Look at the pictures below - these are Su-33's just in case you don't recognize them.
Which is actually a good argument against Su-33s... they are big and take up too much room on a carrier... if they are going for buddy refuelling then use the smaller aircraft so you can carry more planes.
Well it is known that unlike a bomb load, air-to-air missile do not impose too many aerodynamic restrictions on a fighter - especially on a Su-27! Even the Su-34 demonstrated extreme maneuverability with full missile loads. In the case of air-to-air missiles having them in numbers can give you a significant advantage over your adversary.
Actually with a full fuel load there is a 5 g limit on manouverability for the Su-27. That is why they often do not operate with full fuel tanks... other than not normally needing full fuel tanks.
Having to use drop tanks cuts deep into your weapons load - esp on the Mig-29's already limited loadout compared to the Su-27.
Centreline pylon on the MiG-29 is normally occupied by a fuel tank... in a buddy refuelling situation both aircraft can carry a centreline fuel tank.
Newer models of MiG-29 have had increasing volumes of fuel as standard and the new models have a decent amount of fuel capacity.
The overall effect of all the aerodynamic changes gave the Su-27KUB a unprecedented high lift/drag ratio - resulting in a 10% overall improvement over the Su-33. The fuel load was unchanged, giving it up to 20% more range over the Su-33!
Yet they still didn't buy it... I suspect that will help them understand MiG a bit better...
On another point - the Ka-31 would have been replaced by a Su-27KUB AEW&C version with a radar similar to the Swedish Erieye mounted between the composite fins - with the rest of the radar system housed in the tail stinger. An ECM and ELINT version was also on the cards - but sadly the program was terminated on ground of costs.
Not a shock really... if they can't afford two types of planes then they can't afford two types of planes.
Why was Sukhoi so dumb?
You never mentioned "evolution". I believe you used the word "upgrade" - which has a completely different meaning.
An improvement is an upgrade... I might be using a piece of chalk to write things down... if I get a ball point pen then that is an upgrade in tools... it doesn't mean I took the piece of chalk and created a ball point pen out of it...
The Algerians picked up the issues on the SMT's very early on. Just imagine how easy it would have been for Mig's engineers and technicians!
No corruption in Algeria either of course... maybe Sukhoi gets away without criticism because they bribe better?
They tried selling used airplanes to Algerians and pretended they were new ones
No they didn't... there were accusations of counterfeit parts being sold but if that is the case then who knows who knew what was happening... they might have offered newly made parts for which there would be a wait while they were made and also a higher price, or you can have these parts that are much cheaper and no questions asked. At the time of purchase no one cared, but later on with pressure from Sukhoi they found issues and raised them as excuses to get out of the deal.
BTW have not heard of Russian AF MigG-29SMTs falling from the skies because of counterfeit parts.
This wasn't some botched paintjob, it was attempt at fraud on international level
Fraud at an international level... never happens.
It was a disaster of epic proportions and played a huge part in the unfortunate reputation hit of MiG and its further developments of the MiG-29 and eventually the MiG-35.
It was blown out of all proportion by Sukhoi and also western "experts" because they didn't have better products so they had to pretend MiG was as corrupt as they were. Look at Boeing... faggots here claiming MiG is the image of evil... how many engineers have they murdered this year?
I can't speak for the VKS/VVS and how it affected their perception, but internationally, it was a crippling disaster from hell with the reputation hit MiG suffered from that.
Vast majority of people didn't even know it happened or what actually happened.
For a decade or so the MiG-29 was the boogeyman that western MIC companies claimed was the reason they needed more money to counter... and then the cold war ended and half the new members of HATO had MiG-29s so of course they had to discredit them... if Germany got rid of their F-4s and kept their MiG-29s and upgraded them WTF would they need Typhoon for... expensive over rated piece of shit that it is. They are already retiring the first models because it is cheaper to scrap them and make new planes than to upgrade the old models... talk about corruption... MiG are not even in the same class.
Those who think that's a trivial element and didn't matter in the grand scheme of things are sadly mistaken.
They had stacks of Su-27s that had been made but there was no avionics and radars to put in them because making airframes was easier and quicker than making the avionics and systems... did that make the Su-27 a failure?
I've said it before on this board and still maintain it; the inability to produce the Zhuk-AE AESA radar 15 years ago and get it into the MiG-35 to compete with the likes of the F-16, F-18, Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon (not to mention all the Chinese fighters - J-10C - including their Soviet/Russian licensed copies they make) and so on, greatly contributed to where the MiG-29/35 stands today.
Where it stands today is a modern 4+ generation aircraft about to go into serial production to fill out the Russian AF and probably also the Russian Navy.
The Typhoon is shit, Rafale is too expensive for what it is, and the F-16 is about to go back into production because its replacement F-35s are shit too.
In a sea of mediocre the MiG-35 is not the worst or the most expensive.
You just can't conduct mafiosi tactics, get caught doing that, then lag behind the competition in the most critical aspects of technology and expect success.
Oh please it was counterfeit parts and old already made airframes.... they weren't fucking camels.
So when do you expect this Mig LF to fly? I would guess around 2040 judging by your earlier comments here.
Moron thinks it will be 25 years before MiG-LF flies because he has seen a model and thinks that is all it is.
Putting MiG-35s into serial production would take the pressure of any light 5th gen replacement aircraft production schedule, and when the MiG-35s are completed that factory could be used to produce new light 5th gen fighters as needed for testing.
It would get affordable light fighters into operation faster than any other option and be a basis for MiG to develop their next gen light fighter further too.
So a fully funded project in prototype stage will get tossed in favor of nonexistent project by a disgraced design bureau on it's deathbed which hasn't produced a single new product in over three decades?
If Su-75 was fully funded they would not have been advertising it hard at MAKS to GET funding and international customers.
The funded project will be MiG and that is why we only saw a model... we are lucky to even see that because it is obviously secret.
Mikoyan wont die. As I said, their secret weapon is the upkeep of the MiG-31's and hopefully the upcoming interceptor.
The MiG-UTS also seems to be a thing too, and the MiG-35 is ready for service and the only game in town for the Russians.
Issue is, they never went beyond prototypes and no interest.
Except 6 are in service for evaluation... unlike the SU-75 which has not even flown yet.
I honestly think it was a case of lack of money on RuMoD end of things.
Ironically if it was a lack of money they would cut the purchases of the Flankers and buy MiG-29Ms because they are cheaper and can be used in large numbers and are affordable to operate.
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