Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov, responsible for the development of the military-industrial complex, announced several novelties in the field of armaments for aviation and navy, envisaged by the state program until 2027. We are talking about the supply of finished products to the armed forces, as well as the creation of prototypes and the conduct of scientific research.

"Completely new project"

It is the research work that will be carried out in order to create a replacement for the legendary An-124 Ruslan airplane. This is the largest military transport aircraft in the world, capable of carrying 120 tons of cargo. It was developed in the USSR by the Kiev KB Oleg Antonov. For the first time in the air the plane rose in 1982.

After 2014, Antonov refused to work with Russia on the production plans for the new Ruslan in the country. On the Russian side, there were proposals to produce them independently: until 2004, aircraft were built both in Kiev and in Russian Ulyanovsk.

However, now they decided to abandon this idea in favor of modernizing old aircraft and carrying out research work on a new aircraft. "Scientific research work on it is in the plan at the end of the GPV," Yuriy Borisov emphasized.

Earlier, the United Aircraft Corporation said that in the near future they did not intend to develop an alternative to Ruslan.

As Ivan Konovalov, director of the Center for Strategic Studies, said in an interview with RT, Ruslan is a unique machine, but it is still a Soviet project, the rights to which have remained in Ukraine.

"We need to create a completely new project, using the old developments. And for this you need to start from the very beginning - research work, "- said the expert in an interview with RT.

In his opinion, such a mission can be assumed by Russian design bureaus engaged in the development of military transport aviation, in particular, the Aviation Complex named after S.V. Ilyushin.

  • An-124 Ruslan
  • © mil.ru

According to Borisov, a significant modernization of the existing An-124 is expected, including the installation of the projected Russian PD-35 engines on the aircrafts (the start of mass production is planned by 2028), which will replace the D-18T engines of the Ukrainian Progress plant, currently on Ruslana . In this case, "until 2050, you can absolutely fly safely," the official said.

"Now there is even no need to build new airplanes (Ruslan - RT ): we have a large existing park with a good resource," Yury Borisov said.

Experts note that in the field of the development of military aviation, Russia continues the policy of maximizing the use of existing aircraft by modernizing them. In early July, Borisov also said that there were no plans to purchase the Su-57 for the Ministry of Defense on a mass scale, while the Su-35 (fourth-generation aircraft), well-proven in Syria, did not work out their resources. Until 2027, the troops will receive only 12 Russian aircraft of the fifth generation.

Defending the North

Another novelty, announced by Yuri Borisov, is a prototype of the ekranoplan "Orlan" with missile weapons. It should appear before 2027.

The Ekranoplan is a special kind of ships, outwardly resembling a hybrid of an airplane and a ship, capable of flying over a water and other surface without touching it. At the end of the Soviet Union, the navy launched the "Lun" missile-carrying missile, armed with 3M80 Moskit missiles. It was supposed that it will be used on the spaces of the Caspian and Black seas. However, after the collapse of the USSR, work in this direction and production of ekranoplans stopped.

Now, according to Yuri Borisov, the main task of the ekranoplanov-rocket carriers will be patrolling the Northern Sea Route, although the combat vehicles will also be used in the vast Caspian Sea and the Black Sea.

"The theater of military operations dictates the appropriate types of weapons," said RT head of the department of political science and sociology of the Russian Economic University. G.V. Plekhanov Andrei Koshkin. - To date, the Northern Sea Route is a logistical structure that attracts the world, and the future is behind it. The order of weapons and military equipment is based on such strategic plans. "

Experts attribute the advantages of ekranoplans to their stealthiness on the radar screens, speed, the ability to move both over open water and over ice-covered areas. At the same time, a significant part of the military expert community is skeptical about the prospects of this type of transport: there are difficulties in applying it in stormy weather.

"Ekranoplans are mentioned in the Fundamentals of the state policy of the Russian Federation approved in the Russian Federation in the sphere of naval activities for the period until 2030," Andrei Frolov, editor-in-chief of the magazine Export of Arms, said in an interview with RT.

In 2017, Russian media reported on the work of the Nizhny Novgorod Central Design Bureau for hydrofoil ships. R.E. Alekseeva over the 600-ton military transport airborne ekranoplan "Rescuer", intended for work in the Arctic. Earlier small ekranoplans EK-12P "Ivolga" used the Border Guard troops of the FSB of Russia, but after 2012 there were no information on their use by the border guards.

The Legacy of the USSR

In addition to ekranoplanes, ships of the amphibian type include ships with an air cushion. According to Yuri Borisov, the creation of several dozens of such ships is planned in the state program of armaments until 2027.

"Khabarovsk Shipbuilding Plant has always specialized in aluminum cases. I think that now the situation at the plant will be on the mend. The state program of armaments includes the construction of ships on the air cushion "Zubr" and "Murena" - the first is bigger, the second is smaller. Orders for them will be placed exactly there, "the official said.

  • The landing craft of project 12322 "Zubr"
  • © www.almaz.spb.ru

Landing ships project 12322 "Zubr" - the brainchild of the Soviet era, these are the largest hovercraft in the world. Landing boats project 12061 "Murena" also began to be built in the 1980s.

According to Ivan Konovalov, the fact that most of the projects announced by Yuri Borisov have their roots in the development of the times of the USSR, there is nothing to worry about.

"In Soviet times, a very large backlog was made, and we have not completely exhausted it. It must be used: we tried in vain, or what? "- said the political scientist.

Andrei Koshkin agrees with this point of view.

"A number of Soviet projects were forced to put in a long box - including for technical reasons. Today, there is an opportunity and an urgent need to obtain such projects, using for their implementation modern technologies, information systems, completely new composite materials, "the expert described the situation.

"Karakurts" with "Caliber"

Among such projects - the famous cruise missiles "Caliber": they began to develop also in the 1980s, but were introduced into the troops much later. Now this is the main element of the armament of small missile ships project 22800 "Karakurt". Yuri Borisov also informed about the prospects of their supply to the fleet today.

  • Caliber, Syria
  • RIA News

"Now the construction of the first three of these ships at the" Eastern shipyard "has begun. I think that with the emergence of new models interest in them will increase, "- said the Deputy Prime Minister. Earlier it was reported that 18 ships of the project 22800 should go into service with the Navy, two of them - in the current year.

The presence on the board of the Karakurts of long-range cruise missiles "Caliber" Borisov sees as an advantage in the struggle for foreign arms markets.

"These ships were very successful: a large tonnage, good weapons, and most importantly - it's" Caliber ". The corvette has an acceptable price, it is small, compact, high-speed. I believe that for a number of countries, especially the Asia-Pacific region - Vietnam, China, India and others - it has a good export potential, "the Deputy Prime Minister noted.

As Andrey Koshkin underlined, an important advantage of the "Caliber" is that they brilliantly proved themselves during the attacks on terrorists in Syria.

"Combat conditions are the main criterion. "Caliber" showed themselves to the maximum with high efficiency, "- said the expert.

According to Ivan Konovalov, the 22800 ships can count on good demand in foreign markets.

"A significant part of our traditional partners in the field of military-technical cooperation have long maritime boundaries, unsettled disputes at sea," he noted. - And the ships are needed for operations in the coastal zone. To potential clients, I would add Indonesia, Algeria and Iran, when he will have the opportunity to realize his potential for importing weapons. "

According to Andrei Frolov, now any product of Russian shipbuilding is in demand on the world arms market.

"Almost any of our ship under construction shows export interest," the political scientist said.