Sukhoi Su-30MKI
- Thread starter Ashwin
- Start date
So what I posted about indigenisation of SAP-518/14 pods now has started to make perfect sense. We are going to indigenise these pods so that they communicate with our Digital RWR in a much coherent matter.
Also one point to note is this next gen digital RWR is effective in interception of wide frequency range from 1 GHz to 40 GHz, OMG...Absolutely awesome.
Dhruti was DR118 which means between 1GHz to 18GHz. So this is the next gen of Dhruti RWR.
Also one thing I noted in the image posted was Exciter/Receiver Unit! Hmm... so does it mean MKI will feature some sort of internal jamming too @randomradio @vstol Jockey
On further closer inspection of the above image looks like we are going to swap SAP-518 with our HBJ and the current R118 SPU with this next gen DR140 digital RWR.
While our SPJ is conspicuously missing here?? Looks like we'll continue with SAP-14 for the time being.
While our SPJ is conspicuously missing here?? Looks like we'll continue with SAP-14 for the time being.
Yes, I realized my mistake later and duly corrected in the next post
Anyways, this EW suite is specifically designed to defeat modern AESA LPI radars and AESA missile seekers. MKI's survivability in a dense environment would take a quantum leap with this, IMO.
Saw a YT defence channel sometime back backing up your claims of a brand new FCS for MKI . Apparently a Bangalore based firm is undertaking this replacing the motherboard & PCBs to effect a change in the FCS for better data acquisition. No mention about replacing the skin with carbon composites.Yes, I realized my mistake later and duly corrected in the next post
Anyways, this EW suite is specifically designed to defeat modern AESA LPI radars and AESA missile seekers. MKI's survivability in a dense environment would take a quantum leap with this, IMO.
I don't claim anything until I've got enough evidence of the same even though people here have tagged me as RO 2, lol
The carbon composite skin is the latest update. So far it is just a rumour, but since it was always imagined ever since MKI program took shape as proved by the PKS article I posted, I think it could be a serious rumour.
We're also increasing the service life of MKI by 10 years, total upto 35 years from 25 years. That tells you how important MKI is deemed by our AF.
On the contrary, USAF wants to retire their entire F-22 as soon as NGAD comes online.
Apart from limitations w.r.t upgrades I think a lot of it has to do with the maintenance part . It's bleeding their budgets heavily & if I'm not mistaken the mean down time between sorties is also on the higher side. To compound matters they're facing much the same problems with the Lightnings .
While once the great late Parrikar sir took office, our Su-30MKI's maintenance woes have remarkably reduced and IAF just loves its Super Flankers. Just look at the pride the pilots going to Japan showed upon flying this heavy-weight versatile fighter jet.
How do you know China has better sensors than US? Was any kind of benchmarking done between sensors from both countries? If we compare sensors developed for commercial applications, then China is years behind US.
Because, unlike civilians, the military have deeper pockets and skip generations.
The F-22 uses a radar developed in the 90s, the J-20 uses a radar developed in the 2010s. Radar generation is every 5 years. So the J-20 uses technologies from 3 or 4 generations after the F-22's radar was developed. The F-22 uses an old radar because its development stalled.
Also, civilian tech introduction is based on affordability relative to the market, whereas the military doesn't make their primary equipment at competitive rates for the market. It's all about technology and affordability that's relative to their pockets. I told you this long ago, militaries function like rich people.
To make it simpler, you look at the iPhone tech available and judge that a $1000 phone is what's affordable in the market, and you make technology based on that. Simply put, affordability is the criteria. Otoh, the military's like, "I can afford a $10,000 phone. So what experimental tech do you have that I can introduce in small numbers for $10,000? And I can accept a cost overrun up to $15,000". We shouldn't associate rich people problems with run-of-the-mill people like civilians.
So the J-20 uses technologies that are current gen from the perspective of the lab's peak capabilities, not the cheap stuff that's out in the civilian markets. Civilian market is at 5nm today, but labs are at 1nm. What's in the lab today is what gets put on the jet.
The F-22 came with a Gen 1 radar (est 250Km vs 1m2), then I believe the F-35 skipped a gen and got a Gen 3. Then the Americans made a Gen 4 (est 400Km vs 1m2), which was not funded, great job there. Dunno about Gen 4, but I think the first 3 gens are analog. Then came digital radars, perhaps Uttam Mk1 is one. Uttam Mk1 and Mk2 appear to be 2 generations apart, then there's Uttam Mk4, which is GaN. So, in India, we have GaN ready for testing today, or 3 generations of radars being developed simultaneously. So why can't the Chinese have GaN already operational on the J-20? That would be the worst case for everybody. Even if it's not, they are probably 4-5 generations ahead compared to the F-22 using GaAs already.
What's really bad (or good) about the Chinese is the things the West is doing over 10-15 years, they are doing it in 5. They are using money power to achieve it. The J-10A came out in 2009 with a standard MS radar, then came the J-10B in 2012 with a PESA followed by a J-10C in 2016 with AESA. Now we are in 2023, so you can imaging where they are by now. It's experimental technologies that matter, not the technologies lame-o civilians like us have access to on Amazon.
So, while the J-20 uses cutting edge technology of today, the F-22 is currently using technologies that were cutting edge 25 years ago. This is where the disparity arises.
The main consideration that drives the design of the primary ASF is the life and death of, not the pilot or the platform, but the country, and that determines how deep they can rummage in their pockets. The Chinese have the Americans beat in this area today.
Since superpowers don't export their peak level technologies, the only real world benchmark available is war.
F-22 is also getting MLU where they are improving its radar and other sensors. When it comes to AESA radars, don't think China or any other nation is anywhere close to the US. Hell, they have put GaN AESA radar in F/A-18 Hornet(APG-79(V)4).
China is no where close to US in avionics or engines. One area where they have made a breakthrough is IRST sensors. According to them they can track F-22 Raptor from over 100 kms. That is game changing, IMO.
China is no where close to US in avionics or engines. One area where they have made a breakthrough is IRST sensors. According to them they can track F-22 Raptor from over 100 kms. That is game changing, IMO.
An MLU'd jet counts only after it's complete and operational. If the Chinese decide to invade Taiwan this year or the next, maybe even the year after, the F-22 is going to have to fight with what it's got at the time.
The Americans definitely have a software advantage, and hopefully the AIM-260 will become available soon, or they will go to war without a proper BVR weapon.
The F-22 definitely has an airframe and engine advantage for now, so that's a plus.
Post-MLU, yeah, it will become modern and cutting edge too. Current timeline is 2026 to 2031 for the upgrades to deliver. Pretty much the same as the MKI MLU.
And there will be too many J-20s in a year or two. To make matters worse, even if the Chinese lose 300 J-20s for 100 F-22, the Chinese can replace their losses very quickly, the Americans cannot.
Hopefully no war happens, but the Chinese are lunatics.
Possibly. So that's 7W per TRM, 1500 TRMs. Or even 8 or 9W for 1200 TRMs.
@Picdelamirand-oil @vstol Jockey
That's the heat load meaning the amount of heat to be removed not the amount of electricity it'd consume .
It's given in KW, so i thought it's amount of heat generated by 10.5 kw rated radar..
Values for heat can be expressed in joules / kg , kilo cal or watts.