Uzbekistán recibe sus nuevos Mil Mi-35

Uzbekistan gets Mi-35M attack helicopters

Air Recognition

According to a report from the Uzbek television channel O'zbekiston 24, the Khanabad air base of the Air Defense Forces of Uzbekistan received their first Mi-35M combat helicopters


Russian Mi-35M helicopter (Picture source: Air Recognition)

Russian media reported last month that an initial delivery, believed to be of four helicopters, had taken place.

The Mi-35M combat-transport helicopter is designed to provide fire support to ground troops, conduct air escort missions, transport soldiers, and evacuate casualties. The rotorcraft can be operated in combat, assault, transport, and medevac configurations.

The Mi-35M helicopter is fitted with a powerful armament suite that incorporates a flexible gun mount with a 23 mm GSh-23L cannon with an ammunition load of 450 rounds, up to 80 80 mm S-8 unguided rockets, up to eight anti-tank guided missiles, gun pods with 23 mm gun armament (each pod has an ammunition load of 250 rounds), and a Kord 12.7 mm heavy machinegun. To operate these weapons effectively, the Mi-35M helicopter is fitted with an up-to-date onboard radio-electronic suite that provides round-the clock usage of the rotor-wing aircraft and weapons.

The Mi-35M has a maximum take-off weight of 11,500 kg, a maximum external payload of 2,400 kg, a maximum speed of 315 km/h, a cruise speed of 260 km/h, a flight range of 415-1,085 km (depending on the variant), a dynamic ceiling of 5,700 m, a static ceiling of 3,100 m, a crew of two pilots, and a passenger capacity of eight soldiers.

Uzbekistán adquiere el QW-18 como defensa aérea

Uzbekistan adopts Chinese QW-18 MANPADS air defense system

Army Recognition


The Uzbek Army (UA) has adopted the Chinese-made QW-18 man-portable air defense system (MANPADS), according to footage published on the official YouTube web page of the military service on November 27.


QW-18 MANPADS (Picture source: dsjunshi.net)

The footage shows an Uzbek serviceman handling a QW-18 MANPADS. However, the UA did not detail the number of QW-18s introduced into service; therefore, it is not known whether the Uzbek military serially acquires this type of Chinese-made air defense systems.

The QW-18 MANPADS has been designed by the China National Precision Machinery Import & Export Corporation (CPMIEC) and is reported to be a modified copy of the Soviet-designed Igla-1 (NATO reporting name: SA-16 Gimlet) MANPADS. It weighs 18 kg in combat mode and is armed with a short-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) capable of engaging aerial targets flying at a speed of up to 300 m/s at an altitude of up to 4,000 m and at a distance of up to 5,000 m.

The Uzbek military is increasing its reliance on Chinese-made air defense assets. In early November, the armed forces conducted the first test-firing of their new Chinese FD-2000 air defense system (an export-oriented variant of the HQ-9 long-range SAM system). Uzbekistan is reported to be operating one FD-2000 battalion, which was probably delivered to the country in late 2018.

The Uzbek Ministry of Defense does not specify the type of MANPADS being operated by the country’s military. However, according to the open sources, the UA operates some 150 legacy 9K32 Strela-2 (SA-7 Grail) man-portable air defense weapons.

China is now trying to shore up its positions on the Central Asian air defense market. For instance, Turkmenistan’s ground forces are reported to be operating the Chinese-made QW-2 MANPADS.


QW-2 MANPADS (Picture source: Army Recognition)

USA bloquea venta de T-50 surcoreanos a Uzbekistán

The United States blocked the sale of the South Korean T-50 aircraft in Uzbekistan

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As the October 25, 2015 South Korean newspaper "The Korean Times", the US government issued a resolution on the South Korean side of the supply Uzbekstanu 12 jet combat training aircraft T-50 cost about $ 400 million.

The preliminary agreement to acquire Uzbekistan 12 South Korean combat training aircraft T-50 was reached in April 2015 during the negotiations of defense ministers of South Korea and Uzbekistan Khan Ming Berdieva Kabul, when the parties signed a corresponding memorandum of understanding. Then Kabul Berdiyev made a "flight" simulator Aircraft FA-50 - "combat" version of T-50. In May issue of the supply of Uzbekistan aircraft T-50 was discussed at the highest level during his visit to Seoul the President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov.



Production of T-50 aircraft in the company Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) in sacheon. 01.02.2013 (c) Korea Aerospace Industries

South Korean military sources, commenting on the US decision to refuse to issue a permit for the sale of the T-50 Uzbekistan, said that this is due, in their opinion, membership of Tashkent in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the close ties between Uzbekistan and Russia, resulting in a "US concerned that the export of the T-50 in Uzbekistan could lead to the transfer of technologies in Russia. " "The US government opposes the deal, citing the possible leakage of technology and diplomatic problems."

However, the purchasing agency Defence Acquisition Programme Agency (DAPA) of the Defense Ministry of South Korea, is also responsible for arms exports, remains committed to continue to engage with Uzbekistan on the possible sale of the T-50. "In spite of the opposition of the United States, DAPA will step up efforts to persuade Washington to approve the deal," - said a South Korean official military spokesman.

Airplane T-50 Golden Eagle was developed by the South Korean unification Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI), together with the American company Lockheed Martin, and in all its variants contain a significant amount of American-made systems, including the engine General Electric F404-102 (assembled from kits in the US Samsung Techwin ). Therefore, any export of aircraft T-50 requires the approval of the US government.

In the past few years, KAI has achieved significant success in the export of aircraft of the T-50, to implement them in Indonesia (which received 16 aircraft T-50I in 2013-2014), Iraq (24 aircraft contracted T-50IQ, supply should be started in the spring of 2016) , Philippines (Order 12 FA-50PH aircraft with deliveries starting in late 2015) and Thailand (four aircraft contracted T-50TN for delivery in 2017-2018).