Bill Sweetman o oruzju
Citat:Absent here is any sign of all-new weapons for the T-50, which instead looks likely to enter service with refined versions of existing systems. Interestingly, the closest that the T-50 (so far) is confirmed to be getting to an all-new weapon is a highly modified version of an existing anti-radar missile, the folding-wing Kh-58UShE.
Citat:The next likely candidate for the T-50's forward bay is the RVV-BD (air-to-air missile, long range), which is a modernized version of the Vympel R-37 that was designed for the MiG-31M Foxhound-B, but never put into production. Unlike the R-37, it is designed to be carried other than semi-conformal and videos and documents here show it carried by the Su-35S. However, its total external dimensions are within centimeters of the Kh-58UShE. It seems likely, therefore, that the T-50 forward bay has been designed around the minimum-risk RVV-BD, with the Kh-58 being modified to fit the same envelope.
This is all interesting to say the least, because since Day One of stealth in the US a guiding principle has been that stealth gets you close enough to use precise, short-range, low-cost weapons. And here come the Russians, equipping their first stealth fighter -- already fast and high-flying -- with a 1,400-pound ARM that can run out to 245 km at up to Mach 4, and an 1,125-pound, 200-kilometer range AAM.
http://www.aviationweek.com/Blogs.aspx?plckBlogId=.....0b5b37e15c
|