Dear
@randomradio, with due respect, I like you and I fully agree that you have more knowledge than me. You are also a senior member in Indian defence forum. So if you take my argument in a positive way, then I want to share some thing with you, and pls judge it, and then decide.
Its not the PowerPC, or some other Processor. MDPU means, say for Rafale 18 PowerPC housed in a single unit, which lowers the power consuption, space required, heat generation, and in case of upgrades or repair/maintainance the line replacable unit of MDPU unit could be swap in a few minute, rather to replace the whole Mission computer unit and would need a single power supply than the indivisula power supply units. You can even compare it with the
Blade Server in Computing in a layman term. Those 18 CPU works in parallel, making it 18 times more powerful than the single CPU operation naturally.
Earlier in your comment you mentioned UEWS and UREP. UEWS is the EW suite architecture developed by DARE. And its an artitecture not any single device to combine RWR, LWR, MAWS Graphic and various sensors and equipment to work in a system between Graphic computer, Mission computer, Weapon store management, connected with a standard. Similarly Spectra is a single word for the whole architecture of the RWR, LWR, MAWS, Internal Jammer, IRST and the software to combine them, and networked to each other, so that they could work in a cordination and provide the necessory information to the pilot in the real time commanly known as Sensor Fusion.
When we are discussion MDPU, I mean the processing power, something like super computing for the Mission computer, which can generate such processing power to manipulate, analyse the data in an airborne aircraft getting those
updates from various sources, whether its another aircraft, UAV, Tank or even a soldier on battlefield. And what you are comparing is the EW suite UEWS an architecture developed by DARE with the help of Israel and its more conceptual, and for that you don't need to develop any equipment, and could be designed with various sensors and equipment sourced from various OEMs.
That is why I consider Rafale and EF2000 as fifth Generation combat plane, and for SU-35 don't have much detail knowledge, but certainly could also be in that category. Gripen does not come close to these capabilities, could be fansy for many, but SAAB don't have such expertise to develop, nor it have such resource to feel positive in the future, the max it will outsource it from Eurofighter or Thales, but we have to developed it indigenous, not because of LCA or MKI but because of AMCA, and its not the hardware that is important, rather the
Algorithm which is the Key.
Why I am laying emphasis on this, because it will reduce the space required to house in much packed LCA, better maintainace and easy upgrade possible, and Sensor fussion. Couple of more technologies needs to be developed on the LCA MK-2 which will make way of the AMCA easy, such as Optical fibre based bus, rather than ethernet based, high speed 2 way tactical data link to connect UAVs and Smart Weapons and low heat signature Engine.
LCA MK-2 should be the test bed for the AMCA, and without such computational power, only a fanboy could chest thump, for the peculiar shaped, black Radar wave absorbent painted, so called 5th Fighter plane, but for me its just a 4th Gen plane and without powerplant a TIN CAN.
@Abingdonboy @dadeechi @MilSpec @PARIKRAMA