Special Aviation, and Hubs and Components. The annual turnover of the corporation is expected to be between $8.2 billion and $8.5 billion.

The decision to set up such a company was made back in 1999, but words did not translate into action until 2004, when the first steps were made to implement the project. The creation of the single aircraft building corporation will allow Russia to produce up to 120 civil aircraft a year. Today, the country’s aircraft making industry makes only nine planes a year.

So does this mean the end of the OKBs?? The somewhat icon to the soviet aviation industry??

The report doesen't say how willing are the companies towards this Krelms idea but one might expect that at least Sukhoi would have change to make it on his own. Also I didn't spot the Irkuts factory on the list, so would this merge solve the proplem of two rivaling companies manufacturing the best export particle of the russian aviation industry, Su-30???

adeptitus

08-30-2006, 01:50 PM

Back in Feb 2006, it was reported that United aircraft corp would include Shkhoi, Mikoyan, Iluyushin, Irkut, Tupolev, and Yakovlev.

They're looking at using the merger as means of keeping Russian aviation industry viable and competitive on the world stage. The cost of developing new aircraft and the economy of scale today is very different from just a few decades ago.

Take for example the Swedish aircraft maker Saab, and French aircraft maker Dassault. Both have a glorious history of producing thousands of military aircraft. But in the future I think they'll eventually face the question of either merging into an European aircraft company to compete against the US, or end up assembling US-designed military aircraft.

tphuang

09-01-2006, 09:34 PM

this is a nice piece of analysis that I found on the Russian defense industry and energy strategy.

RUSSIA/EAST ASIA: Growing presence?

SUBJECT: The evolution of Russia's East Asia policy.

SIGNIFICANCE: The importance of East Asia in Moscow's foreign
policy has risen along with its determination to use arms sales
and energy diplomacy to project its regional influence. This
policy reflects a more confident Russia, willing and able to
become more actively involved in a region that offers
opportunities for the realisation of Moscow's great power
aspirations.

ANALYSIS: Russia, in either its tsarist or its Soviet
incarnations, was rarely a full-fledged East Asian power, although
it traditionally maintained a regional presence. The internal
turmoil of the early post-Soviet years, combined with erratic and
incoherent foreign policy under former President Boris Yeltsin,
was symptomatic of Russia's 'declining power' status overall,
including in East Asia. A discernibly more East Asia-oriented
policy emerged in 1996, after Yevgeny Primakov took over as
foreign minister and later prime minister. Yet it was not until
recently that Moscow was able to add substance to its great power
rhetoric. This has been due to:

-- a growing economy buoyed by rising oil prices;

-- a growing interest on the part of some East Asian states to
diversify their political and economic relations, as well as
energy supplies;

-- a more active, coherent and pragmatic foreign policy
approach under President Vladimir Putin; and

-- the consolidation of strategic resources under state control
both for domestic and foreign policy purposes (see CISDB,
February 14, 2006, I.).

Eurasian identity. Policy statements towards East Asia emphasise
Russia's unique Eurasian identity, its geographical position and
geopolitical role. However, the Eurasian identity is frequently
used instrumentally, to secure recognition as a great power with a
right to participate in East Asian affairs. Moscow expects to be
admitted to regional structures, such as the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation forum, the Association of South-east Asian Nations
(ASEAN) Regional Forum and the 'ASEAN plus three' East Asian
summits. Yet Russia's dual identity has hampered its
participation in EU Asia-Europe meetings, whose member states have
tended to regard Russia as neither European nor Asian.

Balanced policy. Russia's official policy calls for a balanced
approach to relations with both the East and the West, with equal
weight accorded to each. For much of the Yeltsin period,
relations with East Asia remained reactive, subject to relations
with the West. Overtures towards China, for example, were in part
based on Russia's dissatisfaction with the United States. NATO's
bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999, and Washington's plans to abrogate
the 1972 anti-ballistic missile treaty and build national and
theatre missile defence systems prompted concerted opposition from
Moscow and Beijing.

The outlook of much of the country's foreign policy elite remains
Western-centric, and relations with East Asia are still calculated
on the basis of progress made in Russia's relations with the West.
Nonetheless, growing segments of the elite now perceive East Asia
as significant in and of itself:

-- The military-industrial complex regards East Asia as an
important source of revenue.

-- Energy firms seek to establish themselves in the booming
East Asian market.

The Kremlin has encouraged the projection of Russia's influence
through arms and energy sales (see OADB, July 6, 2006, III.),
adding to the notion that the political elite is increasingly
willing to play an active role in East Asia. At the same time,
Moscow has occasionally used its energy policy towards East Asia
as a warning to Europe that it will acquire 'security of demand'
by supplying other regions.

Economic integration. Russia aspires to become part of East
Asia's dynamic economic growth. Economic integration is seen as
particularly important for the development of the Russian Far East
(RFE). In one initiative, Putin has advocated the use of Russia
as a 'land bridge' between Europe and Asia for the transit of
goods. This would help develop the RFE and strengthen Russia's
territorial integrity. Linking up the Trans-Siberian and
Trans-Korean railways could promote intra-Korean reconciliation
and enhance Russian influence on the peninsula. However, North
Korean suspicion and the underlying instability on the peninsula
have so far hampered implementation of the project.

Russia often understands economic integration with East Asia on
its own terms: reaping economic benefits without making sacrifices
in return:

-- Fortress mentality. The 'fortress mentality', still
prevalent among the federal and regional authorities, has
delayed the country's opening to foreign economic
activities. Russia's difficult investment climate has
undermined potentially significant investments from Japan
and South Korea, while fears of Chinese demographic
expansion have hampered the use of Asian labour for the
development of the depopulated RFE. Putin and other senior
officials have acknowledged the RFE's demographic problem,
but have until now failed to formulate a more inclusive
immigration policy, preferring instead to try to attract
ethnic Russians from the CIS (see CISDB, March 3, 2006, I.).

-- Projecting influence. Growing arms sales and energy
supplies will enhance Russia's economic role and influence
in East Asia, providing Moscow with some levers of influence
at the bilateral and regional level. Arms sales to China,
in particular, have been highly lucrative, though some
officials remain wary of a potential Chinese threat.
Moscow's drawn-out indecisiveness regarding the route of the
'Eastern pipeline' is in part an attempt to play off China
and Japan against each other, aimed at extracting maximum
political and economic benefits (see OADB, May 12, 2006,
IV.).

Multipolarity. Russia's advocacy of a multipolar world order has
become an element of its foreign policy. The implicit aim of this
policy is to act in concert with other powers to oppose a
US-dominated 'unipolar' world order. In this, it converges with
China, which has similar aims. However, Russia's strategic
calculations of maintaining multipolarity in East Asia are
complicated by:

-- the rise of China;

-- the possibility of Japan's remilitarisation;

-- the ASEAN factor; and

-- potential conflicts on the Korean peninsula and over Taiwan.

Maintaining status quo. Although the regional balance of power
may be precarious, Moscow has an interest in preserving it.
Maintaining status quo would help Russia pursue its own internal
development and play the role of a regional balancer, mobilising
whatever influence it still has in East Asia. Moscow recognises
that it cannot guarantee regional security alone, but opposes
actions that could destabilise the existing regional balance and
prompt an arms race. For instance, it fears that the
strengthening of the US-Japanese alliance and plans to deploy
theatre missile defence systems could provoke China to build up
nuclear arms to the extent that would place Russia at a strategic
disadvantage.

Strategic diversity. Russia's East Asia policy has been
predominantly Sino-centric, given China's long border with Russia,
its immense size and growing power. The Putin government
recognises the need to diversify Russia's strategic relations with
East Asian (and South-east Asian) states; and Japan (and India in
broader Asia) is seen as Russia's main partner to balance out
Russia's East Asia policy. However, the Kurils territorial
dispute will continue to mar relations, as demonstrated by the
flaring of tensions last month following the shooting of a
Japanese fisherman by Russian border guards.

CONCLUSION: Russia aspires to play a great power role in East
Asia, based not so much on its military might but on its growing
political and economic weight. Energy will become an increasingly
important foreign policy tool in the region, but its effective use
will depend on Russia's ability to unlock its vast East Siberian
reserves.

tphuang

09-07-2006, 08:35 PM

I saw this on numerous news off the wire. Not sure which sub this is though. Maybe others can provide updates.

By Sebastian Alison
Sept. 7 (Bloomberg) -- A fire on a Russian nuclear
submarine killed two members of the crew, Interfax said, citing
the information department of the country's Northern Fleet.
The fire, which broke out at about midnight last night,
posed no threat of nuclear pollution, Interfax said. The
emergency system to protect the ship's nuclear reactor had
worked and the submarine is returning to base, Interfax said.

bd popeye

10-01-2006, 08:38 PM

US and Canada scramble fighters to ward off Russian bombers:p

Thought the "Cold War" was over? Not to these guys! Please read!

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20060929-1624-bombersintercepted.html

American, Canadian fighter jets launched to intercept Russian bombers near Alaska

By Mary Pemberton
ASSOCIATED PRESS

4:24 p.m. September 29, 2006

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – American and Canadian fighter planes were launched to intercept a pair of Russian bombers after the bombers came close to Alaska while conducting an exercise, military officials said Friday.
The Russian aircraft on Thursday penetrated a 12-mile buffer zone near American airspace, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD.

The bombers never violated U.S. or Canadian airspace, said Maj. Gen. Brett Cairns, NORAD director of operations.
Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage sent four F-15s to meet the Russian aircraft, said Master Sgt. Tim Hoffman, a base information officer. Two F-15s intercepted the planes by making visual contact and verifying their identity.

The Russian planes then left the buffer zone, he said.

“We just carried out our typical mission,” Hoffman said. “They were in international airspace the whole time.”

CF-18 fighters also were launched from Canada, but did not intercept the Russian planes.

Lt. Gen. Igor Khvorov, commander of Russian long-range aviation, said the exercise involved 70 bombers, which test-fired 18 cruise missiles, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported.

“All the aircraft involved flew over neutral waters, and none of them came closer than 12 nautical miles to the maritime borders of any country,” Khvorov said.

What made the event somewhat unusual was that the Russian military had told the United States about the maneuvers ahead of time, Hoffman said, a sharp contrast to Cold War practices.

“They have become more open with the exercises,” he said.

Now the Russian version of the same story

http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/09/30/rusbombers.shtml

Russian Bombers Penetrate N. American Buffer Zone, Intercepted by U.S., Canadian Jet Fighters
Created: 30.09.2006 13:32 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 14:53 MSK

MosNews

A new U.S. push for greater Russian military openness collided with Cold War habits last week as Russian long-range bombers flew within 15 miles of U.S. airspace off Alaska, Denver Post website reported.

Fully-armed U.S. fighter jets responded, intercepting the two bombers.

The Russian Tu-95 bombers on a training exercise Thursday penetrated a North American buffer zone, said a statement Friday from Maj. Gen. Brett Cairns, operations chief for Colorado Springs-based North American Aerospace Defense Command.

But the bombers stayed within international airspace.

The U.S. response “was appropriate,” said Adm. Timothy Keating, commander of NORAD and U.S. Northern Command.

“We have a near-sacred responsibility to protect and defend the United States and Canada against any and all threats. We will not waver in this responsibility,” Keating said.

Four U.S. F-15 fighters, supported by two Canadian CF-18 fighters, found and intercepted the bombers. A U.S. pilot snapped a photo of the silvery Russian craft with a red star on its tail.

U.S forces, too, have been conducting training exercises over Alaska and Canada.

Russian authorities confirm that pilots of the bombers made visual contact with the U.S. pilots during recent test flights, but they claim there were also regions where the bombers flew unnoticed.

“During the flights, part of a test of long-range aircraft, the bombers’ crews saw NATO fighters, which were flying parallel to them in their airspace,” Russian Air Force spokesman Alexander Drobyshevsky told Interfax news agency.

“But there were also segments of flights, including close to Alaska, where our planes were flying unaccompanied,” he added.

The encounter happened despite a new initiative led by Keating to get Russian commanders to notify U.S. officials more fully about training missions.

Better communications are necessary “to develop better ways to understand each other’s concerns and common issues and to ensure safety of flight for aviators from both countries,” Keating said.

He hosted Russian Lt. Gen. Igor Khvorov, commander of Russia’s long-range bombers, in Colorado in December. Keating planned to visit Russia this fall to pursue this initiative, but that trip was postponed, NORAD spokesman Mike Kucharek said.

It was unclear whether Russian military officials notified U.S. officials directly of Thursday’s bomber flights. But U.S. officials knew about Russia’s training exercises from scanning media reports from Russia, Kucharek said.

Russian commanders had announced an exercise in Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic regions Sept. 26-30 involving 70 bombers and the test-firing of 18 cruise missiles.

NORAD forces charged with deterring, preventing and defeating threats to North America planned to practice maneuvers at the same time. Since Sept. 11, 2001, all NORAD patrols have been conducted using fully armed fighters.

During the Cold War, U.S.- Soviet confrontation led to close encounters of this sort, with fighters scrambled to intercept and eye opposing forces. But that’s been uncommon in recent years.

“They were flying a route. Obviously we were monitoring those flight routes,” Kucharek said. “We had to watch to see what they were doing.”

bd popeye

10-01-2006, 08:55 PM

Russian troops in Georgia ordered to shoot to kill

http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/10/01/shoottokill.shtml

Russia Orders Troops in Georgia “Shoot to Kill” if Provoked
Created: 01.10.2006 16:10 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 16:10 MSK, 12 hours 41 minutes ago

Russia’s military bases in Georgia are on high alert, and troops have been ordered to “shoot to kill” if provoked, the forces commander quoted by RIA Novosti said Sunday.

The crisis in relations between the ex-Soviet neighbors erupted Wednesday when Georgian authorities arrested several Russian officers they accused of spying. Russia retains two bases in the country.

Major General Andrei Popov said, “in the case of a contingency situation or a provocation, troops are ready to counter them by any means necessary, including shooting to kill.”

Russia had agreed to withdraw its troops from the Akhalkalaki and Batumi bases in the South Caucasus country by 2008, but after the arrests, Popov warned that these plans may be put on hold.

The commander said that according to Russian law, military bases abroad are treated as Russian territory, and any attack on them by a foreign state is considered an act of aggression against Russia, which must be countered by any means necessary.

Russia has withdrawn most of its diplomats from the South Caucasus country’s capital following Georgian authorities’ arrests of five Russian servicemen on Wednesday on spying charges, which has sparked the worst diplomatic row between the countries in recent years.

Finn McCool

10-05-2006, 04:10 PM

Popeye, I would not be suprised if that situation turned into a real conflict in coming months or years. Georgia-Russia realtions have been deteriorating for a long time.

bd popeye

10-05-2006, 05:03 PM

Popeye, I would not be suprised if that situation turned into a real conflict in coming months or years. Georgia-Russia realtions have been deteriorating for a long time.

Yes Finn you are correct. I've been reading quite a bit on MOSNEWS about the confrontation between the two countries. Russia has gone so far as to seize Georgian property in Russia. Russians are protesting Georgian presence in Russia. And alligations of spying. It has been and is getting nasty.

http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/10/04/antigeorgia.shtml

http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/10/05/geovotes.shtml

http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/10/05/newcontrols.shtml

http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/10/03/georgiareturn.shtml

Finn McCool

10-05-2006, 05:37 PM

Russians are protesting Georgian presence in Russia.

Sure its not the other way around? I didn't think there was a Georgian presence in Russia. But there is a Russian military presence in Georgia, obviously protecting the seperatist enclaves of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

BLUEJACKET

10-05-2006, 10:20 PM

Sure its not the other way around? I didn't think there was a Georgian presence in Russia. But there is a Russian military presence in Georgia, obviously protecting the seperatist enclaves of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
The Russians resent all Caucasians peoples, Christian & Muslim alike, not just Georgians- Azerbaidzanis, Chechens, Dagestanis, Circassians, etc.- they were living better even in the Soviet times, many by selling flowers in the dead of winter in Moscow & other cities. Now there are many organized crime groups all across Russia contolling a lot of businesses.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circassians
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caucasus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_invasion_of_the_Caucasus
The reason all this going on is geopolitical: there is a lot of oil & pipelines in the area, plus the region is between the Black & Caspian Seas - the only 2 warm seas that are close to the European Russia. Should this area be lost, Russia itself may disintegrate sooner along regional/ethnic/religious lines.
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/commonwealth/russia_auton96.jpg

FuManChu

10-06-2006, 07:29 AM

The Russians resent all Caucasians peoples

Err, excuse me, but that's your opinion (and maybe that of the Russians themselves) only. That doesn't justify the Russian prescence there. How would they like it if someone invaded Chechnya and kept the Russians out by stationing an armed force there?

FreeAsia2000

10-06-2006, 07:51 AM

I think we're heading into dangerous political territories..:) :nono:

Lets bring the topic back to more relevant issues.

Eg Does anybody know how many russian troops are stationed in Georgia ?

Does Russia have plans to increase it's presence ?

bd popeye

10-06-2006, 11:32 AM

The Russians resent all Caucasians peoples, Christian & Muslim alike, not just Georgians- Azerbaidzanis, Chechens, Dagestanis, Circassians, etc.- they were living better even in the Soviet times, many by selling flowers in the dead of winter in Moscow & other cities. Now there are many organized crime groups all across Russia contolling a lot of businesses.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circassians
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caucasus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_invasion_of_the_Caucasus
The reason all this going on is geopolitical: there is a lot of oil & pipelines in the area, plus the region is between the Black & Caspian Seas - the only 2 warm seas that are close to the European Russia. Should this area be lost, Russia itself may disintegrate sooner along regional/ethnic/religious lines.
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/commonwealth/russia_auton96.jpg

So true! Russian President V. Putin has ordered a crackdown on illeagal immigrants targeting Georgians.

http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/10/06/deportation.shtml

Russia Starts Deporting Illegal Immigrants From Georgia
Created: 06.10.2006 14:48 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 14:48 MSK, 4 hours 38 minutes ago

MosNews

Russia deported on Friday a planeload of Georgians accused of illegal immigration in its latest blow against its southern neighbor, the Reuters news agency reports.

“I can confirm that the plane with Georgians deported from Moscow will arrive in Tbilisi at 1600 local time (1200 GMT),” Georgian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Nino Kajaia said.

The Georgians were rounded up in police raids over the past few days as part of a wider Russian campaign of sanctions against Tbilisi. Moscow acted after Georgia briefly arrested four Russian officers on spying charges.

The Georgian deportees were taken to a military airport outside Moscow and put on a plane bound for Tbilisi.

Officials would not say how many Georgians were on board.

Interfax news agency at first said 130 Georgians would be deported on the flight and later quoted an unnamed official as saying 143 were on the plane.

Russia has so far cut transport links with Georgia, stopped issuing visas to Georgians and raided Georgian businesses in Moscow but Friday’s deportations were the first mass removal of Georgians from Russia since the current crisis broke.

Georgia orders Russia to stop military excersise near it's border

http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/10/04/geoupd.shtml

Georgia Urges Russia to Stop Military Excercises at Its Border
Created: 04.10.2006 09:22 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 12:27 MSK

MosNews

Georgia on Tuesday urged Russia to stop naval exercises near the countries’ sea border, calling them a threat to regional peace and a violation of the United Nations charter, Reuters reports.

Georgia’s UN envoy Irakli Alasania made the comments amid a spying row that has chilled relations between the ex-Soviet neighbors to the worst level in a decade.

“Georgia calls upon the Russian side to immediately cease these trainings that are directed against the national interests of Georgia and threatens peace and security in the entire region,” Alasania told a news conference.

Russia, which has been irked by Georgia’s pursuit of NATO and EU membership, has cut rail, air and postal links with Georgia and recalled its ambassador over the arrest of four Russian soldiers on spying charges. Georgia released the four on Monday in what it termed a goodwill gesture.

Alasania said the peace process between Georgia and its breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia needed to be overhauled. Despite their rocky ties, he said Georgia still wanted Moscow to be part of the solution.

Abkhazia won effective independence from Georgia in a 1992-1993 war, and Moscow props up the province by paying pensions, issuing Russian passports and allowing cross-border traffic as well as stationing peacekeepers there.

Georgia accuses Russia of backing Abkhaz separatists, which Moscow denies. The United Nations has monitors stationed in Abkhazia.

Russia’s UN Ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, said on Tuesday he had withdrawn a draft UN Security Council statement that would have rebuked Georgia for its actions against the Russian soldiers and in Abkhazia. Instead, he said he was introducing a resolution extending the UN observer force and warning Georgia to refrain from further “provocative actions.”

Alasania said Georgia remained committed to a peaceful solution in the region but Russia had “not yet made the strategic decision to be part of the solution rather than be part of the problem.”

“It is crystal clear that the Russian peacekeeping force is not an impartial, nor international contingency,” Alasania told a news conference. “It became the force that works to artificially alienate the sides from one another.”

“If the Russian government wishes to get back lost credibility as a facilitator in a conflict settlement, then it must act like one and behave responsibly,” he said.

BLUEJACKET

10-06-2006, 05:17 PM

With the USA preoccupied in Iraq Russia tries to assert itself in it's former sphere of influence.
In 1773 Herekle began efforts to gain Russian protection from the Turks, who were threatening to retake his kingdom. In this period, Russian troops intermittently occupied parts of Georgia, making the country a pawn in the explosive Russian-Turkish rivalry of the last three decades of the eighteenth century. After the Persians sacked Tbilisi in 1795, Herekle again sought the protection of Orthodox Russia.
In 1801 Tsar Alexander I summarily abolished the kingdom of Kartli-Kakhetia, and the heir to the Bagratid throne was forced to abdicate. In the next decade, the Russian Empire gradually annexed Georgia's entire territory.
http://www.mongabay.com/reference/country_studies/georgia/HISTORY.html
Stalin, being Georgian himself, drew all borders in the 1920s just like the British and other European colonizers had done in Asia, Africa & ME. Now Putin is trying to salvage what's left of the Soviet Empire. I think his course will lead to more strife and eventual desintegration.
God forbid a new Russian civil war with tactical nukes!

bd popeye

10-07-2006, 12:45 PM

FreeAsia2000 is correct. Let's limit our political discussion. But the subject is free flowing.

Eg Does anybody know how many russian troops are stationed in Georgia ?

Does Russia have plans to increase it's presence ?

I don't. But it looks like those troops there will be widthdrawn soon.

http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/10/06/georgiabases.shtml

Russia May Speed Up Military Bases Withdrawal From Georgia
Created: 06.10.2006 14:05 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 14:05 MSK

The two Russian military bases currently in Georgia — the 62nd Base in Akhalkalaki and the 12th in Batumi — do not contribute effectively to Russia’s security and their withdrawal ahead of schedule is justified, chairman of the Federation Council’s Committee on Defense and Security Viktor Ozerov said.

“In fact, our bases in Georgia are guaranteeing the security of the headquarters of the Russian group of forces in Tbilisi, as well as other facilities used in the military zone. In that context, I think that we should not wait until late 2008, and we should withdraw our units from Georgia’s territory ahead of schedule,” he told Interfax news agency on Friday.

“The faster Russian units are withdrawn, the fewer grounds for provocation Georgia will have,” he said.

“As far as the desire of Tbilisi to join NATO as soon as possible is concerned, despite all the statements of those opposed to such a development, Georgia is a sovereign state and only its people can decide on the military bloc to join,” Ozerov said

Finn McCool

10-07-2006, 02:11 PM

This could either mean that Russia wants to difuse the situation and is showing that it is mature and backing down a bit (I doubt that Russia will simply give in to Georgia though.) or it could mean that Russia has some sort of alterior motive, like wanting to remove its "peacekeeping" troops so Georgia can "liberate" the seperatist enclaves then get bogged down in a guerilla war in which the South Ossestians and Abkhazians are using Russian made weapons.;)

bd popeye

10-17-2006, 12:46 PM

Russia & NATO Hold Joint Anti-Missile Exercises in Moscow
Created: 16.10.2006 17:17 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 17:17 MSK

http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/10/16/exercise.shtml

MosNews

Russia and NATO began a theatre anti-missile defence staff exercise in Moscow on Monday, the ITAR-TASS news agency reports.

“The regular stage of the joint staff non-strategic theatre anti-missile defence exercise is being conducted by means of computer modelling methods,” officials of the Information and Public Relations Department of the Russian Defence Ministry told the agency.

They said the exercise, which is being held in the Russian capital at the Fourth Scientific Research Institute of the Russian Defence Ministry, would last until October 26. “Its main purpose is to practice and improve the joint procedures of planning and coordinating the actions of the commanding structures of the anti-aircraft and anti-missile defence units of Russia and the North Atlantic Alliance,” the officials noted.

President Vladimir Putin had stated in October 2003 that Russia was prepared to cooperate “with all the countries of the world and with our partners, including on the rather sensitive matter, such, for instance, as the establishment of anti-missile defence systems”.

Commenting on the idea of joint theatre anti-missile exercises later in October, George Robertson, who was NATO Secretary-General at that time, stated that Russia and the countries of the North Atlantic Alliance were working on the “operative compatibility” of the theatre anti-missile defence systems to protect troops in the course of joint operations.

The current exercise, an official of the Russian Defence Ministry said that the drill “is being held in an enlarged format with the participation of representatives from seventeen countries-members of the NATO bloc”.

The Moscow theatre anti-missile exercise is the third one in the series of such joint undertakings, held by the Russia-NATO Council. The first staff exercise was held in two stages: in December 2003 on the basis of the NATO Consultations, Command and Control Agency in the Netherlands (The Hague), and in March 2004 —- on the U.S. “Schriever” air force base (Colorado Springs) at the Pentagon Joint National Integration Centre. The second staff exercise was held in March 2005 at the De Peel Royal Air Force Base of the Netherlands, the officials recalled.

bd popeye

10-18-2006, 01:34 PM

Ukraine illegally sells 40 tanks to Georgia

This will keep the relations friendly! Now way..more fuel for the fire.

http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/10/18/ukrgeo.shtml

Ukraine Illegally Sells 40 Tanks to Georgia — Report
Created: 18.10.2006 12:17 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 13:28 MSK, 8 hours 4 minutes ago

Ukraine has been illegally selling arms to Georgia amid escalating tensions between the South Caucasus republic and Russia, Ukraine’s Communist party leader quoted by RIA Novosti said Tuesday.

“Ukraine has already delivered 40 tanks to Georgia,” Petro Symonenko said.

Symonenko said Kiev is facing the risk of having sanctions imposed on it by the international community for illegally supplying arms to warring sides.

However Ukraine’s Defense Minister Anatoliy Hrytsenko asked Symonenko to fulfil his deputy’s duties instead of “going into hysterics”.

“Ukraine, in particular [state arms trader] Ukrspetseksport, indeed sold 16 tanks to Georgia last year. This is open information. It is clear to everyone. The UN has never questioned Ukraine about this. By doing so, we have fulfilled our duties and breached not a single law. The Communists should calm down. They should better take care of passing the state budget for 2007 rather than making noise in the media,” he told Ukrainian Inter TV channel.

Georgian President Saakashvili has pledged to restore Tbilisi’s control over the self-proclaimed republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. His defense minister has also said Georgian troops will celebrate New Year’s day in the capital of South Ossetia, Tskhinvali.

On October 13, the UN Security Council unanimously approved a Russian-sponsored draft resolution on Georgia urging the ex-Soviet country to refrain from provocative actions in Abkhazia, and calling for an extension of the Russian peacekeeping mission in the region until April 15, 2007.

Russia retains a peacekeeping presence in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which gained de facto independence following bloody conflicts after the breakup of the Soviet Union. Georgia’s leadership, which is currently embroiled in a spying row with Russia, accuses the Kremlin of supporting the breakaway regions’ drive for full independence.

Georgia’s relations with Russia went sour after President Mikheil Saakashvili came to power on the back of the “Rose Revolution” in 2003. Both the government and parliament have sought to remove Russian peacekeepers from conflict zones with two self-proclaimed republics, and to force the withdrawal of Russian troops from two Soviet-era bases that are due to close in 2008.

Relations were further strained in September of this year after NATO ministers, meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, endorsed the so-called Intensified
Dialogue with Georgia. Russia’s Foreign Ministry denounced the decision, saying closer ties between the alliance and the ex-Soviet nation could “seriously affect the political, military and economic interests of Russia and undermine the fragile status quo in the Caucasus.”

The arrest in Georgia of four Russian army officers on espionage charges a week later sent relations to a new low, prompting Moscow to suspend transportation and postal links with its Caucasus neighbor and to expel hundreds of Georgian migrants, regardless of Georgia releasing the officers, RIA Novosti adds.

Finn McCool

10-18-2006, 11:03 PM

What type of tank, T-72? It might be APCs or IFVs, the media tends to call anything with a gun on it a tank.

bd popeye

10-19-2006, 01:56 PM

What type of tank, T-72? It might be APCs or IFVs, the media tends to call anything with a gun on it a tank.

I really do not know. What ever it is you can be sure the Russians are not happy about the deal.

:off And I agree with you about the media. For instance when the news here in the US calls a USN rescue swimmer a Frogman or a USN or USMC helo a "chopper"(Army has Choppers the USN/USMC have helo's!!!) or misidentify militray hardware..:rolleyes: ..I think wadda a bunch of dummies...:off

Finn McCool

10-19-2006, 10:00 PM

On the subject of Russia-Georgia tensions, here is a link to the South Ossetian seperatist government's website, if anyone wants to check it out. It can help you make up your own mind about whether or not South Ossetia has a right to sovreignty.
http://southosetia.euro.ru/en.html

Here's the page on the Georgian Army from GlobalSecurity. Despite the fact that GlobalSecurity says that the reforms are complete and the Georgian army has completed its reforms to become an effective force, I think that while the reforms and expansions have certainly succeded, work remains to be done. With all the Russian help they would be getting, you can be sure that the highly militarized Ossetians and/or Abkhazians would be able to give Georgia a bloody nose by slowing them and enflicting casualties.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/georgia/army.htm

BLUEJACKET

10-20-2006, 07:06 PM

Putin warns Georgia risks bloodshed in breakaway areas

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlenews.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2006-10-20T194512Z_01_L19427196_RTRUKOC_0_UK-EU-RUSSIA.xml&WTmodLoc=NewsLanding-C4-World-2

The bitter war in Georgia, fought between the Russian-supported separatists in Abkhasia and Georgians, was actually never finished, but rather stopped when the Russians found themselves confronted with a similar situation in Chechnya. In fact, this conflict eventually resulted in providing anti-Russian elements with a safe heaven inside Georgia!
http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_282.shtml

Georgia – on Moscow's Mind (http://www.antiwar.com/pat/?articleid=9906)

THE EMERGING RUSSIAN GIANT, Part 1
Moscow plays its cards strategically
In the face of the increasingly obvious Washington policy of encircling and weakening Russia, President Vladimir Putin began a series of defensive moves. Subsequent US blunders made the job a bit easier. Now, with the stakes rising, Putin has moved beyond simple defense to a new dynamic offensive to secure a more viable geopolitical position, using energy as the lever. - F William Engdahl
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/HJ25Ag01.html

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/HJ26Ag01.html

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=3625&print=1

tphuang

10-25-2006, 06:28 PM

from Putin himself, Russian military budget is 30 billion, which works out to be around 4.3% of Russia's GDP.

By Lyubov Pronina
Oct. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Russia will raise defense spending
to $30 billion next year, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
Russia's spending on its armed forces, which count 1.1
million servicemen, is 25 times less than that of the U.S. and
less than in China and France, but still sufficient, Putin said
today in a call-in TV show.

tphuang

11-06-2006, 07:39 PM

more on Russian aviation industry, this is some pessimistic stuff on the merger that has been so talked about
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/11/07/007.html

This Collective Will Not Fly
By Alexander Golts

During his recent televised question-and-answer session, President Vladimir Putin was clearly irritated with the pace of work on a February presidential decree to form a national holding company for aircraft construction. "They are sorting out whose assets are worth more and whose less as at some oriental bazaar," Putin said. "We need to finish discussions and move on to constructive decisions."

It is hardly surprising that after this outburst the wheels of the state machine began to move faster. A few days later, the government commission to integrate the enterprises called for the creation of the Unified Aircraft-Construction Corporation, which brings together most of Russia's aircraft companies, including Tupolev, Ilyushin, Sukhoi, Irkut, the Sokol factory in Nizhny Novgorod and others. The state will have a 75 percent stake in the holding.

To all appearances, Putin sincerely believes the industry can be resurrected through mass collectivization, by herding surviving companies and those that have long been in a coma into a giant aircraft-production communal farm. The last time the government tried something similar, at the end of the 1990s, it couldn't overcome opposition from companies that could not understand why they should send their profits to Moscow in the name of a higher cause.

Now that Putin is behind it, there is no escape. But it remains to be seen if the move will give the aircraft industry much of a boost. Industry and Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko recently told the State Duma that the aircraft industry was in a slump and entirely dependent on foreign sales of military aircraft. The bulk of profits come from sales of the Su-30 fighter to China, India and Vietnam (and next year planes will likely be sold to Venezuela). Some profits also come from sales of Su-34 Fullback fighter-bombers to the Russian armed forces.

But no cooperation is necessary here. The factories are producing planes that were developed in the Soviet era. The companies managed to set up independent production and supply chains for components, but are now being asked to had over their assets in the name of dubious future production projects.

The problem with the Russian aircraft industry is that it has not created a single new aviation technology in 15 years. Given current development rates in aviation, this means that the country's air industry is simply not competitive. "Virtually no work has been done on new aircraft engines for more than 20 years," said Vladimir Skibin, general director of the Central Institute for Aviation Engine Building. "This stretch of time means the loss of a design culture."

The planned holding company does not include electrical engineering or engine-design institutes. Moreover, the plans only include "horizontal integration," so the current management at both efficient and inefficient companies will remain. This is unlikely to help improve efficiency.

Finally, the new holding company will not help to solve the biggest problem facing the aviation industry: the almost total absence of a commercial component. Khristenko said just 85 civilian aircraft, mostly light planes, were produced from 2003 to 2005. For the industry to survive, analysts say, Russia should be producing at least 500 civilian planes per year. It is clear that the aviation industry will be unable to reach the production levels necessary for profitability in the near future.

It is clear that the aircraft industry can only be revitalized through cooperation with the world's leading aircraft builders. The only new civilian aircraft project to reach the pre-production stage -- the Sukhoi Superjet-100 airliner -- is made largely of foreign components. The engines are a Russian-French joint effort. The vibration-control system is Swiss. The fuel system, avionics and chassis are French. The air conditioning system comes from Germany. The pilots' seats are from Britain. The auxiliary power unit, electrical, braking and wheel systems, the interior and the emergency equipment are all from the United States. Yet the government is presently doing everything it can to build a "ring-fence" to prevent foreign involvement in strategic branches of industry.

It is blindingly obvious that the creation of this corporation won't solve the aviation industry's problems. Tying inefficient producers together mechanically will only increase the losses for the country. The officials who promise Putin a mythical "fifth-generation fighter" and "short- and medium-range" civilian airliners will take control of the export incomes of a number of companies. Russia will not get any new planes, but London and Nice are likely to be seeing some newly minted Russian millionaires.

BLUEJACKET

11-10-2006, 04:29 PM

Russia and China create their own orbit

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/HK11Ag01.html
New article on on Russia-China Relations!
"Russia-China Security Cooperation"
http://www.pinr.com/report.php?ac=view_printable&report_id=588&language_id=1
.. Russia seems to be well aware that China would like to obtain its most sophisticated military technology, which, in case of deteriorating relations, Beijing might use against Russia. For that reason, Russia is reluctant to provide China with its state-of-the-art products. Moreover, there are indications that China is steadily acquiring enough knowledge to have a solid military industry of its own. Subsequently, in the coming years China will buy fewer arms from Russia, which will diminish the value of this cornerstone of their bilateral relationship.

Finn McCool

11-10-2006, 11:51 PM

As I have said many times before in many posts, Russia and China are using each other for their own reasons. They would not support each other in a confrontation with the US. Their economic interests in the future will be divergent and I don't think that they can share Central Asia.

BLUEJACKET

11-13-2006, 07:26 PM

"Russia & Ukraine agreed to resume joint series production of AN-124 cargo plane. (max payload 150T, 30T more than the C-5 Galaxy). Cruise speed-750-800 км/hr., Range with max payload 4500 км, with 100 т - over 7,000 км."
http://airworldchina.com/photo/m/photo_an124_11024768.jpg
http://1000aircraftphotos.com/Contributions/Schlifer/1648.jpg

"...China plans to buy 48 fighters Su-33 for $2,5B."

http://www.milparade.ru/index.php?id=1526

I bet they will buy AN-124 as well!

http://www.sinodefence.com/news/2004/news011004.asp

Finn McCool

11-13-2006, 10:31 PM

The purchase of the AN-124 will give the PLA forward deployment ability it now sorely lacks. With just a couple of those things you can have entire units in theater in the amount of time it takes for the plane to fly there and back just a few times.

BLUEJACKET

12-19-2006, 03:12 PM

Russia's new intercontinental ballistic missile system put on combat alert duty

18.12.2006 Source: URL: http://english.pravda.ru/russia/kremlin/85971-Topol_M-0

Russian Strategic Rocket Force unveiled the long-awaited “missile of the 21st century” to President Putin on Thursday. Commander in Chief gave his personal blessing to a maiden combat alert duty of the Topol-M missile complex, an advanced version of the silo-based and mobile Topol intercontinental ballistic missile. The first Topol-M mobile missile systems were put on combat duty on a location in the dense forests of Ivanono region, northeast of Moscow. The new Topol-M is officially designed a land-based mobile missile system i.e. the missile can be accommodated both on self-propelled launchers as well in silos.

High survivability of the mobile complex is achieved by the capability of off-road movement, comprising of continuous change in location and of a missile launch from any point along the movement route. There is no ICBM system similar to the Russian Topol-M in the West at the moment. Unlike a number of other Russian silo-based ICBMs, which must be an open secret to Russia’s potential enemies in terms of location, the new missile is considered virtually undetectable. President Putin was apparently impressed as he watched the crews expertly placing the missile systems in operational readiness. From a distance, three Topol-M missile systems looked like haystacks sitting near the edge of a forest. In actuality, the haystacks comprised 120-ton mobile launchers with full crews and a command post hidden under the camouflage net.

According to Lieutenant General Nikolai Solovtsev, Commander of Russia’s Strategic Rocket Force, it takes just a few minutes to put the new missile complex on alert. Reporters accompanying the Russian president could see the proof in a combat readiness exercise that followed. President Putin liked what he saw during the exercise. He was particularly pleased to point out that the missile troops had kept their promise. “Back in 2004 the military promised to put the Topol-M on an alert footing in 2007. I’d like to take the opportunity and compliment you on being as good as your word,” said President Putin. In his turn, Lieutenant General Solovtsev boasted that all components of the new missile were Russian-made. Speaking to Komsomolskaya Pravda, a source with the Russian Strategic Force, said that a number of important parts for the older Topol missiles had been previously manufactured by Ukraine. The country has been politically unpredictable over the last several years, to put it mildly. Now that the independence of the Russian missile shield has been restored, the new Russian missile system Topol-M should effectively remind of Russia’s nuclear capability to all of the nation’s ill-wishers.

On the outside, the Topol-M looks like its predecessor, the Topol ICBM system. In fact, both versions of the missile system look like identical twins. The devil is in the “stuffing” of the new missile. Although deployed with a single warhead, the Topol-M could easily be converted into a multiple-warhead missile depending on operational objectives. The new Topol-M reportedly takes several days to beat the enemy’s new antimissile defense system. Needless to say, the technique is a top military secret. It is rumored that the missile has a maneuverable warhead, to deceive antimissile defense system.

The missile’s warhead is also reportedly equipped with active deception jamming systems. The missile carries a single warhead but has a high throw weight: about 1,200 kg. This enables the new Topol-M missile to be tranformed in 24-hour period into a missile with multiple reentry vehicles carrying up to 7 warheads. The Topol-M has three stages, with the first stage having three solid-rocket motors, which were modernized to enable the missile to have a much higher acceleration and decrease ist transit time. Morever, the Russian Strategic Rocket Force already carried out several test flights of the Topol-M missile using hypersonic ramjet engines. Presently no Western ICBM system has anything similar to that type of an rocket engine.

Some specs for the Russian Topol-M ICBM system

Maximum range: 10,000 kilometers
Number of stages: 3
Weight: 47.1 tons
Throw weight: 1.2 tons
Length with fitted warhead: 22.7 meters
Warhead explosive force: 1 megaton
The missile system can be based on self-propelled launchers and in silos.

http://english.pravda.ru/russia/kremlin/18-12-2006/85971-Topol_M-0
I don't have much to add, other than that the Chinese may follow the Russians' example!

BLUEJACKET

12-22-2006, 07:14 PM

This is an interesting new article by a political & military analist about China, Taiwan, the Koreas, USA & Russia-
«Третьим радующимся» быть не удастся (http://nvo.ng.ru/printed/7042)
Вероятный сговор между Пекином и Вашингтоном больно ударит по интересам Москвы
I can translate all of it, but it will take a lot of my time. If anyone wants it bad enough in English and has the $, I'll have the time. Please PM me for details!

The_Zergling

12-22-2006, 09:42 PM

This is what I got out of it with online translation (slightly edited by me for grammar and words that didn't get translated)... a decent one, I'd say. I skipped the introduction and focused on the area talking about Taiwan. My notes are in red.

PEACE REUNION

The further existence of Taiwan as de facto independent state becomes intolerant for Beijing. China cannot apply for a role of a superstate if it is not capable to restore the sovereignty above a small rebellious province.

The peaceful unification of the island state, certainly, is more favourable to the Peoples Republic of China. It will instantly provide significant economic, financial, technological, and military power to to China, as well as growth in international prestige.

The plan of nonviolent actions concerning Taiwan is realized by Beijing in several directions. First, as "bait" the principle " one country - two systems ", with success used in case of with Hong Kong is kept. The PRC promises to apply it to Taiwan. Secondly, the Communist Party of China actively influences politics on island the island via the KMT (Taiwan's current opposition party, China-leaning). The KMT historically has considered itself the legitimate authority for "all China" and opposes independence for Taiwan. Certainly, today the KMT does not have opportunity to carry this out, but at the least it aspires to return to holding the reins of government in Taipei.

China uses a financial resource-propaganda of a handheld computer, but simultaneously turns to "the fifth column" Beijing on island. In particular, deputies from KMT in the Taiwan parliament have blocked arms sales from the United States for quite some time.

Thirdly, the Peoples Republic of China several years ago has opened access to its economy, including capital from the ROC. Taiwan's investments in the various enterprises of continental China have exceeded 100 billion dollars and has made the majority of the largest businessmen of the island hostages of policy of Beijing. Taiwan economically is actually already an integral part of the Peoples Republic of China. Over 70% of all investments and a