The Belarusian Air Force faces a shortage of combat wings
The hole in the air shield of Belarus threatens to grow, and how to seal it is not yet clear. It is obvious, however, that there are no financial resources for acquiring dozens of expensive modern aircraft from the country today.
In 2015, the Belarusian military expects to receive four combat-training aircraft (UBS) Yak-130. According to media reports, the relevant contract between Irkut Corporation OJSC and the Ministry of Defense of Belarus was signed on December 18 in Minsk in the presence of Belarusian Defense Minister Yuri Zhadobin, Director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation of Russia Alexander Fomin and Russian Ambassador Alexander Surikov.
A number of commentators interpreted this deal as the beginning of the realization of the agreements reached by the presidents of the two countries that Russia would provide Belarus with new modern combat vehicles to protect the air border within the framework of a single regional air defense system. This was requested by Minsk, since airplanes, which are at the disposal of the Belarusian Air Force and Air Defense Forces, are running out of resources.
On a verbal agreement with a Russian colleague on this subject, Alexander Lukashenko told 21 of September to journalists, sharing the details of his meeting with Vladimir Putin in Sochi. At the same time, it was emphasized that airplanes are needed first of all in order "to be on duty at the border."
Some experts concluded that the fighters would give Belarus. Moreover, if we take into account the lessons of the July incident with the Swedish aircraft, we need fighters capable of intercepting low-altitude and low-speed aerial targets.
However, other observers drew attention to the fact that after the withdrawal of Su-24 front-line bombers from the armed forces, the Belarusian Air Force began to experience a shortage of aircraft designed to perform percussion missions.
However, given the modest economic opportunities of the country, it is difficult to imagine that the Belarusian leadership can afford to purchase two types of specialized combat vehicles. Especially in any significant quantities. Most likely, we can talk about multi-purpose aircraft.
Initially, there was a version that Su-30 fighter-bombers could be used in this capacity. Namely, the 18 Su-30K, once used by the Indian army, but then returned to the owner - the Russian aviation Irkut Corporation. These fighters were delivered to the 558th aircraft repair plant in Baranovichi (Brest region) for repair and modernization. After which they were supposed to be put up for sale. Among the potential buyers, according to authoritative sources, until recently, Belarus was listed.
However, the situation became uncertain again after the November statement by Alexander Lukashenko that Belarus would not buy old weapons.
Now, after the signing of the contract for the purchase of the Yak-130, the question seems to be cleared up. This double combat training aircraft, developed by the Yakovlev Design Bureau, is distinguished by excellent maneuverability, onboard radio-electronic equipment, characteristic of the newest military aircraft, high reliability and long service life.
The Yak-130 is capable of carrying up to 3000 kg of various combat loads on nine external suspension nodes. These can be air-to-surface guided missiles X-25ML; air-to-air guided missiles P-73; adjustable aerial bombs KAB-500L; Uncontrollable bombs caliber 250 and 500 kg; blocks with unguided aircraft missiles B-8М and B-13Л; infantry gun installation UPK-23-250; containers with reconnaissance equipment or electronic warfare equipment.
Meanwhile, not all analysts believe that the problem of the shortage of modern aircraft in the Belarusian army was solved by the Yak-130. Experts indicate that it is very vulnerable to fire from the ground in the case of use as a light strike aircraft or attack aircraft.
Attention is also drawn to the insufficient weight of the combat load. In this regard, the disposal of 35 Su-24 can not be compensated even by the acquisition of an equal amount of Yak-130, they should be twice as large as the retired cars. That seems unrealistic because of the relatively high cost of the Yak-130 (about 15 million dollars).
An additional confusion in the press was the anonymous information that the X-NUMX fighters Su-14, which are in service with the 27 th fighter aviation base in Baranavichy, are planned to be removed from the air force of the Belarusian armed forces.
And although there is no official report on such a decision, the press service of the Ministry of Defense confirmed BelaPAN that at least from December 1, when the academic year began in the Belarusian army, Su-27 did not fly. These fighters have been in operation for over 25 years, have exhausted their life, and their continued use is contrary to the principles of flight safety. According to experts, including the Sukhoi company, further upgrading of the Su-27 is impractical.
Thus, the hole in the air shield of Belarus threatens to grow, and it’s not clear yet how to seal it. It is obvious, however, that there are no financial resources for acquiring dozens of expensive modern aircraft from the country today.
According to some experts, the problem could be settled by deploying a Russian aviation base on one of the Belarusian airfields. The good of them is now a lot empty. And the question began to be discussed in the media. But for now, the Ministry of Defense of Belarus refuses to comment on the reasoning on this matter.
Not to mention the presence of another scheme. In accordance with it, Russia will provide Belarus with the necessary aircraft (most likely it will be the new Su-30) in exchange for providing a military base to deploy Iskander missile systems. Such a measure of Moscow could be the response of the United States and NATO to the deployment of missile defense facilities in Poland.
How events will actually evolve is not yet known. But the combat aircraft in the Belarusian army are less.
In 2015, the Belarusian military expects to receive four combat-training aircraft (UBS) Yak-130. According to media reports, the relevant contract between Irkut Corporation OJSC and the Ministry of Defense of Belarus was signed on December 18 in Minsk in the presence of Belarusian Defense Minister Yuri Zhadobin, Director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation of Russia Alexander Fomin and Russian Ambassador Alexander Surikov. A number of commentators interpreted this deal as the beginning of the realization of the agreements reached by the presidents of the two countries that Russia would provide Belarus with new modern combat vehicles to protect the air border within the framework of a single regional air defense system. This was requested by Minsk, since airplanes, which are at the disposal of the Belarusian Air Force and Air Defense Forces, are running out of resources.
On a verbal agreement with a Russian colleague on this subject, Alexander Lukashenko told 21 of September to journalists, sharing the details of his meeting with Vladimir Putin in Sochi. At the same time, it was emphasized that airplanes are needed first of all in order "to be on duty at the border."
Some experts concluded that the fighters would give Belarus. Moreover, if we take into account the lessons of the July incident with the Swedish aircraft, we need fighters capable of intercepting low-altitude and low-speed aerial targets.
However, other observers drew attention to the fact that after the withdrawal of Su-24 front-line bombers from the armed forces, the Belarusian Air Force began to experience a shortage of aircraft designed to perform percussion missions.
However, given the modest economic opportunities of the country, it is difficult to imagine that the Belarusian leadership can afford to purchase two types of specialized combat vehicles. Especially in any significant quantities. Most likely, we can talk about multi-purpose aircraft.
Initially, there was a version that Su-30 fighter-bombers could be used in this capacity. Namely, the 18 Su-30K, once used by the Indian army, but then returned to the owner - the Russian aviation Irkut Corporation. These fighters were delivered to the 558th aircraft repair plant in Baranovichi (Brest region) for repair and modernization. After which they were supposed to be put up for sale. Among the potential buyers, according to authoritative sources, until recently, Belarus was listed.
However, the situation became uncertain again after the November statement by Alexander Lukashenko that Belarus would not buy old weapons.
Now, after the signing of the contract for the purchase of the Yak-130, the question seems to be cleared up. This double combat training aircraft, developed by the Yakovlev Design Bureau, is distinguished by excellent maneuverability, onboard radio-electronic equipment, characteristic of the newest military aircraft, high reliability and long service life.
The Yak-130 is capable of carrying up to 3000 kg of various combat loads on nine external suspension nodes. These can be air-to-surface guided missiles X-25ML; air-to-air guided missiles P-73; adjustable aerial bombs KAB-500L; Uncontrollable bombs caliber 250 and 500 kg; blocks with unguided aircraft missiles B-8М and B-13Л; infantry gun installation UPK-23-250; containers with reconnaissance equipment or electronic warfare equipment. Meanwhile, not all analysts believe that the problem of the shortage of modern aircraft in the Belarusian army was solved by the Yak-130. Experts indicate that it is very vulnerable to fire from the ground in the case of use as a light strike aircraft or attack aircraft.
Attention is also drawn to the insufficient weight of the combat load. In this regard, the disposal of 35 Su-24 can not be compensated even by the acquisition of an equal amount of Yak-130, they should be twice as large as the retired cars. That seems unrealistic because of the relatively high cost of the Yak-130 (about 15 million dollars).
An additional confusion in the press was the anonymous information that the X-NUMX fighters Su-14, which are in service with the 27 th fighter aviation base in Baranavichy, are planned to be removed from the air force of the Belarusian armed forces.
And although there is no official report on such a decision, the press service of the Ministry of Defense confirmed BelaPAN that at least from December 1, when the academic year began in the Belarusian army, Su-27 did not fly. These fighters have been in operation for over 25 years, have exhausted their life, and their continued use is contrary to the principles of flight safety. According to experts, including the Sukhoi company, further upgrading of the Su-27 is impractical.
Thus, the hole in the air shield of Belarus threatens to grow, and it’s not clear yet how to seal it. It is obvious, however, that there are no financial resources for acquiring dozens of expensive modern aircraft from the country today.
According to some experts, the problem could be settled by deploying a Russian aviation base on one of the Belarusian airfields. The good of them is now a lot empty. And the question began to be discussed in the media. But for now, the Ministry of Defense of Belarus refuses to comment on the reasoning on this matter.
Not to mention the presence of another scheme. In accordance with it, Russia will provide Belarus with the necessary aircraft (most likely it will be the new Su-30) in exchange for providing a military base to deploy Iskander missile systems. Such a measure of Moscow could be the response of the United States and NATO to the deployment of missile defense facilities in Poland.
How events will actually evolve is not yet known. But the combat aircraft in the Belarusian army are less.
Information