Combat Aircraft technology and Evolution

[p2prada]

A correction. Tejas 1700 Km range is its ferry range on internal fuel, not combat range.

I'd like to say that Gripen's Combat radius on external fuel is BS, pure and simple. Why? Because the aircraft has a ferry range of 3200 Km and a combat radius of 1550 km is just half of that figure. Which would imply pure air to air load and zero on station time.

An 800 km combat range on internal fuel would mean give or take two hours of endurance at 0.7 mach, which would be stretching it for a light fighter. That 800 km figure is also possibly with negligible on station time and air to air load. Where Gripen though does make the difference is carrying air to ground munitions where it's usable external payload capacity gives it an advantage over Tejas.

If Tejas can stay in the air for 40 minutes at 150 Km range, that's more than enough IMO.

 

[Twinblade]

If Tejas can stay in the air for 40 minutes at 150 Km range, that's more than enough IMO.

The range has been said to be just short of Mirage-2000 several times with similar combat load. Not that Mirage-2000's range is anything to write home about, largely due to M-53, but Tejas's role should fit seamlessly wherever Mirage-2000 was supposed to be used.

 

[ersakthivel]

What is the ferry range of grippen C with just internal fuel alone?

For tejas it was 1700 Km as mentioned by Chacko joseph in BR,

It will give a clear comparison of other specs,

tejas has better lift to drag ratio and higher TWr than mirage-2000

and the tech on GE-404 IN is far advanced and less fuel consuming than Mirage-2000's older tech engines,

So i see no reason why tejas can not have a comparable range to grippen C which has 300 Kg more empty weight and a bit lesser powered older design GE-404 engine,

with more interference and wave drag inducing frontal fuselage design compared to smoother stream lined front fuselage of tejas in subsonic flight which determine the range,

it landed with fair bit of fuel left in it's tanks for its weapon trials in jamnagar flying from bangalore leading to test pilot comments that it has an envious range for a small fighter and the ge-404 In only sips fuel.

Also with the f-16 Xl analogy I already posted (and never countered!!!!) many times the low wing loading cranked delta will always have an edge over higher wing loading plain or cropped delta wing forms of grippen C and JF-17.

Because eventhough the large wing area produces more skin friction drag, the other two components of drag wave and interference are substantially less for a smooth upper fuselage wing blended low wing loading cranked deltas like tejas.

So clean air plane drag is actually lower for such wing form negating the higher weight of the large wing area leading to lower TWR, because the effective thrust (engine thrust-thrust lost in countering drag) is more in cranked deltas.

if we add the large vortex generation effects of cranked delta there should not be any complaints on range.

 

[gadeshi]

Sukhoi DB IT units and FCS testing sites visiting:
Критерием истины является опыт. - ОКБ Сухой - настоящее и будущее.
Критерием истины является опыт. - За штурвалом Sukhoi Superjet 100.

 

[gadeshi]

Re: Sukhoi Su 30MKI

Different Su-30s:

 

[gadeshi]

Re: Sukhoi Su 30MKI

And more:

 

[gadeshi]

Advanced aviation Composites and parts from them now are produced in sufficien scales:
Aviation EXplorer: Композиты в помощь

 

[gadeshi]

Re: Sukhoi Su 30MKI

MKKs:

 

[gadeshi]

Re: Sukhoi Su 30MKI

More MKK-s and J-11-s:

J-10A with MKK behind them:

 

[shiphone]

Re: Sukhoi Su 30MKI

More MKK-s and J-11-s:

J-10A with MKK behind them:

in above #240 post... I'm afraid that they are J11(twin seater--Su27UBK) and J10A came from the No.3X,and No.4X fighter Divisions of ChengDu Military Region .None is MKK...and some J8FR Recon planes also could be spotted.

the difference is the top of 'vertical fin'

Flat= Su30MKK
Cropped=Su27UBK

BTW, these pix came from some news on the PLAAF's offcial site Today. it seems that the Russian forum is quite timely updated.

----------------
only in the #237 post...we could see the Su30MMK which comes from the 3rd Regiment of PLAAF Flight Test and Tactics center . this Regiment is a special unit to study the Air combact tactics for Heavy Twin-seat fighters.

this also came from the news about this regiment's first training day in 2014.

 

[gadeshi]

Re: Sukhoi Su 30MKI

J-16 (Su-30MKK2):

 

[gadeshi]

Learn financial reports to know the essence!
A we can see in these reports Раскрытие информации в сети Интернет, Pribor LLC has completed the initial projects on fire control systems for PAK DA and Okhotnik-B UCAV, as well as FCS improvements for PAK FA.

According to the same documents, Sukhoi and Tupolev has completed and delievered general initial projects for PAK DA and Okhotnik-B as well.

 

[rvjpheonix]

@gadeshi do you have info on the mig 1.44 program. I know its cancelled but always found the program intriguing.

 

[gadeshi]

@gadeshi do you have info on the mig 1.44 program. I know its cancelled but always found the program intriguing.

MiG 1.42 program has been cancelled in 90-s. That's all, nothing to say about it.
All the intrigues and rumors around it are inspired by MiG loosers and T-50 (and Putin and all Russian) haters to troll publicity and make some political noise and (if possible) a little money.
1.44 prototype will be restored and used as flying lab or aerodynamics testbed or will just be exposed in Monino VVS museum.

 

[shiphone]

Re: Sukhoi Su 30MKI

J-16 (Su-30MKK2):

it's a J11BS 2 seater trainer...

isn't this Su30MKI thread? why you put so many Su27UBK,J11BS and J16 here...

 

[gadeshi]

Re: Sukhoi Su 30MKI

@shiphone, because it isn't a separate theme for the other Su-30s.
Maybe, I'll start them or you can do it.

 

[cobra commando]

Boeing-Built Fighter Jets
Could Launch US Military
Satellites Into Space


Boeing-Built Fighter Jets Could Launch US Military Satellites Into Space | Space.com

 

[asianobserve]

I came across this interesting video on Super Hornet about its handling qualities in a demo with external fuel and weapons load:

 

[ersakthivel]

Stealth and counter-stealth on show at MAKS
Sep 2, 2013 Bill Sweetman | Aviation Week & Space Technology


While pursuing development of its own stealth fighter, Russia's defense industry is maturing counter-stealth radars. The Nizhny-Novgorod Research Institute (NNIIRT) brought the newest configuration of its multi-band 55Zh6ME radar complex, designed to support the Almaz-Antey S-400 Triumph surface-to-air missile system. It also used the show to unveil the new 55Zh6UME, a single-unit, dual-band system designed for customers with more modest needs and budgets.

The 55Zh6ME comprises three truck-mounted radar "modules," operating in metric (VHF), decametric (L) and centimetric (S) bands, all with active, electronically scanned array (AESA) radars. The VHF unit has an antenna area of 235 sq. meters (2,530 sq. ft.), carrying 168 VHF transmit-receive modules, and is claimed to be able to detect a target with a radar cross-section of 1 sq. meter at 510 km range and 30,000 meters altitude in jamming conditions. The radars can be deployed in 15 min., NNIIRT says.

The new 55Zh6UME has a smaller VHF array (with a 430-km range under the same conditions) with an L-band AESA trailer-mounted on the same structure, facing the opposite direction.
[NNIIRT's 55Zh6UME radar system combines two AESA radar antennas—VHF and L-band—operating back to back. The smaller antenna below the VHF array is an identification-friend-or-foe interrogator. (Credit: AW&ST /Bill Sweetman)]
NNIIRT's 55Zh6UME radar system combines two AESA radar antennas—VHF and L-band—operating back to back. The smaller antenna below the VHF array is an identification-friend-or-foe interrogator. (Credit: AW&ST /Bill Sweetman)

Stealth targets that claim radar cross section of less than 1 sq. meter do not achieve those numbers in the VHF band, according to NNIRT engineers. For instance, the Chinese Dongfeng-15 short-range ballistic missile has a 0.002-sq.-meter radar cross section in X-band, but is a 0.6-sq.-meter target in VHF, company officials tell Aviation Week. This is because radar waves are scattered by a "resonant" mechanism (rather than specular reflection, which stealth shaping is designed to manage) when the dimensions of the target, or its parts, are similar to the wavelength of the radar. They are not affected by shape or by surface coatings.

The S-400 and the 55Zh6ME are in service with the Russian armed forces, while the 55Zh6UME is now on offer for export.

 

[cobra commando]

Saurav Jha's Blog : Trends in combat jet sensors of relevance to the Indian Air Force's transformation