Sukhoi Su-30MKI...........
Sukhoi Su-30 MKI (NATO reporting name Flanker-H) is a variant of the Sukhoi Su-30, jointly-developed by Russia's Sukhoi Corporation and India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for the Indian Air Force. It is a heavy class, long-range, multi-role, air superiority fighter and strike fighter. The variant also consists of French, Israeli and Indian subsystems. The MKI variant is a much more advanced fighter jet than the basic K and MK variants and is considered a 4.5 generation aircraft. Due to similar features and components, the MKI variant is often considered to be an customized Indian variant of the Sukhoi Su-35. However, the Su-35 does not possess the Su-30MKI's Indian software tactical avionics suite
Improvements
1.Canard Foreplanes: Canards are installed to increase lifting effectiveness and enhance manoeuvrability of the aircraft, They are deflected automatically to ensure controllable flight at high angles-of-attack.
2.Thrust Vectoring Control (TVC): The 2D TVC makes an aircraft highly maneuverable. The aircraft is capable of near-zero airspeed at high angles of attack and dynamic aerobatics in negative speeds up to 200 km/h. Su-30MKI becomes the worlds first TVC equipped operational fighter aircraft. According to Jane's all the World's Aircraft, India has the option to upgrade the engine with AL-31FP, which employs fuel manipulation to provide a 3D TVC, resulting in greater maneuverability.
3.The N011-M Bars is the most powerful Russian radar on any exported fighter aircraft. It should be noted that N011-M Bars is different from the phased array radar. The phased array radar will make its debut by 2010, when the first totally-built Su-30MKI will roll out from HAL Nasik, it will be equipped with new, active phased-array airborne radar called the Irbis (Snow Leopard).
4.A multi-national avionics complex sourced from Russia, France, Israel and India which include Display, Navigation, Targeting and Electronic warfare systems.
5.The Su-30 MKI has a maximum range, with one in-flight refuelling, of 8000 km. The Su-30MK and Su-30MK-1 have a maximum range, with one in-flight refuelling, of 5200 km (35% less than MKI variant).
Aerodynamics
1.Su-30MKI aerodynamic configuration is an unstable longitudinal triplane. The canard increases the aircraft lifting ability and deflects automatically to allow high angle-of-attack (AoA) flights.
2.The integral aerodynamic configuration combined with thrust vectoring results in practically unlimited manoeuvrability and unique taking off and landing characteristics.
Cockpit instrumentation
The displays include an Elbit Su 967 head-up display and seven liquid crystal multifunction displays, six 127 mm x 127 mm and one 152 mm x 152 mm. The HUD was widely misreported to be the VEH 3000 from Thales. Variants of the same HUD have also been chosen for the IAF's MiG-27 and SEPECAT Jaguar upgrades, on grounds of standardisation. Flight information is displayed on four LCD displays which include one for piloting and navigation, a tactical situation indicator, and two for display systems information including operating modes and overall operation status. The rear cockpit is fitted with a larger monochromatic screen display for the air-to-surface missile guidance
Navigation
The aircraft is fitted with a satellite navigation system (A-737 GPS compatible), which permits it to make flights in all weathers; day and night. The navigation complex comprises high accuracy Sagem integrated global positioning system and ring laser gyroscope inertial navigation system.
Communication
The communications equipment comprises secure VHF and HF radio sets, a secured digital telecommunications system, and antenna-feeder assembly. It mounts a noise-proof target data exchange system, which provides for coordination of the actions of several fighter aircraft engaged in a group air combat. An automatic flight control system makes all phases of its flight automatic, including the combat employment of its weapons.
Radar
The forward facing NIIP N011M Bars (Panther) is a powerful integrated passive electronically scanned array radar. The N011M is a digital multi-mode dual frequency band radar.
Radar modes:
1.Air-to-Air : velocity search, range while search, track while scan, target ID, close combat modes.
2.Air-to-Surface : Real beam mapping, DBS mapping, SAR mapping, moving ground target selection, tracking and measuring of ground target coordinates.
3.Anti-shipping : Sea surface search, moving sea targets selection, tracking and measuring of sea target coordinates, sea target ID.
Targeting Pod
1.Israeli LITENING targeting pod will be used to target the laser guided munitions. Litening incorporates in a single pod all the targeting features required by a modern strike fighter.
2.The original pod included a 1st Generation FLIR, a TV camera, a flash-lamp powered laser designator, laser spot tracker for tracking target designated by other aircraft or from the ground, and an electro-optical point and inertial tracker, which enabled continuous engagement of the target even when the target is partly obscured by clouds or countermeasures.
3.The pod integrates the necessary laser rangefinder and designator, required for the delivery of Laser Guided Bombs, cluster and general purpose bombs.
