Sukhoi Su-30MKI
- Thread starter Ashwin
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@Innominate often posts a video by USN fighter pilot 'Gonky' where Hornet gets a gun kill on Su-30MKM of RMAF. But he often ignores the fact that Gonky said in that video that MKM thrashed Hornet multiple times before too but he didn't record it. He also said that MKM is the toughest dogfighter other than F-22 that he had ever faced.
Now he has posted a video of his toughest 5 opponents where he puts MKM above all USAF/USN current fighters at no. 3 as a dogfighter. But the real interesting thing is what he said @9:42:
@randomradio @vstol Jockey @Hydra
He called MKM the toughest BVR fighter that he had ever faced @9:52 onwards. Our MKI is literally same as MKM(sans UV MAWS), if not most advanced. It tells us how awesome the plane still is in BVR. With upgrade......
Now he has posted a video of his toughest 5 opponents where he puts MKM above all USAF/USN current fighters at no. 3 as a dogfighter. But the real interesting thing is what he said @9:42:
@randomradio @vstol Jockey @Hydra
He called MKM the toughest BVR fighter that he had ever faced @9:52 onwards. Our MKI is literally same as MKM(sans UV MAWS), if not most advanced. It tells us how awesome the plane still is in BVR. With upgrade......
Yeah he said toughest he's ever fought "EXCLUDING some of the navy stuff I did." You like to pick and choose certain words from his interview to some hope points doncha? Lol.
Btw he was flying USN F-18C not the F-18E with AESA. USMC F-18C's were the ones with GaN AESA and in BVR Flanker would be a piece a cake.
Mah bad, I seem to have skipped that part when listening, probably got distracted. Thanks for the reminder.
The IAF pilots have said AESA-equipped American jets are superior in BVR to the MKI. So it's cool. Plus whenever India and America exercise, we simulate a missile that's inferior to the AMRAAM, so the AESA shines even more because any real weapons advantage has disappeared.
Where did they say that?
Astra 1 has similar range to AIM-120C5 as per Bhadauria sir. R-77 clearly has less range. But if they simulate AIM-120D then MKI is clearly outgunned. No two ways about it.
Don't remember. It's just the AESA advantage.
They simulate a fictional missile, something that doesn't exist. Had we operated the AIM-120, we would have simulated that. With the French, we simulate the MICA.
@randomradio
If you remember, we had a discussion about manoeuvrability of Su-30SM/MKI vs Su-35S. I made a point that MKI can hold high alpha better/longer than Su-35S.
Now here is a very interesting video from LIMA 2023 comparing high-alpha of both MKM and Su-35 during the exact same maneuver. As we can see, MKM holds high-alpha for much longer and much slower too.
Here is the video:
If you remember, we had a discussion about manoeuvrability of Su-30SM/MKI vs Su-35S. I made a point that MKI can hold high alpha better/longer than Su-35S.
Now here is a very interesting video from LIMA 2023 comparing high-alpha of both MKM and Su-35 during the exact same maneuver. As we can see, MKM holds high-alpha for much longer and much slower too.
Here is the video:
As per Sergei Bogdan, Sukhoi's chief test pilot, the agility of the Su-35S is far superior to the SM/MKI.
Because of better thrust. Don't think in terms of nose pointing or sheer maneuverability it's that much ahead. The enlarged LERX along with canards do the magic for MKI.
Yes, its FCS is more advance. Su-30SM2 will have same or even more advance(Su-57 derived) FCS and engines. I think it will exceed Su-35S in every way except RCS(marginally more) and top speed(because of twin seat and canard induced drag).
Let's see whether IAF goes for an engine change in our bird or not!
HVT said engine change won't happen.
We just ordered for 250 more engines from HAL..
GE engine make in India for indigenous fighters..
Still believe new type of engine we are going to swap in Su30 Upgrade?
Check the Prasar Bharti article I posted few pages back. It gives us a roadmap of the upgrade plan. It does talk about engine upgrade to FGFA?? level.
In my opinion, to tackle future VLO threats head-on, MKI needs all CNT skin body, new engines with radar blockers and External Weapons Bay/Pod between the two engines. With that we can cut the RCS pretty damn low and if VLO jets can't detect MKI on their radar above 100kms then it gives MKI a chance to detect/track them on its QWIP IRST. So, it'll have a fighting chance(against VLO jets) with the above upgrades. Bear in mind that the IRST we're developing will have very long range and AI enabled search/track/cueing algorithms. So, it will be a specific VLO hunter in an all passive way.
A Su-30 has a life span of 6000 hours, assuming 250 hours a year, which means the earliest Su-30 have reached the end of their life, By the time India's own UTTAM is developed, at least 30-40% of the aircraft will be scrapped，Your upgrade is basically impossible, it doesn't make any sense,
In an ideal condition, the early MKIs should have been retired by 2027. But since we're already short on fight numbers, IAF has decided to extend their life by another 10 years. So the early MKIs would start seeing retirement from 2037 onwards. Check this link: https://www.google.com/amp/s/m.trib...0-mki-fighter-jets-from-25-to-35-years-439010
And we're not looking to upgrade all MKIs. At max only 150 would be majorly upgraded, rest will see mild upgrades until they're retired.
Another imaginary article. There is no roadmap as of now to upgrade AL-31.
Planned upgrade is of overall electronics and radar for 84 airframes.
Maybe you're right or maybe this article is correct: https://newsonair.com/2023/01/26/ai...or-4-billion-dollar-to-increase-its-capacity/
Everything is still a speculation until IAF or HAL offers an official statememt(or contract) regarding the same.
Im telling you it’s wrong what i have seen so far. There are only handful of real journalists with credible sources.
Upgrade of 84 is not speculative, you can check last air chief press conference.