Sukhoi-30mki,
Thanks for your consistently good aviation posts. It’s interesting and unnerving, however, that the later posters in the threads you start often turn them into ones that make fun of the Chinese or Russians.
This plane is interesting. The landing gear is extremely widely set for easy and stable landings. There is a “bump” near the intake that must be for smoothing airflow at certain speeds or angle of attack. There are other features of it that look like they are taken straight off an F-16.
I personally think we make a big mistake taking the Reds lightly. Many of the comments in these threads sound like comments made in 1940 about the Japs and their silly little Zero fighters and torpedo bombers. Jap pilots all wore thick glasses and couldn’t see on top of everything else. My son flies for the USA. Let me tell you, he is NOT amused by recent developments in China. If he was in the Middle East, he would be watching the surprising capabilities of the Russians with concern. Talking heads have have been quick to point out the problems the Russians have experienced. Wiser heads have been impressed that they have had so few while making a huge impact on the situation on the ground.
Those are just my opinions. Thanks again for the consistently interesting aviation posts.
Oldplayer
Thanks for the compliments!
The JL-9 is considered to be a derivative of the JJ-7 (the trainer derivative of China’s Mig-21 clones). So, it’s a souped version of what is a nearly 60-year-old base design. That itself seems impressive and pragmatic in itself.