Sukhoi PAK FA

Prototype: An example flying with no visible marking or paint scheme

Picture courtesy of  www.globalbearings.net

INTRODUCTION

Here and now, Mother Russia enters the realm of semi-stealth MRCA fighters capable of doing everything from strike, air to air interdiction, surveillance and whatever else that needs to be done in the name of combat aviation. 

SPECIFICATIONS 

Specs wise, it's hard to tell, but it'll certainly be customized to arm the next generation of BVR missiles and totting the latest in avionics comparable to the AESA radar or i dare say bettering it! Check this out for more info on the specs. 

FIRST IMPRESSION

From first impression, the PAK FA or should we say T-50 is developed to counter western types, namely the F-22 Raptor and the problematic F-35 Lightning II more in terms to challenge the former for market share rather than technological superiority. Looking at this in the business sense, the PAK FA has a very promising outlook as eastern bloc harware has always come across as the cheaper alternative compared to those of western types. From the picture above, it looks roughly like the American Lockheed Martin F-22 and the Chinese Chengdu J-20. Here's a pictorial comparison.

Comparison: Su-27, J-20, F22, T-50 & F-22A

Picture courtesy of http://media.moddb.com

Putting this into a rough comparison, the Mig-25 has been countered by the F-14, the Mig-29 with the F-16, the Su-27 with the F-15, the Su-30 with the F-22 and now, the latest development, the PAK FA. Please note that the comparisons are just merely to state the point that every advancement will be met by a counter-advancement and not in any way prove a direct match for each other. All of the above have been upgraded from time to time and most if not all have overlaps with each other. 

PERFORMANCE

With it's first prototype flying in Jan 2010, it's performance has only lately been released to the public during MAKS 2011. Question, how did it do? Honestly, judging from Youtube footage, i personally think that the SU-30 has better performance! Of course there are alot of other factors to consider, for example, the SU-30 is based on the SU-27 thus pilots would have much more experience with it compared to the PAK FA which has only recently taken flight. Furthermore, it's a prototype, so i would think that the test pilots have been instructed to go easy on it! It's not yet a proven design! LOL

CONCLUSION

At the end of the day, the PAK FA is still at it's infancy, and like i said, it hold a lot of potential in a couple of years. Already, this airframe has receive interest from the Indian Air Force and sources have said that the PAK FA will also be considered for future aquisitions from the Republic of Korea Air Force. This would be one airframe to look out for in the coming years.

Will update when there are more solid updates of course. Chiow! 

Extended Battle Rifle Mk14

EBR on duty : This one's certainly seen some action

Picture courtesy of http://media.militaryphotos.net/

Overview

The Extended Battle Rifle Mk 14 or just simply known as the EBR has come a long way from it's original form of the M-14 rifle. Developed to replace the M-1 Garand, the M-14 was plagues with problems ranging from a high recoil, the result of utilizing the powerful 7.62mm making it virtually impossible to attain any form of accuracy when firing in full auto. It’s low magazine capacity, of only 20 rounds is another drawback faced by US marines serving in Vietnam at that time. However, the M-14 did extremely well in semi-automatic mode firing accurate 7.62mm x 51mm rounds making it an ideal marksman’s rifle, resulting in the M21 and M25 sniper weapons system (SWS).

Design& Concept

Moving forward from the M21/25, came the development of the EBR 14 which stemmed from a requirement from the US Navy SEALS to create a compacter M-14. Do note that the M-14 in its original length is over 1m in length in access of 5kg in weight. Because of this, the EBR came with a telescopic stock, pistol grip, a different front sight, the all-important Picatinny accessory rails which makes it capable of personal customization which suited the special forces community. This gives the EBR the capability to be modified for different mission requirements as needed in any one given battle zone at any time. A better, more efficient muzzle brake was also in place of the standard one. A paddle like bolt stopper is another one of the changes. Lastly, the stock is designed and built based on light weight alloys. You can find some examples below :

EBR config with silencer 

Picture courtesy of http://forums.insmod.org/

It’s use in current time conflicts

The EBR is currently used by the Designated Marksman in every infantry squad to lay down accurate fire up to 1000 meters in contrast to a “true” sniper. Interestingly, the first to actively use this role were the Soviets, using the Dragunov SVD rifle. This role has grown increasingly important in conflict areas such as Iraq and Afghanistan where conflict zones are measured in hundredth of feet. This calls for rapid fire, easily maneuverable and deployable rifles to effectively engage the enemy quickly. Again, a rifle should serve it's purpose irregardless of accuracy. 

My take on all this

Take for example, a sniper with a highly accurate rifle is attached to an infantry squad is ambushed by a hit squad. What would be the best solution to resolve this firefight? A highly accurate rifle with a slow rate of fire? Would this be able to counter well positioned enemy positions far off? Well, maybe it could with a very experienced sniper, but reality is, most will be caught in the mass confusion during the ambush. A more realistic solution would be to equip the designated marksman with a semi-auto weapon able to converge on enemy positions as fast as his trigger finger can squeeze before getting enough time to grasp the situation and thus making accurate shots to neutralize the threat. 

To conclude

The EBR and it's class of rifles will become more and more relevant in coming conflicts especially with the fight against insurgents increase. In this era where most battles are no longer symmetrical, new weapons and tactics will need to be developed. The EBR is one of them and it will remain in this theater of war for sometime to come. 

More EBR configs: The top and bottom EBRs are configured for CQB with reflex sights foregrips added on.

Picture courtesy of http://cdn5.thefirearmsblog.com/