Russia Develops Stealth Bomber T-60S
Source: World Daily News
WorldNetDaily has learned that Russia is pursuing an
aggressive program of weapons development that now includes the
production of a new stealth bomber.
Described as smaller than the U.S. Air Force Northup B-2
Spirit stealth bomber, the Russian T-60S stealth
bomber is being developed by Russian aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi,
maker of the famed SU-27 Flanker fighter. The T-60S program reportedly
uses a variable "swing" geometry wing and includes extensive stealth
design features.
The move toward a stealth bomber is seen as an
indication that President Validmir Putin intends to upgrade both the
tactical and strategic weapons employed by Russia. The new stealth
aircraft will allow the Russian air force to fight an advanced
conventional war beyond the borders of Federation and compete directly
with the U.S. Air Force.
The Russian air force decayed rapidly after the fall of
the Soviet Union to approximately one half its original
size. But the widespread impression of an under-funded and poorly
manned air force in today’s Russia has been disputed by Russian
generals who released video of advanced warplanes making precision
strikes during the war against Chechen rebels.
"The Russians continue to invest heavily in advanced
military technology," agreed Rep. Curt Weldon, a senior
member of the House National Security Committee.
Weldon estimated that "over a billion dollars" of U.S.
funding has been diverted by the Russian military into
new weapons programs. According to Weldon, Russia is now fielding
"state-of-the-art" weapons and some Russian technology is "superior"
to U.S. systems.
"The Russian military continues to lead the world with
the best weapons," noted Weldon. "The Russian government continues to
invest heavily in advanced military technology. The Russian military
investment also includes money from the United States, profits from
sales to our military like the Sunburn and Ma-31 missiles, and from
other funds such as Nunn Lungar and
military to military contacts."
The Russian stealth program may have been assisted by
the recovery and sale of a shot-down U.S. Air Force F-117A stealth
fighter during the 1999 war against Serbia. Serbs reportedly sold the
remains of the American stealth aircraft directly to the Russians.
However, the Russian stealth program has been ongoing
for several years. In 1995, then commander of the Russian air force,
Col. Gen. Peter Deinekin, stated that a new "multi-role strategic
bomber" would replace the aging Tupolev TU-22 Blinder medium-range
bomber and the Sukhoi SU-24 Fencer swing-wing fighter bomber.
Russian fighter maker Sukhoi is using the S-37 Berkut or
"Golden Eagle" test-bed aircraft to prototype technologies for the
next generation of Russian aircraft, including the new stealth bomber.
The Sukhoi S-37 features forward-swept wings that
provide improved aerodynamics at subsonic speeds and
at high angles of attack. The S-37 forward-swept wings
are also unstable in flight, requiring high-speed computer
controls. Stealth aircraft are notably difficult to control
because the radar evading aircraft are also unstable in
flight.
Recent upgrades in Russian flight control software and
computers derived from the S-37 Berkut provided the Sukhoi design
bureau with adequate "fly by wire" control experience to apply on the
new stealth bomber project. The S-37 also makes extensive use of
composite materials similar to radar-absorbing materials used by the
U.S. Air Force.
Russia is deploying a wide range of fifth-generation
weapons. The new stealth bomber development program is under way just
as Russia is also deploying the SS-27 Topol M ballistic missile.
The Topol M is considered to be the most advanced
mobile missile in the world. According to the Russian military, the
SS-27 is equipped with a maneuvering warhead intended to defeat any
U.S. anti-missile systems and has an explosive power of over a half
million tons of TNT.
Other new weapons being developed or fielded by Russia
include the new T-95 main battle tank, the MiG-35 advanced
fighter and a lethal supersonic cruise missile, the 3M82 Moskit, NATO
code-named SS-N-22 "Sunburn." The Raduga Moskit anti-ship missile is
considered to be the most lethal anti-ship missile in the world.
Russian weapons are also being sold on the world
market. The recent sale by Russia of the 3M82 Moskit anti-ship missile
to China has drawn a response from Capitol Hill.
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., has submitted a bill
designed to halt the Russian missile sales to China, called the
"Russian Anti-Ship Missile Nonproliferation Act."
The proposed House legislation, a copy of which was
obtained by WorldNetDaily, contains previously unreleased information
about the new strategic partnership between Russia and China. The bill
notes that the Chinese Moskit missile could be armed with a "200
kiloton" Russian-made nuclear warhead. According to the bill, the
first of two Russian-built Sovermenny-class destroyers sold to China
arrived in the Taiwan Strait was manned by a "mixed Russian and
Chinese naval crew."
The new legislation aims to "prohibit the forgiveness or
rescheduling" of any bilateral debt owed by the Russian Federation
unless the Sunburn missile sales to China
cease. The bill requires that Russia terminate "all sales and
transfers of Moskit anti-ship missiles that endanger United States
national security" before rescheduling billions in national debt.
The Russian missile legislation has cleared a House
committee vote and is now headed to the House for a general vote. The
bill received bi-partisan support in the House Committee on
International Relations, and it is expected to pass by a wide margin
in the House of Representatives.
by Charles Smith
© 2000 WorldNetDaily.com
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