Very Significant.

Thanks to our very own BAROTIKI for pointing this news out. This is very significant because it is one of those cases when the plans are not shifted "to the right"--a euphemism for a delay--but "to the left", meaning meeting deadlines earlier.

Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) has advanced deliveries of MC-21 and SJ-100 aircraft to Aeroflot airlines from 2025 to 2024 having completed the process of replacing western components with domestically-made ones. Sergei Chemezov, CEO of Rostec Corp., the holding of company of UAC has been quoted as saying today on the UAC’s Telegram channel. “More than 10 aircraft - MC-21 and SJ-100 - are already being built for Aeroflot, some aircraft are at a high degree of readiness. The timing of bringing new models of domestic aircraft to the market has shifted ‘to the left’ by a year. If we initially aimed for 2025, now large-scale deliveries should start in 2024.” Financial lease agreements for 18 MC-21-310 aircraft and 34 SJ-100 aircraft were signed between the leasing company Aviacapital-Service of the Rostec State Corporation and Aeroflot. These agreements were inked during the Eastern Economic Forum. Chemezov highlighted the significance of these agreements and the Russian government support that has made the prices of these domestically-produced aircraft considerably lower than comparable Boeing and Airbus models.

And here is the MAIN issue which I point out non-stop. These aircraft are fully Russian-built from engines, to systems, to avionics, to what have you. Unlike it is the case with Chinese COMAC 919 which is in reality not Chinese at all but 90% Europe and US built aircraft. COMAC 919 exports can always be immediately stopped by the US or EU in case China decides to promote this plane on Asian and African markets. This, however, cannot be done to MS-21 and SJ-100. All of these aircraft are well over 90% domestic built (at 10% of import parts the aircraft export can be blocked), and that opens vast Asian and African markets, especially with B737 reaching its modernization limits some time two decades ago. 

In related news, BTW, do you know that more than 20 serial SU-57s have been already produced and that starting from 2025 around 30 of them will be produced annually? So, count yourself how plans on initially planned 72 SU-57s by the year 2030 now look like. More like around 200 give and take. You see, this is what Russia's real economy and Pentagon's ignorance are. And yes, be them MC-21, SJ-100, SU-57 or SU-35 they still cost less than anything produced in the West and that doesn't show well in Wall Street "statistics" and fake GDP numbers, but it sure as hell gives massive competitive advantages, not to speak of a highest quality of a product.

It Is Thrust-vectored. The Military (And not only) Porn Post.

UAC continues its striptease with a new combat aircraft and now posted extended version of what is its brand-new single-engine fighter. 

Judging by the look of the nozzle, it is thrust-vectored and the thing will be super-maneuverable, which is the feature of all Russian dedicated fighters. Also some explanation. This is an exhibition mock-up:

This is the actual aircraft capable of performing and, probably, one of the test prototypes. 

It is not an overstatement: global aircraft community, not to speak of all kinds of fanboys and technophiles, are salivating in anticipation for the moment when the cover will be removed and we all learn about this new machine.  I am sure it will be very revealing on several levels of sensors, weapons and suitability for services of Russian Armed Forces and export. This is a military porn at its best. Now to a real one. LOL.

Self-proclaimed “conservative pornstar” Brandi Love was kicked out of Turning Point USA’s Student Action Summit this weekend, after her attendance led to protests by some Republicans. Love, a 48-year-old actress who refers to herself on Twitter as a “conservative pornstar” and contributor to the right-wing website the Federalist, claimed to have been thrown out of the conference on Saturday following complaints by other conservatives.The star took pictures at the conference wearing a VIP pass before she was emailed by Turning Point USA to say her invitation had been revoked. Love protested Turning Point USA’s decision in a series of posts on Twitter, which she published in between explicit photos of her naked body.

I did my due diligence and "researched", in order for you all not to get yourself in trouble (wink, wink), Brandi Love's contribution to the arts and letters and I'd say, compared to modern perverted porn with tattooed, pierced and looking unwashed "actresses" (evidently looking like a freak today is considered "sexy") who are favorite with the younger generation, she certainly looks "conservative", alright. But that is the issue with American "conservatism", which another "actress" expressed so well:

Exactly, libertarians ARE NOT conservatives, in fact, as I said it many times, America's "conservatives" are not real conservatives since they will shit their pants trying to defend the core interests of America's main builders, who happened to be primarily, not exclusively, WASP, Italians, and people of mostly European descend. Well, now we have "conservative porn stars". I do admit, though, Brandi Love (for a gang-bang--I believe they pay per diem, I mean per cock) looks decidedly better than notorious Stormy Daniels, despite being older and I attribute this to the fact of Brandi Love's "conservative" lifestyle. After all, one has to keep oneself in form being subjected to so much thrust-vectoring by so many "actors", if you know what I mean. 

A Mystery Aircraft.

Russia's tech giant Rostec decided to spice up and add the intrigue to the upcoming MAKS-2021 and announced (in Russian) that UAC (United Aircraft Corporation) will present at this salon an absolutely new combat aircraft. They even started the countdown to this presentation and stated that the 30-second video gives some clues about this mysterious aircraft. Judging by the name of the web-site by UAC--and it is titled Checkmate--it is designed not only for Russia's VKS but for export too. From a shadow of this aircraft on the water one can conclude that it is something of MiG-35--SU-57 variety, but I also saw two booms in the back of this shadow. Could it be 21st century STOVL related heir to Yak-141? Possible. Russia never denied that she works on such an aircraft. 

Here is MAKS-2021 official promo but it doesn't disclose anything re: this brand new aircraft. 

Are we into some stunning aerospace revelation? Possible. Only 7 days and 2 hours 40 minutes left to wait. Exactly three years ago Borisov announced that Russia works on a brand new STOVL aircraft (in Russian) and that such aircraft can start flying in 7-10 years. Well, it is Russia, alright. Russians love to confuse enemies. Can this explain a "sudden" increase in displacement of the brand new Russian LHDs of project 23900 from 25 to 40,000 tons? I am speculating but I always liked the concept of USS America (LHA-6) which is a sensible compromise between mastodon CVNs and LHDs. The golden middle, if you ask me, but only when one has a good STOVL aircraft. F-35B is NOT a good STOVL aircraft. UAC suggests that 30-second video also gives a hint on this new mysterious aircraft's capabilities. Symptomatically, the shadow of this machine is revealed over the ocean. OK, I am officially into insomnia and counting days, hours and minutes before I can see if this is what I was writing about for so many years--that for aircraft carrier to survive as a viable system it should "shrink" and go for a STOVL air wing with aircarft which will give any CATOBAR carrier combat aircraft a run for their money. Will see...

 

UPDATE: those who have difficulties with the UAC site, here is YouTube, same video. 

Enjoy.

Some Truly Gigantic News.

No, not about stock market which behaves like a loony--that is totally expected in the "economy" where median house price of $320,000 is considered "affordable", yes, for very few, actually. And even rent is not affordable for 66% of renters. Now, the news about real economy, of Russia. These news mark a major new point of bifurcation for Russia. Today, Russia's hi-tech colossus State Corporation Rostec acquired 92% of interest in another Russia's giant--United Aircraft Corporation (UAC).   

Implications of this monstrous transaction are truly proportional to the size and capabilities of this variant of Russian State Keiretsu (sort of) which emerges. In the same time today, Vladimir Putin introduced legislation to State Duma, for passing--many in Duma after that soiled their pants, the legislation is about the right of Russia's Prosecutor General to literally hunt for the foreign accounts of Russia's bureaucrats (in Russian) who are not supposed to have any foreign assets while being employed by state structures. Like Duma legislators, among others, maybe? What does this remind you of? Oh, that, sure as hell, reminds me of what overwhelming majority of Russians were begging for decades since criminal so called liberal oligarchy came to power in 1991--to reformat economy. You see, those damn Bolsheviks, Communists, whatever "Ists", they, for some obviously nefarious reasons, took backward Russia and turned her into the industrial superpower and most educated nation in the world. Majority of Russian population still remembers this, despite all massive efforts of all kinds of "dissidents", "liberal" (in reality totalitarian laissez-faire and Russophobic) brainwashing machines known today as media, or direct efforts of hostile propaganda, to pour buckets of sewage on Russian people historical experiences and memory.

As it turned out--this is why Western "intelligence" can not grasp it--that, unlike Americans, who are fiercely anti-government and anti-state in metaphysical sense, Russians throughout all their history were, actually, building a state. They had to--otherwise how can one survive more than 800 years of brutal warfare out of 1200 years of history without the state. It matters that, quoting George F. Kennan:

Not all that went by the name of communism in Russia was bad; nor were all those who believed in it. 

No, don't worry, Russia is not about to become communist or is about to become new Soviet Union--not even close. Russia will continue to remain capitalist, free enterprise (in fact new programs in support of small and mid-size business are being readied as I type this) and broadly free socially and culturally. But here is the issue--Russians, unlike Westerners, have a very different concept of national treasure. As I spoke about this for a while on this blog, using American examples--is Boeing a national treasure of the United States? Absolutely it is, it is a part of America itself. Is Boeing a private company? Well, yeah. But can you imagine a group of Boeing's shareholders getting together in some secret place and deciding (well, just imagine for the sake of the argument) to dissolve Boeing, sell its assets and go on living on their acquired immense wealth? This is impossible--because this would be considered, and rightly so, the act of national treason in America and, I am sure, those who will come to this decision to sell Boeing will be hunted down and revenge will be exacted because Boeing, while being a private company, in reality IS NOT. One can earn or lose money on Boeing's shares but Boeing is in effect a (American) state company. And, of course, US government actively supports Boeing not just out of altruistic intentions or because it is greedy, no. It supports Boeing because it is a national, state strategic asset. Remember air refueling  aircraft B KC-767scandal?  

The same principle applies to many American companies because there IS NO market forces and "honest" competition (all figments of imagination of Western "economists") when the fate of a nation is on the table. Fate of modern nations which have no massive and advanced real hi-tech machine-building complex is sad--they stop being players. This is exactly what US-inspired 1990s "reforms" pursued in Russia--to deindustrialize the nation which won WW II in Europe, restored itself after the war, led the way into space and even today remains among most educated nations of the world. For overwhelming majority of Russians their national treasure is not just oil, gas and minerals, albeit this too--crown jewels of Russia also are her spacecraft, weapons, fundamental sciences, many machines, in general, even still largely Soviet public education, all those things which separate just any nation from superpower. Bolsheviks "poisoned" Russians making them wanting to work in real economy, and merging UAC with Rostec is one of those ways to guarantee that never again sleazy and bloody hands of "oligarchs" will ever again touch what is Russia's main national treasure, the one which allows Russia to exist as a nation, as a civilization--a powerful advanced Russian State. I already can hear squealing from Russia's "liberal" (completely marginal) quarters--it is music to my ears and I am a consummate capitalist. But I can only follow Kennan's dictum that many things which Soviet system provided for Russians were, indeed, not only good but had a major historic positive impact. Putin and his people are trying to preserve them.  But as I always say, until "West" learns REAL Russian 20th century history it will continue to remain in a complete delusion.      
Remember this picture Putin presented as a gift to PM Medvedev on his birthday in 2016?

As you can see, the hint was obvious--get busy with re-industrialization of the nation. Today we may say that it is in a full swing. Enough to look, among myriad other things, at the portfolio of still in construction gigantic shipyard Zvezda near Vladivostok--it has orders for 23 gigantic ships, especially Aframax-class. Even Soviet Union didn't build those. Stock Market, you say? I believed since 2013 that he and his people were preparing some breakthrough for Russia. There were signs, then Crimea happened, today signs are everywhere and only blind and deaf can not see and hear them.