Antonov Family. Part-Two.

Into the Jet age with the An-72/74.

The need for speed was perhaps one of the driving forces in the demand for this type of aircraft transport, which may also be seen as their copy of the BAE 146-100. 

The same principles for the An-24/32 was still demanded in this jet age version, but it was not initially as successful as the turbo props? Perhaps because it was not offered for export for some time and the turbo-props were good enough for foreign export.

India received the type and like the Antonov-28/32 was permitted a license to build their own. This policy continues to this day. One cannot be sure if the Ukraine is still capable of building and exporting or if the aero facilities have been moved to the Russian federation.

Apart from the giants like the An-124/224, a smaller aircraft to replace the An-22 was long overdue with the development of the An-70 transport. it has very good weight lift capability and uses the twisted propellers of the Tupolev Tu-95 bears.

Antonov followed with its own version of the BAE/RJ-100/300, but only with to engines rather than four. This aircraft has seen better success in the civilian commercial market one believes instead of the military.

Sukhoi. Part-One.

T-50. 

Sukhoi is part of a great Russian legacy in aircraft design and development, which today is being topped with the T-50 Stealth combat aircraft and the Sukhoi-100 Superjets. We first heard this Chinese sounding name in the 1960's with a new generation of Soviet fighters that looked similar to the MIG Jets, but they were different in their own right.

It was the debut of the Sukhoi SU-27 as a naval launched fighter that changed everything for the west. The collapse of Soviet Russia revealed that Sukhoi was one of the leading designers back in the day of the MIG-15 Midget and its aircraft were better, but remained secret.

The T-50 is a revolution in Russian military design and now with the coldness returning, will prove the be one of the main fighters of the new Russian Federation. The Superjet is taking the world market with orders all over the globe. 

When Russia gets it right, they get it right for a long haul!

Road Trains. Part-Four.

Siberia.

The roads of the Siberian wilderness and great forests go in a straight line it would seem for ever and ever? What cannot be moved by trains or flown in by aircraft or even shipping has to be taken by road. Canada may have its Ice road truckers, but here we have some of the most bravest drivers in the world.

The Russian Federation has been involved in the oil, gas and mineral expansion for well over 50 years now in greater-Siberia. Pipe-lines get out most of the gas and fuels, but the moving of heavy machinery and people, food supplies and those odd bits road is still a vital link.

Russia has always had one of the worlds largest automotive industries and has built quite a variety of trucks over the years. The Ural, Maz, Baz and Gaz have also produced many versions both for civil construction and the military. Older vehicles have a long life in Russia, more on simplicity to repair and reliability they just keep going.

Russian Federation. Part-One.

Re-Armament.

With European Union sanctions now being placed on Russia, it has caused it to re-arm with new MBT, the order of Nuclear warheads and missile systems. Many world leaders are defending the rights of the expansion of Europe into the Baltic States and the Ukraine and this all has echoes of Nazi-Germany.

Russia wanted peace and made great efforts to comply with the west to do so from the day of Gorbachev, but sadly the weak leadership of Barak Obama has allowed a third world war crises to be on the brink.

The Russian Federation has plenty of military equipment available and with economic co-operation with Iran and the Peoples Republic of China, it will find it easy to develop more and more newer and advanced types equiptment and defence systems.