MiG of the fifth generation: what will the new Russian fighter be like? Fifth generation MiG: what will the new Russian fighter be like? Mig 5 generation

MOSCOW, January 27 - RIA Novosti. The new Russian fighter of the "4 ++" generation MiG-35, after the completion of state tests, will renew the fleet of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) and can be offered to foreign buyers.

New "MiG" presented to the world

On the basis of the production complex of the Russian Aircraft Corporation (RSK) "MiG" in Lukhovitsy near Moscow on Friday, a presentation of the MiG-35 took place. Flight tests of the fighter began on Thursday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a video conference on the occasion of the start of the tests, expressed the hope that the new fighter would significantly strengthen the Russian army.

Shown in Lukhovitsy, the MiG-35 is a 4 ++ generation multipurpose fighter, which is a further development of the MiG-29K / KUB and MiG-29M / M2 combat aircraft in the direction of increasing combat effectiveness and versatility, as well as improving operational characteristics.

According to data from open sources, the aircraft is capable of carrying up to seven tons of combat load on 10 hardpoints and developing a speed of Mach 2.25 (more than 2.7 thousand kilometers per hour). The combat radius of the fighter is 1,000 kilometers, the service ceiling is 17,500 meters.

Sergey Korotkov, General Designer - Vice President for Innovation of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), stated that the combat range of the MiG-35 was doubled (compared to the MiG-29), including due to the possibility of replacing the co-pilot's seat with a fuel one. tank. The cockpit of the aircraft is unified with the calculation of the possibility of re-equipment for its piloting by one or two pilots.

The first contract - after state tests

According to the commander-in-chief of the Aerospace Forces Viktor Bondarev, the Ministry of Defense will conclude the first contract for the purchase of 30 fighters with the MiG corporation immediately after the flight tests of the aircraft, which are to be completed in the summer of 2017.

"We will take these aircraft, we need them ... It will take a little time, and we will change all light fighter aircraft for this particular class," Bondarev said during the presentation of the MiG-35.

In total, it is planned to purchase at least 170 of these fighters to replace the fleet of light combat aircraft.

Flight tests of the MiG-35 are planned to be completed by 2019, then it will go into series, President of the United Aircraft Corporation Yuri Slyusar told RIA Novosti during the presentation of the aircraft.

At the same time, the first vehicles can enter the Air Force of the Russian Aerospace Forces in 2018, said Ilya Tarasenko, Director General of RAC MiG.

Local conflicts and the development of lasers

“Thank God that there are no major armed conflicts now, there are only local ones, like in Syria. suits, "- said Bondarev.

Fifth generation fighters will be equipped with a lightweight Brahmos missileThe rocket really should be in terms of dimensions of the torpedo tube and in weight, almost one and a half times less. The missile carries a conventional warhead weighing between 200 and 300 kilograms and has the same configuration for different launchers.

Thus, he confirmed the words of the President of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) said the day before that the MiG-35 would be able to use promising weapons, including laser weapons.

As Slyusar emphasized, the fighter was designed specifically for battles in conditions of intense conflicts and high air defense density.

"The high performance that we have achieved thanks to the installed set of on-board equipment, a new optical-location station, reduced radar visibility by several times, we have increased the number of suspension points from six to eight, which makes it possible to use current and future models of aviation weapons, including laser weapons. ", - he added.

Large export potential

At a meeting of the military-industrial complex, Vladimir Putin expressed the hope that the new fighter would have good export potential.

"I mean that more than 30 countries are actively operating another aircraft, the MiG-29, and a good infrastructure has been created in these countries to use this fighter, there are trained personnel," the head of state said.

Putin stressed that "the industry and everything connected with the operation of these machines must be ready to offer our potential partners the most necessary services in the modern world for the maintenance of this equipment."

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin explained on the air of the Russia 24 TV channel that the MiG-35 has almost the same radar equipment, avionics, engines, like the latest developments of the Sukhoi Design Bureau - Su-35 and T-50 (PAK FA) , but its operating costs are much lower, and therefore it should be more readily bought abroad.

According to Tarasenko, now the volume of orders of the corporation is about four billion dollars.

RSK MiG, according to Korotkov, is ready to open a service center for servicing MiG-35 fighters on the territory of potential foreign customers, which is unified with MiG-29 fighters operating in 56 countries of the world.

According to the deputy head of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation Anatoly Punchuk, the fighter will be in demand in Europe, first of all, by such countries as Bulgaria, Slovakia and Poland. According to him, now Russia is fulfilling contracts with these countries for the repair and modernization of MiG-29 aircraft. At the same time, he clarified that Bulgaria has allocated the necessary funds for the repair of engines for the MiG-29, each of which costs about $ 5 million.

Russia also hopes to resume the Indian tender for the purchase of fighters with the latest MiG-35. This was told to RIA Novosti by the adviser to the president of the UAC Konstantin Biryulin.

He clarified that earlier Russia had participated in a tender for a MiG-29 fighter and potentially a MiG-35. "However, then the MiG-35 was only on paper. Today, an international presentation of this fighter is taking place, which we are ready to offer, including to India, if it resumes this tender," Biryulin said.

India closed the tender in 2011 after France won it with the Rafale fighter. The tender involved the purchase of 126 fighters for the national air force for more than $ 10 billion. The French contract signed in January 2016 envisages the purchase of just 36 Rafale fighters for the same amount - more than $ 10 billion.

Biryulin stressed that the MiG-35 will be of interest primarily to those countries that still operate the line of MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-29 fighters. "All these fighters, for example, are still in service with the Indian Air Force," he said.

The next "MiG" - the fifth generation

The MiG design bureau will develop fifth-generation fighters, Rogozin said.

"The fifth generation fighter PAK FA is currently under state testing (developed by the Sukhoi Corporation). The MiG Corporation will also make a fifth generation fighter (light)," he said during the international presentation of the MiG-35 fighter.

Nowadays, only generation 4 ++ fighters are in service with the Russian Aerospace Forces. The fifth generation fighters - F-22 and F-35 - are exclusively equipped with the US Air Force.

At the presentation of the multifunctional fighter MiG-35 Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Rogozin said that RSK MiG would develop a lightweight fifth-generation fighter. About what this plane will be like and why the Russian Aerospace Forces needs it, read the material on the Zvezda TV and Radio Broadcasting Company website.

The first information that the MiG corporation would be engaged in the creation of a fifth generation fighter appeared in 2015. At the same time, at the MAKS air show, for the first time, a single copy of the MiG 1.44 was presented to the general public - a prototype of the fifth generation fighter, which was created in 1980.

The first Soviet "Stealth"

Work on the creation of the fifth generation fighter began in the Soviet Union in the late 1970s, even before the United States began to create the F-22 fighter. Even then, in general terms, it became clear what this plane should be. The main requirements were reduced to five points: the vehicle must be multifunctional and super-maneuverable, have low visibility, cruising supersonic flight speed and an internal suspension of guided weapons. The development of promising technology was taken up by the OKB im. A.I. Mikoyan and Design Bureau named after A.I. P.O. Sukhoi, and as a result, the MiG 1.44 and Su-47 (S-37) projects appeared.

Work on the new fighter at the MiG was not easy: during the design and testing of the models, changes were made to the design. The result of many years of work was the prototype of the aircraft embodied in iron, which, due to financial difficulties, took off only on February 29, 2000.

Tragedy number 1.44

Unfortunately, it didn't go beyond a few flights. The problem was that after 1991 the entire military-industrial complex of Russia on a grand scale "entered" a deep crisis, and if the US government continued to invest billions of dollars in the creation of a fifth generation fighter, then in Russia funding for this program was stopped altogether. Not a single design bureau is capable of pulling such a project on its own, and the decree on the creation of the PAK FA issued in 2002 finally buried the MiG 1.44.

The prototype of the fighter was located at the LII them. Gromov in Zhukovsky, where he was actually thrown in the open air. Later, nevertheless, it was decided to store it in the hangar, but there was no talk of any work on this project. Among some experts, there is an opinion that the Chinese fifth-generation fighter J-20 was developed using, among other things, the drawings of the MiG 1.46 (further development of 1.44), and outwardly it really resembles a Mikoyan aircraft in some way. However, there is no official information about the transfer of developments to China, and if you take a closer look at the J-20, it becomes clear that this is a completely different machine.

But the fact that in the early 2000s China was ready to choose exactly the same scheme as that of the first Russian "Stealth" suggests that it is still in demand and has the right to exist.

Light "MiG"

Speaking about the fifth generation aircraft from RSK MiG, Rogozin said literally the following: “Developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau, the fifth generation PAK FA fighter is undergoing state tests. The MiG Corporation will also make a fifth-generation lightweight fighter. ” What exactly did he mean?

Firstly, we are talking about a light aircraft because the fleet needs one. Largely for this reason, the F-35 fighter program was launched in the United States.

Secondly, according to Rogozin, a light fighter has a higher export potential than a heavy one.

“Small countries with a limited budget may well do without heavy fighters like the Su-30, they are quite suitable for the MiG-21, MiG-29 and the possible continuation of this line. Most likely, the situation is unlikely to change in the future. For example, at the moment India plans to start assembling one hundred light fighters under a foreign license, choosing between the American F-16, the Swedish Gripen and the Russian MiG-35. At the same time, it should be noted that the MiG-35 can rather be attributed to middle-class fighters, ”said aviation expert Vladimir Karnozov.

This means that in the future RSK MiG may be engaged in the creation of a lightweight and, possibly, a single-engine aircraft of the fifth generation.

Third, there is a long-standing concept that the number of light fighters should exceed the number of heavy ones. This applies to the air forces of all major countries, including Russia and the United States.

This is due to the fact that the use of an expensive and heavy machine, which has redundant capabilities, is not profitable for a specific task.

“Many years ago, the United States adopted a concept that implies the presence of 20% of heavy and 80% of light fighters in the fleet. In accordance with it, the F-15 heavy fighter and the F-16 lightweight fighter were developed. A similar approach was adopted by the Soviet Union, which led to the creation of a pair of Su-27 and MiG-29, ”said Karnozov.

It should be noted that this ratio may change in favor of heavy vehicles with a long range, which eventually happened in countries with large territories, such as Russia and the United States. Currently, the ratio between the F-15 and F-16 in the US Air Force is 1 to 2. At the same time, no one disputes the theory of complementarity between heavy and light fighters.

“A light fighter is necessary primarily for defense, it is not a means of attack. Most likely, it will be an aircraft that will be able to solve the same tasks as the PAK FA, with the only difference that it will have a shorter range (without refueling in the air) ", - considers the 1st class military pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union, State Duma deputy Nikolai Antoshkin.

According to Antoshkin, one of the main goals of the program is to create an aircraft, including for promising aircraft carriers of project 23000 "Storm", the construction of which is planned in 2025-2030. In addition, this fighter could become a cheaper version of the PAK FA.

French assumptions

In February 2017, the French magazine Air & Cosmos published projections of a promising light multifunctional front-line aircraft (LMFS), which is allegedly being developed by JSC RSK MiG. It is difficult to say how much they correspond to reality, since the authors of the material did not refer to any official sources.

Judging from the image, the aircraft will have a canard aerodynamic configuration. The text indicates the maximum take-off weight of 25 tons and a speed of 1.8 - Mach 2, a flight range of up to 4000 km. The VK-10M developed by KB Klimov with a thrust of about 10 tons each is indicated as the engine. Recall that the MiG-35 has a maximum take-off weight of 29.7 tons, a maximum speed of 2700 km / h at altitude and a range without refueling of about 3500 km.

Competition, but not hostility

It is important to note one more aspect that in the 1990s and 2000s faded into the background in our aviation industry. In 1992, at the Farnborough International Air Show, a press conference was held with the participation of two general designers Rostislav Belyakov (Mikoyan Design Bureau) and Mikhail Simonov (Sukhoi Design Bureau). One of the American journalists asked Simonov why Russia does not want to merge the two leading fighter bureaus, because, in his opinion, this "could save a lot of money for the Russian people." Answering this question, Simonov answered:

“It is pleasant and very interesting that the American press is interested in issues of vital importance to us. However, I have to make one small remark. The Americans believe that we made the Su-24 in due time, competing with General Dynamics and their F-111 bomber. They are also convinced that we built the Su-25 attack aircraft to counterbalance your A-10. And in the case of the Su-27, there is nowhere to go at all - they competed with your F-15 Eagle ... All this is nonsense! The aforementioned aircraft were created at the Sukhoi Design Bureau with one single purpose - to win the competition ... of the general designer Belyakov! "

It was the competition between these design bureaus within our country that pushed aviation technology forward. And the fact that this tradition ended in the 1990s is due to the financial crisis and other aspects, but not to the fact that the Sukhoi aircraft turned out to be better. But you need to understand that without this, the dynamic development of combat aviation will be difficult: competing only with foreign machines is not always correct, because they are created for the air force of another country, which in themselves are often designed for other tasks than domestic ones.

Political will

In conclusion, I would like to say about the difficulties that RSK MiG will have to solve in the near future. In the 1990s and 2000s, this enterprise experienced serious problems that affected almost everything: from equipping with new equipment and ending with a staff of designers and engineers. In recent years, the situation as a whole has changed for the better, which was clearly shown by the presentation of the MiG-35 fighter, but many problems remained.

“To the team of the OKB im. A.I. Mikoyan succeeds in modernizing fourth-generation aircraft quite successfully, however, creating a fifth-generation fighter is a much more difficult task, which will be difficult for the enterprise to accomplish without serious strengthening of the personnel and material base, ”said Vladimir Karnozov.

According to the expert, to accomplish this task will require the will of the Russian leadership, supported by significant funding.

But one thing can be said for sure: RSK MiG, as well as PJSC Sukhoi Company, should engage in promising developments and move forward, because the abbreviation MiG continues to remain synonymous with the concept of Russian fighter.

Photo: sergesky Instagram / nickiinst / Instagram / Vadim Savitsky / Russian Ministry of Defense / mod.gov.cn / defense.gov

Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Rogozin said that RSK MiG would develop a lightweight fifth-generation fighter. About what this aircraft will be like and why the Russian Aerospace Forces needs it, read the material on the Zvezda TV and Radio Company website. The first information that the MiG Corporation will develop a fifth-generation fighter appeared in 2015. At the same time, at the MAKS air show, for the first time, a single copy of the MiG 1.44 was presented to the general public - a prototype of the fifth generation fighter, which was created in 1980. The first Soviet "Stealth" Work on the creation of the fifth generation fighter began in the Soviet Union in the late 1970s, even before the United States began to create the F-22 fighter. Even then, in general terms, it became clear what this plane should be. The main requirements were reduced to five points: the vehicle must be multifunctional and super-maneuverable, have low visibility, cruising supersonic flight speed and an internal suspension of guided weapons. The development of promising technology was taken up by the OKB im. A.I. Mikoyan and Design Bureau named after A.I. P.O. Sukhoi, and as a result, the MiG 1.44 and Su-47 (S-37) projects appeared. Work on the new fighter on the MiG was not easy: during the design and testing of the models, changes were made to the design. The result of many years of work was the prototype of the aircraft embodied in iron, which, due to financial difficulties, took off only on February 29, 2000. Tragedy number 1.44 Unfortunately, it didn't go beyond a few flights. The problem was that after 1991 the entire military-industrial complex of Russia on a grand scale "entered" a deep crisis, and if the US government continued to invest billions of dollars in the creation of a fifth generation fighter, then in Russia funding for this program was stopped altogether. Not a single design bureau is capable of pulling such a project on its own, and the decree on the creation of the PAK FA that was issued in 2002 finally buried the MiG 1.44. Gromov in Zhukovsky, where he was actually thrown in the open air. Later, nevertheless, it was decided to store it in the hangar, but there was no talk of any work on this project. Among some experts, there is an opinion that the Chinese fifth-generation fighter J-20 was developed using, among other things, the drawings of the MiG 1.46 (further development of 1.44), and outwardly it really resembles a Mikoyan aircraft in some way. However, there is no official information about the transfer of developments to China, and if you take a closer look at the J-20, it becomes clear that this is a completely different machine.
But the fact that in the early 2000s China was ready to choose exactly the same scheme as that of the first Russian "Stealth" suggests that it is still in demand and has the right to exist. Light "MiG" Speaking about the fifth generation aircraft from RSK MiG, Rogozin said literally the following: “Developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau, the fifth generation PAK FA fighter is undergoing state tests. The MiG Corporation will also make a fifth-generation lightweight fighter. ” What exactly did he mean? First, we are talking about a light aircraft because the fleet needs one. Largely for this reason, the F-35 fighter program was launched in the United States.
Secondly, according to Rogozin, a light fighter has a higher export potential than a heavy one. “Small countries with a limited budget may well do without heavy fighters like the Su-30, they are quite suitable for the MiG-21, MiG-29 and the possible continuation of this lines. Most likely, the situation is unlikely to change in the future. For example, at the moment India plans to start assembling one hundred light fighters under a foreign license, choosing between the American F-16, the Swedish Gripen and the Russian MiG-35. At the same time, it should be noted that the MiG-35 can rather be attributed to middle-class fighters ", - says aviation expert Vladimir Karnozov. This means that in the future RSK MiG may be engaged in the creation of a lightweight and, possibly, a single-engine aircraft of the fifth generation. Third, there is a long-standing concept that the number of light fighters should exceed the number of heavy ones. This applies to the air forces of all major countries, including Russia and the United States. This is due to the fact that the use of an expensive and heavy machine, which has redundant capabilities, to perform a certain task is not profitable. “Many years ago, the United States adopted a concept that implies the presence of 20% heavy and 80% light fighters in the fleet. In accordance with it, the F-15 heavy fighter and the F-16 lightweight fighter were developed. A similar approach was adopted by the Soviet Union, which led to the creation of a pair of Su-27 and MiG-29, ”said Karnozov.
It is worth noting that this ratio may change in favor of heavy vehicles with a long range, which eventually happened in countries with large territories, such as Russia and the United States. Currently, the ratio between F-15s and F-16s in the US Air Force is 1 to 2. At the same time, no one disputes the theory of complementarity between heavy and light fighters. “A light fighter is necessary primarily for defense, it is not a means of attack. Most likely, it will be an aircraft that will be able to solve the same tasks as the PAK FA, with the only difference that it will have a shorter range (without refueling in the air) ", - considers the 1st class military pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union, State Duma deputy Nikolai Antoshkin. According to Antoshkin, one of the main goals of the program is to create an aircraft, including In addition, this fighter can become a cheaper version of the PAK FA. French assumptions In February 2017, the French magazine Air & Cosmos published projections of a promising light multifunctional front-line aircraft (LMFS), which is allegedly being developed by JSC RSK MiG. It is difficult to say how much they correspond to reality, since the authors of the material did not refer to any official sources. Judging by the image, the aircraft will have a "canard" aerodynamic design. The text indicates the maximum take-off weight of 25 tons and a speed of 1.8 - Mach 2, a flight range of up to 4000 km. The VK-10M developed by KB Klimov with a thrust of about 10 tons each is indicated as the engine. Recall that the MiG-35 has a maximum take-off weight of 29.7 tons, a maximum speed of 2700 km / h at altitude and a range without refueling of about 3500 km.
Also, according to the author of the article, an alternative version of the aircraft with one engine of an unknown type is being worked out, which may be, among other things, the so-called "Product 30", developed for the PAK FA fighter. Competition, but not hostility It is important to note one more aspect that in the 1990s and 2000s faded into the background in our aviation industry. In 1992, at the Farnborough International Air Show, a press conference was held with the participation of two general designers Rostislav Belyakov (Mikoyan Design Bureau) and Mikhail Simonov (Sukhoi Design Bureau). One of the American journalists asked Simonov why Russia does not want to merge the two leading fighter bureaus, because, in his opinion, this "could save a lot of money for the Russian people." Answering this question, Simonov answered:
“It is pleasant and very interesting that the American press is interested in issues of vital importance to us. However, I have to make one small remark. The Americans believe that we made the Su-24 in due time, competing with General Dynamics and their F-111 bomber. They are also convinced that we built the Su-25 attack aircraft to counterbalance your A-10. And in the case of the Su-27, there is nowhere to go at all - they competed with your F-15 Eagle ... All this is nonsense! The aforementioned aircraft were created at the Sukhoi Design Bureau with one single goal - to win the competition ... of the general designer Belyakov! ”It was the competition between these design bureaus within our country that pushed aviation technology forward. And the fact that this tradition ended in the 1990s is due to the financial crisis and other aspects, but not to the fact that the Sukhoi aircraft turned out to be better. But you need to understand that without this, the dynamic development of combat aviation will be difficult: competing only with foreign machines is not always correct, because they are created for the air force of another country, which in themselves are often designed for other tasks than domestic ones. Political will In conclusion, I would like to say about the difficulties that RSK MiG will have to solve in the near future. In the 1990s and 2000s, this enterprise experienced serious problems that affected almost everything: from equipping with new equipment and ending with a staff of designers and engineers. In recent years, the situation as a whole has changed for the better, which was clearly shown by the presentation of the MiG-35 fighter, but many problems remained. A.I. Mikoyan succeeds in modernizing fourth-generation aircraft quite successfully, however, creating a fifth-generation fighter is a much more difficult task, which will be difficult for the enterprise without serious strengthening of the personnel and material base, ”said Vladimir Karnozov.
According to the expert, to accomplish this task will require the will of the Russian leadership, supported by significant funding. But one thing is certain: RSK MiG, as well as PJSC Sukhoi Company, should engage in promising developments and move forward, because the abbreviation MiG "continues to be synonymous with the concept of" Russian fighter ".

At the moment, the armies of the world are using 4th generation fighters. Serial production of more advanced 5th generation machines has been established only in the United States, but there are already talks about devices of a new class.

Few people know that 5th generation fighters were developed in the Soviet Union even before the construction of the first F-22 "Raptor" used by the Americans. If the American aircraft (aircraft) began to be developed in the 80s, then the Soviet combat vehicle appeared on paper in the late 70s in the OKB im. Mikoyan. The index of the fighter is MiG 1.44 MFI. The first assembled specimen took off in 2000.

The power plant was based on new engines with variable thrust vector. The design used innovative solutions that reduce radar signature, it was also supposed to integrate the latest electronics and equip the novelty with advanced weapons.

On one assembled new MiG of the 5th generation, it all ended, since priority was given to the PAK FA car in the OKB im. Sukhoi. Thus, since 2002, 1.44 has been forgotten.

Historically, the MiG was a response to the appearance of the Raptor. Experts emphasize that some of the characteristics of the Russian car were an order of magnitude higher than the American one.

The development was started from the moment of the formulation of three principles that the new project had to meet:

secrecy;
the cruising speed must be supersonic;
special attention was paid to agility, which had to be at the highest level.

Since the Americans' project ATF (Advanced Tactical Fighter) was already known at the time of the creation of the MiG, the initiative was supported by the Central Committee, a corresponding resolution of the Council of Ministers was issued.

In 1979, the OKB im. Mikoyan began work, the project was named I-90, it was previously decided that he would replace the Su-27 and MiG-31. It was planned to equip the aircraft with the most advanced electronic systems. The device was supposed to be multifunctional, in particular, to hit both ground targets and air targets.

The program for the new aircraft was created and approved in 1983, requirements were formulated for the following parameters:

Power point;
Onboard electronics.

The document also clarified the requirements from the country's Air Force and Air Defense.

It was difficult to implement the set of requirements, so research work began. As a result, a scheme was obtained that significantly differs from the 4th generation of fighters, which entered service at the same time as the development of the novelty.

Fighter design

Some of the solutions were selected on the basis of already existing experience, the developments on the fourth generation fighters were used. However, the usual forms have undergone changes. So, the influx of the wing, which had the Su-27 and MiG-29, was removed. The resulting sample had common features with the MiG-25, which was distinguished by very high speed qualities.

The designers have used the "canard" scheme, which is characterized by the close placement of the engines. This choice made it possible to obtain improved characteristics of maneuverability and strength, carrying capacity.

Power point

The 5th generation MiG fighter is equipped with two AL-41F turbojet engines, two-circuit, with an afterburner. Layouts with a variable thrust vector were used, which improved maneuvering characteristics and take-off qualities. The air intakes were located under the fuselage, which had a positive effect on invisibility for radars.

In the early stages of the creation of the machine, engineers tended to use engines with flat nozzles. This made it possible to create an effective shield for the turbines, as well as reduce the visibility to the enemy.

Flat nozzles had to be abandoned, since the technologies of that time did not allow the transition from round engine nozzles to rectangular ones. On knocking, the walls could quickly burn out due to inadequate distribution of temperature fields.

During the search for solutions, the schemes of the controlled thrust vector were worked out. This technology was applied in 1991, after which they were immediately included in the finished machine diagram.

Fuselage

A large percentage of composite materials was used in the structure, their share reaches 30%. As aircraft parts, they are inconvenient because of the complexity of integration and attachment with the main structure. In case of breakdowns, they cannot be repaired, you have to completely change entire units.

Most of the fuselage is metals:

aluminum alloys - 35%;
steel and titanium - 30%.

The location of the air intake under the fuselage has been chosen: it is divided into two sections, one for each engine.

It was supposed to include in the general scheme means for refueling in the air.

Structurally, there are 7 control planes; a digital fly-by-wire control system is used for control.

In the finished form, the surface of the aircraft was supposed to be treated with a special coating in order to minimize the radar signature. Presumably, it was possible to achieve an effective scattering area of 0.3 m2.

Keels were used, which camber outward at 15 degrees. This is also intended to improve the aircraft's stealth.

Chassis

The chassis is tricycle, one wheel is located in the bow. Two racks under the fenders fold forward, each with one wheel. The A-pillar folds back and has two wheels.

Airplane wings

There is no sag on the leading edge, it is made straight, which was the main difference from the models of the previous generation fighters. The aerodynamic forces arising in flight were investigated in detail. For example, vortices at the leading edge of the new design improved the stability of the machine, and at high angles they did not stall due to them. Vortices appeared due to the beams of the front horizontal tail (FGO). Their position was selected empirically to achieve optimal performance.

I had to analyze a whole range of characteristics:

the position of the beams relative to the horizontal plane;
height relative to the plane of the wing;
excess relative to the leading edge of the wing.

It was possible to achieve optimal flow drift and vortex descent, due to which the aerodynamic profile was formed.

The wing design is adaptive, that is, it changes depending on the flight mode. Flaperons and socks are subject to change and can be deflected.

It was possible to achieve an increase in shunting characteristics due to the installation of a vortex-forming tooth on the edge of the VGO. A similar solution has already shown its worth in the modernization of the MiG-23.

The area of the final structure was small, the deflection angle was in the range of 40-45 degrees.

Armament

The armament of the vehicle also had to be rearranged in comparison with the fighters of that time. Initially, it was proposed to install compartments in the upper part of the fuselage, which would open before launching the rocket. This would make it easier to launch at targets flying above the aircraft, as well as when maneuvering with large overloads.

It was necessary to abandon this position and use the classic niches under the wings because of the need to use new means of transportation and the installation of missiles when equipping a fighter. It was necessary to develop a new principle with cranes and trolleys to load 300-400 kg rockets. The final position made it possible to use ordinary trolleys and the simplest means for lifting loads.

The engineers were going to install an innovative radar system on the 5th generation MiG, which was based on a variety of independent emitters, which had an area of several cm2. This arrangement had increased protection against mechanical damage.

Another innovative solution was the placement of the radar in the rear, which made it possible to detect the enemy in the rear hemisphere and indicate targets for missiles, in particular, during a reverse launch.

As a result, it was supposed to install an aviation 30-mm cannon on board, as well as missiles inside the hull on ejection mounts.

Tactical and technical characteristics

Many solutions have not been worked out in practice on a prototype, since this was not allowed to be done by one single sample. For example, no radar coating was applied to the aircraft during the tests.

The parameters could change, for example, depending on the set of weapons. So, the car was supposed to use several basic schemes.

To defeat the enemy in the air - 12 × R-77 or R-73. To combat ground targets:

2 × X-55, X-61, X-41;
8 × X-29, X-31;
12 × KAB-500, ODAB-500.

For the placement of weapons, special built-in containers were used. There are several suspension points: 12 inside the case, 8 on the outside.

Advantages and disadvantages of a fighter

Among the advantages of the innovative machine, one can single out the great automation of combat, which was first used in practice by Soviet engineers. It was assumed that the bulk of the missiles would operate without pilot control after launch.

The main disadvantage of MFIs, including those that influenced the fate of the unique machine, was the high cost. The development of a new fighter is too expensive even on a national scale, because during the collapse of the Soviet Union there was simply no money left for funding.

Reason for stopping the project

There are two main versions of the stop of the MiG 1.44 project. Moreover, there are controversial opinions regarding their fairness.

The project was reportedly closed due to:

intrigue in the management ranks and the senior staff of engineers working on the machine;
banal high cost and complexity of production.

A simple analysis shows that the second scenario is fairer. Money began to flow into the army in 2000, the developments on the new aircraft have not gone anywhere. It was necessary to update the fleet of fighters, which was much easier and cheaper to do with the help of such aircraft as the Su-30, the modernization of the MiG-29 and 31. The price of the finished MiG MFI was $ 70 million, almost like the Raptor, while to establish a production base and mass production of modern composites.

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The MiG Corporation is developing a fifth generation light fighter. This project can become an addition to the PAK FA, developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau, and perform tasks in conflicts such as the "Arab Spring".

The Russian Aircraft Corporation (RSK) MiG is considering the possibility of building a 5th generation fighter. The MiG-35 fighter can be selected as the base platform for the implementation of this program, into which promising technologies will be integrated, Arms-Tass reports with reference to the British weekly Flight.

As stated General Director of RAC "MiG" Sergei Korotkov, specialists of the corporation are already working on the concept of a new fighter.

"I know that this is one of the ideas, one of the directions that the design bureau is working on. I really hope that soon we will develop this direction more seriously", - noted Korotkov.

The top manager did not detail how far the corporation has progressed in its research, but considers the emergence of a new combat aircraft "highly likely".

"The most important thing is that an order is issued for the development",- he said.

At the same time, the head of the corporation is confident that the work on the fifth generation fighter will not cause a conflict between RSK MiG and the Sukhoi company, which is currently developing its own version of the PAK FA fifth generation aircraft.

"These are two completely different aircraft, which will solve different tasks. We believe that the MiG-35 is the platform that can become the basis of a fifth generation fighter in the future," declared Korotkov.

Experts agree that promising aircraft of various types are needed for aviation.

"I understand that the uniformity of aircraft gives a certain economic efficiency, but the fact is that the tasks of aviation are constantly expanding. We need to prepare the appropriate types of aviation for these tasks. I think that such a task, from the point of view of the state, is fully justified. Moreover, a light fighter is necessary, first of all, for conducting small-scale wars or conducting active operations, because one type cannot close all the tasks that face the country's defense", - commented On the eve.RU development of "MiG" Vice President of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, Air Force Colonel Vladimir Anokhin.

According to the expert, it is possible that the formulation of the task of developing a new fighter was associated with the growth of limited local conflicts in which light aircraft can be used.

"Of course, such aircraft can be used in such limited conflicts that we have been witnessing recently. I think that such a task was set so that there was attack heavy high-speed aviation, and light types of aircraft that could carry out operations in local wars," he suggests.

According to the officer, at least five years can pass from the setting of the task to the delivery of serial aircraft to the troops.

The MiG-35 fighter, on the basis of which the fifth generation fighter will probably be developed, belongs to the 4 ++ generation of fighters, and is a deep modernization of the MiG-29K / KUB fighters, but significantly surpasses them in many respects. The MiG-35 has been awaiting the start of deliveries to the troops for several years, but the terms for concluding contracts are constantly shifting, although Korotkov does not lose hope and says that a contract for the supply to the troops can be concluded in 2014.

Recall that the PAK FA project has been developed since 2002. In 2004, the layout was ready, and in 2005 the financing of the project began. In 2010, the first flight of the aircraft took place and flight tests of the sample began. At the moment, a group of five fighters is undergoing state tests. In addition, a contract was signed with India for the joint development of a version of the fifth generation aircraft for the Air Force of this country based on the PAK FA.

In fact, the only fifth-generation fighter, the American "F-22 Raptor", has been put into service in the world. American "F-35" and Chinese "J-20" are also being tested. As for the F-35, problems in the development of this aircraft are constantly reported - a year ago, the closure of the project, on which hundreds of billions of dollars were spent, was seriously discussed. Due to the problems and the rise in the cost of aircraft, a number of American partners refused to purchase promising aircraft, or significantly limited their number. Representatives of Japan, Turkey and South Korea spoke about the development of fifth-generation aircraft, but only as projects of the distant future.

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