More than 60 aircraft and helicopters will enter service with the Russian Air Force by the end of 2021.

The Air Force Commander, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant General Sergei Dronov, told about this in an interview with the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper.

Recall that the Air Force is part of the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation.

“The Air Force is currently receiving modern samples of aviation technology in accordance with the state defense order.

By the end of the year, it is planned to supply more than 60 units of new aviation equipment, ”the military leader said.

According to Dronov, the Russian Aerospace Forces will receive the latest fifth-generation Su-57 fighters, as well as modern Su-30SM, Su-35S multipurpose aircraft, Su-34 front-line bombers, Il-76MD-90A heavy military transport aircraft, Mi combat helicopters -28NM and Ka-52, as well as airborne transport - Mi-8AMTSh-VN.

  • Aerobatics group "Berkuts" on attack helicopters Mi-28N "Night Hunter"

  • RIA News

  • © Evgeny Odinokov

In addition, the military will receive more than 200 units of modernized aircraft. 

“All samples of aviation equipment are equipped with the latest personal protection systems, great attention is paid to improving survival in the air, reducing radar signature, automating aircraft control processes and using weapons,” said Sergei Dronov.

He also said that all samples of military equipment "are being tested during the hostilities in the Syrian Arab Republic, and according to the results obtained, the necessary improvements are being promptly carried out."

Sergey Dronov also spoke about the program for the creation of unmanned aircraft.

According to him, the development of this direction "in Russia is carried out at a high rate."

“This is a multifaceted process.

On the one hand, the latest technologies are being introduced into production, the most modern materials are used to reduce the size and weight of on-board systems of unmanned aerial vehicles, their energy consumption.

On the other hand, drone control algorithms are being developed, including for group use, methods of "intellectualizing" automatic control systems and, in general, their integration into reconnaissance and strike systems of the Armed Forces, "explained the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces.

According to him, now "tests of promising complexes with unmanned aerial vehicles" are underway at the ranges of the state flight test center.

"In addition, they are being tested in real combat operations during a special operation in the Syrian Arab Republic," Dronov concluded.

From Su-30 to Su-75

According to experts, one of the most promising aircraft mentioned by Sergei Dronov is the Su-57 fighter.

At the moment, this is the most modern aircraft in the Russian Aerospace Forces.

Among its main advantages are super-maneuverability, the ability to use a wide range of ammunition and stealth.

The first production samples of the Su-57 are equipped with the AL-41F1 turbojet two-circuit power plant (Product 117), which is used by the Su-35 generation 4 ++ fighter.

In the future, it is planned to install on the Su-57 the so-called second stage engine ("Product 30"), which will allow it to maintain supersonic speed for a long time without significant fuel consumption.

The production of the Su-57 is deployed at the Gagarin Aviation Plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur.

The Russian Defense Ministry should receive 76 such aircraft as part of the state armaments program, calculated until 2028.

Delivery of four of these machines is expected this year.

It should be noted that the Sukhoi Design Bureau is currently developing a fifth-generation light fighter with one engine.

It is expected to receive the designation Su-75.

For the first time, this machine was presented at the MAKS-2021 air show under the working title Checkmate.

According to analysts, the Su-35S single-seat fighter of the 4 ++ generation has also come close to the characteristics of fifth-generation aviation.

Experts call this aircraft a kind of transitional link between the legendary Su-27 fighters and the promising Su-57.

The Su-35S is designed to destroy all air, ground and surface targets and has the means to break through modern air defense.

The aircraft has been supplied to the troops since the end of 2012 and was actively used during the armed conflict in Syria.

As of February 2020, the Russian Aerospace Forces had at their disposal about 70 such machines.

The Su-30SM double fighter has also proven itself in the SAR.

It continues the line of combat aircraft of the Su-30MKI family.

  • Aerobatic group "Russian Knights" on Su-30SM aircraft

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  • © Maxim Blinov

Su-30SM is capable of operating at any time of the day and in all weather conditions.

The vehicle can destroy both air and ground targets.

In addition, the fighter is capable of conducting aerial reconnaissance and giving target designation to other aircraft.

The front-line fighter-bomber Su-34, which was also reported by Sergei Dronov, entered service in 2014.

This aircraft played an important role in the fight against terrorist groups in Syria.

It is designed to deliver precise missile and bomb strikes against enemy ground targets in operational and tactical depth, as well as to destroy enemy air targets.

In December 2020, it was reported that the Sukhoi company had completed the contract for the supply of about 100 Su-34s for the Russian Aerospace Forces ahead of schedule.

  • Su-34 fighter-bombers

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  • © Konstantin Mikhalchevsky

At the moment, an upgraded version of this aircraft, the Su-34M, is being developed.  

In turn, the Il-76MD-90A military transport aircraft, the Mi-28NM, Ka-52 and Mi-8AMTSh-VN helicopters represent a deep modernization of the time-tested models of combat vehicles, the creation of which was started back in the Soviet years.

"We are continuing a difficult process"

In July 2020, the commander-in-chief of the Aerospace Forces, Colonel-General Sergei Surovikin, announced that the share of modern weapons in the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation exceeded 70%.

This figure corresponds to the total share of new equipment in the RF Armed Forces, which as of July 2021 was 71%.

“Today everyone - some with anger, some with approval - understands and states that the Russian army has more than 70%, or more precisely, almost 71% of modern weapons and equipment.

This is the highest percentage among all the armies of the world, ”said Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu at a meeting with the staff of the Rostvertol company in July.

  • IL-76MD-90A heavy transport aircraft

  • © aviastar-sp.ru

As Andrei Koshkin, a member of the Academy of Military Sciences of the Russian Federation, noted in an interview with RT, many countries of the world are striving to achieve such indicators, but not everyone succeeds.

“The United States said that it was modernizing the army, and many European states, including Germany, also said this.

But nothing is known about their success in this matter.

And Russia was able to implement these plans, ”the expert said.

At the same time, Koshkin emphasized that military aviation is one of the most technically complex and costly areas of the defense industry.

The ability to produce modern combat aircraft and equip troops with it is key to the country's defense capability, the expert said.

At the same time, he drew attention to the fact that the Russian Federation manages to implement the arms purchase program in the context of sanctions and economic difficulties caused by the pandemic.

“The rearmament process is taking place in the difficult years of the pandemic, when the economy suffered and rearmament plans in many countries were thwarted.

We have fully fulfilled the plan for the supply of military equipment.

The US sanctions, including against the enterprises of the military-industrial complex, did not prevent us, ”Koshkin said.

Import substitution is an important part of the defense industry enterprises' work today, the analyst added.

“We continue the difficult process of replacing imported components.

All this allows us to become a power that has one of the best armies in the world, including the Aerospace Forces.

We were able to provide the Aerospace Forces with unique samples, for example, the fifth generation Su-57 fighter.

He is already in the ranks and, by the way, they are already interested in him abroad.

So in this area we are in leadership positions, ”says Andrey Koshkin.

In turn, the editor of the newspaper "Nezavisimoye Voennoye Obozreniye" Dmitry Litovkin, in a commentary to RT, drew attention to the fact that so far the fifth generation Su-57 fighter is being purchased in small batches.

“The Su-57 is an aircraft of a fundamentally new level. But so far it is supplied in small quantities. Combat pilots are beginning to master these machines. Along with this, a new provision on their combat use will be developed, tactics will be worked out. But, like the Americans, the Su-57 will not yet determine the combat readiness of our air force. The stake will be placed on the Su-30SM, Su-35S - machines of the previous generation. But some time will pass and the Su-57 will become the basis. This process is underway, it is quite consistent, ”the analyst concluded.