Su-30 MKI

[venom]

IAF presses HAL for more Sukhois

New Delhi:Keen to deploy its most potent fighter jets at strategic airbases on both the eastern and western fronts, IAF has asked Hindustan
Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) to step up the production rate of the Russian-origin Sukhoi-30MKIs.

IAF till now has inducted 98 of the 230 twin-engine Sukhois contracted from Russia, with HAL tasked to manufacture 140 of them under transfer of technology, under three deals worth a total of around $8.5 billion. IAF wants HAL to step up the production rate from the current 14 to at least 18 Sukhois per year, as also "not bunch them towards the end of the year", said a senior officer.

Apart from the initial figure of 140 Sukhois, HAL will also be assembling 40 more of these "air dominance" fighters, the procurement of which was fast-tracked through the last $1.6-billion contract.

"The first lot of these 40 Sukhois should begin to roll out from 2011 onwards," said the officer. Defence minister A K Antony, on his part, contends India will have a fleet of 230 Sukhois by 2015.

IAF, however, may be forced to go in for another deal for the ‘heavy’ category Sukhois if the gigantic $10.4-billion project to acquire 126 new ‘medium’ multi-role fighter aircraft and the proposed induction of seven squadrons (18 jets each) of the indigenous ‘‘light-weight’’ Tejas Light Combat Aircraft are ‘‘delayed beyond a reasonable timeframe’’.

The slow pace of deliveries from HAL has meant that the first of the two Sukhoi squadrons earmarked for Tezpur (Assam) in the eastern sector will only be fully operational by early-2010. Four Sukhois were based in Tezpur in mid-June as part of the overall strategy to bolster military capabilities along the 4,057-km Line of Actual Control to counter China’s build-up of military infrastructure in Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and south China.

Incidentally, IAF has identified Chabua (Assam), Halwara (Punjab) and Jodhpur (Rajasthan) as the new airbases to house the Sukhois as they come in. It already has Sukhoi bases in Pune and Bareilly, with the former also housing a dedicated training squadron for rookie pilots.

‘‘But with Sukhois not available in required numbers, training and flying operations are obviously being adversely impacted,’’ said the officer. Fresh inductions are also crucial because IAF is grappling with a sharp dip in the number of its fighter squadrons, down to just 32 from its ‘‘sanctioned strength’’ of 39.5.

IAF, of course, having already inked a Rs 3,840-crore deal with Russia to upgrade its 69 MiG-29s by 2011, is looking to sign a Rs 10,000-crore contract with France for a similar package for its 51 Mirage-2000s to enhance its combat potential.

"While a Sukhoi-30MKI, capable of simultaneously operating as a bomber and an interceptor, can be loosely said to be equal to three MiG-21s, numbers do matter at the end of the day,’’ said another officer. "We will only start feeling good as a force around 2015 and achieve 39.5 squadrons by 2017 or so. We would like 42 squadrons by 2022," he added.

IAF presses HAL for more Sukhois - India - NEWS - The Times of India

 

[natarajan]

WE need ateast
300 sukhois
200 lca
200 mca
200 mrca
200 pakfa
at 2030

 

[pppppppp]

I feel instead of having more numbers, it would be good to have a small number of potent aircrafts which can take one to many... (Force multipliers).

 

[natarajan]

we need atleast 1000 fighters to combat in both west and east

 

[amitkriit]

British AF operates lesser number of combat aircrafts compared to Indian AF, still it is un-disputedly superior to us, due to better technology. We must shift our focus from numbers (quantity) to quality. This will serve two purposes:
a) Easy maintenance of slim (and qualititavely superior) asset
b) Diversification of assets (deployment of diverse platforms [by role])
c) Better utilization of funds for procurement
d) More investment into R&D

MKI is a great fighter by strature, but by looking at the way USAF & PAF are going with their induction program, I really doubt if they consider SU-30s as a serious threat. We must have had tested SU-30MKI during kargil wars to prove their battle worthiness.

 

[SATISH]

Quantity has its own quality. People forget that...I am not saying we must have only quality...we must also have some quantity to keep flying.

 

[I-G]

Poor infra mars Sukhoi deployment in Tezpur

Updated on Thursday, July 30, 2009, 13:38 IST

New Delhi: India's plans to bolster its military strength along the border with China by deploying its potent Sukhoi fighter jets in Tezpur have been badly hit due to poor infrastructure at the front line airbase.


"Tezpur's infrastructure is inadequate to deploy and operate the heavier Su-30MKIs. The infrastructure development plan for the airbase in Assam is awaiting a nod from the Cabinet Committee on Security," a top IAF officer told here today.

The plan includes strengthening the tarmac of the airbase, which had till recently operated only MiG-21 variants, so that it can handle the Russian-origin Sukhoi air superiority multi-role fighters, the officer said.

India had on June 15 formally inducted four Su-30MKIs in Tezpur in anticipation of having a full squadron of 18 Sukhois at the airbase this year.

But now the plans have been postponed till mid 2010, when the infrastructure project would be completed, the officer said, adding the full squadron currently based in Lohegaon near Pune will move to Tezpur only then.

The slow delivery of SU-30MKIs by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has also contributed to the delay in deploying the squadron in Tezpur.


Sukhoi deployment in Tezpur hit by inadequate infrastructure

 

[Arahan]

internal weapons bay on SU-30MKI

 

[natarajan]

how many stealthy ones we have??
we must :d_training: atleast 100 out of 300

 

[John]

internal weapons bay on SU-30MKI

It doesn't look like the MKI rather it looks like a modified su-35, mki wont get internal bays. It would require a lot of expensive and time consuming modifications to the jet for one taking out the canards which are a gr8 reason for its super maneuverability. The final version of MKI will have AESA, lighter airframe, enhanced aerial performance, range, probably smart skin, strengthened under carriage and possibly strengthened wings for the brahmos depends on how many the IAF expects the aircraft to carry in a single sortie and thats as far as it goes.

 

[venom]

It doesn't look like the MKI rather it looks like a modified su-35, mki wont get internal bays. It would require a lot of expensive and time consuming modifications to the jet for one taking out the canards which are a gr8 reason for its super maneuverability. The final version of MKI will have AESA, lighter airframe, enhanced aerial performance, range, probably smart skin, strengthened under carriage and possibly strengthened wings for the brahmos depends on how many the IAF expects the aircraft to carry in a single sortie and thats as far as it goes.

John is right
Su-30 is a very good fighter but it has it limitations like every other fighter.
It will never have internal weapons bay in its lifetime.Its just a speculation.

 

[SATISH]

internal weapons bay on SU-30MKI

I dont see canards...so most probably a Su 35/ Su30 MKK/ J11B/ Su 27

 

[John]

I dont see canards...so most probably a Su 35/ Su30 MKK/ J11B/ Su 27

Its certainly not the J-11B, the Chinese have nothing like this. This is Russian and looks like a modified su-35/27.

 

[venom]

Poor network hits Sukhoi deployment

NEW DELHI, July 30 – India’s plans to bolster its military strength along the border with China by deploying its potent Sukhoi fighter jets in Tezpur have been badly hit due to poor infrastructure at the front line airbase, reports PTI. “Tezpur’s infrastructure is inadequate to deploy and operate the heavier Su-30MKIs. The infrastructure development plan for the airbase in Assam is awaiting a nod from the Cabinet Committee on Security,” a top IAF officer told PTI here today.

The plan includes strengthening the tarmac of the airbase, which had till recently operated only MiG-21 variants, so that it can handle the Russian-origin Sukhoi air superiority multi-role fighters, the officer said.

India had on June 15 formally inducted four Su-30MKIs in Tezpur in anticipation of having a full squadron of 18 Sukhois at the airbase this year.

But now the plans have been postponed till mid 2010, when the infrastructure project would be completed, the officer said, adding the full squadron currently based in Lohegaon near Pune will move to Tezpur only then.

The slow delivery of SU-30MKIs by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has also contributed to the delay in deploying the squadron in Tezpur.

The IAF officer said the Air Force had two years ago asked HAL to increase Sukhoi’s rate of production to 18 aircraft a year instead of the then rate of 14 aircraft.

The IAF is showing urgency in the matter as it plans to have new Sukhoi bases in the east and north of the country. It has identified Chabua in Assam, Halwara in Punjab and Jodhpur in Rajasthan as the new airbases to operate Sukhois from 2010.

At present, the IAF has five Sukhoi squadrons in two Sukhoi bases in Lohegaon, which is the home base for the aircraft where all squadrons are raised and rookie pilots are trained, and Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh.

The IAF currently has about 100 Sukhois in its fleet out of the 230 that it contracted from Russia for USD 8.5 billion, under which 140 of the aircraft would be manufactured by HAL through technology transfer.

HAL would also produce 40 more of these fighters under a fast-track procurement order for USD 1.6 billion placed two years ago. The first of these 40 Sukhois would roll out from 2011, the officer said.

Defence Minister A K Antony had recently informed Parliament that IAF would have a 230-strong fleet of Sukhois by 2015.

http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/details.asp?id=jul3109/at04v

 

[venom]

Why the F-22 is needed - Su-30MK Beats F-15C Every Time

Obama, John McCain and a Leftist-controlled Congress all took glee in killing the urgently-needed F-22 Raptor fighter program. This means the US will have to defend any airspace using aging F-15’s F-16’s or F/A-18’s.


How very dangerous this is was omitted from the discussion.


Any tactician can get an idea of what will happen in real warfare by the results of military exercises. A set of exercises that pitted the aging F-15 to some of modern Russian jets, not even the top of the line models, mind you, but the slightly dumbed-down export models revealed serious weaknesses in the F-15, versus the new, highly maneuverable Russian Fighters.


The US went to India, which was equipped with a mixed bag of THREAT aircraft, to include the Sukoi Su-30MK. In mock air combat, our fighters were often destroyed by the Russian aircraft:


The Russian-built Sukhoi Su-30MK, the high-performance fighter being exported to India and China, consistently beat the F-15C in classified simulations, say U.S. Air Force and aerospace industry officials.


In certain circumstances, the Su-30 can use its maneuverability, enhanced by thrust-vectoring nozzles, and speed to fool the F-15’s radar, fire two missiles and escape before the U.S. fighter can adequately respond. This is according to Air Force officials who have seen the results of extensive studies of multi-aircraft engagements conducted in a complex of 360-deg. simulation domes at Boeing’s St. Louis facilities.


“The Su-30 tactic and the success of its escape maneuver permit the second, close-in shot, in case the BVR [beyond-visual-range] shot missed,” an Air Force official said. Air Force analysts believe U.S. electronic warfare techniques are adequate to spoof the missile’s radar. “That [second shot] is what causes concern to the F-15 community,” he said. “Now, the Su-30 pilot is assured two shots plus an effective escape, which greatly increases the total engagement [kill percentage].”


THE SCENARIO in which the Su-30 “always” beats the F-15 involves the Sukhoi taking a shot with a BVR missile (like the AA-12 Adder) and then “turning into the clutter notch of the F-15’s radar,” the Air Force official said. Getting into the clutter notch where the Doppler radar is ineffective involves making a descending, right-angle turn to drop below the approaching F-15 while reducing the Su-30’s relative forward speed close to zero. This is a 20-year-old air combat tactic, but the Russian fighter’s maneuverability, ability to dump speed quickly and then rapidly regain acceleration allow it to execute the tactic with great effectiveness, observers said.


If the maneuver is flown correctly, the Su-30 is invisible to the F-15’s Doppler radar—which depends on movement of its targets—until the U.S. fighter gets to within range of the AA-11 Archer infrared missile. The AA-11 has a high-off-boresight capability and is used in combination with a helmet-mounted sight and a modern high-speed processor that rapidly spits out the target solution.

Positioned below the F-15, the Su-30 then uses its passive infrared sensor to frame the U.S. fighter against the sky with no background clutter. The Russian fighter then takes its second shot, this time with the IR missile, and accelerates out of danger.


“It works in the simulator every time,” the Air Force official said. However, he did point out that U.S. pilots are flying both aircraft in the tests. Few countries maintain a pilot corps with the air-to-air combat skills needed to fly these scenarios, said an aerospace industry official involved in stealth fighter programs.


Those skeptical of the experiments say they’re being used to justify the new Aim-9X high-off-boresight, short-range missile and its helmet-mounted cuing system, the F-22 as an air superiority fighter and, possibly, the development of a new long-range air-to-air missile that could match the F-22 radar’s ability to find targets at around 120 mi. They contend that the Su-30MK can only get its BVR missile shot off first against a large radar target like the F-15. While it’s true that the Su-30 MK would not succeed against the stealthy F-22 or F-35, neither would it regularly beat the nonstealthy (but relatively small radar cross section) F-16 or F/A-18E/F, they said. These analysts don’t deny the F-22’s value as an air-to-air fighter, but say the aircraft’s actual operational value will be greatest in the penetrating strike, air defense suppression and electronic jamming roles.


At the same time, there may be more to the simulations than justifying new weaponry, say European analysts. Also at play are some tactical wrinkles being developed for the more effective use of new Russian missile versions.



The simulations were reflected in mock air combat with India in Exercise Cope India 04


What we've seen in the last two weeks is, the IAF can stand toe-to-toe with best AF in the world.


And what gave the Indian Air Force the competitive edge needed to best American pilots, driving the F-15C? The Sukhoi Su-30 of course.

The aircraft is a modernized version of the Su-27UB and has several variants. The Su-30K and Su-30MK series have had commercial success. The variants are manufactured by competing organizations: KnAAPO and the IRKUT Corporation, both of which come under the Sukhoi group’s umbrella. KnAAPO manufactures the Su-30MKK and the Su-30MK2, which were designed for and sold to China and later Indonesia. Irkut makes the long-range, multirole Su-30MK series. The series includes the Su-30MKI developed for the Indian Air Force and its derivatives, the MKM, MKA and MKV for Malaysia, Algeria and Venezuela respectively.

Why the F-22 is needed - Su-30MK Beats F-15C Every Time | KXNet.com North Dakota News

 

[natarajan]

we might have tested it in kargil but we missed that chance

 

[Dark Sorrow]

we might have tested it in kargil but we missed that chance

No mate we would not have MKI in kargil even it was ready and tested. We would have use M2k only because delta wing aircraft offer more stability at high altitude compaired to an aerodynamically unstable plane. In precision strike(bombing), the stability of plane is most important aspect.
IAF also prefers Paveway series compaired to KAB series.
Even today if kargil is fought IAF will M2K istead MKI for precision strikes. MKI could be used for escort duty.

 

[SATISH]

We couldnt have tested the Sukhoi in Kargil because the major factor is the first Su 30 arrived into India only in late 1999.

 

[Gladiator]

Total indigenisation of Sukhoi Su-30MKI next year: HAL

Total indigenisation of Sukhoi next year: HAL​

Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW: The first fully indigenous Su-30MKI fighter plane will roll off Indian assembly lines in 2010, a top executive at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited said on Wednesday.

“Next year, HAL will achieve 100 per cent indigenisation of the Sukhoi aircraft — from the production of raw materials to the final plane assembly,” V. Balakrishnan, general manager, Aircraft Manufacturing Division, told The Hindu here.

A five-member HAL delegation is taking part in MAKS-2009, Russia’s international air show now under way here.

Out of the 230 Su-30MKI air superiority multirole fighters the Indian Air Force plans to induct by 2015, 140 aircraft are to be built in India. License production began in 2004, with the first planes assembled from knockdown kits supplied by Russia. The programme provided for a gradual increase in the number of parts and components produced locally.

Last year, HAL mastered the manufacture of the wing and the tail. This year, it started producing the fuselage and raw materials, Mr. Balakrishnan said. The final and most challenging phase involved the indigenous manufacture of the engine.

“We’re currently testing the locally produced engine for the Su-30MKI and are planning to launch its production in 2010.” HAL would manufacture 60 Su-30MKI fighters in the full production cycle till 2015, he said.

India also plans to sign an inter-governmental agreement (IGA) with Russia for supply of HAL-manufactured Sukhoi airframes for third countries. It is already supplying some avionics equipment for Sukhoi aircraft Russia is building for third countries.

Later this year, India and Russia would sign a design accord for a fifth generation fighter aircraft they agreed to build jointly in 2007. India would be responsible for the manufacture of composite-material parts of the airframe, avionics and software packages, Mr. Balakrishnan said.

The Russian single-seat version of the fifth generation fighter plane is expected to make its maiden flight in the coming winter. India will induct a twin-seat version.

The Hindu : National : Total indigenisation of Sukhoi next year: HAL

-------------------------------​

omg! What a power packed report! Awesome news!

 

[Gladiator]

Total indigenisation of Sukhoi next year: HAL

Total indigenisation of Sukhoi next year: HAL​

Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW: The first fully indigenous Su-30MKI fighter plane will roll off Indian assembly lines in 2010, a top executive at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited said on Wednesday.

“Next year, HAL will achieve 100 per cent indigenisation of the Sukhoi aircraft — from the production of raw materials to the final plane assembly,” V. Balakrishnan, general manager, Aircraft Manufacturing Division, told The Hindu here.

A five-member HAL delegation is taking part in MAKS-2009, Russia’s international air show now under way here.

Out of the 230 Su-30MKI air superiority multirole fighters the Indian Air Force plans to induct by 2015, 140 aircraft are to be built in India. License production began in 2004, with the first planes assembled from knockdown kits supplied by Russia. The programme provided for a gradual increase in the number of parts and components produced locally.

Last year, HAL mastered the manufacture of the wing and the tail. This year, it started producing the fuselage and raw materials, Mr. Balakrishnan said. The final and most challenging phase involved the indigenous manufacture of the engine.

“We’re currently testing the locally produced engine for the Su-30MKI and are planning to launch its production in 2010.” HAL would manufacture 60 Su-30MKI fighters in the full production cycle till 2015, he said.

India also plans to sign an inter-governmental agreement (IGA) with Russia for supply of HAL-manufactured Sukhoi airframes for third countries. It is already supplying some avionics equipment for Sukhoi aircraft Russia is building for third countries.

Later this year, India and Russia would sign a design accord for a fifth generation fighter aircraft they agreed to build jointly in 2007. India would be responsible for the manufacture of composite-material parts of the airframe, avionics and software packages, Mr. Balakrishnan said.

The Russian single-seat version of the fifth generation fighter plane is expected to make its maiden flight in the coming winter. India will induct a twin-seat version.

The Hindu : National : Total indigenisation of Sukhoi next year: HAL

-------------------------------​

omg! What a power packed report! Awesome news!