Russia and her Fifth Generation Fighter Plane: Sukhoi PAK FA – T-50!


When a good reader of our blog gave me a link to this fighter jet. I usually take that as a hint to post something about it. 🙂 His link was from BBC, but BBC does not let me use their videos and RIA does. In fact RIA wants you to use their videos. So without farther due…

MOSCOW, January 29 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s fifth-generation fighter performed its maiden flight on Friday.

* The T-50 is the domestic name of Russia’s fifth-generation fighter plane which has been developed as the Advanced Front-Line Aviation Complex (PAK FA) for Russia’s Air Force.
* The project started its development by the Sukhoi design bureau since it won the tender in April 2002.
* The Tikhomirov Institute of Instrument Design, which developed the Irbis radar for the Su-35BM Flanker, has been working on the T-50 radar. The new fighter’s radar and fire-control system will be designed on the basis of the Su-35BM’s systems.
* The new fighter’s exterior design was approved on December 10, 2004.
* Last summer, the fighter’s design was approved, and the prototype blueprints were delivered to the KNAAPO aircraft building company based in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, where three experimental fighters will be built for testing.
* In February 2009, the first prototype was constructed. After the plane was successfully tested on the runway, a decision was made to stage the maiden flight in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, rather than in Moscow.
* The prototype fifth-generation fighter made a 47-minute maiden flight on January 29, 2010, in Komsomolsk-on-Amur.
* Although T-50 specifications remain classified, fragmentary data on its engines imply that this heavy-duty fighter will have a take-off weight of more than 30 metric tons and will be close in dimension to the well-known Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker.
* The new fighter’s exterior was designed using Stealth technology, also known as LO technology (low observable technology).
* The combat aircraft is fitted with 117S (upgraded AL-31) turbofan engines from the Russian aircraft engine manufacturer Saturn.
* The PAK FA can carry either eight next-generation air-to-air R-77 missiles, or two large controllable anti-ship bombs weighing 1,500 kg each.
* The new jet can also carry two long-range missiles developed by the Novator Bureau which can hit targets within a 400 kilometer range.
* The jet can use a take-off strip of just 300-400 meters, and perform sustained supersonic flight at speeds over 2,000 km/h, including repeated in-flight refueling. The highly-maneuverable plane has a range of about 5,500 kilometers.
* The fifth-generation fighter is equipped with advanced avionics to combine an automatic flight control system and a radar locator with a phased array antenna.
* The newest combat aircraft are planned to be mass produced in Komsomolsk-on-Amur from 2015.
Looks like a winner and is Russia’s only known fifth-generation project. Called PAK FA and the current prototype is the T-50. It is designed to compete with the U.S. F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II.
Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.

Russia and Nord Stream – Facts and Figures!

Facts & Figures

Route: Offshore pipeline from Portovaya Bay near Vyborg, Russia to the coast of Germany near Greifswald, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Constructed by Nord Stream AG
Gas capacities: 55 bcm per annum (2 pipelines with 27.5 bcm capacity each)
Pipeline length: 1220 km – Nord Stream is one of the longest offshore pipelines in the world
Max. water depth: 210 m
Project start: 2005
Completion of the first line: According to plan – in 2011
Completion of the second line: According to plan – in 2012
Pipeline diameter: 1,153 mm
Design pressure: 220 bar/ 200 bar/ 170 bar
Pipe steel standard: DNV Offshore Standard OS-F101; Steel grade: X-70
Wall thickness: 26.8-41.0 mm
Coating: Interior antifriction coating of 0.06 mm epoxy layer; Exterior anticorrosion layer; Passive anticorrosive protection is ensured by aluminium sacrifice bracelet anodes
Gas supply resources: Yuzhno-Russkoye oil and gas reserve, Yamal Peninsula, Ob-Taz bay and Shtokmanovskoye fields
Estimated investment: € 7.4 billion

Shareholders:

OAO Gazprom (51%), Wintershall Holding AG (20%), E.ON Ruhrgas AG (20%), N.V.Nederlandse Gasunie (9%)

Have some facts and figures dug up on the web about the Nord Stream pipeline. Looks like this pipeline has huge help by Germany and Germany seems to have a vested interest in selling gas to other countries…

Poland, Belarus and Ukraine are left out in the cold and by warrant of their actions over the years. These three countries have show less than a desire to work with Russia when it comes to transportation of energy reliably. The transit money is a huge part of their budgets and without this money, many social and growth programs will be hurt.

My thought is: The USA does not have a problem doing business with Communist China and America is fighting hard at this moment to keep Russia on the hook buying chicken. America knows that Russia is her largest buyer of chicken and loss of billions if allowed to cease.
The former countries of the Soviet Union should have learned a this lesson from this. It seems even Germany which did so much serious damage to Russia during WWII has now some of the best relations with Russia, politically and financially. In a diminishing high cost energy world you better make friends everywhere or be “Out in the cold.”
Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.

From Russia the World Looks Like it is Going to "Hell in a Hand Basket"!

I guess today I am fed up with the lying news in the World. I guess I am fed up with the lying governments in the world. What do I mean by that? Just look around and read some news. It will confuse you, it will piss you off, it will make you cry…

Last week the news was how the housing markets were looking much better. This week the housing markets took a sudden drop and surprised the experts.
Last week Obama was slapped in the face with a major defeat for the Democratic party. This week Obama is sliding back to the center and getting tough. (Lions, Tigers and Elephants – Oh My!)
The Health Bill will save America and now the Health Bill is all but dead in the water! (They sure got quiet about the bill!)
Last week Obama was fighting for the Health Bill and this week he has gone into campaign mode.
The Democrats and the Republicans are like two, 2 year old’s in a room with only one toy to play with and they both want the toy.
Years ago, I use to be a hardcore Republican but I would not align myself with either the Democratic or Republican party anymore. They both suck…
The news tells us how broke America is and (she is). She is more in debt than anything or anyone or any country, in the past or present, has ever been in the worlds known history.

But then the news tells us about all the money being spent all over the world and a military budget that is larger than the rest of the world put together. Then we are told that said military budget was increased $100,000,000,000 dollars this year (2009) over last year (2008).
The news last week also tells us that the Taliban is weakening and hurting, but now this week America and NATO are trying to figure can they buy the Taliban off. This week the war is considered non winnable …
Now Obama wants to put on a spending freeze. That is great but he is going to have to do more than freeze spending because the budget is so far over that a freeze is still trillions in debt. We need to trim a couple of trillion of the budget. Oops that means freebies are over…
Now we find out that Russia will be selling weapons to NATO countries. Isn’t that just ducky? Russia just keeps playing chess and America plays checkers! So now we know why Russia has smiled at NATO this year. (Money makes the world go around!)
Lets take a glance at this tidbit of information:

We believe the Treasury Department is in desperate demand for investors to buy Treasuries. After many years the world has finally awakened to the fact that the US is broke and has been for a long time. Now fewer and fewer investors consider Treasuries as a safe haven. Who in their right mind would buy a Treasury bill with a negative or zero return? We would guess because the buyer perceives them to be safe, perhaps willing to lose some 7% to 8% to inflation. These sales are averaging $50 billion weekly. As the buyers dry up and in order to avoid Fed purchase and monetization, government is eyeing your retirement investments to be the source of their new annuity scheme. (Link)

Do you realize that the USA is buying her own Treasuries? (If you did that yourself you would be in big trouble…)

I have a hundred friends in America and 75% of them have lost their jobs or at least one of their jobs. Most people I knew had to work several jobs to make it. Many are lucky to have kept one of the several that they have. This is part of the unemployment that you do not see.
I guess I will shut up now because I will most likely say things that really irritate me.
Like: The new plan of Obama’s entails freezing $447B of discretionary domestic spending, which is only about 1/6 of the budget. The freeze would NOT include military, foreign aid, national security and mandatory-spending programs such as Social Security and Medicare.
Wake Up People!
Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.
PS: Now take what I just said and apply it to your country. All countries are in the same boat to some degree or so…

Part 2 – Ukraine Visa Trip! (January 2010)


If you follow along with this blog then you know that I am sorta an expert on getting a visa to Russia from Kiev, Ukraine. Remember I said sorta…

I will again post what it takes me to get a visa in Ukraine for Russia. This visa is a same day, dual entry (2), Business visa and it is good for three (3) months. It cost me $400 dollars.

Yes – you can spend less on a visa and stay longer in Ukraine. So unless you have a very cheap place to stay for 10 days, the bargain is same day visa. I have the cheapest hotel that I could find and it runs $36 dollars a day for single economy.

What is needed for me to get a visa in Ukraine to Russia?

Two applications for Russian visa. (Link)

Two Russian approved passport size photos.(paste to appropriate spot on application) (Link)

A copy of your passport. (black and white is best for clarity)

A copy of your immigration card received while crossing the Ukraine border. (Link)

A letter of invitation, in telex form. (Important – Telex – Important) (Link)

$400 American dollars (only – America dollars – only)

Get to the consulate by 9am and be prepared to wait a few hours. Once accepted by the consulate they will take your money and tell you to come back between 3pm and 4pm for same day visa. They have a lot of people getting visas so do not be late, because you will be moved to the next day. (I stood an hour out in -20 C in a line to make sure that I could catch my train that night.)
These links are a few of the past posts of mine to get a Russian visa:
http://www.windowstorussia.com/2009/10/get-russian-visa-from-ukraine-part-1.html
http://www.windowstorussia.com/2009/10/get-russian-visa-from-ukraine-part-2.html
http://www.windowstorussia.com/2009/07/pickpocket-we-all-think-that-it-will_29.html
http://www.windowstorussia.com/2009/07/pickpocket-we-all-think-that-it-will_31.html
http://www.windowstorussia.com/2009/08/pickpocket-we-all-think-that-it-will_07.html
http://www.windowstorussia.com/2009/04/windows-to-russia-kiev-visa-trip-4-21.html
http://www.windowstorussia.com/2008/07/russia-visa-part-1-business-visa.html
The best way to get all my articles is to just search the blog and you will find almost a hundred articles about Russian visas…
Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.

Visa Trip to Ukraine for Russian Visa! (Part 1)

Looks like I made another successful visa trip to Kiev, Ukraine. The only surprise was how cold Kiev was and how bad the roads where in Kiev. I took some pictures of the streets in Kiev and they show that most streets that I encountered, where nothing but deep rutted ice trails. The ice was a good 6 to 7 inches thick and the cars had cut a path through the ice all the way to the pavement. Everyone traveled in these ruts. I heard many cars scraping bottom all the time. Lets look at some of those pictures:



I also tried to walk the normal sidewalks and that proved to be a mistake. I fell 4 times and gave up on sidewalks. I walked along the river to get to my hotel and had many less problems. Lets look at some of those pictures:
Below I met a family of dogs that lived on the river banks. The puppies attacked me and decided that my pants legs where a god thing to chew on. 🙂 I had a left over sandwich and gave it too them. They decided that sandwich was better than my pants legs and left me alone…


Above My Hotel.

So That is all in this post. Next post is about getting a visa for Russia in Ukraine.

Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.

Windows to Russia: Going on a Visa Run to Ukraine!

Hello Everyone,

Looks like I will be busy for the next few days on a visa run to Ukraine. So, “God willing and the creek don’t rise!” I will be back around Tuesday of next week.

I will at that time have an update on visa issues and such.

Thanks to all my readers and see you Tuesday…

Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.

Russia warns against rushing to Iran sanctions | Reuters


Russia warns against rushing to Iran sanctions | Reuters:

“Russia on Friday cautioned world powers against rushing toward sanctions to punish Iran for spurning a U.N.-brokered proposal to send its uranium abroad for processing.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called on Tehran to work constructively to allay Western fears over its nuclear program but said world powers should take a sober approach and beware of pushing Iran into a corner.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called on Tehran to work constructively to allay Western fears over its nuclear program but said world powers should take a sober approach and beware of pushing Iran into a corner.

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comments always welcome.

The Sun Shined Today in Russia!

In Russia the sun does not like to get very high in the sky! Lets look at a picture of the sun at “High Noon!” (Or should we say “Low noon?”) This was taken today and I promise you that the sun is not very warm. This was the first real sight of the sun for what seems like two months. The sky is clear and that means real cold is coming! At the taking of this picture the thermometer was reading -21 degrees below zero Celsius. I hear rumors of -30 degrees below zero…
Lets step back a few weeks to this New Years and see what we did on New Years night! Warning we are not very exciting…

Above, is our local theater and they had a New Years tree and music!

Above, is my Sweetie (Svetlana) and she has a new toy…

Above, it got busier and busier…

Above and below, I found neat posters and took some pictures…


Like I said we are not very wild but we had fun. Every once in awhile I like to post pictures in Windows to Russia instead of the Photo Blog. So now you have seen a little more of Russia that you have not seen before…

Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.

PS: One good thing is that the days are getting longer now and the sun is getting higher in the sky…

Russia is Diversifying Out of the Dollar!


Something that you will not hear much of and you should be hearing is:

Russia’s foreign exchange reserves were evenly split between dollar and euros. This is the third largest reserves in the world and Russia has gone from heavy in the dollar to equal percentages in a very short time. That should be an attention grabber but if that is not enough…

Russia announced yesterday in the news, that Russia will be buying Canadian dollars and securities in a bid to diversify its foreign exchange reserves, to an even greater extent. Talk is in the air about purchasing Australian currency to help buffer against the dying dollar…

Now do not take my word or Russia’s word – Take the word of Financial Times! Read the article here that I found after the announcements in the last few days.

Russia has been busy for months and so has China. They are trying to get ahead of the upcoming dollar crash that I have talked about on several occasions in a few of my blogs. In fact many countries have already begun trading the dollar off especially in the Asian area. This is well hidden in the Western news but just look around and you will see how America is having to purchase her own debt:

This past year the Fed bought 80% of new government debt or $1.2 trillion worth as foreigners bought only $300 billion worth. To think this program will end is pure folly. There will be no one to buy the debt, which grows larger with each minute. Deficits will run more than $1.5 trillion a year as far as the eye can see. Revenues continue to fall and spending to rise. Foreigners are dumping dollars not accumulating them. Worse yet many other nations have similar problems. They have to raise money as well. Who will accommodate them? We are talking $10 trillion alone for the G20 countries, some of which are on the edge of bankruptcy. Then again where will the money come from to bail out the likes of California, New York, New Jersey, Florida, Nevada, Arizona, etc.? There just isn’t enough money to go around. The Fed has to increase printing money and issuing credit; there is no other choice short of economic collapse. The price to be paid for this Keynesian profligacy is hyperinflation and you can be sure it is already in the money pipeline. (Link)

So once again lets wait and see what happens as the future unfolds. But my thoughts are falling into the “Buy Gold and Silver!”

Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.

Russia Shakes Her Head at Poland Over New Missile Issue!

In Russia the issue today is “Poland to place American missiles at Russian border.”

Now while this is a true statement it is in a grey area of truth. Yes missiles are being placed near a Russian border. But they are Patriot missiles and it is the border of Kaliningrad. Kaliningrad is Russia but part of Russia in a strange place.
For those of you who do not know where Kaliningrad is take a look at the map. Kaliningrad is not attached to the main body of the Russian country. Kinda like Alaska and the mainland USA but Kaliningrad is a whole bunch smaller than Alaska. 🙂

Kaliningrad houses the Russian Baltic Fleet at the port of Baltiysk and is Russia’s only European ice-free port. So is it important? Yes! Is it Russia? Yes! Is Poland putting some form of missile within a Hundred Kilometers of it? Yes! Is America involved? Yes! Does it all make sense? No!

What is Poland defending from with a Patriot Missile? The Patriot Missile has a Operational range of 160 kilometres or 99 miles. Also the Patriot Missile system does not have a flawless history. I remember well that Israel was not happy campers at the success rate of the missiles, as Scuds from Iraq still got through. This issue was declared to be happening because the Scud missiles were so poorly built that they had an extremely erratic flight path and thus were very difficult to intercept! I remember that the Patriot Missile tracking software always hit the Scud at the tail end. Thus a Scud still tumbled to earth and exploded…

As usual there is much more to this situation than meets the eye or ear. So we will have to just wait it out and see what comes of this cat and mouse games by America, Poland and Russia!
Windows to Russia!
comments always welcome.