Zubr-class LCAC to power up PLA Navy



China's Zubr-class LCAC. (Internet photo)

China's ambitions to dominate the East and South China Seas will receive a powerful boost with the commissioning of four new Zubr-class air-cushioned landing craft (LCAC), reports the Beijing-based Sina Military Network.

The Zubr, meaning "European bison", is the world's largest military hovercraft. Originally designed in the 1980s by the St Petersburg-based Almaz Shipbuilding, construction of the first Zubr began in 1982 and was completed in three years. Issues identified during initial trials were corrected before a second series of tests in 1986, with the vessels officially commissioned by the Soviet Union in 1988.

Apart from the Russian and Ukranian navies, the Zubr is operated today by the Hellenic Navy and the People's Liberation Army Navy. China placed an order for four of the vessels from Ukraine in 2009 for US$350 million. The first two were built under Chinese supervision on the Crimea Peninsula, while the second pair are being built under license in China.

Regarded as a "hovering fortress," the Zubr has a full length of 57 meters and a width of 22 meters, dwarfing the US Navy LCAC, which is 26.8m long and 14.3m wide. It is fitted with five Kuznetsov NK-12MV gas turbines and three four-bladed variable-pitch propellers, enabling a maximum speed of 60 knots and a cruising speed of 30-40 knots.

Fully loaded, the Zubr displaces more than 550 tons, which is more than three times that of the US Navy LCAC. The craft remains seaworthy in conditions up to Sea State 4, and at full displacement it is capable of negotiating 1.6 m-high vertical walls.

The vessel has a maximum carrying capacity of over 130 tons and is typically equipped with three 40-ton-level main battle tanks (MBT) or eight BMP-2 amphibious infantry fighting vehicles. By comparison, the US Navy LCAC can only carry one MBT.

If just used for transporting personnel, the Zubr is capable of moving a battalion-sized force to islands as far as 5,000 kilometers away.

The Zubr also features impressive defensive capabilities, with a light alloy armor that protects against small arms and shrapnel and an active system that protects against magnetic influence mines. Personnel are also protected from the effects of weapons of mass destruction due to the vessel's ability to provide airtight sealing to combat stations and crew compartments, which are equipped with individual gas masks and protective suits.

In terms of weapons, the hovercraft has a pair of 30mm AK-630 close in weapon systems and a pair of 140mm Ogon rocket launchers, with 22 rockets each and 132 rockets in total, It also has a man-portable air defense system that launches Strela-3 point air defense missiles fitted in a 16-round turret launcher and a pair of manually aimed Stela-2 Grail missiles.

The Zubr-class LCAC is said to be valued highly by the PLA Navy because of its usefulness in conducting beach landings and landings in locations without ports or piers, greatly expanding the scope of China's strategic and tactical operations. The craft is particularly well-suited for amphibious operations, giving China a distinct advantage against Taiwan and countries with which it is engaged in territorial disputes, including Japan in the East China Sea and Vietnam and the Philippines in the South China Sea.

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclas...=20150522000020

Spy plane in S. China Sea emboldens others: experts



FM urges U.S. to be ‘prudent’


Spy plane in S. China Sea emboldens others: experts

China on Thursday urged the U.S. to respect its sovereignty and slammed the latest U.S. accusation that China's construction work in the South China Sea is undermining regional stability, after CNN reported that the Chinese navy asked a U.S. surveillance plane flying over the islands to leave.

The CNN report said that the Chinese navy on Wednesday asked a P8-A Poseidon, the most advanced U.S. surveillance aircraft, eight times to immediately leave as it swooped over some of the islets in Nansha Islands in the South China Sea.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hong Lei responded Thursday that he had no specific information on the encounter, and reiterated China's indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and surrounding waters, stressing China's right to monitor maritime and air situations to prevent incidents.

Hong strongly responded to remarks made by U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday during a conference in Jakarta that China's construction work "is eroding regional trust and undermining investor confidence.

"China is constructing on its territory to provide better services in areas including maritime rescue, disaster prevention and navigation safety to fulfill international obligations. It is peaceful and beneficial to the public. The groundless U.S. assumptions will not help resolve disputes or secure trust and stability in the region, but would only encourage some countries to take further provocative actions," he said.

"The U.S. should act in a prudent manner to play a constructive role on peace and stability in the region," Hong said. He urged the U.S. to keep its promise of not taking sides on territorial disputes.

U.S. military signals

The CNN report and Blinken's comments came amid increasing assertive calls from the U.S. over the South China Sea issue recently. Earlier, the Pentagon said it is considering sending U.S. military aircraft and ships to assert "freedom of navigation" in the South China Sea.

By displaying for the first time challenges from the Chinese navy of a U.S. aircraft to the public, the U.S. may try to neutralize the game, for example, after being criticized for its misjudgment toward the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Ni Feng, deputy director of the Institute of American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

"The U.S. may also be testing China's position over the issue to weigh its options in next month's Sino-U.S. strategic economic dialogue in Washington," he said.

The Chinese navy exercised restraint and gave proper warnings in line with international norms under the situation, while the U.S. was interfering using freedom of navigation as an excuse, a barrier that does not exist in the South China Sea, Zhang Junshe, a captain and research fellow at the Chinese Naval Research Institute, told the Global Times.

While the U.S. tried to bring up the issue during U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's Beijing visit over the weekend, China arranged a series of meetings for him with senior leaders and reiterated its firm stance.

Before Kerry met Chinese President Xi Jinping, he said that recent U.S. media reports on the issue do not represent U.S. government decisions. During the meeting, the two leaders agreed that the general direction of the bilateral relationship will not be affected by disputes.

Facing the U.S. challenge, China's "salami tactic" of stepping forward piece by piece yet not responding with fierce military measures was effective, said Ni.

Unlikely conflict

Despite the increasing tension on the South China Sea issue, analysts believe that this encounter does not mean that the U.S. is initiating further conflicts.

"It is very unlikely that further conflicts, or even a 'war' as some U.S. experts claimed, will take place. China should stay calm and proceed with the construction and not be disturbed by U.S. assertions," Teng Jianqun, a research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times.

There are voices in the U.S. who believe that Washington should take a step back in the South China Sea issue.

"It is one thing to make clear to Beijing that Washington will never countenance China transforming 80 percent of that area into Chinese territorial waters, it is quite another matter to implicitly back rival claimants and become a military participant in the underlying feuds. Yet the U.S. has already done the former and seems poised to do the latter," Ted Galen Carpenter, a senior fellow at U.S. think tank Cato Institute, wrote for the National Interest magazine on Monday.

However, there is limited room for both countries to step forward or back off. The U.S. would keep the issue heated, but the issue will not dominate the big picture of the new model of major-country relationships between China and the U.S., said Ni.

http://www.ecns.cn/military/2015/05-22/166378.shtml

China Jams US Spy Drones over Disputed South China Sea Islands



Global Hawk long-range surveillance drones were targeted by jamming in at least one incident near the Spratly Islands, where China is building military facilities on Fiery Cross Reef, the Washington Free Beacon reported.

That statement follows Thursday reports that the Chinese navy warned a US surveillance plane to leave the same area eight times in an apparent effort to establish and enforce a no-fly zone, a demand Washington rejected.

"This is the Chinese navy … This is the Chinese navy … Please go away … to avoid misunderstanding," a radio call in English from an installation on Fiery Cross said. The warnings were reported by CNN, which had a crew on the aircraft.

Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said the United States does not recognize China's sovereignty claims over the new islands. He added that flights and Navy ships will continue their routine patrols, but will maintain a distance of at least 12 miles from the island.

Details of the drone interference are classified, but last week, David Shear, the assistant defense secretary for Asian and Pacific security affairs, said Global Hawks are deployed in Asia as one element of a buildup of forces near the South China Sea.

"We're engaged in a long-term effort to bolster our capabilities in the region,” Shear told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "Just a few examples of the increases in our capabilities in the region include the deployment of Global Hawks and F-35s. Soon we will be adding to the stock of V-22s in Japan as well."

Shear said the Pentagon estimates that China will complete construction of an airfield on Fiery Cross Reef by 2017 or 2018. Meanwhile, rapid militarization has security experts worried about the potential for a conflict.

Rick Fisher, a China military affairs analyst, said China could increase pressure on the United States to halt surveillance flights in Asia by first attacking one of the unmanned aircraft flights.

"Though UAVs like the Global Hawk are rather expensive, they are also regarded as more expendable because they are unmanned," Fisher, a senior fellow at the International Assessment and Strategy Center, told the Washington Free Beacon.

"But failing to defend these UAVs runs the risk of China viewing them as 'fair game' to shoot down whenever they please."

Beijing also might attempt to capture a Global Hawk by causing one to crash in shallow water, or by attempting to snatch one in flight using a manned aircraft, Fisher said.

http://sputniknews.com/us/20150522/1022471108.html

Yemeni army forces have taken control of a strategic military base in Saudi Arabia, as Riyadh continues its military aggression against Yemen.

Middle East
16:38, 22 May 2015 Friday

Yemeni forces take over Saudi military site

World Bulletin / News Desk

Yemeni soldiers and Popular Committees fighters seized control of al-Me’zab base in southwestern Saudi Arabia near the border with Yemen on Friday.

The Saudi forces in the base fled the site en masse.

The Yemeni forces released footage of the military base following the operation to seize it.

Earlier on Thursday, Yemen’s army and Popular Committees took control of al-Tuwal heights in the Jizan region of southwestern Saudi Arabia.

Yemen’s al-Masirah reported back then that the Yemeni forces entered the mountainous area near the border with Yemen and destroyed several Saudi military vehicles as well as ammunition forcing the Saudi soldiers to withdraw from the region.

The United Nations says that, since March 19, over 1,800 people have been killed and 7,330 injured due to the conflict in Yemen, which was exacerbated by the Saudi airstrikes.

http://www.worldbulletin.net/todays-news/1...i-military-site

Germany, France to Develop New Battle Tank to Catch Up With Russia’s Armata



The German Defense Ministry has announced its plans for the "Leo 3" (as it's likely to be nicknamed in Germany) to replace its main battle tank, the Leopard 2.

The main reason for the modernization is believed to be the Leopard 2 service life, which is set to expire by 2030.


US Trying to ‘Beat’ Russia’s Armata – German Media

The German media, however, suggest that the real reason is the recently-presented analysis by Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service (BND) on Russia’s reinforced combat strength and its recently showcased T-14 Armata tanks, which were presented during the country's Victory Parade in Moscow on May 9.

A column of Armata tanks, equipped with 125mm cannons, rolled through Moscow's historic Red Square on May 9 as Russian President Vladimir Putin and a number of foreign heads of state, including Chinese leader Xi Jinping, watched on.

The BND analysis suggests that even though the combat vehicles unveiled at the parade are still somewhat pre-production models, when completed, it will be a tank with the highest levels of armaments.

According to Deutsche Welle, the manufacturer of the current Leopard 2, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, is scheduled to fuse with the French firm Nexter Systems over the course of this year.

This has prompted the German media to report that the new Franco-German firm, with more than 6,000 staff and a combined turnover of around 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion), could be a strong candidate to win the contract to develop a new battle tank for the German Bundeswehr.

Just before the Victory Day Parade in Moscow, the US bimonthly magazine The National Interest reported on why America should really fear Russia's Armata T-14 tank.

The magazine suggested that Russia actually might be able to deliver in the field the tank of greater speed, maneuverability, firepower and survivability vis-à-vis anything being produced for Western armies.

The Armata is a Russian prototype of a heavy tracked vehicle platform that will be used in the construction of a next-generation main battle tank and a range of other combat vehicles.

The tank's main armaments include a 7.62mm remote-control machine gun and a 125mm smoothbore cannon. The tank is operated by a crew of three, which are housed in an armored capsule in the front.

The military vehicle is also equipped with active counter-mine defense and a suit of circular-view high resolution cameras. It can fire rounds while in motion and travels at a speed of up to 50 miles (80.47 km) per hour.

http://sputniknews.com/europe/20150523/1022481431.html

Indonesian missile boat equipped with C-705 missiles: Jane's Defence



The KRI Tombak. (Internet photo)

The Indonesian Navy has equipped its newly developed Sampari-class KCR-60M-class missile attack craft with C-705 anti-ship missiles, a senior naval official from the nation attending the International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference in Singapore told Jane's Defence Weekly on May 19.

The KRI Tombak, the second KCR-60M-class missile attack craft was one of the two Indonesian warships sent to Changi Naval Base in Singapore to participate in the exhibition held between May 19 and 21. The other ship was the KRI John Lie, a Bung Tomo-class corvette. Built by PT PAL, the state-run Indonesian shipbuilding company, the Tombak began its service with the Indonesian Navy in the summer of last year.

Like its sister ship, the KRI Sampari, the Tombak is equipped with two missile launchers. Originally, it was unclear if the KCR-60M missile attack craft was equipped with C-705 or C-802 missiles. However, the Indonesian naval official stated that only C-705 missiles are being used on board the Sampari and the Tombak. "It is the C-705 for now," said the official. "There are no plans to equip them with C-802 missiles as yet." In addition to the C-705 missiles, the vessel is fitted with a 57mm main gun and two 20mm guns.

Admiral Marsetio, the Indonesian Navy's chief of staff told Jane's Defence Review in an earlier interview that Jakarta plans to procure at least 16 KCR-60M-class missile attack craft before 2018. The vessel is considered a core component of Indonesia's 'Minimum Essential Force' strategy that the nation plans to carry out by 2024. A single KCR-60M missile attack craft is designed to carry four Chinese-built C-705 missiles.

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclas...=20150523000022

Saudi Arabia ‘rejects Israeli offer to supply Iron Dome’



Saudi Arabia ‘rejects Israeli offer to supply Iron Dome’

An Iron Dome Missile Battery near Tel Aviv, on the first day of Operation Protective Edge, July 8, 2014. (Photo by Flash90)

Saudi Arabia recently rejected an Israeli offer to provide it with Iron Dome rocket defense technology, a London-based Arab newspaper reported Saturday.

According to an article in Rai al-Youm, Israel conveyed the proposal to Saudi officials via American diplomats stationed in Jordan, as a means to combat rocket attacks by Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen.

The report stated that the Saudis turned down the offer for unspecified reasons.

There was no confirmation of the report by any official sources.

Israel’s Iron Dome system has been used in recent years to intercept and destroy rockets launched by Hamas from the Gaza Strip. It has proven highly effective in protecting the civilian population from the rocekt threat.

The system was used extensively during 2014’s summer war in Gaza. According to official IDF figures, it intercepted roughly 90 percent of the projectiles it targeted during the war, including rockets fired at Jerusalem and the Tel Aviv region.

The Houthis have occasionally carried out cross-border attacks from Yemen’s Saada province, which borders Saudi Arabia and serves as the rebels’ home base. Yahia al-Qahtani, the spokesman for the Saudi civil defense authority in the southern Saudi border region of Jizan, said on Friday that a child was killed and three other children wounded when missiles from inside Yemen struck their village a day earlier.

The Saudi-led coalition on Friday launched heavy airstrikes against the Shiite rebels, targeting camps and weapons depots in the rebel-held capital.

Residents of Sanaa awoke to the sound of explosions early Friday morning as warplanes targeted weapons caches in Noqum mountain, sending up bursts of flames and columns of smoke.

Yemen’s war pits forces loyal to the country’s exiled president against the Houthis and allied military units. In Saada province on Friday, a new front in the war appeared to have opened as heavily armed pro-government tribesmen began advancing on the city of Saada — the capital of Saada province and the stronghold of the Houthi rebels, according to military officials and tribesmen.

The UN is planning to hold peace talks in Geneva at the end of May and the organization has urged all rival parties to participate. So far, the rebels have expressed support for the talks while the internationally recognized government-in-exile has said it would only participate if the rebels withdraw from cities they occupy — including the capital..

http://www.timesofisrael.com/saudi-arabia-...r-of-iron-dome/

Taiwan a potential buyer of retired US A-10 Warthogs



Taiwan has been tagged as a potential buyer of refurbished Fairchild-Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II jets should the ground attack aircraft be retired from the US Air Force.

Paul Cejas, Boeing's chief engineer of off-Boeing programs, said at a media event on May 20 that the A-10 — nicknamed the "Warthog" — that the company has begun early discussions" with the US Air Force (USAF) to sell off refurbished A-10s to international customers.

"It's something we would be interested in, but again, it depends where the air force goes with retirements," Cejas said. "If we go that path we would be looking at a modification. It all depends on what the air force does. We have no jurisdiction, and we'll support whatever they need and we're positioned for that."

The A-10 was developed by the now defunct Fairchild-Republic in the early 1970s. Boeing was awarded the contract for the aircraft's service life extension program in 2007.

According to the UK-based IHS Jane's 360, Boeing is currently under contract through to 2017 to re-wing 173 of the USAF's A-10 fleet, with options for 69 more. Of these, 105 refurbished aircraft have already been handed back to the USAF. There are currently about 200 active A-10s and 60 in storage at a boneyard facility in Arizona.

If the USAF is allowed to retire its A-10 fleet, the most likely course of action given where the re-winging contract has progressed to is for Boeing to complete the service contract so the aircraft can be sold to interested international parties.

Cejas said that the refurbished A-10 could include a new engine, a cockpit upgrade including a helmet-mounted cueing system, and targeting pods. These proposed enhancements are only in a concept stage and are not being touted in response to any specific customer requests, he added.

While Cejas has refused to name potential buyers, the Shanghai-based Guancha Syndicate believes Taiwan is a possible candidate given its enthusiasm in acquiring America's retired Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates last year. Coincidentally, Taiwan currently lacks a superior performance attack aircraft, but it is a different question altogether whether an old aircraft like the A-10 would be able to penetrate the People's Liberation Army's defenses, Guancha said.

Other countries listed by Guancha as potential interested parties include South Korea and Iraq.

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclas...=20150524000139

Philippines aircraft to continue flying over disputed South China Sea: President Aquino



MANILA - The Philippines will continue to contest China's no-fly zones over a chain of rapidly expanding man-made islands in the South China Sea, President Benigno Aquino said on Monday.

“We will still fly the routes that we fly based on international law and the various agreements and treaties we have entered into through various decades,” Mr Aquino told reporters outside the capital Manila.

But he also expressed confidence that China would exercise restraint, even as it asserts control of airspace over at least seven reefs it occupies in the Spratly island chain in the South China Sea.

“We would not want to think that one nation will single us out because it has yet to declare an ADIZ (Air Defence Identification Zone) covering routes that our carriers use,” said Mr Aquino.

http://www.straitstimes.com/news/asia/sout...uth-china-sea-p

PLA frigate can't catch LCS but its missiles can, Sina warns



Changzhou, one of the PLA's Type 054A guided-missile frigate. (Internet photo)

The capability of the PLA Navy's Type 054A guided-missile frigate to take on the littoral combat ships of the US Navy was discussed in a piece by the Sina Military Network on May 22.

The USS Fort Worth, a Freedom-class littoral combat ship, had a run-in with the Yancheng, a PLA Navy's Type 054A guided-missile frigate, while patrolling near the disputed Spratly islands in the South China Sea on May 11. The encounter indicated that Type 054A was unable to chase a littoral combat ship designed to be faster and maneuverable. The Sina report said however that it is not necessary for a modern frigate to defeat its enemy with speed and maneuverability.

The article said that it is up to the frigate's missiles, radar, electronic warfare systems and helicopters to determine the outcome of the confrontation. After the introduction of anti-ship missiles since the end of World War II, a modern destroyer or frigate can destroy an enemy warship without having visual contact, the piece said.

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclas...=20150525000072

China, Malaysia host ARF disaster drill

As co-host of this year's ASEAN rescue drill, the Chinese team has arrived in Malaysia with more than 600 members. The team will join other nations in a series of exercises that simulate emergency response to situations at land and sea, including natural disasters.

It is the first disaster relief drill co-hosted by China overseas. More than 600 participants from China's Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Defense and Civil Affairs are participating in the exercise.

Fifteen tons of rescue gear, communication equipment and medical supplies have all been deployed.

The Chinese team will conduct tasks include searching through wreckage, rescuing people falling overboard and recovering leaking oil.

"We have brought along 240 sets of equipment, including life detectors and other rescue equipment, including jacks and hydraulic rescue tools, to meet the requirements of the drill," said Chinese International Rescue team leader Huo Shufeng.

Founded in 1994, the ASEAN Regional Forum or ARF, is a regional forum for security dialogue in Asia. This year the event is being co-hosted by China and Malaysia.

It is the biggest ever disaster relief exercise held in the region. Thousands of personnel from the police, civil defence and rescue agencies across 10 ASEAN member states and 16 other countries in the Asia-Pacific region and the European Union are participating.

http://www.ecns.cn/military/2015/05-25/166750.shtml

New Robotic Russian T-50 Fighter Jet Fit for Star Wars



The Sukhoi PAK FA fighter jet, also known as T-50, is ready to go into production next year, and boasts innovative technology which renders the pilot one part of the plane's whole control system.

"The PAK FA is already to some degree a flying robot, where the aviator fulfils the function not only of pilot, but is actually one of the constituent parts of the flying apparatus," explained deputy head of the Concern Radioelectronic Technologies [KRET] unit of Rostech, Vladimir Mikheyev. "That is, the reaction of the aviator is a part of the control loop."

Mikheyev explains that "smart paneling" is another of the jet's smart features. "If we take the wingtip, from one perspective it functions as a wing, but from another it's also a part of the Himalaya active defense system."

In October KRET stated it had delivered the first batch of Himalayas for the aircraft, which were developed by a KRET subsidiary in Kaluga and constructed at the Stavropol Radioplant Signal.

"The unique system of active and passive radars and optical rangefinders is integrated into the aircraft body and acts as a 'smart skin'. Its use not only enhances the aircraft’s protection against jamming and its survivability, but also counters, to a great extent, the effects of low-observability [stealth] technology of enemy aircraft," explained KRET.

In January KRET lifted the lid on a number of the T-50's stealth capabilities, announcing that "the aircraft company Sukhoi managed to greatly reduce the effective surface scattering of the PAK FA, which is the basic element for visibility on aircraft radars."

"In order to achieve this level of stealth, designers moved all weapons to the inside of the plane and also changed the shape of the air intake channel, also lining its walls with a material that absorbs radio waves."

"Thanks to these new design solutions, the T-50 is now ahead of not only all other fighters of the Russian Army, but also foreign models. For example, the visibility of the American fifth-generation F-22 fighter is 0.3-0.4 square meters," said KRET, while the value of this indicator for the T-50 fighter is between 0.1 and 1 square meters.

"The T-50 is the first Russian combat aircraft made from a high proportion of composite materials, making up 25% of the mass of the aircraft and covering 70% of its surface," explained KRET.

The PAK FA fighter jet in flight.

The T-50 is set to replace the Sukhoi Su-27 fourth generation fighter jet, known also by its NATO name Flanker B, which entered service with the Soviet Air Forces in 1985, and the Mig-29, known by NATO as Fulcrum which entered service in 1983.

Work on the conception of fifth generation fighter jets began in the late 1980s in the USA and USSR; though there is no universally agreed set of features for the title of fifth-generation fighter jet, many hold that the only combat-ready fifth-generation fighter is the US Air Force's Lockheed F-22 Raptor, introduced in 2005.

In December Russia's United Aircraft Corporation announced that production of the fighter is ready to begin in 2016, following the completion of the testing phase. According to spokesman Vladislav Goncharenko, 55 PAK FA jets will be delivered to the Russian Air Force by 2020.

http://sputniknews.com/russia/20150525/1022530075.html

This post has been edited by BorneoAlliance: May 25 2015, 09:27 PM

Russia, Egypt agree on major contract for MiGs - paper



The MiG-29 is one of Russia’s most widely known and produced combat aircraft. Source: ITAR-TASS

Russia and Egypt have agreed on a contract to supply 46 Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter aircraft, the Vedomosti newspaper reported, citing sources in the Russian aviation industry.

The contract could be signed in the very near future, the paper says. A Rosoboronexport spokesman declined to comment. Efforts by the newspaper to reach a spokesperson for the Russian aircraft manufacturing corporation MiG have failed.

Plans to supply the MiG-29 fighters to Egypt were reported a long time ago, the newspaper said. Last year Russia and Egypt signed and are now implementing a contract worth at least $0.5 billion to supply S-300V4 surface-to-air missile systems. The new contract, for 46 MiG-29 armed aircraft, could be worth up to $2 billion, the newspaper said, citing an unnamed aviation industry manager.

According to Military Balance, an authoritative military reference almanac, the Egyptian Air Force has fighter aircraft made in three countries: the United States (F-16), France (Mirage 2000) and the USSR (MiG-21 and its Chinese derivatives, J-7). The U.S. F-16 fighters make up the largest fleet in the Egyptian Air Force. After the Islamist president Mohammed Morsi was toppled by the military in July 2013, the U.S. suspended its arms shipments to Egypt, hence the current diversification policy. In February 2015, Egypt bought from France 24 Rafale fighters, a FREMM-class frigate and missiles to the tune of 5 billion euros. Deals with Russia, too, are part of the diversification, and its MiG-29 fighters are intended to replace obsolete Soviet and Chinese fighters in the Egyptian Air Force.

For the Russian MiG Corporation, the contract with Egypt opens up a long-term working prospect and provides a developmental opportunity, this being the largest commission for MiG-29 fighters in post-Soviet history, says Konstantin Makiyenko, an expert from the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies.

Currently, the MiG Corporation is implementing two contracts for supply of MiG-29K/KUB deck-launched fighter aircraft, one with the Indian Navy (for a total of 29 aircraft, 17 of which had been delivered by early 2015) and one with the Russian Navy (for 24 aircraft, 14 of which had been delivered by late 2014).

In 2014, the corporation signed a contract to supply 16 MiG-29SMT fighters to the Russian Air Force; it is planning to supply eight aircraft this year and another eight in 2016. Thus, the contract with Egypt will almost double the company's order book for MiG-29s (by nearly 40 more aircraft) and allow it to continue making these aircraft until about 2020.

http://rbth.com/news/2015/05/25/russia_egy...aper_46320.html