Shipbucket

If remembered,I had wrote some months back about the Russian Aircrafts my RHAF will have in the future.The "final decision" about the program was announced the previous week.Only the Sukhoi Su-35H and the Yakovlev Yak-130 will enter service.Ministry of Defence and RHAF decide that the Kingdom does not need the Su-34,but to increase the number of Su-35 from 80 to 120.These extra airframes will be carry some of the SU-34 weapons.This variant is the Su-35H Mk2.
The Su-35H Mk1 (80 airframes) will replace the F-4E(H) Mk1/Mk2 and the Su-35H Mk2 (40 airframes) the R-202.The Yak-130 will replace finally the R-233EK/AT-233/R-233E (training/attack/elctronic warfare).SHAF will manufacture Yak-130s and HAI the Su-35s.The F-4E will withdrawned in 2017-2018.

The Su-35H (or Cy-35Γ as is its Russian designation) will have the folding wings of the Su-33 to squeeze in excisting RHAF hardened hangars and ardem with a variety of weapons, air to air ,air to ground and air to surface. Many of these will be Russian made, but also some hellenic weapons will be intergrated to the aircraft. Among Russian weapons it will carry an anti-AWACS missile and the air-launched variant of 3M-54 Club. From the hellenic weapons the Su-35H will carry the Chimera IIA, the new cruise missile Echidna and the laser-guided bombs of LGB family. For the latter a new laser seeker is being developed.

To finish with the R-57 family,there is the cancelled R-57VG (Variable Geometry).This variant was designed in late 1970's and supposed to enter service about 1985-86.It had wings similar with Panavia Tornado,but it was 1200kg heavier from regular R-57 and therefore load was only 3600kg.Cancellation came in 1978 before the construction of the prototype.The Aerodyne J110 could not take out more power (12400lbf was its limit) without reducing engine life.Moreover,the R-57 was built around this engine (the afterburned J110-AD-100/120 was 4.4m long,had diameter of 0.9m and weight 950kg) so it was almost impossible to fit different engines.



Note:"Loaded" weight for normal R-57 was 9865kg,this means wing load 465.3kg/m2 and thrust/weight ratio with that weight was 0.95 (0.67 for max take off weight,R-57A),while R-57C had normal loaded weight 11755kg,wing load 554.5kg/m2 and thrust/weight ratio 0.96 when used for attack missions.Rate of climb for both models were between Mirage III and Starfighter,due to aerodynamics (the R-57 looking from front resembles F-104 but with larger diameter fuselage due to twin engines).But the R-57 had STOL capabilities due to its very good thrust to weight ratio,capable of take off in just 500m of runaway.Cypriots took advantage of this and used the Swedish model of the "moving air-base",using the highways of the Island for runaways.

Interesting idea.
Not sure, however, if You could actually fit the whole mechanism there. Planes like Tornado, F-14 or MiG-23 were built around the variable geometry. And while Su-7IG/17/20/22 and Su-24 were not, Su-24 is a really big plane, and Su-7/17 had the problem solved with making just the outer parts of the wings VG, thereby allowing most of the mechanisms to hide in the central (non-VG) parts of the wings.

Actually this was the problem.As I said,this variant remained a paper exersice.However,RHAF came close to have a variable geometry fighter some years before with the Mirage G8 and the Tornado.But none was ordered (the G8 cancelled) and RHAF finally chose the Mirage 2000 in 1984.The R-57 remained in service and for about 10 years was the only fighter of Cypriot Air Force.

Note:I will rethink the loaded weight of the R-57.But the max take off weight is correct.

Equipment of Hellenic Army Aviation (AU).

*The indigenous E-165 missile(mid 1990's) is similar with US Hellfire,an improvement of the previous GM-10L of the early 1980's.A laser-guided missile with 8-10km range.
*The E-105 missile is the Israeli LAHAT manufactured with license.Also in use from tanks.
*The ASM-30 is the aircraft-launched variant of the ASM-22 (helicopter launched). Based on AS-12/SS-12,this small missile was designed in early 1990's as an answer to TN Sea Skua,for attacking enemy FAC and Landing Ships.Warhead comes from AS-12/SS-12,dimensions/weight are similar with French AS-15TT. Also can be used from P-3H,Fokker F-27MP and P-6M.Range is 28-36km.The ASM-22 is used by AS-332F1H,AB-212A2 (RHN) and AB-412N (Cypriot Navy).
*The HC-270A was designed back in late 1960's based on HC-240 frame (Alouette II) and was the first attack helicopter of Hellenic Army Aviation.In its heyday HAA had about 80 in service,today the HC-270A remains in service only with the Autonomous Territories Guard. Also the HC-270 is in service with Black Sea Navy Command,Police,Gendarme,Hellenic Coast Guard,Frontier Guard and Financial Police.
*The Sikorsky H-19G is similar with the Westland Whirlwind but with a Lycoming T-53 engine to provide commonality with UH-1.Phased out in early 1990's.
*The AT-233 will be replaced by the Yak-130.

Nice work.
Though T-33 (even if it's license-built version) soldiering long enough to be replaced with Yak-130 sounds bit stretched. I mean, most significant countries managed to squeeze a whole generation of jet trainers inbetween.

The Scout Heli and the Fiesler Storch looking plane seem a bit old to use today as well
Great job though!

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Sikorsky H-19 serving until 1994 also looks bit weird, but I didn't comment on these two (H-19 and Storch), as their mission profile, and fact that these Storch'es seem to be newly-built derivatives) make them bit more likely to survive for a long time, than a (relatively) fast jet.

Frankly, the H-19 was already becoming outdated in the late fifties.

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True, but as long as particular airframes were airworthy, they could be kept in service in some less-demanding areas or in reserve units. And I think several countries had H-19/Whirlwind in service still around 1980s.