On what the Belarusian pilots will fly?

«The military-political review» already informed that the Ministry of Defence started development of the next development plan of Armed forces for the next five years. One of the priority directions in this plan allocated the Air Force and air defense armies. And except ZRV and RTV, the close attention is decided to give to aircraft and if to be more concrete – to a technical condition of aviation equipment.

Not a secret that today power department is compelled to spend the lion’s share of the budgetary funds allocated for defense for maintenance of combat readiness and serviceability of plane and helicopter park of aircraft of the Air Force and air defense armies. In expert community long ago pay attention to the problems connected with safety of flights and serviceability of aviation equipment. And these problems are not new and arose not suddenly. The reason one – shortage of financing.

For the economic reasons in February, 2012 front bombers and scouts of Su-24M and Su-24MP, and in November, 2013 – the fighters Su-27 were deduced from structure of armed forces. Then in the Ministry of Defence all "wrote off" on inexpediency of use of planes in a type of considerable expenses for their operation and big fuel consumption. According to the majority of experts, the main problem consisted in development of a flight resource on which restoration considerable expenses of financial means which at the Ministry of Defence it was not simple were required.

Therefore from warplanes today as a part of the Belarusian aircraft there were attack planes of Su-25 and fighters MiG-29. Besides there are educational and training – L-39 both transport – Il-76 and An-26.

Would be quite logical instead of various planes Su-24 and Su-27 on tasks to buy modern cars Su-34, Su-30 or MiG-35. As then the commander of the Air Force and air defense armies major general Oleg Dvigalev sounded plans on replacement of aviation equipment. According to him, «for the purpose of prevention of decrease in fighting potential of aircraft rearmament is planned for type fighters MiG-35, Su-30 in the long term. And for ensuring timely preparation of flight and technical structure and rearmament purchase in Russia in 2015 of educational warplanes of the Yak-130 type» is planned.

As a result, neither Su-30, nor MiG-35 did not appear, but in April, 2015 from Russia the first link of educational warplanes of Yak-130 was put. Moreover, in August of this year general Dvigalev reported that Belarus plans to buy eight more planes of this type four of which will arrive in 2016 under the contract signed during carrying out aerospace salon MAX-2015 in Russia. In addition the commander specified «possibility of replacement of park of attack planes of Su-25 consisting on arms on the planes created in design office of Yakovlev».

Apparently, in the Ministry of Defence accurately understand that on the maintenance of aircraft considerable means are required and try in the conditions of limited financing though somehow to support serviceability of aviation equipment and to provide fighting capacity of aircraft of the Air Force and air defense armies in interests of performance of a task of protection of air space. At the expense of carrying out only major maintenance a situation not to correct. It is necessary to update park of planes. It is possible to guess only, but probably in defensive department counted expedient to develop the Air Force by acceptance on arms of aviation complex on the basis of an educational warplane of Yak-130. As they say, «rates are made».

In this regard any understanding military aircraft can have a reasonable question: whether can Yak-130 replace completely Su-25? After all it, in fact, two planes different in mission: attack plane and educational and fighting. As initially Yak-130 was planned only for replacement Czech L-39.

Certainly, on the first and main destination of Yak-130 – «a flying school desk» – the plane for acquisition and maintenance at pilots of skills of piloting in simple and difficult meteoconditions day and night, for training to elements of fighting application on the air and land targets.

Thanks to that according to the flight and technical and maneuverable characteristics Yak-130 is close to indicators of modern fighters on subsonic speed of flight, on it it is possible to prepare pilots for the planes relating to the fourth and fifth generations, as Russian (MiG-29, Su-30, T-50), and foreign (F-15 and F-16, F-22, F-35, Eurofighter Typhoon and Rafale,).

Yak-130 it is equipped with various digital systems with repeated reservation which allow to reprogram in the educational purposes characteristics of controllability and stability of the plane depending on type of the simulated aircraft. It gives economy of means on use at performance of educational problems of the warplanes which flight time manages where is more expensive.

Thus to turn Yak-130 into any of the planes given above types it is possible directly in air: for this purpose it is enough to choose the necessary mode in onboard system.

Meanwhile, as developers declare, potential possibilities of Yak-130 are much wider, than at the ordinary educational and training plane.

Despite the small sizes, this car can bear on 9 external knots of a suspension bracket to three tons of arms (Su-25 on 11 points of a suspension bracket – 4,4 t.), including rockets of classes «air – air», «air – the earth», high-precision bombs, bombs of a free fall, rockets, gun containers, and also external fuel tanks.

Therefore Yak-130 in the market of aviation equipment is positioned by designers also as an easy attack plane.

Certainly, in respect of security of crew it concedes Su-25 at whom бронекабина the pilot it is executed from the titan. However Yak-130 has big range of action – 1300 km against 500 km at "Rook". And considering quantity of the fire weapons used today against aircraft, from antiaircraft guns and large-caliber machine guns to modern PZRK, not to mention the air defenses missile systems of land forces, the crew will be rescued hardly even by the titanic reservation Su-25.

Besides experience of application of attack planes of the Soviet production by the Russian army in the military conflict to Georgia in 2008 and armed forces of Ukraine in Donbass showed considerable vulnerability of Su-25 even before not the newest PZRK. According to experts, there the easy attack plane of new generation equipped with modern aim and search complexes, armed with high-precision corrected bombs and the guided missiles, capable to strike the purpose very would be useful, without entering into air defense area of coverage. So the assault Yak-130 option has rather capacious niche in the market of fighting aircraft.

Besides, judging by available information, in Irkut corporation events for further expansion of fighting possibilities of Yak-130 are held. At the first stage characteristics of radio equipment will be improved and the new survey and aim system is established. On the second – the plane will receive radar station (allegedly BRLS "Leopard-130"). It can be built in in a nasal part of the plane or in container execution is suspended under a fuselage. It in turn will allow to expand the nomenclature of applied arms up to inclusion of a number of updatings of guided missiles of a class in it «air – a surface» H-31 and H-38. Installation of easy booking should increase fighting survivability of the car. All this in aggregate will expand a plane scope.

At the same time, a number of experts with care express concerning use of Yak-130 as a multipurpose warplane. In their opinion as an attack plane it is insufficiently protected and as the fighter – has insufficient speed.

However many consider that demand for rather inexpensive and effective easy shock planes (attack planes) will increase in modern conditions when even more often there are local military conflicts of low intensity, only. If on them there will be a possibility to establish the high-precision operated weapon.

And, respectively, the need for heavy attack planes (such as Russian Su-25 and American A-10) will fall.

By the way, in August of this year on Belarusian the Yak? 130 use of the high-precision weapon – corrected aviation bombs of incorporated bank was fulfilled? 500Кр.

The scope of Yak-130 as the easy fighter is looked through also. As developers accent, this plane can be used for fight against the low-speed and low-level purposes. Experts consider as those pilotless prospecting and shock aircraft which in large numbers arrive today on arms of armies of many countries of the world. According to analysts, shortly BPLA will begin to dominate over any battlefield. And fight against them leaves into the forefront.

To destroy a small bespilotnik it is much more difficult, than the modern fighter: they fly at small heights on small speed, factor of effective reflection the scanty. To use against them standard antiaircraft anti-aircraft weapons, including heavy fighters interceptors, it is expensive and often useless.

And to carry out this task at small expenses, just, Yak-130 in the version of the easy fighter, possessing a big range of speeds, the various nomenclature of arms and equipped with a modern aim complex can.

Moreover, as experts believe, fighting possibilities of Yak-130 can extend and at the expense of development of the Belarusian defense industry employees. The Talisman and Satellite complexes let out by Belarusians will allow to increase considerably efficiency of protection of the plane from all types of aviation and anti-aircraft missiles with active, semi-active and optiko-electronic heads of homing.

How spitpoisons spoke about a decline of the Belarusian military aircraft, becomes obvious that the management of the Ministry of Defence in the conditions of limited financing, found, apparently, соломоново the decision in long ago ripened problem of updating of the Air Force aviation park and air defense armies. The rate is made on Yak-130.

And military, unlike other power departments, with a pragmatic approach peculiar to them and care of the state, found, perhaps, the optimum decision – and new equipment bought and saved budgetary funds. After all cost of Yak-130 is non-comparable to the prices for Su-30, Su-35 and MiG-35. And considering universality of the plane, for Belarus is the most advantageous option. It leaves much cheaper than if separately to buy and maintain various on mission planes of brand of SU or MiG.

Certainly, there will be the separate statements calling into question correctness of such decision. But, as experts believe, it looks rather far-sighted.

It is not excluded that after Su-25 fighters will be replaced with Yak-130 MiG-29 in process of resource development also. It is necessary to decide only on optimum number of planes and to solve an eternal problem with search of a source of financing of their purchase.

Sergey Ostryn