13 février 2008
Safran : Accord d'approvisionnement en titan avec VSMPO-Avisma
Lundi 11 février 2008 à 14:55
(Cercle Finance) - Safran a signé un contrat à long terme pour assurer son approvisionnement en titane, auprès du groupe russe VSMPO-Avisma. C'est accord effectif à compter du 1er janvier 2008 s'élève à 300 millions de dollars.
' VSMPO-Avisma va rester un fournisseur majeur de Safran en titane ' précise le communiqué.
' Ce contrat avec Safran concerne également l'approvisionnement de la Snecma, de Turbomeca, Messier-Dowty, Microturbo et Techspace Aero ' indique le producteur russe.
Le titre Safran progresse de 2% à 11,2 euros à la Bourse de Paris.
27 janvier 2008
Drones Russes
De nouvelles photos ont été ajoutées à l'album photo
http://cfries.canalblog.com/albums/drones_militaires/index.html
15 mai 2007
Russia encountered problems with fulfillment of an aircraft contract with China
According to Victor Livanov, Ilyushin Aviation Complex General Director, fulfillment of the contract for 34 IL-76 military transport planes and 4 IL-78 flying tankers with China is halted. The contract worth $1.5 billion was signed in September 2005. If the aircraft are delivered to the customer at the price specified in the contract, the producer is bound to lose a great deal of money because the cost of materials and work has gone up since 2005. Negotiations are under way over ways and means of completing the contract, Livanov said.
Boris Aleshin of the Federal Agency for Industry will visit Uzbekistan on Monday. Nominally, he is going to Uzbekistan to attend a meeting of the Russian-Uzbek government commission. It is clear, however, that the future of the Tashkent Aircraft Manufacture named after Chkalov and its role in fulfillment of the Chinese contract are to be in the focus of attention.
All heavy IL-76s in the Soviet Union were assembled in Tashkent. Russian factories lack the facilities for IL-76 assembly.
This is what was missed when the contract with China was being signed in 2005. The Chkalov factory in Tashkent or rather its relations with Russian partners in fulfillment of the contract were never specified. There is no saying now whose fault it was - that of Rosoboroneksport, Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, or Ilyushin. "Complexity of the contract has been clear since the very beginning," to quote Ruslan Pukhov of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies. Even aware of the complexity, the involved parties chose to sign the contract raw and hope for the best.
Something has to be done now. A trustworthy source from the Russian military-industrial complex claims that the contract will be fulfilled. "An assembly line should be established in Russia, say, in Voronezh," Pukhov said. "Particularly since the Russian army is going to need heavy military transport planes too, and soon."
Livanov will accompany Aleshin on a visit to Tashkent. His words are probably an indication that Russia will insist on changes in the cost of the contract - at least by $80-100 million (the cost of establishment of a new assembly line in Russia) - and that the Chinese should be prepared for it.
Author: Vladimir Stepanov
Source: Gazeta, May 14, 2007, p. 18
11 avril 2007
Italian helicopters to be assembled in Russia 11.04.2007
Russian military industrial complex "Oboronprom" and Italian Agusta Westland have started negotiations on licensed assembling of 
AW 139 helicopters with take-off weight of 6 tons, reports the Kommersant Newspaper. The agreement will be signed in May. Now the matter concerns partial assembly, but the plant is going to settle full production process. The cost of the project hasn't been set yet.
Augusta Company has once made an effort to cooperate with Russian manufacturers. In 1995 the Italian firm and Russian Kamov, the company developing and designing rotorcraft of various purposes for the Navy, Land Forces and civil operators, were working on a civil helicopter Ka 64, but the work was scaled down due to cut off funding. Then the Russian party had to invest 100 million dollars into the project.
Production of AW 139 helicopters was launched in 2003. The helicopter is designed to transport 15 passengers or 3 tons of loads. One aircraft costs 8.5 million dollars.
source: www.lenta.ru
picture: www.aerospacenews.com
14 mars 2007
Russia’s Sukhoi, Italy to Sign Deal on 1,800 Superjet Planes — Sources
MosNews
A unit of Italy’s aerospace company Finmecchanica and Russia’s biggest warplane maker Sukhoi will sign a deal to jointly build up to 1,800 Superjet regional aircraft over a period of 20 years. This information was reported on Monday, March 12, by Reuters agency, which quoted Italian diplomatic sources.
The source said that the deal could be worth as much as 70 billion euros ($91.9 billion) over 20 years. However, Sukhoi official cautioned that talk had been of 800-1,000 Superjets, with a likely maximum value of 19 billion euros ($25 billion).
Alenia (Finmeccanica’s unit) will also obtain a blocking stake of 25 percent plus one share in Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Co., the civil plane-making division of the Russian company, the Sukhoi official said. That allows it to veto the venture’s board decisions.
The deals are set to be signed on Wednesday, March 14, during an Italian-Russian summit in the southern Italian city of Bari, which brings together Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Italian counterpart Romano Prodi and several top political and business leaders from the two countries.
A Finmecannica spokeswoman declined to comment.
MosNews has reported on previous occasions that Sukhoi is developing the Superjet 100 regional aircraft together with U.S. airplane maker Boeing at its civil aircraft division.
The Superjet aircraft, which will seat between 75 and 100 passengers, is to replace Russia’s fast ageing Soviet-made fleet of Tupolev Tu-134 and Yakovlev Yak-42 planes on domestic routes. Other carriers have also shown interest in the new plane.
Large-scale production is due to start in 2008.
The Italian diplomatic source said Alenia would be responsible for construction of between 25 and 50 percent of the aircraft, adding that these details still had to be worked out. Alenia would also be responsible for 51 percent of the commercialization of the plane, the diplomat said.
A Sukhoi official, however, cast doubt on the value of the contract provided by the Italian diplomat. “There must be definitely a mistake. It’s a clear exaggeration,” he said, quoted by Reuters. “Yes, the talk had been originally about building between 800 and 1,000 Superjet aircraft in about 20 years until 2025. But if you take an average catalogue price of $25 million per jet, it only takes you to up to $25 billion (19 billion euros),” he added.
Separately, the Sukhoi official said there was no legal obstacle left in signing a deal for Alenia’s purchase of a blocking stake.
Russian and Italian industry ministers agreed on the stake purchase in April 2006, but it has taken nearly a year to move to the final signing stage after removing legal hurdles. Foreigners are not legally allowed to buy blocking stakes in Russian defense firms.
04 novembre 2006
Russie : achat d'A380 contre participation dans EADS
Par Elisabeth Studer le 4 novembre 2006
Cela aurait pu être pétrole contre nourriture, ce sera achat d'A380 contre participation à un holding. Ni plus, ni moi, cela a au moins le mérite d'être clair. On ne s'offusque pas pour un rien à Moscou.
La Russie ne réclamerait plus une participation à la gestion d'EADS, mais jugerait “actuelle” la création d'un holding pan-européen de construction d'avions commerciaux.
En tout état de cause, la Commission gouvernementale chargée de l'intégration des entreprises de l'industrie aéronautique russe a décidé d'instituer un Groupe aéronautique unifié (OAK), a annoncé jeudi un communiqué de presse du ministère de l'Industrie et de l'Energie de Russie.
I – Coproduction ou même holding en vue
Dans une interview accordée au Financial Times cette semaine, Andreï Kostine, le président de la Vneshtrogbank, désormais actionnaire d'EADS pour plus de 5%, a déclaré que certains avionneurs russes souhaitaient coopérer plus étroitement avec EADS et que la forme de cette collaboration pourrait être un échange d'actifs, une coproduction ou même la création d'un holding aéronautique paneuropéen.
Une source au sein la Banque Russe a confirmé à Vedomosti que la Russie était disposée à coopérer étroitement avec EADS. Joliment dit, car ce serait plutot Moscou qui pousserait en ce sens. Il s'agirait en premier lieu d'une intégration dans la construction aéronautique civile. Ce qui sous-entend que la Russie a également des “visées” sur le secteur militaire, le nerf de la guerre en quelque sorte ..
"Nous sommes placés devant un choix”, poursuit le président de la Vneshtrogbank, “soit nous empruntons notre propre voie de développement avec implication de fonds publics substantiels, soit nous nous intégrons dans l'industrie aéronautique européenne, pour laquelle nous sommes non seulement un partenaire, mais encore un grand marché d'écoulement". "Le gouvernement a la possibilité de prêter assistance à EADS qui se trouve dans une passe difficile, en contraignant Aeroflot à faire l'acquisition de 22 Airbus 380", a dit notamment Andreï Kostine. Ben voyons, non ce n'est pas du chantage, c'est de la négociation !
La corporation ainsi créée serait positionné à la fois comme le sauveur d'Airbus mais également le sauveur de l'industrie aéronautique russe, le constructeur européen possédant des technologies et de l'expérience, et disposant d'un vaste marché. Beaucoup de fées autour du berceau me diraient vous, mais nous ne sommes pas loin d'Halloween...
Marina Alekseenkova, analyste de Renessans Kapital, estime qu'en transmettant à Airbus la totalité de ses usines aéronautiques civiles, la Russie pourrait escompter 10% au maximum des actions du consortium européen.
Les négociations sur la fusion des actifs sera malaisée. A l'heure actuelle, une telle fusion est irréalisable, selon les analystes russes ainsi qu'une source proche de la corporation aéronautique unifiée en cours de formation. Pour celle-ci, l'intégration des industries aéronautiques européenne et russe doit être envisagée comme un objectif stratégique à long terme, sa faisabilité ne pouvant être appréciée qu'après implication de la Russie dans des projets EADS. Certains estiment qu'au mieux, la Russie pourrait créer quelques unités de production en sous-traitance.
II - Le Groupe Aéronautique Unifié bientôt institué
"La Commission gouvernementale chargée de l'intégration des entreprises aéronautiques vient d'achever sa réunion sous la présidence du ministre de l'Industrie et de l'Energie, Viktor Khristenko. Elle a décidé d'instituer la société anonyme Groupe de l'Industrie et de l'Energie. Le président avait signé le décret sur la création du Groupe aéronautique unifié en février 2006.
Le groupe réunira les entreprises aéronautiques civiles et militaires, déterminera les modèles d'appareils à développer et assurera le soutien public à la production. La participation de l'Etat au capital social du groupe est fixée à 75% au minium.
L'OAK est créé "afin de sauvegarder et développer le potentiel scientifique et industriel de l'industrie aéronautique russe, assurer la sécurité et la capacité défensive de l'Etat, concentrer les ressources intellectuelles, industrielles et financières en vue de réaliser des programmes de conception de matériel aéronautique compétitif", précisait le décret présidentiel. Selon une information antérieure, la direction du nouveau groupe sera confiée au directeur général du groupe MiG, Alexeï Fedorov.
En avril dernier le gouvernement russe a radié certaines entreprises aéronautiques de la liste des sociétés par actions dans lesquelles il définissait le rôle de l'Etat comme celui d'un actionnaire, à savoir le groupe Iliouchine Finance Co, le Groupe financier de leasing, le Holding aéronautique Sukhoi, le Groupe aéronautique interétatique Iliouchine et la société par actions Tupolev. Toutes ces entreprises seront intégrées dans le Groupe aéronautique unifié.
Dans ces sociétés le gouvernement a déterminé le rôle de l'Etat comme celui d'un actionnaire habilité notamment à nommer des représentants pour voter lors de l'assemblée générale, à proposer des candidats aux organes de direction, à convoquer des assemblées extraordinaires. D'autre part, le gouvernement se réserve le droit de donner des instructions aux représentants de l'Etat pour voter au sein des conseils des directeurs des entreprises concernées.
13 octobre 2006
Vneshtorgbank buys a stake in EADS
Russian state bank Vneshtorgbank has acquired a 5-percent stake in European aerospace and defense giant EADS.
EADS is one of the biggest flagship companies in Europe and the news helped the company improve its share price in the stock market.
EADS is behind the making of some of the world’s most popular passenger jets including the A380 and they are very keen to expand in the Russian market.
They are currently competing with US based Boeing to renew the ageing fleet of Russian national carrier Aeroflot.
They are also currently recovering from a management crisis, which hammered its shares in the summer as they announced delays in the launch of A380.
11 octobre 2006
Tatarstan airline offered Canadian jets to renew park
The Canadian aerospace concern Bombardier Inc on has held a presentation of its CRJ 900 regional aircraft at the Kazan international airport. The manufacturer proposes the Tatarstan airline to purchase 6 of its vehicles seating 86-90 passengers.
The Bombardier concern was founded in 1942 century by the Canadian inventor Joseph-Armand Bombardier. The firm deputed in the aerospace industry by taking over in 1986 the Canadian government-owned planemaker Canadair. The corporation has acquired the Belgian BN, French ANF-Industrie, American Lear Jet, British Prorail, Canadian UTDS and de Havilland. Bombardier Inc incorporates several groups. These are Bombardier Aerospace (civil and business aviation, amphibian, aerospace defence systems), Bombardier Transportation (transport systems manufacture and operation) and Bombardier Recreation Products (engines, sport and recreation products, municipal equipment).
The CRJ 900 is a medium-haul passenger jet for local airlines developed by the Canadian-based Bombardier Regional Aircraft. The plane is a an upgraded version of the passenger Bombardier CR 7200. The plane has been given a longer body which has allowed to increase the capacity by 16 seats. The plane's range is 3.5 thousand km, cruiser speed 850 km/h. The plane's construction began in 1999. On 24 July 2000 the vehicle was for the first time presented at the Farnborough Air Show. Deliveries have started since 2003.
According to the Bombardier Regional Aircraft's Russia and CIS Director for Business Development and Sales Gilbert Mark, some 14 thousand CRJ planes have already been sold worldwide, particularly the CRJ 900 type. The company produces planes of capacities from 37-39 to 86-90 seats. The cost of one jet is some $35 million. One obvious advantage of the Canadian against the Russian ones is the fuel consumption of 1.6 tons per hour, the Tu-134's being 3.2 tons per hour.
The Tatarstan air carrier's General Director Magomed Zakarzhaev has confirmed the Canadian vehicles's high fuel efficiency. He says they could replace the Tu-134, 1 or 2 could be supplied to Kazan, others to Moscow. They could be used to fly inside Russia and to Turkey. Another advantage is their small size: 80 passengers can easily be found to carry in any direction. This year, the company has flown from 10 Russia cities. Plans are to set up offices in Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod. The carrier's park numbers six planes Yak-42, 1-Yak-40, 3-Tu-154, 4-Tu-134, 2-An-24.
According to Magomed Zakarzhaev, the Tatarstan's management company Nur-avia is negotiating a purchase of AirBus aircraft. The company's park needs to be enlarged by 5 medium-haul and 5 short-haul planes. Before the year end, 1 AirBus vehicle is to be leased.
3 okt 2006, 17:51
16 septembre 2006
Moscou avance ses pions dans la maison mère d’Airbus
PARTICIPATION
La banque publique russe détient désormais 5,02% du capital de EADS. Moscou rêve toutefois de jouer un rôle plus important et Vladimir Poutine vient plaider sa cause à Paris la semaine prochaine.
MARINE FAUVEL
Publié le 14 septembre 2006
VISITE Vladimir Poutine sera à Paris le 22 septembre. Il viendrait y chercher des soutiens pour permettre à la Russie de renforcer son pouvoir au sein d’EADS. / AFP
L'un des thèmes de la venue de Vladimir Poutine, le 22 septembre à Paris, ne fait désormais plus de doute: le président russe devrait s'entretenir avec Jacques Chirac de la participation de la Russie dans EADS, le groupe aéronautique qui détient Airbus. Lundi, le groupe européen avait annoncé officiellement que la banque publique russe Vnechtorgbank (VTB) détenait désormais 5,02% du capital. Mais la Russie voudrait maintenant négocier un rôle plus important dans un secteur qui reste stratégique, celui de l'aviation.
C'est ce qu'a annoncé mardi Sergueï Prikhodko, un conseiller proche de Vladimir Poutine lors d'une conférence de presse à Moscou. «Si, un jour, nous parvenions à définir notre intérêt commun, nous insisterions sur une participation qui nous permette d'obtenir au moins une participation de blocage», a-t-il expliqué. Il lui faudrait alors 30% d'action. Aussitôt, l'un des porte-parole d'EADS a tenu à rappeler que les décisions stratégiques sont réservées à ses actionnaires de référence.
Ce que veut la Russie, ce n'est pas tant des actions qu'un rôle dans les décisions du groupe. Vladimir Poutine viendrait chercher à Paris un soutien pour entrer au Conseil de direction, car l'appui de la France lui est indispensable.
La vraie question
«La transaction n'a pas un caractère politique mais économique, a toutefois voulu préciser le conseiller Sergueï Prikhodko. La question est de savoir si nos partenaires sont prêts pour cette sorte de partenariat en profondeur, s'ils nous invitent à coopérer dans ce sens.»
C'est effectivement la vraie question: les Européens seront-ils prêts à laisser entrer la Russie. Un partenariat financier avec EADS pourrait donner lieu à des coopérations industrielles dans le domaine du transport aérien civil. La Russie peut apporter des capacités de production et une expertise en matière de conception, et réduire les droits de douane sur les importations aéronautiques. Et puis, l'aviation reste pour la Russie un secteur qui fit longtemps sa fierté et qu'elle voudrait voir redynamiser rapidement.
Contrats en jeu
Toute cette opération augmente en tout cas les chances d'Airbus d'obtenir le contrat de 3 milliards de dollars pour la livraison de 22 nouveaux avions pour la compagnie Aeroflot en Russie. D'autres investissements sont prévus par Airbus, dont des programmes chers concernant l'achat du titane russe auprès de VSMPO-AVISMA, numéro un mondial dans la production de ce précieux métal, et dont 41% des actions viennent de passer sous le contrôle du Kremlin.
20 juillet 2006
Genealogy of Fifth Generation Fighters
Created: 22.06.2006 14:37 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 13:49 MSK
MosNews
The more talk there is about fifth-generation fighters, the more often the question arises: what exactly is a fifth-generation fighter? A special report from Lenta.ru traces back to the roots of this highly sought after aircraft.
The fourth generation of jet-propelled fighters came out in the late 70s, but towards the start of the 80s waned a bit. After lagging behind for 10 years, the re-equipping of the air forces of leading world countries is picking up. The U.S. is the pace setter in the arms race as it was the first country to commission state-of-the-art fighter jets, leaving other leading aircraft producers behind. The more talk there is about fifth-generation fighters, the more often the question arises: what exactly is a fifth-generation fighter? What kind of identifying characteristics must an aircraft possess in order to be considered to be among aircraft of a new type? In general, how do technological features assign an aircraft to one generation or another?
The first generation, developed in the mid to late 40s, lasted a relatively short period of time. As opposed to the prop planes from the end of World War II, the first jet-propelled aircraft differed by means of their engines, with speeds of more than 150-200km per hour and “working” ceilings of 13-15,000m, rather than 10-11,000m--which was noticeably worse than that of the maneuverable jet-propelled planes. Weapons and target-navigation equipment remained practically just as before: 2-3 cannons or 4-6 heavy-caliber machine guns and an optical sight. The most famous and characteristic aircraft of the first generation are the MiG-15 and F-86 Sabre. The altitudes for dog fighting during those times did not exceed a few hundred meters and the combat that raged over Korea--in which the jet-propelled aircraft first flew--barely differed from the air combat of WWII. With time the capabilities of the aircraft improved, and the last models of the first generation fighters — such as the MiG-19 or the F-100 Super Sabre — reached supersonic speeds. In addition, the family of first generation aircraft was modernized, and received radars and guided missiles.
Jet-driven fighters of the second generation came on line in the mid 50s, initially drafted as aircraft exceeding the speed of sound by 1.5-2 times (maximum speeds reached the force of 1800-2200km per hr), equipped with radar tracking devices and “air-to-air” missiles with thermal (infrared) and self-guided warheads. Missiles and radar were able to compensate for the boost in speed as they increased the distance to target, thus allowing the pilot enough time to have a plan of action. At that time, during the universal frenzy for missiles, guns were vanishing from airplanes as they were becoming outdated across the board. The advancement of military aircraft was striving to reach the fastest maximum speeds and highest altitudes possible. The brightest examples of the second generation — the MiG-21 in the USSR, the Mirage-III in France, and the F-104 Super Starfighter in the U.S. — were in service for many years in the air forces of dozens of countries; and moreover, the MiG and Mirage are still in production to this day.
Aircraft of the second generation did not become overly massive, like those produced by design bureaus and aviation factories — fighters of the third generation. The rise in cost of fighters, already noticeable at that time, demanded the production of multipurpose jet-driven aircraft. The ability to conduct various missions as well as the quest for air superiority to attack ground targets with the help of guided weapons became the distinctive characteristic of aircraft of the new generation. The increase in capabilities of fighters occurred thanks to improvements in electronics--powerful, compact radars and optical systems were available for distribution in airplanes. The increased weight of the new aircraft was compensated for by the emergence of powerful, efficient engines.
The F-4 Phantom II and MiG-23, created in the early and late 60s respectively, are considered to be the most remarkable aircraft of their time; but the third generation created an entirely new branch of specialized aircraft, due to the presence of powerful and multi-faceted target navigation equipment and corresponding missiles. Grouped along with such aircraft are the MiG-25 interceptor, and the Su-24 and “Tornado” strike aircraft.
The third generation was still created during the time of heightened enthusiasm of missile weaponry, and originally new aircraft carried nothing except for multipurpose missiles. During the time of their design, air combat resulted in the solution to a mathematical equation — the speedy intercept of a target with low-maneuverability by means of a low-maneuvering missile. But the 10 year Vietnam War and Arab-Israeli conflicts demonstrated to everyone that such a notion was a mistake. Loaded with ammunition, the multipurpose “Phantoms” of the third generation could not fly at supersonic speeds and became victims of the maneuverable MiG-17-fighters of the first jet-driven generation with traditional weaponry. MiG-21s, belonging to the second generation and differing on account of their powerful engines and light weight, good maneuverability and high speeds, became even more dangerous opponents for the virtually straight flying strike fighters. Once again, when battles flared up above the Sinai Peninsula — the MiG-21 and Mirage-III demonstrated that high flying was written off early.
As a result, the fourth generation of jet-driven fighters was created on the basis of a series of compromises. The fighter had to maintain a high speed — not less than twice the speed of sound at high altitudes — and have the capability of penetrating anti-air defense systems at ultra-low altitudes and at near-sonic speeds. Its flight characteristics had to allow the conducting of dog-fighting maneuvers while firing guns and missiles at close range. The fighter’s radar had to have the capability of simultaneous tracking and weapon navigation of several targets within a line-of-sight distance. The American fighters F-15, F-16, F-18, the French Mirage-2000, and the Soviet MiG-29 and Su-27 became “heroes of our time”. The speed and altitude characteristics of the multipurpose fighters of the new generation did not grow, and occasionally several even decreased. The speed record was held by the specialized interceptor MiG-31, which was unequipped for the maneuvers of air combat, but suited for the fourth generation on account of its all-powerful radar tracking system.
Along with the growth of possibilities for fighters, the change of generations was characterized by the constant refinement of air navigational systems. Fighters of the first generation were directed from the ground by radio on the basis of information obtained from ground-based radar tracking systems or visual sight; fighters of the second generation already had individual radar tracking and could navigate with its help, as with the help of the ground-based radar tracking on an automatic setting. Fighters of the third generation received the capability to interact immediately with several navigation stations and with planes equipped with airborne early warning. The fourth generation expanded these capabilities thanks to multi-channel radars and the internal navigation of planes in formation. The aircraft became a part of the air-to-ground complex, responsible for the detection, escort and destruction of targets.
Work on the fifth generation of jet-driven fighters began in the early 80s, and questions immediately arose as to which design precisely defined the fifth generation. The issue soon turned philosophical rather than technical, but it took about 15 years to work out. The U.S. defined the characteristic identifiers of fifth generation aircraft as reduced radar tracking signature and supersonic cruising speed. The USSR, and then Russia added quality of high-maneuverability to this list. One thing that all participants in the process agreed on was that the fighter must have radio tracking equipment, enabling it to zero in on targets not only in the forward hemisphere, but also in the rear hemisphere. And, perhaps, the most characteristic identifier of the fifth generation fighter is the highest level of integration of the aircraft in the structure of the air-to-ground complex.
Great possibilities, which the on board equipment of the fifth generation aircraft affords, can be completely realized only by the presence of corresponding information, supplied by various channels of communications from dozens of sources — from AWACS aircraft, reconnaissance aircraft, ground navigation systems, fighters-neighbors in the group etc. In absence of a congruous structure, made up of dozens of air and ground elements, a significant part of the potential of fifth generation aircraft simply will not be realized, and money wasted on the purchase of such high-end fighters will be tossed in the wind. As a result, fighters of the new generation will be practically of no use to developing countries--incredibly expensive by themselves, as they will require special support systems which developing countries simply cannot afford.
If we look at different aircraft that fit the proposed set of criteria, we can note only three of all aircraft designed in the 90s: the already produced F-22, the still experimental F-35/JSF (Joint Strike Fighter) and the Russian produced I-21, which is anticipated in the next year. Neither the Rafale, nor the Eurofighter, nor the Gripen are considered to be fifth generation aircraft. Just as the last aircraft of the Su-27 and MiG-29 platforms, the multipurpose aircraft of the 4+ generation, are aircraft valued not for what they are by themselves, but for being a part of the most complex combat system.
