The Antonov was working on An-70 which is fan-prop four engine An-12 replacement in the class of FLA (bigger than C-130, smaller than Il-76). After midair with chase An-72 and following crash the only An-72 was gone along with elite test team from Antonov. Second An-70 which originally was built for static tests was finished and fle for the first time in April of 1997. It seems that despite delays and misfortunes, this program might survive because of the interest of Russian, Ukraine and Kazakhstan air forces. The aircraft was expected to made an appearence at Le Bourget 1997, but it was overloaded with flight testing and probably did not have enough hours to attempt trans european flight.

If An-70 program will be scrapped, Tupolev Tu-330 will most likely fulfill the requirements for the next midrange transport for RusAF. Tu-330 will have a Tu-204 wing mated to a completely new fuselage. Twin jet shoulder wing aircraft capable of hauling some 15 tons of payload 500 naut miles. This is less sophisticated design than An-70 and can not match the STOL capabilities of Antonov. The aircraft is also far from the first flight.

Other new aircraft from Tupolev are Tu-204 and Tu-334. The latter is a replacement of Tu-134 and has generally similar layout (twin with engines in the back) and similar but scaled down wing of Tu-204. This a/c was tested with several engines including prop fans. Tupolev also working on derivatives of Tu-204 and Tu-334 which differ by stretched/shortened fuselage and the range. On the Tu-204 side Tu-214 is a combi cargo-passenger derivative while Tu-234 is a shortened fuselage version of Tu-204. The stretched Tu-334 is designated Tu-354.

Tupolev does some studies on very large transports (600-1,000 seats) and supersonic and hypersonic passenger planes (300 passenger Tu-244 and Tu-2000 respectively). The revival of Tu-144LL with help of US High Speed Civil Transport Program funding will certainly enrich the experience gained on original SST. The aircraft has already made its first supersonic flight before summer 1997. One source claimed that some titanium parts were already build before Tupolev ran out of funds.

A number of Tupolev's projects make use of alternative fuel such as liquid methane and hydrogen. For example Tu-306 is a cryogenically fueled version of widebody Tu-304.

The "miniaturization" of the new Russian aircraft which took over old Soviet giant mania was forced by realities of the new economy. Many design teams rushed into the field of general, agricultural and business aviation coming with miriads of new and competing designs almost over night. Tupolev was one of them with Tu-24 SKh farmer and Tu-34 six-seat propellor aircrafts. The Tu-24 SKh mock up was revealed during MAKS'95 and it could have been easily nominated as ugliest plane of the salon.

First Beriev Be-200 Irkut was rolled out Irkutsk APA aicraft factory. Seven Be-200 were ordered by Ministry of Emergency Situations. Beriev also designed six-seat Be-103 amphibian to be built at the Komsomolsk-na-Amure plant of Sukhoi.

Ilyushin Il-96 is due to certification with FAA (derivative of Il-86 with 300 seats and more fuel efficient engines). Il-96T flew for the firs time in late spring 1997 and will be transferred to the Aeroflot Russian International Airlines following by three more on order. An Il-102 is four-seat single prop general aviation aircraft intended to flight school and private ownership. It is more simple in many respects than any Ilyushin aircraft including the Il-2 Sturmovik circa 1940's. The Il-76MF is stretched version of the veteran Il-76 (added up to 6 m, with raise in payload) and with better engines. It might well be that stretched Il-76 will fulfill the requirements of RusAF and no An-70 or Tu-330 will be ordered. There are plans for modifications with even greater payload. An Il-114 is two-engine turbo prop for local routs in An-26 class which it will replace. Modifications for border and marine guards are proposed.

Mikoyan seems to have dropped the notorious and secret MFI (Mnogofunktsional'ny Frontovoy Istrebitel'/multi funtional fighter) 1.42 aka 1.44 stealth fighter. Although it was announced at Le Bourget 97 that the aircraft has flown for the first time long after high speed taxi runs were reported, but it might follow it's larger and stealthier stablemate, cancelled project 701 interceptor. Mikoyan officials are not clear about exact status of the project. The 1.42 might be made public at Moscow International Aerospace salon (MAKS'97) which will take place in August of 1997. After all, it took half a dozen years for YF-23 to appear on the air show.

The experience gained on MFI applied to a new fifth-generation fighter project designated LFI (Legky Frontovoy(?) Istrebitel'/light frontal fighter or light multi-functional fighter). This is not a development of the MiG-29 family but rather totally new fighter aircraft intended to replace MiG-29 and perhaps to compete with Sukhoi S-32 forward-swept wing fighter. The LFI is assumed to be in JSF class and will incorporate some advanced stealth features. It is rumoured that aircraft might have no vertical tails to even further reduce its radar cross section.

MiG-29 is further developed via MiG-29M to new level of 4++ generation combat aircraft. MiG-35 will feature new avionics, thicker wing, trust vectoring engines which were moved further aft to make room for more internal fuel. The aircraft will also have a set of canards in Su-27K style and in-flight refueling probe. A modification of basic MiG-29 in service with RusAF and foreign customers is proposed by MIG MAPO. Among other things planned for modernization, this will include installation of four liquid crystal displays.

MIG MAPO is involved in the development of the advanced trainer MiG-AT and its combat derivatives competing with more sophisticated Yakovlev-Aermacchi Yak-130 for domestic and international orders.

Sukhoi brought Su-27 derivatives to the height of 4++ generation when JSC revealed Su-37 super agility fighter' in the summer of 1996. It remain to be seen to what degree Su-37 differs from Su-35, however one obvious change is addition of the trust vectoring turbofans. The aircraft was welcome guest on air and trade shows in Farnborough and Le Bourget where it stunned everyone with its aerobatic display. The old good Pugachev cobra was spiced up with a number of breath taking developments such as kulbit (sommersalt) and 180 cobra.

The know how from trust vectoring will be transferred to Indian Su-30MKI program. First eight aircraft were delivered from Irkutsk factory by four An-124 flights and reassembled by russian technicians, while indian air force stuff underwent tree month training in LII.

The fate of the T-60 bomber (sometime reffered to as T-60S), a replacement for venerable Tupolev Tu-22M Backfire, is not clear. However, recently, in June 1997, Gen Petr Deynekin, the Russian air force commander-in-chief announced that shortly after the turn of the century Russian strategic aviation will receive new long-range bomber replacing Tu-95, Tu-160 and possibly Tu-22M. The work on this aircraft is currently underway and possibly in very advanced stage judging from optimism of Deinekin. It is however very likely that this bomber is nothing more than an extensive upgrade of the Tu-22M3 (Tu-145) designated internally by Tupolev Tu-245.

Besides development of the Su-27, Sukhoi is working on at least two fighter sized aircraft, one of which S-37 (formerly known as S-32) is intended to replace Su-27, 35 and 37. It will incorporate low observable and thrust vectoring technologies. Very little known about aircraft. From simplistic sketches and artist renderings which appeared in western aviation press it is clear that this aircraft has forward-swept wing closely coupled to canards. However the aircraft retains the vertical and horizontal tail controls. Speculations are made that original scheme was much closer to US X-29 tailless layout. However the final configuration was revealed in late 1996 when photographs were taken when Michail Simonov demonstrated a scale model of S-32 to Deinekin. The S-32 had forward-swept wings, canards and inward-canted tailfins thus evolving from pure canard to tandem triplane layout. The S-32 is thought to be in class of Su-27 and there is a certain confusion regarding Mikoyan LFI which is much lighter aircraft, being a potential competitor for S-32. If funded, the S-32 may be in the field around 2010. The S-32 prototype is claimed to be close to completion at a Sukhoi shop in Moscow.

Another Sukhoi fighter is designated S-54 and represent a further derivative of the combat modification of advanced trainer which lost to Mikoyan and Yakovlev entries. The model of S-54 shown at Le Bourget 1997 shows that aircraft inherited Su-27 aerodynamics and look more like a baby Flanker than S-55 it thought it was developed from. The S-54 has a single TVC engine tandem triplane configuration found on Su-27K/27M/30MKI and probably has a half take-off weight of Flanker.

Another aircraft under works from Sukhoi Advanced Technologies is Su-49 primary military trainer. This is a derivative of the Su-29 two seat sport aircraft with retractable tricycle gear.

Both Sukhoi and Mikoyan were playing with ideas of building small twin turbo prop engine transports. Both have unusual twin boom layouts. Sukhoi entry designated S-80 will be equipped with GE engines. Two prototypes are being assembled in JSC factory in Russia's Far East.

A link to an article about one of the Beriev's projects.
An article on Russian Aviation Future from Knowledge Adventure Online.
Faster, higher, stronger, friendlier by Feng Wang.