Yakolev Yak-40.

 The Russian jet that just keeps going?

One reason for the longevity of the Yak-40 is that there is no alternative to it in Russia, compared to western types in business jets has big profits financially behind them and a demand for comfort and entertainment, if not rest and relaxation?

But the Yak-40 has held its ground as a small airline, a business jet and in the field of being an air ambulance, which is handy when dealing with long distances to be covered across Siberia, but it also has many other functions with the military and with combined-cargo operations moving smaller things to remote places!

The Yak-40 may be coming to the end of its working career, but until a new replacement is found it will soldier on in the role of being an essential air ambulance for remote places and moving essential staff to where they are needed!

Sanctions on Russia?

 Still an open door to fossil fuels and Gas!

It would seem that despite thousands of sanctions being placed on Russia over its right to protect its people in the Ukraine from genocide by Zelensky and his secular cohorts the west has left doors open in the world stock markets to re-open trade, when Biden leaves office?

Russia is making more money than it is loosing selling gas to both India and China and many others new customers in the far-east, since it is much cheaper than any other commodity and has a much lower carbon rate than coal or oil!

But a new U.S. administration may want to still trade with Russia and it is known that Britain despite all its pro-Ukraine pomp is still carrying around the world Russian crude and it prepared to keep doing on the quiet as long as it can!

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.

Swedish Navy.

Stealth.

Sweden has a long history for its navy from the Vikings to Empire and then decline. Today it boast the most powerful navy in the Baltic sea, apart from the Russian Federation.

Recently the amazing stealth ship design got itself into hot water with Russia after identifying Russian submarines operating in its inshore coastal waters, but in reflection of the sonar data this has turned out to be two World-War-II (1939-45) subs.

The Swedish navy has had a history with the Soviet Union and the Warsaw pact, trying to avoid detection in patrolling the Baltic's and they have been successful up to now in protecting their interests.

Sweden has a long history of quality development in military hardware, such as the Bofors 40mm gun, the Saab Draken, Viggen fighter jets, Volvo trucks, Surface to air hand-held missile launchers and it range of Stealth shipping from fast Patrol boats to frigates.

Self-Propelled Guns. Part-Two.

Anti-Aircraft.

With the advent of the missile one would think that the days of anti-aircraft guns have come to an end, but you would be wrong. Every day and night our 24/7 media portrays militants around the world converting Toyota 4X4's for this purpose along with various types of trucks.

Guns from heavy machines U.S. and Russian 12.7, 14.5mm to small cannons of Swiss Oerlikon 20, former Soviet 23mm are used in general clashes. meanwhile bigger cannons are recovered from defunct military vehicles such as in the 30mm calibre.

Despite this many countries still have mobile anti-aircraft guns such as the Russian/Chinese built ZSU-23 quad 4X23mm and various takes on the 30mm rotary cannon and most successful Swedish Bofors 40mm.

All these weapon systems now make helicopters venerable to ground fire more than aircraft, unless they are coming into land or taking off.

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.

Oil Rigs.

New Frontiers.

Recently we saw 'Green Peace activists try to scale a new Russian oil rig in the Artic sea. This is the beginning of new frontier for the oil industry globally, as the ice seas warms up for the fist time in 600 years.

This is nothing new, as the global hoaxers would want you to believe. With new technology man will be enabled to exploit the resources in Alaska, Canada, Danish Greenland, Norway and Russia.

When we come to think about the oil rig at sea, it is quite a feat of engineering achievement for a towed vessel. Much has been gleaned as to its design and its history in development, from the various disasters over the years in the North-sea and the Gulf of Mexico.

The rig must contain everything from drilling equipment to living accommodation and its own power plant, perhaps now it will also have support rigs for hospital and storage etc.

The winters will continue to freeze over, but the summers will have less ice for at least two hundred years.

Helicopters SAR.

Search and Rescue.

What are the best helicopters employed for search and rescue operations?

The Sikorsky S-61 and Westland Sea King have probably in the British isles been the best to serve in this role. France has used the Super Frelon, Russia and Eastern European countries the Mil Mi-14/17/117. All basically the same machine with additions added on.

First things with SAR is you need range, you also need capacity. It would be no good going out 250 miles to a tanker sinking fast with 17 crew and a SA-365 Dolphin? 

The U.S. have used a variety of machines, but it looks like the S-92H will be the helicopter for the beginning of this century. Meanwhile Canada has joined many other nations in buying the Westland-Augusta AW-101 Merlin.

Kamov Helicopters.

The Kamov family.

The Russian Kamov helicopter has a unique design in that it is a twin rotor machine, one being placed above the other. Very little was really known about these machines that were seen operating with the Soviet Navy during the years of the cold war. KA-25, 27/32.

Today we know that they were much bigger than earlier thought and more stable than many western designs. The newer twin boom KA-226 is another breakthrough in the helicopter platform and many varients continue to be built.

Meanwhile Kamov also pushed the bounderies with the KA-50 Alligator, probably the fastest helicopter ever built. Powered by two jet engines.

Tupolov Tu-95 (Bear).

Unique aircraft.

Throughout the Cold War period the Russian Soviet long-range reconnaissance aircraft that filled the skies of the world was the Tu-95 Bear. It was large and had a very long range, but what made it stand out from other aircraft types was it engines and the double sets of counter rotating propellers.

This type of propulsion system is still believed to be one of the most efficient ever created? I wonder why no one has ever followed up on them as a serious consideration in western aircraft design?

Today the bear has been sent to the grave yard as more newer and faster aircraft and spy satellite technology has improved capability.

Maritime Recconaissance.

Reconnaissance aircraft.

With the retirement of the the British Nimrod Mk3/4 MR. The U.K. is still without a suitable replacement. Many nations who have access to a coastline have to have some form of aircraft large or small dedicated to patrol the seas and oceans, even large inland seas and lakes.

Today there are a plethora of civil types which can be adapted for various roles from the big jobs, right down to fishery protection. Aircraft of yester year such as the P-3 Orion, Tu-16 Badger, F-27 and the Atlantique may no loner be as effective as they one were in the Cold War years.

Today's threats come from drug/narcotic smuggling, asylum seekers in overcrowded ageing ships and ship dumping fuel to clean their tanks.

Icebreakers.

The Ice breaking ship was and is very much associated with Russia, but many other nations have them too. the U.S.A, Canada, Japan and the U.K. To be enabled to break ice and allow shipping to access ports in winter is quite a feat and an essential. 

Many of the largest ships built by the Russians were used for exploration and spying of one kind or another. To have access to both poles was a breakthrough in engineering. 

These type of ships will probably remain being built and improved in their capabilities for the years to come. Man has leaned much about the polar regions on the planet, but there is still so much more.

MBT (Main battle tank).

Since the development of the tank in the first world war (1914-18) the British female Mk-1, great strides have been made to reach the level of today's machines. It was during world-war-II (1939-46) that the tank really came into its own. Nazi-Germany built just over 400 Tigers and believed that was a sufficient number to decimate any opposition. At first this seemed to be proved right, opposing the Germans were light machines, such as the British Matilda's and Crusaders, the Polish had ex-British Mark-ones, while Russia still were developing its T-34 in secret and the U.S. had not yet got involved in the war.


But both the U.S. and Russia came up with lighter vehicles such as the Sherman and T-34, which were more manoeuvrable and fast.


After 1945 both super powers entered into supporting other conflicts and an arms race ensued with many improvement being introduced. Today there are a number of what could be described as great machines. The U.S. Abraham's, Israeli Merkava, German Leopard, Russian T-74/82 family, British Chieftain and challenger.


But what does the future hold? Perhaps computer controlled unmanned vehicles will prove better?

Bi-Planes.

Is the day of the Bi-Plane over?

The Soviet Russian built Antonov An-2/3 still remains in active operation across the world, in it various guises. 

This 12/13 seat utility-transport is now some 75 years old and is still being found difficult to replace. Russian design teams have come up with improved engine performance, various types and payloads etc. But so far none fit the same category of the An-2 exactly. One or the other of the new designs lacks something that encompasses the original. 

Meanwhile in the rest of the world, this type of aircraft has been restricted to either sports or agricultural uses. There are also now many restored historical types flying again.

It would seem that the An-2/3 perhaps will soldier on in remote places for another 75 years?