Posted on 08/20/2011 10:30:07 PM PDT by MBT ARJUN
The Indian Sukhoi 30MKI fighter aircraft will be upgraded with certain fifth generation aircraft characteristics to convert it into a “Super Sukhoi”, Alexy Fedorov, President and Chairman of the Board of Irkut Corporation of Russia announced during the MAKS 2011 show here.
India has five squadrons of Sukhoi 30MKIs numbering around 100 aircraft which are to be upgraded into the “Super Sukhoi” format. The upgrade will apply not only to the aircraft in service with the Indian Air Force (IAF) but also to those yet to be delivered to India and to be licence-manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Fedorov said.
The upgrade will include a new cockpit, an upgraded radar and certain stealth characteristics to make it less visible to enemy radar than the present Sukhoi 30. Most significantly, the aircraft will be able to carry a heavier weapons load including the airborne version of the Brahmos supersonic cruise missile, he added.
Fedorov said the Super Sukhoi will be a potent aircraft similar in features to a fifth generation aircraft, however, he refused to provide s specific details of the upgrade stating that the exact nature of the upgrade was still to be decided between the Indian and Russian sides. Discussions are currently on regarding various aspects of the proposed upgrade, he said.
The Irkut chief did not provide any indication of the price of the upgrade project. However, going by the general cost trends of similar upgrades, the price could run close to a billion dollars. The Super Sukhoi would be a potent weapons platform offering both ground attack of precision targets and air superiority roles.
Correction-Indian airforce has 142Su30mki with 7 SQN operational with 130 Yet to come.
ping...
The system’s only as good as the pilots who fly them.
Let’s hope they put a serious crimp in Pakistan’s regional bellicosity.
What a beautiful fighter. Thanks for posting.
crimp they already do — the Pakis get a lot of weapons and money from the US (or used to) and China. They are an army with a state rather than the other way around.
A canard/thrust vectoring F-15 fitted with advanced sensors would have killed the F-22 before it went to battle against the Sukhois!!
It’s the same reason why Lockheed Martin has never bothered with developing advanced F-16 versions.
Smart skin for reduced RCS? Phazotron Zukh AESA radar? Zvesda Novator long range BVR?
Excellent. You’ll be facing the Chinese and the Pakistanis. Give them hell when the time comes.
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