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Aviation History
1989
1989 - 2754.PDF
TUSHINO SHOW REVIEW Military on parade Thousands of Moscow citizens, plus a handful of Westerners, saw several Soviet military air craft types displayed for the first time when they attended last month's Aviation Day flypast at Tushino and the associated static exhibition at nearby Frunze. The unveiling of the Beriev A-40 twin-turbofan amphibian and first public appearance of the Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bomber in the Tushino flypast were the undoubted highlights, but the diversity of types displayed at Frunze proved a goldmine for Western analysts. Powered by a pair of 6-5- tonne-thrust Lotarev D-36 turbo- fans fuselage-mounted above and behind the high-set, high-aspect- ratio swept wing—well clear of any spray—the Beriev aircraft appears large enough to seat some 40 passengers. The A-40 is described as a "sea rescue" amphibian, but its military maritime patrol poten- This Mikoyan MiG- 27 Flogger J has rear-fuselage mount ings for rocket-assis ted take-off bottles, plus overwing chaff/ flare dispensers. On the nose, the upper circular transpar ency is for the laser ranging system and the rectangular -win dow beneath is believed to be the laser command guid ance system for the AS-14 Kedge short- range tactical air-to- surface missile rial is obvious. There is a refuelling probe on the nose, above a large radome, and the bulky wing-root "sponsons" may house the main landing gear (there are outrigger floats on the wingtips) or stores. The USA expects Tupolev's Tu-160 variable-geometry bom ber to enter Soviet service this year. The four-crew, four- engine, 2,200km/h aircraft is similar to, but larger than, the 216-tonne Rockwell B-1B, the quoted maximum weight of 275 tonnes exceeding even Western estimates by 25 tonnes. At Frunze, the Sukhoi Su-24 all-weather strike aircraft was publicly displayed for the first time. The two-seat, twin-engine, variable-geometry aircraft, the Soviet equivalent of the US F-lll, was on show armed with an underfuselage air-to-surface missile (probably the anti-radar weapon NATO designates the AS-11 Kilter), also being seen for the first time. Alongside the Su-24 was a late- model Su-17 variable-geometry attack aircraft and the subsonic close-support Su-25. Both single- seat and two-seat Su-27 inter ceptors were on show, along with the 12-5-tonne-thrust Lyulka AL-3-31F low-bypass after burning turbofan. One Su-27 was armed with both medium-range radar- homing AA-10 Alamo and short- range infrared-homing AA-11 Archer air-to-air missiles, the latter (also arming a nearby Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter) being seen for the first time. In addition to the MiG-29 and its 8-3-tonne-thrust Lotarev RD-33 low-bypass afterburning turbofan, the Mikoyan design bureau displayed a late-model MiG-21, apparently with a retractable refuelling probe just below the cockpit on the star board side; a MiG-23 with notches in the fixed wing gloves, designed to improve manoeuvrability; a MiG-27 with overwing "fences" housing upward-firing chaff/flare dispen sers; and a MiG-25R reconnais sance aircraft with side-looking radar antenna; either side of the extended nose. The Kamov design bureau was there in strength, revealing that its Ka-41 co-axial-rotor combat €su — , r _ INSIDE HIND The Mil Mi-24 Hind F's front cockpit (left) has a prominent moving-map display. Above, left and right The Hind's hold, with brackets on the windows for infantry weapons used in the landing-zone suppres sion role. Right Hind F is armed with 5fem- range AT-6 Spiral radio-command anti tank missiles outboard 32 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 9 September 1989
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