Thank you to all those who took a stand against the Axis forces and helped save the world!
Videos Of The Parade In Moscow
Within the next few days, I will post a summary of what was said in the 3-part video of the parade in Moscow, and I will also post additional videos and/or photos of the parade in this post.
The 4K44 Redut was designed in 1963 to replace the aging SS-C-2 coastal defense missile batteries. The 4K44 Redut uses the P-5 Pyatyorka cruise missile, also known as the SS-N-3B. The missile has a 1,000 kg warhead and a range of 450 km. It has a maximum speed of Mach 0.9. The Redut is currently available in two versions: the SPU-35V (pictured), which is based on the BAZ-135MB chassis (the most common variant), and the 4K44 Utes, which is a fixed position version with two launch tubes and is only deployed in Sevastopol and the Kildin Island in the Kola Peninsula. The system is slated to eventually be replaced by the K-300P Bastion-P mobile coastal defense system, which uses the advanced P-800 Yakhont (SS-N-26) anti-ship cruise missiles.
Photos taken from here.
The Kirov class battle cruiser, the largest and most powerful surface warship currently in service (excluding aircraft carriers), first entered service in 1980. A total of four have been built since that time, and only one (The Pyotr Veliky, ie, Peter The Great) remains in service as the flagship of the Northern fleet. The introduction of this battle cruiser in the 1980′s was one of the reasons the US Navy chose to recommission the Iowa Class battleships.
The Peter The Great’s main armament is composed of twenty P-700 Granit supersonic anti-ship missiles, which have a range of 550-625 km. Air defense is provided by 9K311 Tor short range surface-to-air missiles and 96 S-300F long range surface-to-air missiles. The Peter The Great is also armed with a single AK-130 130 mm main gun, eight AK-630 30 mm Gatling guns, and six Kashtan gun/missile systems. For ASW (anti-submarine warfare), the ship is armed with the RBU-1000 ASW rocket launcher, ten 533 mm torpedo tubes (which can fire either the Type 53 torpedoes or the RPK-2 ASW missiles, and up 3 Ka-27 helicopters.
The Peter The Great has a displacement of over 28,000 tons (when fully loaded), a length of 252 meters, a beam of 28.5 meters, and a draft of 9.1 meters. The ship has a speed of 32 knots and has a crew of 710. The Peter The Great is powered by nuclear and steam turbine propulsion.
Photos taken from here.
The Mig-35 is a 4++ generation fighter and the latest development of the Mig-29. The Mig-35 was first shown publicly at the Aero India air show in 2007. The Mig-35 has new avionics which allow it to carry out complex joint missions, aerial reconnaissance, and precision ground strikes in any weather. The fighter has a longer service life and an in-flight cost that is 2.5 times cheaper than that of its predecessors. The Mig-35 has new, smokeless engines and a Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) system to enhance its performance. There are currently ten prototypes of the Mig-35 undergoing testing.
The Mig-35, just like the Mig-29K/KUB, is based on the Mig-29M2 2-seat design. The fighter is equipped with the new Phazotron Zhuk-AE active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, which has a detection range of over 160 km for aerial targets and over 300 km for ships. The radar can detect more aerial and ground targets and is more resistant to electronic countermeasures than its predecessors. The Mig-35 has 9 hard points that accept both current (foreign and Russian) and future (Russian) air-to-air and air-to-surface weapons. It is also equipped with a single 30 mm GSh-30-1 automatic cannon.
The Mig-35 is equiped with two Klimov RD-33MK afterburning turbofans, which are rated at 5,400 kg of thrust each (dry thrust) and 9,000 kg of thrust each (with the use of afterburners). The Mig-35 has a maximum speed of 2,400 km/hr, a range of 2,000 km without refueling, and a service ceiling of 17,500 meters. The Mig-35 has a length of 17.3 meters, a wingspan of 12 meters, a height of 4.7 meters, and an empty weight of 11,000 kg.
More photos here.
The “Berkut” air group is celebrating its 20th year anniversary. The pilots began flying in 1992 on Mi-24 helicopters. Today, the Berkuts fly on Mi-28N Night Hunters. “Flying helicopters in a group is very difficult, because they fly within very close distances of each other, a mere 10 meters apart”, stated Igor Butenko, a Berkut pilot. Making dangerous maneuvers is like diving into a chainsaw, so there is no room for mistakes. “Even though it’s a piece of steel, I feel that it has a soul, and every pilot knows his helicopter, how to approach it, how to clap it, what to tell it”, stated Evgeniy Galkin, the commander of the Berkuts. In honor of their 20th year anniversary, the Berkuts performed the rump and the arrow maneuvers. Next time, the pilots will show off their skills at the Zhukovsky airbase on the 12th of August, on the 100th anniversary of the Russian air-force.
The Project 667BDRM “Delfin” (Dolphin) strategic submarine, known in the West as the Delta-4, first entered service in 1985. The Delta-4 and its predecessors (the Delta-1, Delta-2, and the Delta-3 submarines) formed the backbone of the Soviet strategic fleet. The Delta-4 is designed to carry out strategic strikes on naval bases and military installations.
The submarine has a double-hull configuration, and is equipped with 16 missile silos specially designed for the R-29RMU (SS-N-23 Skiff) Sineva ballistic missiles. These missiles are equipped with 4-10 warheads and have a range of up to 8,300 km. The Delta-4 can launch these missiles at depths of up to 55 meters and while moving at a speed of up to 6-7 knots. The Delta-4 is also equipped with four 533 mm torpedo tubes that can fire a variety of different torpedoes. The Delta-4 can also fire the RPK-2 Viyuga (SS-N-15 Starfish) anti-ship missiles from its torpedo tubes. The RPK-2 missiles a have a range of up to 45 km. In total, up to 18 torpedoes or missiles can be carried in the torpedo compartment. In 2011, an upgraded version of the R-29RMU Sineva, dubbed the R-29RMU2 Liner, was introduced for the Delta-4. This new missile is more survivable against anti-ballistic missiles than its predecessor.
The Delta-4 has a maximum speed of 24 knots (regardless of whether it’s surfaced or submerged), and an endurance of about 80 days. The Delta-4 can dive to a maximum depth of 400 meters and has special hydroplanes attached to the sail to break through ice. There are currently 7 Delta-4 submarines in service with the Russian navy. Although these submarines are supposed to be replaced by the Borei class submarines, the latter are entering service very slowly, so the Delta-4 submarines remain in service. Four are equipped with upgraded Sineva missiles, one had its missile silo’s removed and is used as a special purpose platform, and one was damaged by a fire on December 29th, 2011, and is expected to be back in service in 2014.
Photos taken from here.
First having entered service in 1986, the An-124 Ruslan (also known as the Condor) is a strategic air-lifter and the second largest serially-produced cargo aircraft in the world. The An-124 is designed to deliver and air drop large and heavy cargo over long ranges, including troops, vehicles, and equipment. Twenty five of these aircraft are currently operated by the Russian military, while another eighteen are operated by Russian civilian aviation companies including Volga-Dnepr. The An-124 has a double-deck layout. The lower deck is used for cargo, while the upper deck houses the cockpit, the compartment for crew relief, and a cabin for the troops which contains 88 seats.
The An-124 has a crew of 6. The aircraft is 68.96 meters in length, has a wingspan of 73.3 meters, a height of 20.78 meters, and an empty weight of 175,000 kg. The Ruslan can carry up to 120 tons of freight, 25% more than its American counterpart, the C-5A Galaxy. The An-124 has a maximum speed of 865 km/hr, a cruise speed of up to 850 km/hr, and a maximum range of 5,400 km without refueling (when fully loaded). The service ceiling is 12,000 meters. Due to the aircraft’s reliability and ability to carry heavy payloads, the aircraft has been leased by over 18 countries including Sweden, Germany, France, Finland, Portugal, the UK, Norway, the Netherlands, Canada, Denmark, Belgium, Greece, and the US.
In 2004, Russia and Ukraine agreed to continue the serial production of the An-124, and at least eighty AN-124-150 upgraded aircraft are to be built by 2020. These new aircraft will be certified to take off with a payload of up to 150 tons, the range will be increased, and the crew number will be reduced to 3. Also, all existing An-124 aircraft are being upgraded to extend their service life to 24,000 hours (as opposed to 7,500 flight hours for the original aircraft). Several more variants are planned, including the An-124-100M-150, which is to be equipped with Western avionics, and the An-124-200, which is to be equipped with General Electric CF6-80C2 engines.
Photos taken from russianplanes.
