Russia Unveiled New 5th Generation Fighter Jet

 

By News Desk

Russia has unveiled a new 5th generation fighter jet earlier in this week. It is a single engine fighter just like American F-35 Lightening II. 

Russia is planning to showcase the fighter on 26th July 2021 during MAKS 2021 military hardware exhibition in Moscow.

It is believed that this new stealth fighter carries the same power plant which powers first Russian 5th gen fighter jet SU-57 Felon. 

Single engine 5th generation fighter jet of Russia would enable Russian air force to compete with NATO in next generation fighter era as it is going to play a critical role in overall balance of air power in Europe and Asia.

China is already in the race of producing 5th generation fighters. It has produced heavy J-20 Mighty Dragon and medium weight J-31. Both of these are though twin engine unlike American F-35 or this new Russian fighter. 

Russia: Intensive Weapon Testing of PAK-FA

By News Desk
 
Russian latest 5th generation fighter Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA 'fifth-generation' has conducted trials of munitions launched from its internal weapons bays for the first time, the former commander-in-chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) General Vladimir Mikhailov told state TV.

Despite the announcement, the claim could not be confirmed by any other sources, and neither has it been disclosed which weapon types were launched during the trials.

According to IHS Janes, there are total 5 prototypes of PAK-FA out of which 3 prototypes (T-50-3, T-50-4, and T-50-5R)  have necessary avionics and radars installed required for weapon testing. These three prototypes are currently in the Ministry of Defence's test centre in Akhtubinsk, which specializes in the testing of mission systems and airborne weapons.

At the same time, the T-50-1 and T-50-2 are undergoing captive-carry tests in Zhukovsky near Moscow with various configurations of external loads. Among the noticed configurations there are two air-to-surface Kh-31 and two air-to-air R-73 missiles, and also six 250-kg free-fall bombs.

According to unofficial information, a sixth prototype will depart the production facility in Komsomolsk-on-Amur at the end of April. It will be the first aircraft of the second test batch, reportedly fitted with significant changes in the airframe structure.

PAKFA project has direct relevance to Indo-Pak military balance as well. India's next generation fighter program (FGFA) is based on PAKFA fighter. Though there are certain issues where both the countries are yet to settle their differences like amount of Indian investment and Russian cooperation in terms of transfer of technology to India along with the aircraft. 

IAF is planning to induct FGFA by mid of next decade and once inducted, this would pose a serious challenge to PAF which has not yet announced any plans to induct any next generation fighter aircraft and is contended with modernizing its 4th generation fighter fleet comprising on F-16s and JF-17 Thunders.

Pak-China Joint Air Force Exercise 'Shaheen-5' Begins

By News Desk

China's air force on Saturday began joint training exercises with that of Pakistan, China's defence ministry said, as the two nations' militaries strengthen operational ties. The military drill, code-named “Shaheen (Eagle)-5” began on April 9 in Pakistan and will continue till April 30.
“China’s Air Force hopes to widen the scope of cooperation and dialogue with all countries and regions,” the Chinese Ministry of Defense statement said in a statement quoted by Reuters. 

 

As far as the composition of participating units, no details  where offered by Pakistani or Chinese side. Considering the respective components from the both sides in the previous exercises it is prudent that both sides will deploy front-line fighters along with force multipliers (AWACS and Air Refuelers).  The exercise will continue next three weeks.
Last year’s Shaheen-4, featured fourth-generation fighter jets and bombers as well as airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft. The PAF alone participated with three different types of frontline fighter aircraft from different squadrons (likely the JF-17 Thunder, Dassault Mirage III/5, and F7 PG fighter aircraft).
The PLAAF and PAF have held Shaheen series exercises on regular basis since March 2011. The second training exercise took place in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in western China in September 2013, the third was held in Punjab, Pakistan, in May 2014.
Speaking to Reuters, the PAF second-in-command, Air-Vice Marshal Muhammad Ashfaque Arain, said that the PAF heavily relies on its fleet of around 70 U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets in its anti-terrorist operations in Pakistan. Whether any F-16 aircraft will participate in the training exercise is unknown. In February, the United States finally approved a possible of eight additional F-16 Block-52 fighters to Pakistan in a deal valued at $699 million.
Earlier, this Monday, the PAF also inducted 16 upgraded JF-17 Thunder Block II combat aircraft during a handover ceremony in Kamra, also known as Aviation City, the center of aircraft manufacturing in Pakistan. And now the chief of air staff, Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman has said that Pakistan is going to produce 24 JF-17 Thunder fighters in 2016 after achieving the milestone of producing 16 in 2015.

Earth Breaking Cermony of PAF's ACE (Air Power Center of Excellence)

Islamabad:  Earth breaking ceremony of PAF's ACE (Air power Center of Excellence)  was held at PAF Base, Mushaf on 22 February, 2016. 

According to PAF sources, ACE will be one of the very few air power centers of the world and the first of its class in the region. The institute would link operations, research and doctrine to orchestrate air campaigns with air combat tactics. The institute would enhance PAF capability to undertake complex, demanding future challenges and counter terrorist operations.

World War II: Battle of Midway Atoll, Birth of Air-Sea Battle Concept

The details of Battle of Midway Atoll can be accessed on the following link
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-midway

Analysis

It has been 73 years since Japanse and the US navies confronted each other in the Pacific, in June 1942, during the war for Midway Atoll in World War II. The war has been described as "the most stunning and decisive blow in the history of naval warfare" by renowned British military historian, John Keegan and very rightly so. This was the sea battle which put Japanese maritime victories in the Pacific to an end effectively clearing the way for the US Navy to assert itself in the Pacific Ocean throughout the war.

The outcome of this Japanese misadventure, after some earlier successes in the Pacific, carries many lessons for the strategic thinkers and military planners.

The most fundamental strategic blunder Japanese combined fleet commander, Admiral Yamamoto made was that he planned a complex maritime operation to lure the US carrier fleet into a trap on faulty assumption and extremely poor military intelligence. The strength of the US Navy and morale of the US Naval officers were miscalculated to a dangerous extent and consequently, not only Yamamoto lost the battle but all his 4 aircraft carrier that took part in this attack along with more than 240 aircraft and 3000 soldiers on board.

Though its was only in 2010 when the US strategic planner embraced air-sea battle as an integrated war doctrine, battle of Midway Atoll was the first decisive war where the US Navy and Air Force conducted joint raids after raids on attacking Japanese naval fleet.

Russia: Response to US Missile Defense Shield

In a strategic response to the US Missile Defense Shield (MDS), Russia has announced to resume the production of its strategic bomber plane Tu-160.

According to Airforce Technology website, "The Tu-160 is capable of carrying the strategic cruise missile Kh-55MS, which is known in the West by the Nato designation and codename AS-15 Kent. Up to 12 Kh-55MS missiles can be carried, six in each bay. The Kh-55MS is propelled by a turbofan engine. The maximum range is 3,000km, and it is armed with a 200kt nuclear warhead.

The weapons bays are also fitted with launchers for the Kh-15P, which has the Nato designation and codename AS-16 Kickback. The Kh-15P Kickback has solid rocket fuel propulsion, which gives a range up to 200km. The Kickback can be fitted with a conventional 250kg warhead or a nuclear warhead. The aircraft is also capable of carrying a range of aerial bombs with a total weight up to 40t."

With its more than 7,300 Km combat radius, this platform is nothing short of a nightmare for the NATO. Air launched nuclear missiles would eventually would not give any time to the US MDS to react.

“In light of development of US antiballistic missile defense system the importance of ground-based and submarine-based missiles is decreasing, because the whole defense system is focused on intercepting the ballistic missiles. Thus the importance of strategic bombers increases. That is why we are paying special attention to the aviation. Unfortunately Russia fell behind in 1990s and 2000s. We were developing mobile missile systems instead of long-range aviation; however, the missile systems are vulnerable. Now we are going to focus on the long-range aviation,” president of the Academy of geopolitical problems, Leonid Ivashov, told Sputnik.

Reportedly, the avioincs of the Tu-160 would be upgraded to enhance its operational performance and survival against modern SAM systems. Russian firm, Radioelectronic Technologies Concern (KRET) is ready to start the production of avionics for the strategic bomber.