The promising T-50 front-line aviation complex, although it is a classified project, is nevertheless on everyone’s lips. However, this is far from the only development of Russian aircraft designers. What is known about other aircraft systems being developed?

PAK YES– a promising long-range aviation complex, work on which was launched in 2009. As a result, it is planned to obtain a single type of long-range bomber, which will join the Tu-160, Tu-95MS and Tu-22M3. The development contract was won by Tupolev OJSC, after which it went through the stage of determining the appearance of the machine.
The military issued the technical specifications for the bomber in December 2011, and by the beginning of 2012 the research part of the program was completed and the development of a preliminary design began.
It is believed that the machine will be subsonic, made according to the “flying wing” design; the requirements for the aircraft were formulated based on the efficiency of the power plant and increasing the patrol time with a high combat load. The onboard weapons will include a significant list of guided weapons, including promising hypersonic cruise missiles. The Tactical Missile Weapons Corporation noted that the ammunition load will additionally include air-to-air missiles. Engines for the aircraft are made by Kuznetsov OJSC based on the modernized NK-32 from the Tu-160.

PAK KA- a naval aviation complex, a new carrier-based aircraft, the younger brother of the PAK FA. Work in this direction has only just begun and, for the most part, has not been formalized. But it is known for sure that the hypothetical PAK KA will be created on the basis of the PAK FA.

PAK TA- the development of a family of new heavy and super-heavy military transport aircraft (transport aviation complex) began in 2013 as part of the Ermak project, or PTS (advanced transport aircraft).
According to the plans, the project will create a whole line of machines standardized in terms of on-board equipment with a maximum load capacity of 80 to 200 tons.

PAK DP- a promising long-range interception aircraft complex, which will be developed to replace the MiG-31 interceptors, which occupy a special niche in the country’s defense against air attack weapons (including cruise missiles). MiG-31s ​​are used to strengthen the air defense of poorly protected sections of the border - in particular, until recently they formed the basis of the Russian Arctic air defense group.
It’s not for nothing that MiG-31 type aircraft are nicknamed “flying air defense systems”: their radars and fire control system (the Zaslon on-board complex) give them solid capabilities for controlling airspace and intercepting targets (including group ones). The MiG-31 has the ability to operate as a radar patrol aircraft and guidance for other vehicles.

PSS- a promising attack aircraft based on the Su-25 type aircraft. The developers decided to create an aircraft with minimal design changes relative to the base Su-25. In particular, it is planned that it will receive improved R-195 engines and will almost completely retain the airframe. The vehicle will receive a new sighting and navigation system and the ability to use new guided weapons (including those with a satellite guidance system). Work will also be carried out to reduce the radar signature of the aircraft.

August 12, 2015 agency RIA Novosti, Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces (VKS) of Russia, Colonel General Viktor Bondarev, told reporters on Wednesday thatexperimental design work on development advanced long-range interception aircraft complex (PAK DP), which will replace the MiG-31 in the future, will begin no earlier than 2019.

“The start of development work on the creation of the PAK DP is planned no earlier than 2019. At the moment, the Russian Ministry of Defense is successfully modernizing existing interception systems - MiG-31 aircraft,” Bondarev said.

Bondarev noted that the timing of the R&D work on the creation of the PAK DP will not affect the state of the Aerospace Forces fighter-interceptor fleet.

MiG-31 fighter-interceptor (tail number "91 blue") from the 22nd Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 303rd Mixed Aviation Division of the 3rd Air Force and Air Defense Command of the Eastern Military District. Central Corner, June 2014 (c) alexeyvvo.livejournal.com

In turn, the General Director of JSC"Research Institute of Instrument Engineering named after V.V. Tikhomirov" (NIIP named after V.V. Tikhomirov, located in Zhukovsky)Yuri Bely stated on August 12 thatat the "NIIP named after V.V. Tikhomirov"work to determine the appearance of the radio-electronic complex of the promising long-range interception aircraft complex (PAK DP), which in the future will replace the MiG-31.

“The development of the Zaslon system of the MiG-31 fighter-interceptor was a milestone for our institute and became its “calling card”. Therefore, of course, we could not remain outside of participating in the work on creating a new radio-electronic complex for the PAK DP. Research and development began work to determine the appearance of the system based not only on the modernized Zaslon, but also on all the latest developments, including Bars, Irbis, radio-electronic system for the PAK FA and others,” Bely said.

He noted that all other systems must be developed on a modern basis for the new interceptor.

“If NIIP is chosen as the developer of the radio-electronic complex, it will be necessary to ensure interaction with all on-board systems. We are also ready for this, we have the necessary experience,” added the general director of the developer.

NIIP is a developer of weapons control systems (WCS) for fighter aircraft, as well as a developer of medium-range air defense missile systems for the Ground Forces, whose task is to protect against air attack weapons. Currently, the shareholders of the NIIP named after V.V. Tikhomirov are the Almaz-Antey Air Defense Concern (56% of shares) and the Radioelectronic Technologies Concern (44%), which is part of the Rostec state corporation.

The Russian aircraft manufacturing corporation MiG hopes to further develop an unmanned version of the PAK-DP - a future replacement for its MiG-31 interceptor.

However, many doubt that PAK-DP will ever be created in principle. In addition, it is not entirely clear whether RSK MiG, known in Soviet times as the design bureau of Mikoyan and Gurevich, will be able to maintain independence in the Russian umbrella company called the United Aircraft Corporation. It may be swallowed up by Sukhoi, its main rival, which has dominated the Russian fighter market since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

“This will be a completely new aircraft, which will use completely new technologies for working in the Arctic sphere,” MiG General Director Ilya Tarasenko told the TASS news agency at the Army-2017 military-technical forum held in the Moscow region.

“This plane will guard the entire border of our Motherland. Then it will be transferred to the unmanned project.”

The TASS article states, citing Colonel General Viktor Bondarev, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Military Space Forces, that development of the PAK-DP will not begin until 2019. In fact, if the PAK-DP program is launched, it will not be until the mid-2020s.

“In my opinion, taking into account all the existing restrictions, it is unlikely that anything will arise before 2023-2025,” Vasily Kashin, a senior researcher at the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the Moscow Higher School of Economics, told The National Interest.

Context

How the MiG-29 appeared in Yugoslavia

Russia wants a sixth-generation superfighter

The truth about the MiG-29

Samuel Bendett, an expert on the Russian military at the Naval Think Tank, agrees.

“It’s hard to say anything at this point; the Department of Defense will need to devote a lot of resources to develop such an aircraft,” Bendett noted to the National Interest.

“Russia is signaling that it is moving toward stealth and unmanned aerial vehicles, but these are expensive projects even for the wealthy US military.”

“Converting existing manned aircraft into unmanned versions requires significant technical capabilities and significant resources - at a time when Russia has serious problems with modern UAV technologies,” he emphasized.
“For example, Tarasenko said in his statement that the MiG Corporation produces medium and heavy unmanned aerial vehicles. However, this statement is not entirely true: several MiG projects remained on the drawing board for years. For example, the development of the Skat attack UAV was never completed and over time grew into a joint project between the Sukhoi and MiG Okhotnik design bureaus.”

Moreover, even if Russia launches the PAK-DP project, it is unknown whether MiG will remain an independent entity long enough to take part in it. It is believed that Sukhoi has long been making plans to take over the legendary MiG corporation, which, despite its glorious history, is going through difficult times in the post-Soviet era.

“They will be lucky if they remain an independent design bureau,” Michael Kofman, a fellow at the Naval Think Tank who specializes in the Russian military, told the National Interest.

InoSMI materials contain assessments exclusively from foreign media and do not reflect the position of the InoSMI editorial staff.

The Russian promising PAK DP interceptor may become unmanned in the future. This was announced by the General Director of RSK MiG Ilya Tarasenko at the International Military-Technical Forum Army-2017 in the Patriot Park near Moscow.

"We are already doing this. For us, this is a natural development of the MiG-31 aircraft. New technologies, stealth, work in space, new speeds, new radius. All the developments that we have, we will implement in this project. It will be completely new an aircraft that will use completely new technologies for working in the Arctic sphere. This aircraft will guard the entire border of our Motherland. Then it will be transferred to the unmanned project,” he said. Tarasenko noted that RSK MiG creates medium and heavy drones.

The company's general director also said that deliveries of the PAK DP interceptor to the Russian Armed Forces are planned to begin in the mid-2020s. “Subject to an order from the Ministry of Defense, we will, as I said earlier, begin full development and delivery of this aircraft in the mid-2020s,” he said. Tarasenko added that the PAK DP project is a development of the MiG-31 interceptor.

Earlier, the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces, Viktor Bondarev, reported that development work to create a new interceptor to replace the existing MiG-31 will begin no earlier than 2019.

The military department's intentions to obtain a new interceptor to replace the MiG-31 were first announced in 2013. Then the Air Force Commander-in-Chief, Colonel General Viktor Bondarev, spoke about the military department’s plans to create a promising aircraft. At that time, the possibility of developing a project was considered within the framework of the current State Armaments Program, according to which the project was supposed to appear before 2020. Subsequent serial production of aircraft would make it possible by 2028 to completely replace all existing MiG-31 type aircraft.

Possible appearance of the 701 aircraft

Considering that there is little official information on the project, and technical data is not disclosed at all, it is difficult to predict the shape of the future PAK DA. Obviously, the current assumptions may coincide with the actual result of the PAK DP program, but the likelihood of this is not high.

The picture in the title of the article shows the possible appearance of the PAK DP / (c) Jozef Gatial