State funding becomes more likely for the private venture (455 words)

Published: 3/21/2001

On the eve of the 60th anniversary of its' foundation, Gromov's Flight Test and Research Institute (LII) revealed the upgraded Aircraft 597, a series-built Su-30 belonging to LII's “Test-Pilots” detachment, headed by Anatoly Kvochur . The front cockpit is a prototype for the next-generation crew station. It features four king-sized liquid crystal multifunctional displays (MFDs), while the rear display with dial instruments remains largely unchanged. Presenting the aircraft Aleksandr Garnayev, Deputy Chief of the Institute, said that Aircraft 597's cockpit was a step forward from the Su-30MKI and Su-30MKK cockpits and that it was currently undergoing evaluation trials to pinpoint and resolve “teething problems”. The new version of the aircraft has already made several flights. Garnayev said that it had the original RLPK-27 radar, modified by the addition of a new digital processor. Allowing it to operate in ground surveillance, ground mapping and other modes, enabling precise navigation and target-designation and for substantially more weapons than the Su-30MKI and MKK. Aircraft 597 currently has no State funding and is financed by some of the production plants Garnayev declined to specify which company, although the suggestion has been made that IAPO, has acted as the avionics integrator, saying only that equipment items came from many companies, including RMKB, of Ramenskoye, and Russian Avionics (Russkaya Avionika). Because of the long-term implications of a fifth generation design, it was decided that a pooling of ideas from the best in the Russian industry would produce the right result. Russian Avionics supplied the MFDs, while other equipment was provided by LII itself. LII does have some research funding for improving flight safety and human-machine interface, for both military and civil aircraft. That said, the Side 597 looks like a half-experimental aircraft aimed at both scientific and applied research on an advanced crew station. According to Anatoly Kvochur, the Aircraft 597 and 598 are being used as flying laboratories for evaluating and perfecting modern satellite navigation systems. He claims that the equipment installed on the aircraft allows accuracy (circular error) to 0.5 - 1metre (100 times better than ordinary GPS systems in use on military and commercial aircraft). Aircraft 598, being one of the first single-seat Su-27 built and currently the Su-27 fleet leader, also belongs to the LII “Test Pilots”. It was recently fitted out with similar systems to those on Aircraft 302 (prototype for the RusAF Su-30KN). Kvochur said that the work on Aircraft 597 “is meeting growing understanding” from the State, including Russian Aerospace Agency (RAKA), giving him hope for future state funding.

Article ID: 2436