>Russia is again expected to try to get China to invest in its new Tupolev PAK-DA strategic stealth bomber capable of launching nuclear weapons from space.
>Russia first made investment overtures to China in 2014 but seems to have been turned down. The need for Chinese investment is now even more pressing as Russia is facing a severe cash crunch as a result of crippling economic sanctions following its invasion of Ukraine in February 2014.
>Russia, however, sees its new strategic bomber as so important President Vladimir Putin commanded work begin on PAK DA despite the complex technology requirements and funding problems. The PAK DA project was almost cancelled in 2012 due, in part, to funding deficiencies.
>Analysts said China might want to invest this time since none of China's Xi'an H-6 strategic long-range bombers (the equivalent of the U.S. B-52) are capable of reaching the continental United States. The H-6 has a range of 3,600 kilometers while the distance from Beijing to Washington D.C. is 11,000 km.
>PAK DA, which will replace both the turboprop-powered Tupolev Tu-95 "Bear" and the supersonic Tupolev Tu-160 "White Swan" strategic bombers, is being developed by the Tupolev Design Bureau. PAK DA stands for "Perspektivnyi Aviatsionnyi Kompleks Dal'ney Aviatsii" literally, "prospective aviation complex for long-range aviation."
I remember when Russia was saying it'd have 100+ T-50's in service by 2016.
Brayden Bell
That bomber looks sexxy!
Brandon Clark
It's no Vulcan.
Carson Ortiz
>Why is Putin so desperate to build this shit.
Well, consider the strategic situation.
He has submarines and ICBMs. SDI was complete bullshit that's only now even approaching the edge of technological feasibility. A spaceplane dropping nukes is not a workaround for working missile defense shields - if you can put something on your bomb capable of dodging the missile defense system, you can put it on a MIRV warhead.
So: it's not deterrence for the US, and it's not a workaround for NATO hardware.
The key word here isn't 'can carry nukes' - it's 'can get to the edge of space'. That enables it to travel over areas controlled by hostiles with decent anti-air defenses on the way to the real target. The use cases are Russian interventions in Africa (where there are large numbers of countries blocking the flight path who have reasonably good anti-air defenses) and the ability to leap out of range of anti-air fire until they reach soft targets in the event of a Russian civil war.
Camden White
It's the first attempt to build a bomber that is both supersonic AND stealthy.
A remarkable feat........if it works.
Russia always has trouble turning their grand ideas into real systems because their economy is eternally shit.
Ethan Ramirez
>stealth is obsolete >stealth doesn't work anymore >low frequency radar beats stealth >..... >dumps money into building a vapor-ware stealth bomber
A NU CHEEKI BREEKI
Grayson Torres
>will replace the Bear
Bullshit, those damn things will still be flying as the sun begins to turn into a red giant.
Brody Cooper
>Russia willfully violating the outer space treaty Putin found out that America has secretly placed nukes in space from clintons emails didn't he? An SAP like that is the only reason he would have the balls to do this
Gabriel Cox
>In its hypersonic version, PAK DA will be capable of launching nuclear weapons from space and can reach any part of the globe in one or two hours Sorry chinks but this is complete and utter bullshit Not even skylon (which is a flying fuel tank) would be able to do all that
Matthew Young
It's actually not a violation of the treaty.
Even if the bomber flies through space, it isn't pre-positioned in space.
The treaty bans nukes from being pre-positioned in space.
But sending a nuke through space to reach the target is still okay.
Jace Lewis
there is no good reason to put nukes in space
they are literally easier to shoot down that way compared to when launched on a ballistic missile
Tyler Ross
You're so smart :^)
Putin should hire you instead of his legions of PhD engineers and aviation specialists, coupled with droves of military experts, and extremely intelligent advisors of all sorts :^)
Excellent post m8 :^)
Leo Adams
>Information about Skylon says that it's non-existent so far
So, we're comparing non existence to non existence?
John Morales
What makes them think China will invest after India bailed on the project. It will literally never happen. Lost cause.
Xavier Perez
They're not actually putting nukes in space.
It's just that the bomber's hypersonic version will fly so high that it will technically be in space but not really.
Like the X-15. The X-15 flew so high that the people who flew it were technically considered astronauts. That's actually how Neil Armstrong became an astronaut, before he went to the moon.
Anyway, I wouldn't be overly worried. This is technically possible, but it would be an extremely expensive project that I doubt Russia could afford to finish. Hence why they're trying to get China to pay the bills.
Carson Fisher
>Why is Putin so desperate to build this shit?
Because that's precisely how the Axis lost
Hitler wanted his own sub-orbital nuclear Horten jet hybrid and lost only because developement halted a few weeks before Allies broke through
James Morales
Skylon will/would use an engine that hasn't been built yet, and it is just barely able to do what this thing is claiming to be able to do, plus a hefty payload of hypersonic missiles
>So, we're comparing non existence to non existence? >Pak-Da >existing tell me another fairy tale grandpa
there is absolutely no way this thing will go even suborbital air breathing engines simply cannot do that
Gabriel Barnes
You mean the legions of PhD engineers that think it's a good idea to build a stealth space plane even though Russia stronk shills spam "stealth is obsolete stupid American pig" all day and wax ecstatic over how Russian anti-aircraft missiles have supposedly nullified stealth air-power?
Jack Bailey
Anything above 100 km is considered outer space. The X-15 could go that high. If the USA could do it in the 1960's, then there is no reason why Russia would not be able to do it today with modern engines.
Except for the money problem of course. Like I said, the project is scientifically feasible but it is too expensive for Russia.
Jaxson Bell
The X-15 used a liquid propellent rocket engine, the Pak Pa uses jet engines
They are not comparable craft
Connor Hughes
I don't see any air intakes. Do you?
Lincoln Jones
See the image in OP?.. Look at the bottom of the air craft.
Who gives a shit? Russians can only make second rate copies of US tech and China can't make anything that stands up to wear and tear This means absolutely nothing past Russia running out of this to apend money on before that faggot Putin no longer has an excuse to ignore his neglect of the people
Ryder Collins
It's ugly as fuck
Aaron Cruz
That thing is literally a starfighter.
also, picture related was once mounted on a russian space station and fired. it's 50mm and can hit two miles away (in space of course)
Jeremiah Kelly
>It's the first attempt to build a bomber that is both supersonic AND stealthy. Are all Russiboos this ignorant?
Nathan Bailey
Great, another plane that will be scrapped before production. >PAK-FA
Nolan Sullivan
What is the point of even building a hypersonic bomber? Why not just use a scramjet or rocket powered missile?
Carter Watson
By the time we hear about shit like this it already exists or was scrapped 2 years before info even was made public about it being an idea How do you not kown the purpose of Area-51?
Jonathan Cooper
looks like a X33 rip off.
Leo Hall
Ballistic missiles fly through space, dipshit.
Samuel King
You keep bombers on regular patrols off the radar, constantly ready to drop their payload without being detected beforehand.
Cooper Parker
harder to shoot down
there is a vast difference between suborbital ballistic missiles and on-orbit storage of nuclear weapons
Cooper Hill
They never leave our gravitational pull Fuck anyone who thinks you're in space just because you broke through atmosphere
Carter Gonzalez
what's to stop it from hitting 3 miles away, or 3000000000?
David Adams
If you're above 100km you're in space. Sub-orbital still counts.
Easton Martin
...
Christopher Scott
By your reasoning objects in orbit aren't in space. How can you be this retarded?
Gabriel Price
Are you trolling or are you an actual fucking retard?
Joseph Reyes
Earth curvature actually, the bullet is bound to get lost in space at some point. It's a straight line of fire but you and your target are sniping around the globe, so it's maximum range for accuracy is 2 miles, beyond that, to quote mass effect; Somewhere, someday, you're going to ruin someone's day a thousand light years from here.
Connor Butler
we spacewar soon bois
Jeremiah Martin
So you're only in space if you're out of Earth's gravitational pull?
So the Moon isn't in space?
>American edukayshon
William Russell
>Russia >Da
Isaac Ramirez
source?
John White
>Putin found out that America has secretly placed nukes in space from clintons emails didn't he? >there is no good reason to put nukes in space It's kinetic superweapons. The only way to defeat such a weapon is to destroy the platform before it could deploy its payload, which will obliterate anything (even underground facilities) in minutes.
Asher Rivera
>Japan posing about giant Russian bomber
Jaxson Lee
Russia barely has money for PAK-FA let alone PAK-DA
Hunter Carter
He is just that dumb.
Ethan Mitchell
>russia is so poor they cant even invest in their own military r&d sad
Ethan Lewis
PAK-anything will never see the light of day.
Carry on everyone.
Jose Fisher
russia here russia have bad time yet russia plans to invent a teleport in 2030s
