MiG-35 and MiG-29SMT presentation

[Force_Feedback]

An automatic cigar cutter for sure :P

[hitman]

No thats gotta be the port where the gremlins come out to destroy the plane.

[EvilBivol-1]

Word on the intake attachments is that it is indeed an electro-optical system. There is another, smaller attachment under the left intake as well.

 

As for the wing-tip bulge, best guess so far: elevator call buttons.

[Dudikoff]

Yes that crossed my mind as well, but those holes look very close together for that purpose and the "lump" itself too small to provide proper support for a missile rail......but I don't know.

 

Yeah, this is most certainly not a provision for the missile rail. The wingtip is certainly not shaped in this way and even the angle of the bump seems wrong in a way that the far side of the wingtip would get in the rail's way.

 

I think the original assumption sounds the most convincing - optical IR detector for the incoming missiles. It would be about time to have something like this on military aircraft (especially needed for warning against incoming IR-guided missiles).

[nscode]

Actually, the angle is good... it makes the surface of the bump about parallel to the nose-tail axis. (wingtip goes inward, and bump goes opposite... at least from what I can see)

[Dudikoff]

Looks canted outwards to me. Either way the bump is too short for the strong enough connection. Imagine the forces acting upon it during the roll. Also, it is rather protruded from the wingtip which would leave noticable space between the rail and the wingtip. Again, too weak connection and not aerodynamic at all. If this is the missile rail attachment point, I'll eat my hat :)

[Force_Feedback]

And I keep on wondering when they'll start making eadible hats :P Nah, as I said, those are cigar cutters for the Cubans. The pilot does a walkaround, it's hot, the atmosphere is relaxing, so he wants to smoke a Cuban, and since the cutters are on the 3/9 line, he can smoke 2 cigars without having to walk that far.

Just don't insert fingers or other things that may stick out in those holes.

[Kusch]

Official MiG press release from their MiG-35 pre-Aero India 'event'

 

 

The corporation has set up a modern product range. With a new MiG-35 fighter RAC MIG has formed up a prospect product range to meet the market demand in the nearest and upcoming future.

This product range has been named as the “unified multifunctional combat aircraft family”. It includes MiG-29K/KUB shipborne fighter, MiG-29M/M2 and MiG-35 front-line fighters. Each of the above mentioned 4++ generation aircraft have been designed in a single and double-seat versions. Nowadays the serial production of MiG-29K/KUB has been started to fulfill the Indian Navy order for the Vikramaditya aircraft carrier.

The RAC MIG designers have been talking about three stages of the aircraft family unification. First of all, this is inside family unification between MiG-29K/KUB, MiG-29M/ M2 and MiG-35. All the fighters have the similar airframe, propulsion system as well as main aboard systems. All of them have been equipped with the digital fly-by-wire system with four-fold redundancy. All the aircraft have been covered by the united after-sales support system and will be facing the similar upgrade packages.

Second, the designers have succeeded the high-level of unification among the single-seat and double-seat aircraft. As for the construction elements, aboard equipment and weaponry, it comes to 100%. All the fighters use the unified cockpit canopy with an extra fuel-tank installation aboard the single-seater.

Third, RAC MIG is going to present a range of proposals to extend the unification level of the new fighters with the MiG-29 previous variants.

As for the avionics, the new MiGs have been changed dramatically in comparison with MiG-29 but the aircraft outlook has not been change a lot. Besides, several combat technical characteristics of the fighter have been radically changed also. For example, the aircraft external payload overcomes 6 ton, while the amount of the payload points was extended by 4in comparison with MiG-29. The fuel stock was extended by almost 50% to increase the aircraft range substantially. The new aircraft also enjoys the in-flight fueling system.

According to the RAC MIG regional director in India Mikhail Globenko, the main attention over MiG-29K and MiG-35 development has been paid to the aircraft reliability and serviceability. The flight hour cost of MiG-35 and MiG-29K in comparison with MiG-29 early versions has been decreased in almost 2.5 times.

Some parts of the new family fighters’ avionics has reached the 5th generation aircraft level. The share of such components has been increased over the latest modifications. While MiG-29K/KUB and MiG-29M/M2 has been equipped with Zhuk slot-array antenna radar, the MiG-35 has become the first non-US fighter to be equipped with the active phased-array antenna radar (AESA). This radar has been designated Zhuk-AE and is the further development of the Phazotron-NIIR Kopyo and Zhuk family.

It should be mentioned that the MIG designers have a long-standing experience with electronic scanning employment as the first world fighter with such type of radar, namely MiG-31 went into serial production in 1979.

Besides the APhAR the new generation technologies have been employed within the passive electro-optical systems, first installed aboard the MiG-29K/KUB with a further development aboard MiG-35. Such technologies have been used initially aboard the Russian space equipment.

According to the RAC MIG the unified fighters weaponry will integrate the latest Russian technological developments, which has never been previously exported. Besides, MiG-35 could be adopted for the non-Russian aboard equipment and weaponry installation.

In the frame of the unified fighters family development RAC MIG has set up experimental aircraft for the prospect technologies testing. In the last years up to 10 experimental aircraft have been employed. Aboard one of them, namely MiG-29M OVT, all-aspect nozzle deflection technology has been tested to reach super-maneuverability. The thrust-vectoring engines installation is optional for the MiG-35 customers.

Nowadays, the new generation family fighters are in serial production with the aircraft earlier versions, for example MiG-29SMT. But according to the RAC MIG experts in future all the MiGs will be produced as the unified family members. The family itself is just at the initial stage of its life cycle and will be improved over a long-time with its avionics and weaponry capabilities. RAC MIG is going to offer its customers the new upgrade packages to bring the previously built aircraft close to the MiG-29K or MiG-35 capabilities.

According to the RAC MIG the MiG-35 will be demanded initially by the states to renew the existing fleet of MiGs. It will be supported by the active marketing policy including trade-in contracts as well as technology transfer, license production and further cooperation with the local industry.

[Groove]

Yes that crossed my mind as well, but those holes look very close together for that purpose and the "lump" itself too small to provide proper support for a missile rail......but I don't know.

 

But at least it is some consolation that the Russian minister of defence apparently didn't seem to know either....judging from this photo:

"What is this for?"

 

:D

 

- JJ.

 

Maybe some kind of strobo light / navlight?

 

Looks too small for a Missile Approch Warning Sensor.

 

Here is a Israeli solution:

 

http://www.iai.co.il/Default.aspx?docID=27192&FolderID=17652&lang=en&res=0&pos=0

 

And here a Typhoon Photo:

 

[Alfa]

Official MiG press release from their MiG-35 pre-Aero India 'event'

 

Holy smokes! - the MiG-35 radar is indeed a new AESA and not the Zhuk-MF passive phased array as I thought.

 

That development went right by me - never even heard about it before :blush: .

 

- JJ.

[Pilotasso]

WOW Im going to start advertising the AN/APG-80 over here. :D

 

BTW what are the principal differences between Active and passive arrays?

[Alfa]

Well I do not have a good enough insight to radar tech to give you a proper technical explanation, but basically a passive phased array works much in the same way as a "traditional" fighter radar, but steers the beam electronically instead of mechanically - i.e. not having to physically move the antenna with the obvious advantage of faster scanning speed.

 

An active phased array does the same, but can perform multiple tasks simultaneously - e.g. it can work as two or more seperate radars performing different tasks simultaneously or/and undertake tasks not normally associated with a radar - e.g. ECM. So basically it comprise functions that earlier required a whole lot of seperate "boxes". On an AESA these functions are software based and therefore much easier to upgrade - i.e. you don't have to change hardware for the purpose etc.

 

But I am sure someone can provide a better account for this than I :)

 

- JJ.

[Pilotasso]

That was good enough thx. :)

[Anytime]

Basically, with an active array each element has an emitter source, while the passive array still has one RF source and needs a wave guide etc. And btw just because it's a phased array doesn't mean it will necessarially out peform a conventional radar, take the SPY1D for example, pitafull down low where it counts, and that's one big array.

 

WOW Im going to start advertising the AN/APG-80 over here. :D

 

BTW what are the principal differences between Active and passive arrays?

[GGTharos]

An active phased array does the same, but can perform multiple tasks simultaneously - e.g. it can work as two or more seperate radars performing different tasks simultaneously or/and undertake tasks not normally associated with a radar - e.g. ECM.

.

 

Simultaneous air/ground and air/air functioning, RWR, radio, multiple target tracking without search (thus limiting detectable emissions to -other- aircraft), IFF, ESM, Intel gathering, and it can probably microwave your dinner, too.

[Anytime]

Without search? To see something you have to scan, but given the AESA radars can jump frequencies very quickly it is very difficult to detect the radar with ESM, and jam it for that matter.

 

Simultaneous air/ground and air/air functioning, RWR, radio, multiple target tracking without search (thus limiting detectable emissions to -other- aircraft), IFF, ESM, Intel gathering, and it can probably microwave your dinner, too.

[GGTharos]

No, it is the AESA radar being used ans an ESM instrument :)

 

And wether you must first search, or you are cued by data-link, the end result is you can actually track targets without searching at the same time in a tws-like or even stt-like mode.

[Anytime]

Lost me! :pilotfly:

 

Queued by data link yes.

ESM yes, but bearing only.

TWS yes, but still able to search at the same time.

STT, not sure if search is still available, imagine in a limited.

 

Link below has interesting performance info on the CAPTOR.

 

http://www.eurofighter-typhoon.co.uk/Eurofighter/sensors.html

 

No, it is the AESA radar being used ans an ESM instrument :)

 

And wether you must first search, or you are cued by data-link, the end result is you can actually track targets without searching at the same time in a tws-like or even stt-like mode.

[GGTharos]

Lost me! :pilotfly:

 

Queued by data link yes.

ESM yes, but bearing only.

 

Only if the radar cannot range the emitter :) In fact it could downright groundmap or otherwise ID the emitter.

 

TWS yes, but still able to search at the same time.

 

My point is the targets would get a 'search' signal, and everyone else would get nothing.

 

STT, not sure if search is still available, imagine in a limited.

 

Now they get a lock signal. AESA radar can lock multiple targets AND continue searching.

[hitman]

Im clueless as to what you guys are saying so Ill nod my head appropriately and say YEAH! at key moments.

[GGTharos]

Sounds like a certain popular rap star!

[Anytime]

In a perfect world you could range it, but how much power is being outputed, what frequency, what modulation, who know's what else can be varied. So bottom line is, shoot down the bearing line and pray :) or turn your radar on, or better still your wingmans. hehe

 

Only if the radar cannot range the emitter :) In fact it could downright groundmap or otherwise ID the emitter.

 

 

 

My point is the targets would get a 'search' signal, and everyone else would get nothing.

 

 

 

Now they get a lock signal. AESA radar can lock multiple targets AND continue searching.

[GGTharos]

or turn your radar on, or better still your wingmans. hehe

 

This is exactly what I meant :)

[Kusch]

Info about this radar:

 

Source:

 

"Aktywny radar z Fazotronu dla MiG-35" Piotr Butowski (Lotnictwo 12.06)

 

Zhuk-MAE

Weight - 220/240kg antena 110kg

Range - 130km

Energy consumption - 6KW

Cooling - Water and air

Freguency - X

Automatic track target - 30

Atack target - 8

[Pilotasso]

Lost me! :pilotfly:

 

Queued by data link yes.

ESM yes, but bearing only.

TWS yes, but still able to search at the same time.

STT, not sure if search is still available, imagine in a limited.

 

Link below has interesting performance info on the CAPTOR.

 

http://www.eurofighter-typhoon.co.uk/Eurofighter/sensors.html

 

yeah, CAPTOR is a monster of a radar.

 

remenber the other day saying the captor could some stuff AESA could?

 

This is why I said it,even though still not accurate on my part, it was hidden in the back of my brain an forgot to mention it.

 

"Even though CAPTOR features a mechanically steered array, BAE Systems have indicated that the low inertia non-counterbalanced antenna coupled with four high torque, high precision samarium-cobalt drive motors allows extremely high scanning speeds. As a consequence of this the radar can interleave different operations such as air and ground mapping. This is quite an achievement for a non-phased array system."

 

 

Wished we could afford those planes, but we have a policy of operating single engined fighters for logistics and maintenace efficiency. Only exception being the Alpha jet wich is being kept in very low numbers now.