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Su-30MKI - Super Sukhoi Upgrade Program.

Chairman of Chennai-headquartered MRF Ltd K.M. Mammen handed over the indigenously developed MRF Aeromuscle Tyre for Air Force’s Sukhoi aircraft.

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HAL has been supplying Sukhoi-30 MKI fighters to the IAF. File photo

“The Request for Information (RFI) for selecting a new fighter aircraft is expected to be issued before the DefExpo in April. It will be an open tender and not limited to single-engine aircraft,” a defence official told The Hindu.

Final choice
Under the new deal, the IAF is looking for over 100 aircraft, and the official said that whether single- or twin-engine, the aircraft were equally competent and the final choice would depend on the extent of technology transfer and price.

Another reason for widening the tender is for the selection of a competent Indian partner. In anticipation of a single-engine tender, HAL had tied up with prospective Indian partners.

“The Indian SP partner has to be selected by the government through a competitive evaluation. So it is good to have a wider pool of both OEMs [original equipment manufacturer] and Indian partners to choose from,” the official said.

One defence official observed that procuring at least two more squadrons of Fifth generation Fighter jets would make economic, operational and logistical sense as India is spending €2 billion on IAF-specific customisations and 36 is too small a number.

“It makes logical sense and would save us money as the additional aircraft would cost less. But in the current political climate, it is not possible,” he said.
 
and the official said that whether single- or twin-engine, the aircraft were equally competent

What the ....?

Not uttered by someone familiar with fighters I take it.

On the air of "Feelings", -Rumours, hmmm hmmm mmm oh rumours..."

Good day to you, Tay.
 
Super Su-30MKI Has Taken Shape
All the essential enhancements reqd for transforming the existing Su-30MKI into the Super Su-30MKI are now ready for installation/systems integration on either existing Su-30MKIs or even new-build Su-30MKIs (about 80 of which are required).

Under development since 2009 by the DRDO-owned Defence Avionics Research establishment (DARE) and by the Russia-based JSC V Tikhomirov Scientific Research Institute of Instrument Design, the avionics enhancements will now have to undergo flight certification trials at the Russia-based State Federal Unitary Enterprise Gromov Flight Research Institute at Zhukovsky.


DARE has sinmce 2009 been developing various elements of the mission avionics suite, which include the following:






SAMTEL-HAL Display Systems has completed developing panoramic AMLCDs for installation on the tandem-seat cockpit.

JSC V Tikhomirov Scientific Research Institute of Instrument Design has already developed an X-band ASESA-MMR variant of the NO-11M Bars PESA-MMR that currently equips the Su-30MKI.



The X-band AESA-MMR will thus enable the Super Su-30MKI cockpit crew to perform interleaved operations concurrently.

The 101KS-V IRST sensor will be the same as that on the Su-56 MRCA.

The countermeasures dispensers will for the first time be able to launch chaff cartridges supplied by UK-based Chemring. Previously, only flare cartridges could be launched.

Also to be installed will be RAFAEL's BNET-AR SDR, which functions as both a communications radio, as well as an operational tactical data-link.

And finally, the propulsion system too will be enhanced, with the AL-31FP turbofans giving way to the AL-41F-1S from NPO Saturn.


In charge of overall systems integration will be the Russia-based FSUE State Scientific Research Institute of Aviation Systems, or GosNIIAS. Altogether, two flying prototypes will be subjected to about 200 hours of flight-tests, which if begun by this year-end, should be completed by late 2020.

The Super Su-30MKI airframe will also be flight-certified for flying terrain-hugging flight profiles (about 100 metres ASL), thanks to the terrain avoidance mode of operation of the AESA-MMR. Existing Su-30MKIs are not able to fly ultra low-level flight profiles since the NO-11M PESA-MMR does not have the terrain avoidance operating mode.
 
Right thread to post this...

IRKUTSK, February 26. /TASS/. The Sukhoi Su-30SM fighter jet will be standardized with the generation 4++ Su-35 fighter by its onboard equipment and armament to cut its cost price and breathe a new life into the plane, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov told journalists on Tuesday.

"After completing the work on the Su-30SM upgrade, changing the layout of the onboard radio-electronic equipment to make the Su-35 and the Su-30SM more standardized and thus cut the cost price, and standardizing the airborne weapon systems, this may breathe a new life into the plane," the vice-premier said.

The heavily upgraded Su-30SM plane may open a new niche for Russia in India, he noted.

"Considering that there are about 200 such planes in India [the Su-30MKI as the baseline version of the Su-30SM], an opportunity will probably open for modernizing this fleet to prolong its service life," the vice-premier explained.


Under Russia’s diversification program and amid the declining volume of the defense procurement plan, domestic defense enterprises should shift their focus towards life cycle maintenance and upgrade, Borisov noted.

‘It is necessary to move towards diversification and towards gaining foothold on the civil market. This is what we will have to do under the national project and as part of investment programs of our fuel and energy companies," the vice-premier said.

TASS reported in September 2018 that during their upgrade the Su-30SM fighters would also get AL-41F-1S engines mounted on the Su-35 planes. It was also reported in January 2019 that the trials of the modernized Su-30SM multirole fighter jets were expected to be completed before the end of 2019.

Su-30SM upgrade
The Su-30SM is being upgraded by the Irkut Aircraft Corporation and the Sukhoi Design Bureau on the assignment of Russia’s Defense Ministry with the involvement of leading Russian defense enterprises. The upgrade will boost the fighter’s combat capabilities: it will increase the range of detecting and identifying air targets and furnish the plane with new precision weapons to hit air, ground and sea targets at a range of several hundred kilometers.


The Su-30SM is a multirole supermaneuverable heavy fighter equipped with a phased array radar and canard panels. The fighters of this type are furnished with the AL-31FP engine derived from the AL-31F baseline motor of the Su-27 plane. It is distinguished by its thrust vectoring and the increased service life.

The Su-35 is a Russian-made multipurpose generation 4++ super-maneuverable fighter jet equipped with a phased array radar and steerable thrusters. The fighter is equipped with the AL-41F-1S engine, which allows it developing supersonic speed without an afterburner thrust. The experimental AL-41F-1 turbojet engine performs the function of the first-stage powerplant for the Su-57 (PAK FA) fifth-generation fighter.



More:
http://tass.com/defense/1046519
 
Sukhoi fighter jet crashes in paddy field Assam, pilots eject safely
The Su-30 MKI fighter jet was on a routine training mission when it crashed in the paddy field in the Milanpur area and burst into flames at around 8:30 pm
By PTI
Friday, August 9, 2019
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A Sukhoi fighter jet of the Indian Air Force crashed in a paddy field near Tezpur in Assam on Thursday evening, a defence spokesperson said.

Both pilots of the aircraft ejected safely and have been rescued, defence spokesperson Lt Col Harsh Wardhan Pande said.

One of the pilots suffered injury in his leg, he said.

The Su-30 MKI fighter jet was on a routine training mission when it crashed in the paddy field in the Milanpur area and burst into flames at around 8:30 pm, Lt Col Pande told PTI.

The crash caused no damage to public property, he added.

Local people rushed the two pilots to the Army Base Hospital in Tezpur, he said.

Fire tenders rushed to the spot to bring the flames under control, the fire department said.

A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident, official sources said in Delhi.
 
The super sukhoi program adds weight to a heavy airframe with an unstable pitch up moment due to weight of TVC mechanics. It creates a pig of an airframe at full internal fuel.

The focus of the program should be better radar, ECM &ECCM, longer ranged and reliable weapons. Because it shows up the size of a business jet on radar its best bet is to stick to outranging it opponents in BVR and rely on its missile truck capacity.
 
The super sukhoi program adds weight to a heavy airframe with an unstable pitch up moment due to weight of TVC mechanics. It creates a pig of an airframe at full internal fuel.

The focus of the program should be better radar, ECM &ECCM, longer ranged and reliable weapons. Because it shows up the size of a business jet on radar its best bet is to stick to outranging it opponents in BVR and rely on its missile truck capacity.
100% correct plus only God supplies spares parts for Russian military hardware, Russia doesn't. It's symptomatic problems in India, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Algeria.
Look who buys Russian military hardware? Country doesn't have money to maintain military hardware flys low cost Russian aircraft. It costs $121 millions to buy Su-30MKI and cost another $50m/$60m to maintain. It's a hard job for HAL which has poor record of
producing and maintaining aircraft.
This was the main reason Dassault never wanted to be partner of HAL, rather they wanted to be partner of private corporation.
 
The recently crashed aircraft underwent upgrades for Brahmos-A missile. A huge setback for the program.
 
The Crash could be from multiple factors, pilot error, maintenance issue, airframe needing an overhaul, etc. however it may set the integration of the BrahMos-A to be mounted on the jet, the MKI still has some pretty good potential.
from what I understand according to many Indians is it will feature the AESA radar from Su-57, BVRs (I believe the Astra), new Israeli and Russian AAMs, plus the BrahMos-A
I am not trying to sound one sided, and or offensive, but I think if HAL was to upgrade a few facilities and constantly take care of the logistics there would be fewer crashes in the MKI sector.
 

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