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Outgunned by the Su-30 family of aircraft and suffering critical design flaws, the American F-35 is staring down the barrel of obsolescence – and punching a gaping hole in western air defences. Built to be the deadliest hunter killer aircraft of all time, the F-35 has quite literally become the hunted. In every scenario that the F-35 has been wargamed against Su-30 Flankers, the Russian aircraft have emerged winners. America’s newest stealth aircraft – costing $191 million per unit – is riddled with such critical design flaws that it’s likely to get blown away in a shootout with the super-maneuverable...

Su-30s would beat F-15s every time. ButÂ….. We recently explained how, 10 years ago, Exercise Cope India put the Indian Air Force Su-30 against U.S. Air Force F-15C jets with results that are still open to debate: since the drills took place during F-22 budget reviews, some analysts affirm the Air Force intentionally accepted the challenging ROE (Rules Of Engagement) to gain more Raptors. Others claim this version of the story was invented to try to save face after the Indians achieved an impressive 9:1 kill ratio. Even if we might never know the truth, itÂ’s undeniable that, at least...

To compete with India's Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighters, the People's Liberation Army Air Force may consider replacing the RLPK-27VE integrated radar targeting system of its Sukhoi Su-30MKK fighters with more advanced passive electronically scanned array radar, according to the Moscow-based Military Parade magazine. Even though China has shown itself capable of building its own version of Russian fighters such as the J-11B and the J-15 through reverse engineering, many Western experts still question whether the quality of these Chinese fighters is really equal to the Russian originals. This is the reason why China still needs to purchase the Su-35S, Russia's 4.5-generation,...

Governments from Uganda to Angola are investing billions in state-of-the-art combat aircraft—and it’s not clear why Africa’s air forces are on a buying spree. Flush with oil cash, many African states are investing heavily in modern multirole jet fighters, deadly helicopter gunship and even sophisticated air-defense systems with radars and surface-to-air missiles. The deals are worth hundreds of millions of dollars in countries still lacking many basic social services. So it’s worth asking exactly what Uganda, Angola, Sudan and the like are planning to do with their new air forces. Some of the most interesting acquisitions involve modern, or modernized,...

Sukhoi Su-30SM: An Indian Gift to Russia’s Air Force Russia’s Defense Ministry has ordered 30 heavy Sukhoi Su-30SM fighter planes. Given that the same model has been exported to India for more than 10 years, this choice seems both logical and pragmatic. Thirty 30’s The Defense Ministry and the Irkut Corporation, an affiliate of the United Aircraft Corporation, have signed a supply contract for 30 Su-30SM multirole fighter aircraft, a Defense Ministry spokesman told journalists Thursday, March 22. “Under the contract, Irkut Corporation will build for Russia’s Ministry of Defense 30 planes of this type by 2015,” he said. Rumors...

Legislator Tubagus Hasanuddin raised questions on Friday about a recent Defense Ministry purchase of six Russian fighter jets, claiming the deal might have been unduly marked up by $50 million. Tubagus, deputy chairman of House of Representatives Commission I overseeing defense and foreign affairs, pointed out the high price of the planes compared to previous purchases of the same aircraft. Planes already acquired by Indonesia, he said, only cost $55 million each. Indonesia bought six of the Sukhoi jets from Russia in 2007 for $355 million. There was also a discrepancy with the published list price, he added. The latest...

Russia’s Su-30MK maker boasts order portfolio for 300 fighters Russia’s Irkut corporation said on Tuesday it had secured orders for at least 300 Su-30MK fighters and that it had already delivered over half of them. Orders have been placed by India, Algeria and Malaysia, Irkut’s marketing director Andrei Alyoshin said at the Dubai Airshow 2011. Over 200 of the aircraft have already been delivered to customers, Irkut said. The Su-30MK Flanker is a multirole twin-engine, two-seater for all-weather, air-to-air and air-to-surface deep interdiction missions. Su-family fighters constitute the bulk of Russia's arms exports.

European consortium MBDA offers missiles to India for its Russian Sukhois NAPLES (Italy): European consortium MBDA has offered their 300 km-range Taurus stand-off missile system to the Indian Air Force (IAF) for its fighter jets such as the Su-30MKI. "We have received a Request for Information (RFI) from the IAF for a stand-off long range missile from the IAF and we have offered the Taurus missiles as we feel that it meets all the desired requirements," Anders Axebark, the business development manager for the missile systems told a group of Indian journalists here. The Taurus air-to-ground missiles are manufactured by...

Belarus may buy outdated Su-30 fighters from Russia Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jet © AFP/ Frederick Florin September 16 (RIA Novosti) Eighteen Su-30K fighter jets which were delivered by Russia to India in the 1990s could end up in service with the Belarusian air force, respected Russian business daily Kommersant said on Friday. Russia and India agreed on the sale of advanced Su-30MKI fighters to the Indian air force in mid-1990s, but Moscow had not been able to deliver the aircraft until early 2000. The sides found a compromise - the first 18 fighter jets were delivered in downgraded version, Su-30K,...

You don’t wait for war to buy fighter jets, says Gen. Museveni One of the new Russian-made jet fighters prepares for a demonstration take-off during President Museveni’s tour. PHOTO BY MARTIN SSEBUYIRA By Martin Ssebuyira (email the author) Entebbe The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Gen. Yoweri Museveni, yesterday conceded calls by opposition for the government to give priority to infrastructure and healthcare ahead of military hardware are plausible but said defence cannot wait for war to purchase equipment. Mr Museveni, who was inspecting the new planes at the airbase in Entebbe, said the delivery of Sukhoi Su-30 multirole fighters...

Irkut to supply 40 Su-30 fighters to Russian Air Force Su-30 © RIA Novosti. Maya Mashatina Russia's Irkut aircraft holding is in talks with the Defense Ministry on the delivery of up to 40 Sukhoi Su-30 multirole fighters to the Russian Air Force, the company said on Monday. "We will sign a contract with the Defense Ministry next year," Irkut President Alexei Fyodorov said. The contract stipulates the initial delivery of 28 fighter jets and the supply of an additional 12 aircraft as an option. The Su-30 Flanker-C is a twin-engine, two-seat multirole fighter for all-weather, air-to-air and air-to-surface missions....

Death of a Soviet Aviation Legend By Dr. Richard Weitz 03/22/2011 – The famed Russian aircraft designer Mikhail Simonov died earlier this month, at the age of 81, after a long illness. His Sukhoi fighter jets represented the best of the Soviet defense industry and continue to dominate Russia’s arms sales to foreign countries. Mikhail Simonov (Credit: http://www.legacy.com/legacies/2011/obituary-photo-gallery.aspx?photo=mikhail-simonov&pid=149081887) Born in 1929 in Russia, Simonov began working as an aviation engineer in the 1950s. He joined the design bureau of the state-owned OAO Sukhoi aircraft corporation as the first deputy chief designer in 1970. During the following nine years he led...

Given the huge potential in military avionics, Indian aerospace firm Axis Aerospace and Technologies (AAT) and Russian defence exporter FGUP Rosoboronexport Monday announced they have signed an agreement to start a joint venture focusing on avionics for IAF's front line Sukhoi SU-30 and MiG-29 fighter jets, as also military helicopters. Apart from these Russian-origin platforms, the JV will also work on the new fighter jet from the Mikoyan stable, the MiG-35, which is one of the contenders in India's $10.4-billion tender for 126 combat aircraft. 'The JV will focus on creation of cutting-edge technology for aerospace and defence applications in...

Russia has offered to equip the Indian Su-30MKI aircraft with the electronically scanned array radar to bring them on par with the most modern fighter aircraft in the world. Currently the technical configuration of the upgraded aircraft with onboard AESA radar is being discussed by Russian and Indian experts. The upgraded aircraft could be equipped with perspective Russian or foreign-made weapon, including Indo-Russian “BrahMos” anti-ship missiles, an Irkut statement said at Aero India 2011 A multirole Su-30MKI aircraft which became a sort of symbol of the IRKUT Corporation deserves an honourable place in the exposition of the company (stand 24,...

The air launched version of BRAHMOS supersonic cruise missile system integrated with Sukhoi 30 MKI fighter aircraft on display is a major attraction at Aero India 2011. The air launched version has lesser weight and additional rear fins for aerodynamic stability during separation from the aircraft and launch. The Indian Air Force (IAF) has chosen the Su-30MKI fighter aircraft as the launch platform for the BRAHMOS missile. Some exclusive modifications are being made in the aircraft to use it as a platform for launching the missile. The test of air-launched version of BRAHMOS is expected to take place in 2012,...

Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin was Monday flown on a Sukhoi SU-30MKM fighter jet in conjunction with his visit at the air force base here. The aircraft, piloted by Squadron Commanding Officer II Lt-Col Mohd Asghar Khan Gauriman Khan, flew in a supersonic speed over Langkawi, Kedah and Penang and landed back 45 minutes later. It was accompanied by another fighter jet, the FA/18D Hornet. Royal Malaysian Air Force commander Gen Tan Sri Rodzali Daud told reporters Tuanku Mizan was happy and thrilled by the experience. Earlier, Tuanku Mizan arrived at the base and greeted by Yang Dipertua...

Hindustan Aeronautics expects the Indian air force to order an additional 42 locally produced Sukhoi Su-30MKIs. The possible order would come on top of the 180 Su-30MKIs HAL is already producing for the air force, says company chairman Ashok Nayak. About 105 aircraft from the 180-strong order have been delivered so far, Nayak says. In addition, in mid-2010, India ordered 40 Su-30MKIs as flyaways from Russia's Sukhoi.

The air forces of Singapore and Indonesia began a 10-day joint exercise dubbed Elang Indopura 16/10 in West Nusatengara (NTB), an Indonesian Air Force spokesman said. "During the joint exercise, elements from the two air forces will do command post and field maneuvers," the Indonesian Air Force Headquarters` chief information officer, Air Commodore Bambang Samedro, said here Wednesday. The maneuvers would include one-to-one and even one-to-two air battles (dog fights) over Rembiga Airbase in West Nusa Tenggara, he said. The Indonesian Air Force as well as its Singaporean counterpart were represented in the joint exercise by F-16 Fighting Falcons with...

Russia started the first day at an arms show in Jakarta with a contract on the delivery of munitions for Sukhoi-family fighters to Indonesia, worth $54 million, a senior defense official said on Wednesday. The Indo Defense 2010 Expo & Forum opened on November 10 in Jakarta to host over 400 exhibitors from 38 countries until November 13. Nine Russian defense companies are exhibiting various types of sophisticated weaponry at the biennial arms fair. "Russia's [arms exporter] Rosoboronexport signed a contract on the delivery of munitions for Su-family fighters in service with the Indonesian armed forces," said Mikhail Pukhov, deputy...

Russian-designed Sukhoi fighters (Su-30MKI) with the Indian Air Force (IAF) will soon have in their cockpit an indigenous multi-functional display system manufactured by Samtel in a joint venture with defence behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), a senior executive said Wednesday. "The first home-grown multi-functional display (MFD) system will be fitted in the cockpit of a Sukhoi for a roll-out Friday," Samtel-HAL Display Systems Ltd Executive Director Puneet Kaura told reporters on the margins of a defence conference here. The display systems are being manufactured under a limited series production by the joint venture in collaboration with scientists and engineers of...