Russian Air Force commander details trials of new aircraft

The Russian Air Force (VVS), an integral part of the Aerospace Forces (VKS), will activate several new aircraft in the coming years, VVS commander Lt Gen Sergey Dronov told the Ministry of Defence’s official newspaper, Krasnaya Zvezda, on 12 August.

In the interview marking VVS Day, Lt Gen Dronov said, “The Sukhoi Su-57 multirole combat aircraft will complete its state trials before the end of the year, while those of the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-35 fighter will have been completed by the end of 2021. The trials are planned to be followed by the procurement of the serial production aircraft,” he added, referring to the task of re-equipping three aircraft regiments with the Su-57.

The MiG-35 will be less expensive than Su-35S and Su-30SM multirole combat aircraft, according to Lt Gen Dronov, who said, “The cost of a MiG-35 flying hour is some 50% lower than that of the latest iterations of the Sukhoi fighter.”

The general also spoke about the refitting of the VVS’s helicopter fleet. “Deliveries of the Mil Mi-38 to the troops, as well as of the Mi-28NM, will begin this year,” he said, adding that the Mi-28NM can fire two fire-and-forget missiles against two different targets simultaneously.