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RUSSIAN Rise into the sky fifth-generation fighter
Gennady Nechaev, "The View", 01.02.2010, 08:00 http://ua3000.info/articles/9/2010-02-20582.html
After three years of waiting, three days of violent unrest throughout the "aviation community" aircraft, which everyone knew, but which few have seen, finally ended up in the air ...
On the morning of Friday at the airport KnAAPO Dzemgi in Komsomolsk-on-Amur to 11.24 local time on the maiden flight of the latest Russian fifth generation fighter T-50-1, created a Bureau named. Sukhoi. Completed an important stage in the development of the technically complex project in recent history of Russia.
Message that the new car will make its first flight in the coming week, appeared on the tape "Interfax" on Saturday, January 23.
Immediately after that, in various online community flared up a hunt for Russia's "invisible." And not only on local: Online unofficial site of Indian armed forces Bharat-Rakshak seething passions, too, there was no joke. By the way, there was a suggestion that NATO will assign a code to represent the Russian fighter Firefox (all Soviet and Russian fighters in the West are the code names starting with «F» - «Fighter»).
"Aviation enthusiasts" tracked the dynamics of the availability of hotels in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, watched the movements of the Tu-134, which normally migrate Mikhail Pogosyan, the movements of the Poghosyan. Incidentally, the aircraft flew on Wednesday to Komsomolsk without him - he Mikhail Pogosyan, on Thursday afternoon was seen in the corridors of the White House. Nevertheless, it is known that the flight list was signed on the 27th.
It should be noted heightened security surrounding the already finished product. The fact that pictures of this car has not yet appeared in any media, or the World Wide Web, of course, there is great merit treatment services and other "competent authorities".
However, it is an element of the advertising campaign "Dry": no need to prematurely give rise to "pique vests," many of whom have access to media and enjoy a certain prestige, compare the look of our cars and American "classmates."
But the exponential part: "unofficial" images in good quality of the aircraft and its full-scale mock-ups there, and some people, including Russian journalists, they were shown. Some of these images were stored on hard disks and other media, but none of the owners of photos never published, but now it can be done safely and anonymously, without fear of reprisal.
The people themselves, deliberately kept the fact that the state believes the secret, and not because of fear of Lavrenty Pavlovich and "bloody gebney."
There is also a certain element of superstition inherent in aviators around the world: do not be photographed before the first flight, not to make such flights on Mondays, until it touches the ground did not announce the name of uncomplicated test pilot. Later it became known that the flight took place under the control of test pilot Sergei Bogdan.
By the way, and the absence of airport authorities at the highest level and top officials also fits into this tradition, although there is no mystery here: smaller heads - less nervousness. Even the first persons of the country's aircraft will be shown later, according to some reports, in April.
It is noteworthy that before the flight the aircraft was painted (by the way, this is one of the reasons for the transfer flight on Friday) - aircraft type without the protective coating can pretty much tell the specialist about the materials used in the airframe.
Recall that the beginning of flight tests of the T-50 was transferred several times. At first it was a year in 2008, then - the end of 2009, and finally - the beginning of the current. In the end, the leaders of "Dry" and the military were limited to vague phrases such as "Rush to the flights is not required. The plane will rise into the air when it is ready. " In aviation circles, there was talk that the delay is mainly associated with fine-tuning a new system of automatic engine control.
The test flight carried out in the middle of last week at the airfield in Zhukovsky near Moscow, on a flying laboratory Su-27M, no doubt, has been associated with perfecting the system, according to rumors - with the configuration software. Press Service of the "Saturn" then reported that a 45-minute flight went well, comments on the engine is not received at the conclusion of the first flight of the fifth generation aircraft.
Speaking of the "fifth generation" fighter planes, it is impossible not to touch the "aggravating circumstances" that allow him to carry a particular machine. Those few, and among experts there is no consensus about which of them is essential. Moreover, many of them but also has the fourth aircraft, and advanced fourth generation, and some - even the third generation. Thus, the definition of the fifth generation aircraft is rather vague.
In fact, all indications can be divided not into two groups: the requirements for avionics (OEE), the requirements for aircraft technical and performance characteristics.
Requirement for a fifth-generation avionics is a powerful radar that can operate as air targets as well as "the land", in which case - using the mapping of the surface. It is desirable that, so in the "land" width of the review was as wide. Ideally, such a fighter radar system should also provide information about the tactical situation in the rear hemisphere - last sold in the U.S. F-22A Raptor.
Implementation of these requirements is available in full only with the use of plants with a phased antenna array (FAR) and electronic scanning. PAR is a flat or three-dimensional panel radiators located on it. As for the rocking beam (scanning) are not used mechanical drives, the transfer of the beam from one direction to another is carried out almost instantly, which allows the radar to monitor more accurately the current position of targets, and - several dozen at once.
Radar antenna should be spaced throughout the airframe, that unrealistic for a classical station with mechanical scanning. Thus, according to some reports, aerial survey on the surface of the PAK FA located at the front edge of the wing, which provides an overview of 180 degrees along the route and 270 - on the horizon.
Until recently, the radar with phased array had two aircraft: Russian heavy interceptor MiG-31 and U.S. strategic bomber B-1B - both highly specialized task-based and relate to the generation of 3 +. Of the four vehicles, and advanced fourth-generation Su-35 is a French and Dassault Rafale. F-22 and F-35s are equipped with stations to determine.
Judging by the first pictures in the news, T-50 is equipped with a radar with mixed scanning - electronic and mechanical: this is evidenced by a conical nose cone. The beam is formed by electronic means, the swing beam in the sector review - just a complete rotation in a particular sector by mechanically rotating the antenna array.
The second indispensable requirement - a system to exchange data on the tactical situation in real time (network-centric). That is, every pilot at any time, should have the fullness of the data on the tactical situation, regardless of whether they are collected on-board systems to the aircraft or received in battle of the network from other sources. Part of this system is implemented on the MiG-31, in full measure - the Swedish JAS-39, Rafale and limited (at this stage) - on the EF-2000 Typhoone.
Another feature, which follows from considerations of secrecy - a large number of passive sensors collect information, which does not pretend to radiation: first of all, infrared, and optical. In this regard, Russia is one of the leaders: equipped with an integrated optical finder all domestic fourth-generation fighters, while in the West comparable device characteristics are more prevalent in option pod and built-finders are only 4 + cars.
Among the requirements for the flight characteristics of the states supersonic speed in cruising flight, and - at besforsazhny operation of engines. Aircraft capable of long-term support supersonic speed, there are from the 1960's: this is the SR-71 and MiG-25, but this option available to them only with afterburner enabled. At certain altitudes at supersonic mode at besforsazhny out the MiG-31 (but with no suspension and Fuel Management), argues that the Su-35 - one of the fourth generation is also capable of it. But for fifth-generation supersonic should be the main mode. The implementation of this condition allows the aircraft quickly get to the battlefield.
The next requirement is related to the previous: maneuverability at subsonic speeds and increased maneuverability at supersonic. Clear definition supermaneuverability does not exist, it is believed that this ability to make sustained flight at speeds close to stall speed and the ability to perform unsteady maneuvers, which, unlike conventional drum loops, and are associated with a sharp fracture trajectory. This ability allows you to quickly send the fighter's nose at the enemy for targeting and launch. Of course, this ability is useful in low-speed and highly maneuverable attack targets (helicopters, UAVs). Soviet designers (and only!) Approached this already on the MiG-29 and Su-27, but the full feature super maneuverability in the fourth generation will be carried on the Su-35, which are equipped with engines with thrust vector control.
T-50 has the property of birth, which affected the aerodynamics of the aircraft, equipped with two keels and all-moving wing with a very complex set of deflected surfaces, allowing to maintain control at supercritical conditions.
High maneuverability at supersonic wing provides a low aspect ratio, to some extent - a compromise between the conflicting requirements of supersonic and super maneuverability. Actually, the supersonic maneuverability comparable to supersonic, can not be achieved - any vigorous maneuver at speeds causes congestion, which is close to the limit for a person - 10g. Thus the margin of maneuver at supersonic fighter can take a more favorable position before the battle.
Another indispensable requirement for the fifth generation - low profile. On the passive sensors has already been said. Other measures to ensure this requirement is airframe specific form, which does not reflect the radar signal, and it scatters in all directions. As a result of aircraft "invisible" as a rule, are obtained by angular, chopped form: this trend can be seen from the very first "stealth", which appeared in the mid-1960s, - SR-71 through F-117 resembles a cut-glass tumbler, than aircraft, the F-22 and F-35.
It should be noted that the designers of the T-50 departed from this trend. The effective scattering surface area of the aircraft is, according to sources close to the KB, about 0.5 square meters. m (ie, for a radar plane "seen" as a square sheet of metal such area), which is greater than American counterparts. Alas, the conical fairing and flat PAR does not reduce this parameter. In our country the idea of invisibility in damage LTH somehow did not take. Nevertheless, this is - invisible. The main armament of the aircraft, which, together with the nodes on the screen creates a suspension of enemy radar a clear mark, removed four gruzootseke, each of which can be placed or four of the R-73, or a pair of RVV-AE, X-31, guided aerial bombs KAB 500, or one KAB-1500, and two "fast" (short response time) under gruzootseke air combat missile R-73 are located in the wing. There is no doubt that the aircraft will be covered with radar absorbing materials, development of which in Russia is from 1970.
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