Su-30 for Russian Air Force #2

Especially for the Navy's Su-24, the Su-30SM was considered their replacement

I thought the replacement for the Su-24 in general was the Su-34?
The Su-30 can also do some of the missions but it depends on pilot training.

lancelot wrote:I thought the replacement for the Su-24 in general was the Su-34?
The Su-30 can also do some of the missions but it depends on pilot training.

i said for the navy's su-24s. After all only Su-30SMs have been assigned to Naval Aviation not the Su-34

The multi-mode radar of the Su-34 can turn this monster into a useful interceptor/fighter as well.

The Su-34 is very capable and in the air to air role should very much be able to hold its own... it is able to carry any air to air weapon any other advanced Flanker model can carry and it is big and has lots of fuel so could climb and launch its missiles at high speed to maximise their range even though its top speed is lower than other flanker types it has the fuel to utilise speed and altitude.

Its main fault for the Navy is its price and the fact that it is probably too capable... the Navy just needs something that can engage surface targets and aircraft and the Su-30 does that just fine and is cheaper and simpler.

The Su-34 is too much plane I suspect and would cost too much for features and capabilities they likely didn't need or want.

They have written an article comparing the Su-30 against the F-22, so as they put it a 4th gen aircraft (su-30) pitted against a 5th Stealth fighter (F-22) and their conclusion is the Su-30 would get destroyed. Completely dumb article and made to discredit Russian aircraft and the Su-30. I

Their national newspapers report the olympics in what ever terms makes them higher in the charts... gold medals are all that matters if they lead the gold medal table, but if they don't then add the other medals and see if that puts them on top, and if that doesn't then fake the chart to make it look like they did better even with less medals...



But in America American gold medals are worth more than Chinese gold medals right?

In that sort of environment could you expect anything different... I mean it is clearly their national interest to be the best even if it isn't true.

The exported Su-30s in poorer countries the F-22 would be problematic because the Su-30 was never intended to engage stealth aircraft as targets.

But Russian Su-30s are going to get all the radar and engine and equipment from the Su-35s which are designed to hunt US Stealth Fighters, so I would expect Russian Su-30s upgraded to kill F-22 butt.... even more so in Russia within the most capable IADS on the planet.

But it wasn't designed for such, and is more for self defense

The Su-24 only carried R-60 and later R73 missiles for self defence but the Su-34 is fully capable of carrying all the newest Russian AAMs including the R-37M I suspect because its radar certainly should detect certain targets at suitable ranges for it to be used.

In air to air combat it would be better to put all the big EW system pods on it and send it with the other sukhois to jamm enemy radars. Very nice for support and its missiles can be used for support too or better put long range r-37M and r-77M to attack and oblige enemy planes to go defensive while other sukhoi get in dogfight.

Wouldn't want to dogfight in it, but it can certainly turn... but for BVR combat it would be as good as most other aircraft.

Curiois about the radome on that R-27. Anyone have a clue as to why it is like that?

SARH dielectric panel with the red protective cover removed... looks quite normal.

I would imagine that one of reasons also for choosing the Su-30SM rather than the Su-34 was that they didn't need an aircraft with an armoured cockpit, naval aircraft most likely won't be getting close to anything that could cause damage from MANPAD, ground fire etc, will be launching missiles at stand off ranges against ships etc. And I would imagine the armoured cockpit would add a fair amount of weight.

The Su-34 is rather more expensive too.... the Su-34 is a specialised strike aircraft intended to fly low and fast through all sorts of terrain, and rapidly find targets and engage them as it finds them.

The Su-30 does not have as good a radar, and is also rather cheaper to buy and operate but can still engage air and surface targets with a variety of weapons that while extensive is not as broad or as heavy a load as the Su-34 can carry.

The day Margaret Thatcher said Gorbachev was someone 'they could work with" I knew it was over for the USSR. The fox was in the henhouse. It was Andropov by the way who was Gorbachev's primary sponsor.

My favourite quote about Thatcher was by the late Shaun Lock who said it was quite amusing that at Margaret Thatchers funeral they ran out of coal...