PREVIEW: Might In The Air: MAKS-2021 Showcases World's Best Aviation Tech In Moscow

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th July, 2021) The International Aviation and Space Salon MAKS-2021 opens on Tuesday outside Moscow to present the latest items of innovation in global aviation industry - from cutting-edge military planes to the newest observation satellites.

MAKS, one of the world's largest aviation shows, has been held biennially since 1993. It is hosted by the National Research Center "Zhukovsky Institute" 25 miles southeast from Moscow. The 2021 edition will run until July 25.

About 500 Russian and foreign corporations and companies are expected to participate in the air show, including Russia's state technology corporation Rostec, arms exporter Rosoboronexport, arms manufacturer Almaz-Antey, the Russian Helicopters, and several companies from the space industry.

According to the organizers, nearly 30 countries, including Russia's partners in the Eurasian Economic Union, have already confirmed their willingness to participate in the air show.

The air show, which is organized by Rostec and the Ministry of Industry and Trade, will be visited by top Russian and foreign officials and businesspeople. Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to attend the opening of the show.

The organizers are promising a number of brand new models at the event. This includes an aircraft with an electric engine from Rostec.

"This is the thing we were working on jointly with the Foundation for Advanced Research Projects � an electric plane based on the principles of superconductivity," Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov said ahead of the event.

In February, Russia started testing its prospective superconductive electric engine as part of a "flying laboratory" on a Yak-40 jet.

The APD-500 demonstrator engine has been installed on a Yak-18T plane and will also be showcased at MAKS-2021. The advanced engine has been created on the basis of the motor of Aurus, a Russian luxury car brand that aspires to challenge the leading companies in the international market.

Traditionally, the organizers present brand-new military aircraft at the show. This time is not an exception. Russia's United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), a subsidiary of Rostec, will present an entirely new military plane on the first day of the show.

Russia's Rosoboronexport will also present Il-112V military transport aircraft and Il-114-300 civil plane during the event.

"For Rosoboronexport, MAKS has been and remains the main platform for showing partners the best export samples of Russian aviation equipment and weapons, air defense and electronic warfare systems, including new products that no show in Zhukovsky can do without. We are going to present for the first time the Il-112V and Il-114-300 aircraft, the Ka-32A11M, Ansat-M, Mi-171A3 helicopters, as well as the S-350 Vityaz long-range anti-aircraft missile system," Rosoboronexport director general Alexander Mikheev said.

The MAKS event appears to be broadening its frontiers as the organizers put more space-related aircraft and tools on display. Roscosmos, in particular, will demonstrate a model of the newest observation satellite called "Resurs-PM." The model will be demonstrated on the stand of SRC Progress, a Russian spacecraft manufacturer managed by Roscosmos.

The satellite will make and update topographic maps of the Earth and monitor the pollution of the environment and emergency situations, among other things. It is capable of taking photos in visible and infrared diapasons. The satellite will replace its predecessor model, "Resurs-P."

Russian Scientific-Production Enterprise "Zvezda" promised to showcase a new prototype of advanced rescue spacesuits SOKOL-M, which is being developed for the crew of the Oryol (Orel) spacecraft. The spacesuit features new materials and length-adjustment devices for the arms, legs and torso, which makes them more wearable for people with various parameters.

Roscosmos will also demonstrate a model of Zeus, a nuclear-powered space tug designed for deep space flights from one orbit to another. The Zeus model was first exhibited at MAKS-2019. Three-dimensional graphics of its operation in space were shown at International Miltary-Technical Forum ARMY-2020.

The nuclear-propelled space tug is designed to fly to the moon and planets of the solar system, including for the purpose of searching for extraterrestrial life. All the scientific and research and development works on the project are called Nuklon.

The preliminary design draft of Zeus is scheduled to be finished by July 2024 and cost 4.2 billion rubles ($57 million), according to materials published on the platform for state procurement. The tug is planned to be first sent to space in 2030.