MiG-59 light fighter
A prospective combat aircraft, the presentation of which is to take place on the first day of the MAKS-2021 air show, will compete with the American fifth-generation fighter F-35. This opinion was expressed to journalists on 13 July 2021 by the executive director of the branch agency "Aviaport" Oleg Panteleev. "Teasers in English, the regions that the pilots represent in the video published by Rostec - all this indicates that the domestic light fighter is entering the fight with the American F-35 in foreign markets. I am sure that the demonstration of the aircraft at MAKS-2021 will have an effect It was not for nothing that Rosoboronexport invited over 120 delegations from 65 countries to the exhibition, ”he said.
The expert noted that little is known about the technical characteristics of the aircraft. According to the available information, the new fighter has a low visibility in various ranges, a high thrust-to-weight ratio, a high combat load, and an advanced set of aviation weapons. "There is no doubt that in this decade Russia will be able to restore a tandem of promising aviation systems: the heavy Su-57 and a new light aircraft designed to solve tactical problems," said Oleg Panteleev.
The press service of Rostec said that the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC, part of Rostec) will present a fundamentally new military aircraft on the first day of the International Aviation and Space Salon in Zhukovsky. The official website of the project was also presented, where at midnight the countdown began until the premiere of the aircraft on July 20.
The development of the MiG-59 light class fighter was first announced in 2017. Two years later, these words were confirmed by an employee of the MiG company at the domestic exhibition Army in 2019. Not so long ago, the Su-57 heavy fighter was launched into mass production. Despite this, a preliminary design of the MiG-59 begins in the walls of the MiG design bureau. It is not intended to replace the Su-57, as it is intended for other tasks. However, compared with the Su-57, a light fighter should cost almost a third cheaper. In addition, it can be quickly launched into mass production, which is important in modern realities.
Also, the design of such a fighter will require less finance and time. Another obvious advantage of the MiG-59 is the lower cost of operation. These statements can be proved by the example of two American fighter jets: the massive Raptor and the lightweight F-35. The development of the first cost 20% more, and each combat unit costs almost twice as much. Not surprisingly, the cost of operating the Raptor is 50% higher. In addition, more than one F-35 was released over the same time period.
The engine layout of the Russian aircraft has not yet been determined, but most likely it will be one turbojet unit with a thrust of about 10 tons, assembled on the basis of a deeply modernized RD-33. He will have the ability to change the thrust of all angles. MiG-59 will require a short runway length, which will allow it to be used on aircraft carriers. The design of the aircraft will take several years. Given the fact that now the company's engineers are actively working on the MiG-41 interceptor, the serial production of the MiG-59 would begin no earlier than in 10 years.
And as of 2020, that is about all that is known on this topic.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
